Welshness

Losing a language and gaining another, although it shouldn't apply as bi-lingualism is accepted everywhere today, means that although we may say that no-one is less Welsh in not having the benefits of an ancient culture, English is new to Wales, it means that although we may understand the poetry of Dylan Thomas, we are incapable of understanding the words of Dafydd ap Gwilym, arguably the greatest poet that Wales has ever given to the world! Welsh, whether one likes it or not is fundamental to the national psyche, for or against the nation turns around it, and without it we wouldn't be any different to Lancashire and Yorkshire which many of you would have us believe.

Invite

http://www.facebook.com/events/445371405567757/

Cymru/Wales

The Rhondda Valleys were opened up at the time of the Irish famine bringing many to Wales, many others went to Merthyr which was already the largest town in Wales built on the migration from all parts of Wales attracted by the high wages. The Rhondda miners were Welsh speakers, and Welsh was the predominant language well into the 1920s in Merthyr, although to go shopping in the town centre English had to be used. Cardiff and Newport would have been built on Irish & West Country labour, so much so that whe Lloyd George visited the South in order to put across his ideas of Cymru Fydd he was shouted down by the audience claiming that they the 'English' wouldn't stand for it. Now through assimilation we are all Welsh, 'English', 'Irish' and native Welsh, but although we all support the 'National' rugby team we don't, sadly in my opinion, all support the National Mother tongue. For some unspecific reason, partly through lack of self-esteem, partly through wanting to 'get on', partly through the 'wrong' education and continuing immigration that we are finding impossible to control, not having the tools to do so the 'natives' are losing out on self-preservation. One has to ask oneself is it important? Apparently, except for a small minority, so long as we can win the 6 Nations it isn't, notwithstanding that rugby is the only thing that can give us any pride in ourselves! 'A Nation without a language is a Nation without a heart; that begets the question, are we a Nation?

Fascism

Let's get this straight; a Breton or a Welshman fighting for his rights whether cultural or political, or both, in defence against forces beyond his measure, as in drowning with a foot on the head, does he politely drown, does he pull the foot away and ask please not to do it again, or does he take things into his own hands? This word 'fascist' has been bandied about irresponsibly and is an insult to the people who suffered and were killed under these regimes. Nazis/Phalangists/Fascists were extreme right wing parties, superior forces denying democracy in Germany, Spain and Italy; they didn't broke any opposition and they killed homosexuals, gypsies, and Jews. The British Labour Party tries to make connections between Nationalists in Wales and Hitler's Party when we all know that the British establishment including some members of the Royal Family were in cahoots in their admiration of Hitler; the French government sent trainloads of Jews to the concentration camps. This is what fascism was, not Welsh, Bretons, Basques, Catalans etc. standing up for their rights, denied in France, allowed in Spain, but not yet fully recognized in a Welsh puppet government.

Not to confound issues: in Wales I was a child; a teenager, then a patriotic adult. Most of my real friends on f/b I knew as I was growing up before I became a nationalist; many now are the offspring of my old friends. In 1979 I moved to Brittany, I'm still patriotic, but now I have two countries, although before the 12th century they were but one, not France, but Britons on both sides of the Channel. I am now a dutiful, hopefully, grandfather (Pappy Bynn) to 3 wonderful children to my daughter. I am also a little businessman running a little bar in a little village so I can't take too many risks in becoming too controversial, however Churchill said that all publicity is good publicity, I'm risking a loss of popularity, but there again hopefully some of my readers will want to come along to see who is this man who's writing these things.

On est on Bretagne et on a besoin du monde pour défendre le Pays; ni les partisans Russes, ni les Jacobins Francais vont nous aider. Les patriots Bretons ne sont pas plus 'fascho' que les independantistes Catalans, Basques, Corses, Ecossais, ou Gallois, que j'ai honte a dire que nous sommes les dernieres sur cet liste provisoire. Un peuple a le droit de la 'self-determination'; j'ai vecu la milantisme politique Gallois pendant des années; j'ai meme les amis qui'ils ont plantées les bombes dans leurs idées de lutter contre leur perception de l'injustice Anglais. C'est possible que j'ai malcomris ton argument, mais il n'y a riens fascist en cherchant l'independance, pas plus que les traitres Americans sous George Washington qui sont rester droites pour les riches jusque aujourd hui. C'est possible q'un certain ideology negative a entrée dans la politique, mais il faut poser les question pourquoi quand une societé entiere et en risque de disparaitre. D'ou ça viens le fascism quand le gouvernment Francais pendant la guerre envoyer les Juifs dans les trains de mourir et leur successeur De Gaule etait un Megalomane qui torturé les officiers Francais à Londres qui'ls etaitent loyaux d'un autre chef!!! Ou c'est possible que je n'ai riens compris de ton argument. Je ne comprend pas tout que tu a écrire en Francais profond comme tu est journaliste, pas moi. J'attend que la liberté c'applique au Bretons, Basques et Catalans.

Pub or Politics?

I've been posting polemical arguments to provoke the thought processes, sometimes by being the Devil's advocate. I run a pub, and pubs & politics don't go together. I was very active politically in Wales, but we went to rooms to discuss affairs and to vote on them, and when finished went to the nearest bar, because a pub is for conviviality, not for bickering. However a country without a language is a country without a heart, and there've been too many transplants in Wales & Brittany where the languages remind me of the melting of the polar icecap. It is obvious that with minorities being overrun there is more immigration than is helpful which creates an imbalance that can be controlled only with difficulty, e.g. incoming businesses; shops, factories and pubs refusing the language of the area, that is despicable, it doesn't help either when party members from outside become local councillors with no knowledge of, forethought nor intent to save our communities, but also the Bretons & the Welsh are their own worst enemies, not helping the situation any. I believe in self determination for the historical peoples such as the Welsh, Bretons, Scots, Catalans, Basques etc., etc. This may (or may not) be my last word on the subject, but If you want the best Breton beers, a very eclectic music collection of Breton, Welsh, Irish, world, rock and folk music, then come and join me, but no politics please; conviviality is the name of the game. Facebook is as much a tool to bring in customers as anything, obviously not all of my almost 3000 f/b contacts are personal friends, though many of you are real friends who have been with me all my life. If I was only to rely on nationalists I could close tomorrow! If I was only to rely on musicians I could close tomorrow, same with bikers, or Welsh. The only sure thing is the Bretons, obviously for that's where I live, and they all have conflicting attitudes, Breton speakers who are against the language, and non- Breton speakers who are for, Bretons for re-unification, others who don't accept Nantes as Breton, though I must say that as far as I know I've never met a fascist in my life!!!

Proud!!!

In response to becoming a minority: The English have always been an ethnic minority; after the Germans conquered the Welsh they in turn were half conquered by the Danes who then left it to their cousins the Viking Normans who left the throne to the Angevin empire ruled by the French Plantagenet family keeping it until the Welsh Tudors took over before being replaced by the Scottish Stewarts, who were succeeded by the Dutch family of Orange, followed by the Hanovers, the German family who rule over Britain today! Considering that Britain has never had an English ruling family an argument about foreigners is a bit debatable to say the least! Until the early twentieth century we all spoke Welsh in the valleys, then German, sorry English became gradually more & more introduced. Today hardly anyone speaks Welsh we all speak German, sorry English, and we consider it our own language which is blatantly illogical. Imagine if another similar culture such as Roumanian or Hungarian would be assimilated in the same way say in 50 years or so would we be going to a match in Cardiff not understanding a word of the national anthem; whoops, I forgot, we don't today do we? What's to be proud of, tell me what we are defending when we are letting go an ancient Welsh heritage to protect what?

New Year

Out of work for 3 years; 2013 was a testing time to get the pub back on the rails, my first Christmas & New Year back at the bar for 4 years and I've never felt better. It's going to get relatively quiet during January & February then I'll begin again with a bang, hopefully, with the first anniversary of the re-opening on 'Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant', Saint David's day, March 1st 2014, everyone's welcome.

Oddigartre'

I think some of you; deliberately perhaps, or not, as the case may be, missed my point about the greatest activists having been born outside the areas where their arguments were applied. The two arguably biggest proponents of Breton music, Alan Stivell and Gilles Servat were both born outside the 'land of their fathers'; ditto the 'Irish' revolutionaries at the post office in 1916 at the height of the first world war; Eamon de Valera was born in New York to an Italian father. Napoleon wasn't French; Hitler wasn't German; Stalin wasn't Russian; inversely, Jean-Marie le Pen was born in Brittany. Think about it; perhaps a knight on a white charger might come in to save Cymru; for a while in Merthyr we thought it was Emrys Roberts but it didn't last. We were fortunate for a moment in that we had Emrys, Dafydd Wigley and Gareth Foster, they even took power but they were eventually outmanoeuvered by the local labour cabal.