Alba, Cymru, Eire (Iwerddon), Kernow, Lloegr, Mannin, Breizh - the New Utopia........

Are you ready for this?

An Uncaring Government in a Valueless Society

They say that society gets the government it deserves, but it is the duty of government to set the standards and the tone and to lead society in the best way possible, maintaining values of decency, dignity and respect and establishing a social structure and constitutional framework based on just principles and right conduct. This government has done none of these things. It has stood by while society crumbles and decays, and allows the worst elements to gain the upper hand.
Witness the decline in standards, in government, in the media, in education and on the streets. Witness the rise of bureaucracy, control, regulation, taxation, and the lack of privacy and individual freedom.
Living with this state of affairs it appears to be the norm, but when one distances oneself from it and views it from afar its true nature is revealed in all its abject and sordid profligacy.

Quality of life for elderly 'worse'

Press Assoc. - Tuesday, May 20 04:02 am

A fifth of people over 65 in the UK (20%) feel their quality of life has worsened in the last year, while only 9% feel it has improved, according to a new survey.

One in four older people say they have become so worried about their future that it is affecting their physical health, the study for the charity Help the Aged showed.
The poll by ICM also found that 23% of people aged 65 and over avoid heating their bedroom, bathroom or living room because they are worried about the cost.
One tenth (10%) of people of that age say they are often or always lonely, while 12% are not happy with their quality of life. And more than half (53%) agree that age discrimination is part of older people's everyday lives, with 29% saying health professionals tend to treat older people as a nuisance.
The survey forms part of the charity's analysis of the state of older people, called Spotlight.

Other figures highlighted by the charity include the proportion of older people in England who say they are not always treated with dignity in hospital has worsened from 21% to 22% while the provision of low level social care - two hours or less at home a week - has dropped, with 11% fewer households receiving care in England than in the previous year.
The charity also says that in the past 12 months an estimated 200,000 extra pensioner households have been plunged into fuel poverty.
The same number of older people are living in poverty in 2008 as in the previous year, with 21% of pensioners surviving below the poverty line, it says.
Paul Cann, the charity's director of policy and external relations, said: "It's appalling that we live in a society where older people feel sick with worry about the future.
"The Government must ease their concerns by banning the ageism that continually sinks its poison right into the heart of our society."

Kernewek May be Revived in the 21st Century!

The Cornish language has received recognition and support from the European Union.
Paste the link into your browser window to find out how:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7074487.stm

Message from Cernyw/Kernow

Alun a wheag.

We in Kernow look on with deep satisfaction at these enlightening events in Cymru for we see ourselves as some 40 years behind, (politically speaking). Whilst I as an individual know I will not be alive to witness "Kernow Rydhsys", I will at least know that Cymru and following, Kernow, will be well on the way to achieving a political and nation status that will inevitably lead, not just to preservation, but to a growth of the culture of our Celtic nations. A family based culture that really cares for our peoples and is not solely intent on aquiring wealth as our colonial interlopers seem to be obsessed with.

Personal thoughts are that there is no poetry in the English except that which glorifies its colonialism, "Land of hope and glory", Rule Britannia", et al.

Oll an Gwella.
(name with-held)

Latvia's Need for Resurfacing

The streets and roads of the towns and villages of Latvia are in dire need of maintainance and repair. Many of them are completely unmade while others have numerous cracks and pot-holes. The infrastructure is generally old and creaky, the trams still running after years of service going way back into the Soviet era, and the featureless buildings are ripe for reinstatement or demolition. Latvia needs a massive amount of funds injected into its shaky economy and there is no Barnett Formula here.

Uncompromising Blogging for Cymru

Picture posted with acknowledgements to Ordovicius



ANNIVERSARY SPEECH ON BEHALF OF WALES

This blog "Independence Cymru" now approaches its first birthday. Since its inauguration the political scene in Wales has been transformed and the cause of independence has received an impetus which many of its detractors have deplored but have not been able to deflect. We began with the elections to the National Assembly of Wales which, rather than being the puppet government that many devolutionists might have preferred, has flexed its muscles and delivered its legislation in the context of the particular needs of Wales and for the benefit of the people of Wales.

The election to the Assembly of Helen-Mary Jones heralded a new dawn for Llanelli, a constituency which has been steeped in socialism for donkey's years. Yet with the advent of "New Labour" socialism was finally extirpated from the party which had become a shadow of its former days. Labour had moved radically to the right and socialist principles had been abandoned, to be taken over by the only viable alternative - Plaid Cymru. Plaid is unequivocal in its support for communities, not for class or vested interests. People have begun to take note of this fact and their allegiance has swung towards the only Party of Wales, the only political party which promotes the nation and defends the nation against contemporary imperialism.

With the alliance of Plaid with Labour in the Assembly a bridgehead was established and the results of this are plain to see. Wales has a farming policy sympathetic to the interests of the rural and agricultural communities. The people of Wales benefit from free medicines and free car-parking facilities in the hospitals, the closure of NHS facilities has been stemmed and Welsh arts promoted. There are more Welsh schools of excellence where English families increasingly send their children, knowing that they will receive true values and a better education, from dedicated staff who believe in cultural and linguistic acquisitions.

There is much to be done but Wales is on the right road and much progress has been achieved. This is reflected in the outcome of the local elections which, despite being under-reported by the somewhat skeptical media, delivered a resounding blow to the prevailing hegemony of Labour and carried Plaid forward on a wave of popular support. In particular the back of Labour was broken in Llanelli where the surge in the Plaid vote created new councillors for the county and for local community councils and unseated Labour members who had been installed for time immemorial.

Sometimes those elected to power have to make unpopular decisions, the closure of rural schools for example, and this is the reason why Plaid received a set-back in Gwynedd. Those who voted Llais and not Plaid, however, are no less fervent in their aspiration for a self-governing Wales, but are naturally concerned for their children's education, fearing that they will lose out as a result of new proposals. The answer is not the bilingual approach in Wales but a two-tier approach, where Ysgolion Gymraeg continue to thrive and flourish and produce the sons and daughters to guide and direct Cymru Fydd. It must be remembered, however, that stringent economic considerations should not necessarily override the real and urgent needs and concerns of local communities. A lesson may be learned here.

Returning to the topic of the blogosphere it is heartening to note the appearance of new bloggers devoted to the cause. I refer to the blogs of John Dixon and Carwyn Fowler who both stood as candidates in the recent local elections. They both have a valuable contribution to make to the blogosphere and their views should be read and noted. One point which came up is the invidious position of "Independents" who proliferate in local councils, but are inevitably Tories in disguise or Labourites
in sheep's clothing. They should fly their true colours and be counted. There are in fact very few truly independent councillors who stand up for their own beliefs. Depending which areas of Wales they live in they profess to be Independents knowing that to proclaim themselves as Tory or Labour would be their death sentence.

This blog has been consistent throughout its existence. It has been derided by some, attacked by others and praised by those with perspicacity and loyalty to the cause.
It is not unduly ideological - that is not its modus vivendi. It exists, as Plaid Cymru exists, to proclaim and defend the national spirit and identity, the language and the culture of Wales, and to expose the flagrant deceptions which the history books and an all-enveloping British education have produced, whereby national events have been ignored and cultural institutions have been excluded from the curriculum.
There is, without any doubt, a rise in the consciousness of the nation and a new confidence that Wales is well on the road to maturity and independence. It is expressed in sport, in the media, in the scattered communities throughout the land.
The arguments are indisputable; Wales is a nation in the ascendant. Cymru am byth!

Your Favourite Grand Lady in the Senedd

The fact that a tinplate plaque depicting Margaret Thatcher (and Aneurin Bevan) is to be prominently displayed in the Senedd building from May 21st(Valleys Mam's blog) is an anathema for many of the people of the Welsh valleys. Surely it will spur on the drive for a Welsh Parliament after the establishment of which it can be quietly removed!