Perceptions

Our so called 'traditions' that through non-conformism spawned our choirs but lost us our dances and most of our instruments except for the harp ruined our culture, no dancing and singing unless it was praise be to 'God' and this superstition is still continuing in so much as even though the chapels and 'worshipping', what a word! is declining, our music is still more adapted to the chapels and prayers than it is to dancing (Devil's work). And I mean good old barn dances where everything was cleared out for the seasonal festivities. Now we are known throughout the 'world' (big word) for clichés such as the quality of our choirs, our rugby limited as it is to the British Empire' and a few more who have the audacity to refer to the 'World Cup' (mind you cricket 'world cup' is even worse); our soccer has too much competition, something our rugby doesn't suffer. We weren't the only country to have had coal miners but it's become a cliché. Scotland isn't the only country in Europe to have bagpipes & kilts and stout isn't an Irish drink, but they aren't perceived as clichés and it works for them! Is it that their respective self-awareness of their own identity outweighs the clichés whereas we in Wales have such a low self esteem that it only carries us through as a nation to a rugby match in Cardiff. We have to explain that we are neither Scottish, nor English, nor Irish, even though we have a heritage second to none, and that the founding saints of Brittany were born here, as was the founder of Donetsk in the Ukraine, plus some of the most famous Hollywood stars, entertainers & poets. But we shouldn't have to keep on repeating ourselves, we should be able to stand up equal to anyone on the world stage, so why doesn't it happen and why aren't we known outside the Commonwealth? A big problem is that once we drop our language we assimilate, something that the Scots & Irish don't do!

No Matter!

May I say that there was a Jewish sandal wearing Arab hippy whom we are told claimed to be the son of 'God', perhaps he was drugged, but as in the legends of Arthur these stories were embellished and written down centuries later, the Roman Empire eventually got them to us in Wales. Think about it; we are now complaining about foreign infiltration when for two thousand years we've been under Middle Eastern propaganda that we would never heard of in the first place if we had never been occupied by the Romans. So what if Roumanians, Hungarians, Czechs and so on come into the country; there are so many of us speaking English now and taking it on as our first language that these people are just ripples, and ripples after the stone has been thrown initially always find their way back to the calm waters, even if we still have to wait a while. Wales has a defensive system in that is becoming an autonomous country insomuch that it's the Welsh in the long run who will eventually decide their destiny, that is if it's not to late to defend its language & culture, then what would it matter, we wouldn't be more Welsh than the People of Strathclyde who have no longer any memories of ever having been Welsh, and the Cumbrians of old. For those non political sports fanatics, it was almost too late for our reborn Welsh football (soccer), will it be too late for our rugby? Will it be too late anyway? Are we on the road to a collective euthanasia? No matter; for the moment we can still put on our red, go down to Cardiff and imagine that we're a nation, get pissed and vote Labour.

R.I.P.

In political terms Neil Kinnock put the 'lower' into 'class; he wasn't accepted, nothing to do with his being Welsh, although 'Welsh windbag' was a convenient alliteration; Margaret Thatcher put 'middle' into 'class' and because of it she was not liked by the main stream of her 'Party'; now we are back to the Dickensien 'ancien régime' where England and her Welsh & Scottish satellites are ruled by the 'upper' class Eton educated millionaires. We believe we have a democratic choice, even though the opposition is a Labour Party of class conscious wannabees, but least there is a choice, limited as it is. In the US of A there's no pretension, even a millionnaire doesn't have enough money outside his campaigns. Which brings me to my point that in South Africa a blackman came out of prison to completely transform the politics of his country, he created a 'Rainbow Country' out of former White supremacist rule, a true revolution, not a stone's ripple in a pond. The world watched as a right wing apartheid régime was brought down peacefully. After having unjustly wasted most of his life in prison there was no animosity on his part, no grudges, he just got on with it. He was a hero to everyone who believes in justice. There will be very many sad people tonight, but there will also be many high level crocodile tears at his funeral.

Breton Entity

The French government under Petain collaborated with the Nazis to the extent that they loaded the trains with Jews, and we know where that lead them. Some Bretons saw the the opportunity to be liberated from the French, but what happened later made the French worse than the Gestapo, the Bretons were persecuted, even primary school teachers of the language were condemned to prison, Breton and anything to do with it was not allowed (and we think we Welsh have problems). Even the very idea of Brittany as an entity couldn't be supported by the French Jacobins to whom the integrity of the French state took precedence. De Gaulle from his seat in London was allowed by the Allies to lead the free French into Paris, then in his arrogance his previous aid was forgotten. He was not the favoured French General neither of the Americans nor Churchill and he never forgot it (which I suppose is a slightly different point, no matter).

It was the Plantagenets who built the wall of castles, not the so called Anglo-Normans. What is an Anglo-Norman? There were Angles & Saxons who shared the crown of Britain before England became a part of the Danish empire, consolidating themselves as English before being defeated by the Normans. Our king Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was killed by his own men in 1063, who knows what could have happened if he'd held on for another 3 years. England lost to the Normans in 1066. William didn't bother us (The Cymry (Welsh) that is, a third of his army was Breton, Welsh speakers 'returning home' whom he settled on the borders of Cymru (Wales). William Rufus, his son' opened the floodgates allowing his barons to cross the border beginning at Chepstow creating the Marcher Lordships, they kept their own laws independent of the king, yet allowed Welsh autonomy. The Normans intermarried with the Plantagenets thereby creating the Angevin empire. Not only is there no such thing as Anglo-Normans but the north Walian ring of castles was not built by the 'Anglo-Normans', but rather by the Plantagenet Edward I, king of a European empire based in Aquitaine, speaking neither English nor Norman but Occitan. The Plantagenets were eventually overthrown in 1485 by the Welshman Henry Tudor. Bynn Walters There were the Cymry (Britons, or in the Germanic languages of the time 'Welsh) who ruled the land from the borders of Caledonia (Strathclyde or Ystrad Clud) to 'Lands End' before for historical reasons crossing to Armorica renaming the land 'Llydaw/Breizh/Brittany. The Northumbrian Angles (Germans) fought many battles against the Strathclyde 'Welsh' & the Gwynedd 'Welsh, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. At the same time the Irish of Dalreada expanded into Welsh territory pushing us against the Germanic invaders creating a Brythonic exile to the north of our present Cymru (Wales). Towards the end of the 7th century we lost our crown but have fought back ever since to hold on to a semblance of a country and a semblance of pride. Taliesin's 6th c. prophecy was that we would lose our land (except Wild Wales) but not our language, yet there are people in Wales today who want to see us losing our language and with it an ancient heritage? I say shame on them.

Our History

As was once Brythonic & Caledonian up there in the north, it is interesting to measure, calculate, delineate, or even devine the approach of the Gaels from Dalreada, and/or Ireland, how the Gaels intermarried with the Picts whose descendance was through the female line, for how long they continued to exist, apparently Macbeth was a Pict; and the eventual assimilation, or conquest, of the Northern Welsh pincered between the Irish invaders from the west and the Northumbrian Angles from the east. End of the Northern Welsh & the beginning of the Germanic hegemony followed by Norman rule in Scotland & England, baronial rule in the Welsh Marches with autonomous Princeps, before everything was absorbed into the Anjevin Empire & the reign of the French Plantagenets that only came to an end in 1485 with the Earl of Richmond, Henry Tudor becoming Henry Vll realizing Myrddin's (Merlin's) prophesy that the Red Dragon would once again take the crown of Britain, Arthur once more to take the throne, unfortunately he died at an early age leaving his younger brother to take his place, we all know what that led to, the greatest dynasty of the English and the end of Cymru & another assimilation. Britain stayed in Armorica, England took over Wales' history, then in 1707 another Great Britain was born with the union of Scotland & England. Is this the end or do we have a future and not just a past?

Laboured

Am I stupid? That was rhetorical, don't answer; I've heard that the Labour Party is looking to be harder on aid for the out of work than the Conservative Party; this is so cruelly simplified in that they are looking for votes for the people in work who are disgusted at seeing rents paid for, new cars bought etc. for their neighbours who are taking home more than themselves at the end of the week/month. The members of the government that will now be capping benefits are multi-millionaires! To resolve the question of a country in debt is not easy, but one thing is sure, it's not the multimillionaires of the Conservative Party who will be suffering in the near future or ever. Shame on the Labour Party that they want to turn the screw on their own as a vote getter to use seemingly simple righteous or moral arguments, which are nothing of the sort, to turn neighbour against neighbour up in the working mens' clubs using petty jealousies that will cost them in the end. The Labour Party was created by the 'Unions' to help the 'working class'. If the English are not careful they will be governed forever by a class out of control whilst the Scots & Welsh will be waving them goodbye. P.S. It isn't right that certain types are taking advantage of a state given generosity, but divide & rule by Eton types is not the answer, and the Labour Party should know better.

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité; Who are They Kidding?

Just food for thought, as are most of my offerings: A Welshman is equal to an Englishman so long as he leads an Anglicized life; a Basque is equal to a Castillan so long as he lives the Castillan version of Spanish life; a Kurd is equal to an Ottoman Turk so long as he accepts his subservience; I used to read C.D. comic books during the 60s, they were always showing how the 'Red Indians' (Native Americans), could participate in the 'American' way of life once they dropped their 1000s of years history and joined the 'human race'; and Bretons are welcome to become French so long as they change their crazy ideas. Equality is there for us all at at a price that is so cheap to pay that it is easily acceptable. Market forces work in wondrous ways and we are all susceptible. We open our eyes to blindness and are happy not to see! To expand on this: some Bretons don't like the idea of speaking French all the time, some do; some Welsh don't like that once they leave the house they are forced into speaking a foreign language, it doesn't bother the majority who close their eyes to the fact that they've been so subsumed that they don't even see it as a foreign language anymore and who fight against their own heritage without an inkling that we are able to speak more than one tongue "the dragon has two tongues", the only trouble with that is that it gives an idea of not choice but conflict, when in reality we can accept multiple cultures and more than one language. English was a threat to Welsh for centuries so how the hell that Welsh people think that the Welsh language is a threat to English in Wales beggars belief especially that mono-lingualism is a state propaganda thing of the past. I was on my way out of my pub but had to come to comment that when one's hero decries a whole history & cultural heritage, when hardly anyone speaks the language anymore, one doesn't have to look to the 'Red Indians' (native Americans), one can look closer to home, when Aneurin Bevan stated 70 years ago "there are no Welsh problems, only problems, then we can see that the the monk on the borders of the Severn 1600 years ago on hearing a foreign Germanic language approaching had every reason to be worried. Romans; Germans; Vikings; Danes; Normans; Angevins; when your own man tells you that there are no Welsh problems only problems then you are assimilated worse than any tribes, but the worse thing is, not that you don't know it but that you are proud of it!!! The French subdue all their minorities, even to the extent that they refuse to ratify the charter of human rights concerning minority languages. I have Flemish French friends who have to take their children to Belgium to be educated. It just seems that things don't seem to be right in Wales. After centuries of oppression of the natural culture/language of the country. I am being told that Monmouthshire wasn't Welsh, when Welsh was spoken as far as the Clyde in Scotland it's a totally ridiculous argument, I'm just for fairplay for all, and I think that we can do our bit to raise our culture, even though perhaps most people still won't know that we had the greatest romantic poets of the middle ages. I think that we have a duty to ourselves. The problem is the lack of acknowledgement that it is WE OURSELVES who are being hurt. Of course if through any reason that 'we' do not accept that is 'we' who are being harmed then that is the end of the matter and 4000 thousand years of history goes down the drain. Some of you may be right in asking what right do I have having moved out 34 years ago to criticize you who are living there, especially as I was a Saturday night pub drinker, night club dancer & occasional fighter without many ideas on Welsh culture, but then I began reasoning; how was it that I was an English speaker in an area that had never known that language. I began a mobile Welsh library, a mobile Welsh disco, I set up my own Welsh language classes, got involved in local politics, and even became a trades union activist. Socialism & patriotism with a 'Welsh' (thousands of years earlier than England, with our own egalitarian laws) and not 'English' aspect. My hero and yours Aneurin Bevan turned his back on his country - Cymru (Wales) and I was with him until I realized that yours, his, and my country was being underdone for 'the greater good'. For circumstances beyond my control!! I now have 3 grandchildren in a 'foreign' country, but there again I live in Brittany where more people understand 'Cymraeg' than in Ebbw Vale. We have a greater problem than over there insomuch as the French government does not allow for its minority cultures. Paradoxically if I had my way I would take away the red shirts (all the sports) and then how Welsh would you be? If you think we've got it bad in Cymru (Wales), which is not to say we haven't, although some people are trying to turn things on their head in their blind & bigoted rejection of their own language; I'm drinking a glass of beer now with a Breton, younger than I am, brought up with his grandparents knowing one language, Breton, only to be caned in school for his ignorance, then to be caned again for writing with his left hand!!! This was the late 1950s when Cymraeg was beginning to be taught again. France has one people with one language! 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity'; They can't kid us anymore!!!

England, What England?

The Mid-West, North, & South-West of the country we now call England is undoubtedly Celtic. The country shouldn't be called England as the Germanics who landed there and who lent it their name after the heptarchie became united was conquered by the Vikings of the mouth of the Seine whom we call 'Normans', so the name 'England' should have disappeared with the conquest! Then there was the Angevin empire of which England was but a minor party, and the Plantagenet French wh ruled the country until the Welsh Tudors took over at the end of the 15th century; England, what England?

Our Heritage

Just been informed that Huw Lewis is our new education secretary. One of Neil Kinnock's disciples, as are most of the 'valleys' A.M.s; doesn't bode well for our language & heritage. When one thinks back to when the Vale was invaded by the Normans the valleys managed to keep the native language & laws with little interference. At least getting on doesn't necessarily mean getting out any more, and we are an officially bi-lingual country. A lack of objective education over the last 100 years or so has people believing that English (or Wenglish in its transitional form) is the language of the valleys, whereas in reality it's only become the prime medium of expression in Merthyr for example since the '20s, and in some parts of the borough only since the 60s. Unbelievable to listen to some people from the western valleys wantonly replacing their heritage & culture with that of a neighbouring country, throwing out thousands of years of history & literature; shame that the only world renowned Welsh poets such as the two Thomases, R.S. & Dylan were the first to write in that foreign Germanic/Latin tongue we refer to as English; without Cymraeg (Welsh) we wouldn't hear of perhaps the greatest romantic poet of the middle ages - Dafydd ap Gwilym. But there again it isn' our language is it; what blatant propagandist non-historic nonsense. I can only despair at such a wanton denial of a heritage that gave us Roman emperors, the second Pope, the first university; romantic poets of the middle ages, all before the English language existed. A heritage second to none that we shouldn't be afraid to shout about from the roof-tops & the hills (obviously we wouldn't) but where's the education, and who's the new education minister? I repeat 'I despair."