Monday 31 March 2008

A Plague on Both your Houses

"A plague on both your houses" - Romeo and Juliet : William Shakespeare

Both Labour and Conservative governments have upheld the Union at the expense of Scotland and Wales. Even now, in the present climate, they drag their feet on devolution and decry the cause of independence. They want to adopt Welshness by declaring that they are Welsh Labour and Welsh Conservative, but they are nothing of the sort. They are English (British) parties masquerading as Welsh, while at the same time proclaiming their "Britishness" and their belief in the Union, which has outlived its sell-by date. The Liberal Democrats, to their shame, are little better in their continued support for the Union, and their reluctance to join the popular movement towards independence. We have seen, more and more, Labour and Independent councillors in alliance, even Labourites and Conservatives in alliance, for the reason that they are both in support of the Union, and fear the tide which is leading us to the proclamation of an independent nation. Scotland leads the way, in popular support and distrust of Labour, and Wales is not far behind, as events will prove.

Sunday 30 March 2008

Salmond Welcomes Tycoon's Independence Call

Press Assoc. - 20 minutes ago

A call by Scotland's richest man for a referendum on independence has been welcomed by First Minister Alex Salmond. Sir Tom Hunter said a vote was needed to allow the nation to move on - either as an independent country or as part of the UK.

The billionaire tycoon and philanthropist said he wanted a "considered debate" followed by a referendum. In an article in Scotland on Sunday, Sir Tom accused Scotland's political parties of "posturing, positioning and pontificating" over attempts to reform the constitution. Despite this, his call for a referendum was welcomed by Mr Salmond. The First Minister said: "Opinion is coming down between those who believe in the right of the people to determine Scotland's future - a position carrying 80% support - and those who don't.

"The SNP's first choice is to have a for or against referendum on independence and that 2010 is the right sort of timescale." Sir Tom writes in the newspaper: "It is my firm belief that the Scottish people deserve the right to vote unequivocally on one key issue. Other issues follow, but there is only one vote - do you want Scotland to be independent or not? Yes or no?" He adds: "We need a majority of Scots to say 'yes' or 'no' to independence, end of story...a referendum is compelling because Scots want an answer to our future now so that we can invest in it, whatever we choose, for our collective future over the long term." Sir Tom, who declines to back either option, says it is Scotland's right as a nation to "determine our destiny".

His entry into the debate comes after Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives announced they planned to support an independent commission to examine more powers for Holyrood, but without full independence :-(.

How America Views Iraq - Illustrative Map

Support for Tywysog Madog Plaque in America

Lend your support by clicking on this web address:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?AWA0987

Saturday 29 March 2008

Plaid's Forward March to Independence for Wales

Plaid Cymru has just held its Spring Conference in Newport. The Party of Wales will continue to make a difference for the people of Wales, and set the scene for a Referendum on a Welsh Parliament leading to full independence. Unionist parties have shown that they cannot fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of Wales. Only a true Party of Wales which is devoted to the best interests of Wales can achieve the changes which will transform the face of the nation forever. The enthusiasm of the delegates and speakers at the Conference speaks for itself. As we have seen, both Labour and Conservative governments have been disastrous for Wales, and now Plaid Cymru has come into its own, proud, confident and self-assured as it has come to maturity as the party for all the people of Wales, whatever their ethnicity, creed or colour, place of birth, or their ideological background. Cymru - Wales - is ready to unite to push forward the cause of independence.

Innov8 Launch / Lansiad Arloesi08

PlaidTV - English broadcast

The Disastrous Legacy of Labour Rule

It appears that the present Labour administration in Britain is out to change society, not for the better, but for the worse.
Here are just a few examples: the Labour government does not promote family life, pays family benefits to 30,000 Polish families in Poland while denying British families benefits when living overseas, and makes it very difficult and expensive for non-European spouses to obtain settlement in the UK. Anti-social behaviour, littering and vandalism are rife in Britain whereas other countries do not suffer these problems to such an extent. There has been a rise in violence among younger elements of society. Army recruiting drives are conducted to encourage youths from deprived areas who have little prospect of employment to join up and fight in foreign wars which have no relevance to the defence of the British Isles but are intended to enlarge American and British spheres of influence and economic penetration. Local democracy has been quashed by the overwhelming monetary power of big corporations and companies which have taking over the role of the councils, from running municipal and hospital car parks to maintaining houses for occupation by bailed criminal offenders.
Economic and political immigrant refugees are admitted to settle in the UK, and are then deported back to their countries of origin to suffer their fate in oppressive regimes. Millions of pounds are squandered on lavish and unnecessary projects, while much public money is siphoned off into excessive salary payouts and expenses. Social divisions are widening in Britain as Labour favours the wealthy and penalises the poor. The results of all this are plain to see : mass emigration from these shores, and a striving for independence for the people of Wales, Scotland and Cornwall to be free from government oppression and divisive policies, and the creation of a new and more equitable society in the respective nations.

Friday 28 March 2008

The Voice of the People - Stifled in this 'Democracy'.

The question is :"where are we heading and what kind of society do we want? "
It is obvious to me at least that the kind of society we have today is not the kind of society which many of us want or feel comfortable with. We have become a Big Brother State/Nanny State in which the concerns of the individual are often ignored or overridden. This is reflected in the opinion polls and it is the reason for the growing lead of the Conservatives in England even though they do not have much to offer that is different or that constitutes real change.
There is great unease running through society and a fear of economic collapse, along with a distrust of government. The concerns are in affordable housing, services, health and hospitals, transportation, immigration, banking, council tax, child poverty and anti-social behaviour. The May elections will highlight the extent of public disaffection with the government's handling of these real issues.
Britain is fast becoming an authoritarian state in which the voice of the people is stifled. Society has already become highly materialistic in which money and power rule and dominate. The individual feels powerless to influence the world around him and sees that democracy in the present age is a word which has little meaning. This accounts for the huge numbers of people leaving Britain for a new life overseas, where laws and regulations are not so rigorous and discriminatory - it is not only the desire to live in a sunnier climate.

Wednesday 26 March 2008

Yr Hen Iaith Fy Nhadau

Welsh (Cymraeg)

Welsh is a Celtic language spoken as a community language in Wales (Cymru) by about 659,000 people, and in the Welsh colony (Y Wladfa) in Patagonia, Argentina (yr Ariannin) by several hundred people. There are also Welsh speakers in England (Lloegr), Scotland (yr Alban), Canada, the USA (yr Unol Daleithiau), Australia (Awstralia) and New Zealand (Seland Newydd). Welsh is fairly closely related to Cornish and Breton, and more distantly related to Irish Gaelic, Manx Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic.

At the beginning of the 20th century about half of the population of Wales spoke Welsh as an everyday language. Towards the end of the century, the proportion of Welsh speakers had fallen to about 20%. According to the 2001 census 23% of the population, 659,301 people, can speak the language and a total of 797,717 people, 28% of the population, claim to have some knowledge it.

According to a survey carried out by S4C, the Welsh language TV channel, the number of Welsh speakers in Wales is around 750,000, and about 1.5 million people can 'understand' Welsh. In addition there are an estimated 133,000 Welsh-speakers living in England, about 50,000 of them in the Greater London area.

The earliest known examples of Welsh literature are the poems of Taliesin, which feature Urien of Rheged, a 6th century king in what is now southern Scotland, and Aneirin's Y Gododdin, a description of a battle between Celts and Northumbrians which occurred in about 600 AD. Nobody knows for sure when these works were composed or when they were first written down. Before then, whenever then was, all writing in Wales was in Latin.

Today there are radio stations and a TV channel, that broadcast entirely or mainly in Welsh. There are also weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines. About 500 books in Welsh are published annually, and there is a thriving Welsh language music scene. There are a number of Welsh language theatre groups, and regular eisteddfodau or cultural festivals are held throughout Wales.

All school pupils in Wales study Welsh as a first or second language for 12 years, from the ages 5 to 16. The first school to use Welsh as the medium of instruction was set up in Aberystwyth in 1939. There are currently about 448 primary schools and 53 secondary schools in Wales that teach entirely or mainly throught the medium of Welsh. There is also a Welsh-medium school in London. Some courses at Welsh universities and colleges are taught through Welsh, and there are numerous Welsh courses for adults throughout Wales.
The Welsh alphabet (Yr Wyddor Gymraeg) A a B b C c Ch ch D d Dd dd E e F f Ff ff G g
a bi ec èch di èdd e èf èff èg
Ng ng H h I i L l Ll ll M m N n O o P p
èng aets i èl èll em èn o pi
Ph ph R r Rh rh S s T t Th th U u W w Y y
ffi/yff èr rhi ès ti èth u w y

What are the "Three Poisons"?

Find out by clicking on the link. Then watch the video.

http://www.metacafe.com/w/509775/

Government Strategy in a 'Free' Democracy


In order to invite suggestions from the local communities on proposed Planning Decisions a suggestion box has been provided. Please place your suggestion in the Comments section and I will endeavour to forward it to the relevant authorities.
Do not anticipate any reply to your esteemed suggestion.
Have a nice day.

Representation is Grossly Overdone

In Wales and Scotland we have our own governments (of sorts) and our own representation through A.Ms and M.S.Ps. Therefore there is no need for additional representation in the Westminster Parliament. By cutting down the numbers of M.Ps in Westminster we are not only saving on expenses but are also removing members who appear to have a conflict of interests in their voting patterns or are unsure about their true allegiances.

How America Misled Britain and the World

From a lecture by Harold Pinter....click HERE

The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading - as a last resort - all other justifications having failed to justify themselves - as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.

We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it 'bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East'.

How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice. But Bush has been clever. He has not ratified the International Criminal Court of Justice. Therefore if any American soldier or for that matter politician finds himself in the dock Bush has warned that he will send in the marines. But Tony Blair has ratified the Court and is therefore available for prosecution. We can let the Court have his address if they're interested. It is Number 10, Downing Street, London (now moved, to take on a number of lucrative assignments. But his accomplice is at the same address).

Death in this context is irrelevant. Both Bush and Blair place death well away on the back burner. At least 100,000 Iraqis were killed by American bombs and missiles before the Iraq insurgency began. These people are of no moment. Their deaths don't exist. They are blank. They are not even recorded as being dead. 'We don't do body counts,' said the American general Tommy Franks.

Early in the invasion there was a photograph published on the front page of British newspapers of Tony Blair kissing the cheek of a little Iraqi boy. 'A grateful child,' said the caption. A few days later there was a story and photograph, on an inside page, of another four-year-old boy with no arms. His family had been blown up by a missile. He was the only survivor. 'When do I get my arms back?' he asked. The story was dropped. Well, Tony Blair wasn't holding him in his arms, nor the body of any other mutilated child, nor the body of any bloody corpse. Blood is dirty. It dirties your shirt and tie when you're making a sincere speech on television.

The 2,000 (now 4,000) American dead are an embarrassment. They are transported to their graves in the dark. Funerals are unobtrusive, out of harm's way. The mutilated rot in their beds, some for the rest of their lives. So the dead and the mutilated both rot, in different kinds of graves.

Monday 24 March 2008

Remember Tibet - a Once Proud Nation



The Dalai Lama is living in exile in the West.
The Panchen Lama is imprisoned in China.
China is trying to establish Tibet as a secular province.
How many years will it take till we know that too many people have died?
Close on to 1.2 million....

CLICK HERE.....

How to BE the Change you Want to See

CLICK HERE......

There is no Way to Peace - Peace is the Way


"Be the Change you Want to See"

Independence Supporters take the Limelight

"Be the change that you want to see"

In order to follow this advice it is important for supporters of independence to seize every opportunity to keep the debate alive and in the forefront of the minds of the people of Wales. Every opposing or decrying argument should be countered, logically, reasonably and effectively at the time that it is put forward, in the columns of the newspapers, on television and in the streets.
Click HERE to read more on this.

Sunday 23 March 2008

Reality and Political Reality (not the same!)

An Extremely Taxing Situation

For those who accept the status quo, and never object, and dare not complain.
Click HERE.

The First Welsh American

Calling All Welsh!
The Alabama Welsh Association are calling upon all Welsh Societies [individuals of Welsh heritage and/or those with Welsh history interest] around the world to help us. We are petitioning the Alabama Parks Department to restore the commemorative Prince Madoc plaque to it's location on Mobile Bay. It came to our attention a few weeks ago that the plaque was no longer in place but taken down and placed in storage. (more about this on our site at www.alabamawelsh.com) We currently have a online petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/AWA0987/petition.html. All we ask is that you take a few moments of your time to sign the above petition in hopes of helping our cause.
A little about the plaque.
The Madoc story gained recognition in North America when in 1953, Washington D.C.- based Daughters of the American Revolution erected two plaques - one in Rhos-on-Sea, the other in Mobile, Ala. - commemorating Madoc's voyage.
The plaques read "In memory of Prince Madoc, a Welsh explorer, who landed on the shores of Mobile Bay in 1170 and left behind, with the Indians, the Welsh language."
We have a picture of the plaque on our web site, www.alabamawelsh.com, if you would like to see it. As far as we know the one in Wales is still in place.
Thank you for your support and time!

Saturday 22 March 2008

Were the People of Wales Consulted?

Britain and France are on the brink of signing a deal for the construction of many new nuclear power stations since France relies on nuclear power for 80% of its needs and Britain only 20%. There is still no solution to the disposal of nuclear waste, or the contamination of the environment from radioactive materials.

Friends of the Earth nuclear campaigner Neil Crumpton said: "The idea of selling nuclear power around the world as a solution to climate change is just nonsense.

"Nuclear power is limited, dangerous and requires a lot of hi-tech skills to deal with the waste. By far the better technology is renewables, particularly solar power in the deserts and wind power in more northerly climates. It is these safe, simple, easily constructed technologies that the UK and all other countries should be promoting."

Friday 21 March 2008

Byddwch Y Newid Yr Ydych Am Ei Weld

Nobody can afford to sit around waiting for independence to happen. Independence involves a great deal of patience and hard work. If you want it to happen, think of how you can help to make it happen. Then when it happens you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you were a part of the happening, a small yet significant cog in a historical wheel - that you played a part in the history of the nation. Your grandchildren will thank you for it.
So, be the change you want to see - byddwch y newid yr ydych am ei weld!

Be The Change You Want To See

CLICK HERE - CLICK HERE - CLICK HERE

Thursday 20 March 2008

More on China's Desecration of Tibet

CLICK HERE

Down at the Orwellian (Animal) Farm

“There is a terrible whiff of hypocrisy in Westminster. Many Labour ministers and backbenchers are voting in favour of the closure of post offices, while at the same time running around like headless chickens in their constituencies, pretending to campaign in favour of keeping these post offices open.”

Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru M.P. in Westminster

Easy Money if you can get it.... be a Councillor

The County Council and Municipal Council Elections are fast approaching and will be held in May of this year. Not all councillors, however, take their responsibilities seriously. It has been known for county councillors to attend meetings no more than twice a year and this is acceptable under present regulations. They do not even have to read reports or speak or vote at council meetings. Some have been known to nod off and fall asleep during sessions. Many of them are well into their Eighties as there is no upper age limit. They are mostly elderly gentlemen and there are few ladies. They receive an annual allowance of £7000+ and can claim travelling expenses and other expenses depending on the special duties which they may take on. Some of them seek prominence by having their photograph displayed in the local newspaper at every conceivable occasion, trusting that this will ensure re-election.
One could say their job is a kind of sinecure. Few younger people are atttracted to this calling, mainly because they are doing a real job of work and are gainfully employed elsewhere. Should any reader be interested in this noble occupation perhaps they would add a comment and get in touch, but they must, of course, be of the right political persuasion.

Wednesday 19 March 2008

The First Legislative Competence Order

The first LCO formulated by the Welsh Assembly is about to be approved and passed by the Westminster Parliament. Thus, the Assembly has had to wait for several months before its agreed laws are passed and put into legislative effect. Can we now expect the second LCO to be debated and approved by next September? Meanwhile the Scottish Parliament pushes through its legislation with lightning speed!

Monday 17 March 2008

Sain Padraig - Cymro yn Iwerddon

Lest we forget, St Patrick (click on it) was a Welshman who became the patron saint of Ireland. His original given name was Maewyn.
The teaching for which he is best remembered is the use of the shamrock to symbolise the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or the activation of the force of creation through the fusion of the two opposite but complementary principles, which the Chinese call Yin and Yang and the spirit energy known as Chi (ki). The spirit force is now symbolised in Wales by the ubiquitous Red Dragon. Patrick is also reputed to have banned all snakes from Ireland. The leprechauns however were allowed to remain.

St. Patrick's Festival Parade, Dublin, Ireland

It's another great Celtic Festival


Click on the small thumbnail pics at the end of the video to view the other events in the festival!

Sunday 16 March 2008

Strange As It May Seem .................

Strange as it may seem, the people whose views this blog represents are more than meets the eye!

To Government and Corporations - A Complaint

WE THE PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THE KIND OF SOCIETY YOU ARE CREATING AROUND US!
WE ELECTED YOU TO REPRESENT,NOT TO IMPOSE.

Who Represents the Poor and Disadvantaged?

Peter Oborne - Daily Mail

23:55pm 14th March 2008

One of the most enduring myths about the Labour Party is that, when in government, it promotes the interests of poorer and less advantaged people.
This is manifestly not true, as even a cursory study of recent British history shows.
Only two governments since World War II have generated any significant social mobility, and neither of them was associated with Labour.

Independence Cymru says:
People in the past have looked to Labour to enact social and radical reforms but since the Fifties Labour have failed to make a difference. In fact, Conservative governments have done as much, or possibly more to help the disadvantaged while in office. What one sees today is a growing disparity between the rich and the poor, between the wealthy South East and the poverty of Wales, Cornwall and the North East. It is fortunate for Wales that it has Plaid to campaign on social and economic issues and represent the interests of poorer and less advantaged people. Though Plaid is technically in alliance with Labour in the Assembly there is a fundamental difference between the two parties. While one looks to the future and the best interests of Wales and its people, the other concerns itself with the interests of the Labour Party and winning re-election, as well as maintaining its connections with its parent party in London which promotes devolution but wants also to promote Britishness and the unionist establishment. These contradictory approaches are incompatible and cannot be sustained. The crunch will come when Scotland proclaims its independence resulting in the dissolution of the Union.

Saturday 15 March 2008

The Sanctification of Independence for Cymru

Independence for Wales was sanctified and consecrated on the rugby field today as the Welsh team soundly defeated France. Welsh independence will be won, not only by political means, but by the national spirit which enlivens and inspires the people of Wales through such national triumphs and deeds of prowess and tenacity. Independence will already be won long before the political processes, exemplified by the Wales Convention and the promised referendum, have revealed their deliberations and conclusions. The resurgent dragon presided over the events of today at the Millenium Stadium and Wales will never be quite the same again.

The Way Forward for Britain (?)

The Right to Self-Determination



Identifying oppression throughout the world :

Occupation

Tibet - Chinese occupation
Kurdistan - Turkish/Iranian/Iraqi/Syrian occupation
Euskadi (Basque) - Spanish/French occupation
Chechnya - Russian occupation
North Cyprus - Turkish occupation

Repression

Sudan - Darfur repression
Myanmar (Burma) - repression
Zimbabwe - repression

Domination

Brittany - French subjection
Cornwall - British subjection
Wales - British subjection
Scotland - British subjection
Northern Ireland - British subjection
Quebec - Canadian subjection

Liberation

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary,East Germany, East Timor, Bulgaria, Romania.

Please include any other examples in the Comments

Thursday 13 March 2008

Where Now, New Labour?

It is becoming increasingly more certain, in the eyes of political pundits and the general public alike, that it is the end of the road for New Labour. Notwithstanding the numerous gaffes and mounting deceptions the New Labour government took aboard right wing policies which had been the province of the Conservative Party, rendering that party crippled and impotent, and then proceeded to show how inept they could be at governing the country wisely and well. The last socialists to hold sway in government were Michael Foot and Tony Benn, whose son has forsaken Labour's former socialist principles and stands for New Labour. Far from being a democratic state Britain is now governed by decree. It has become highly regulated and highly taxed and its citizens are under constant surveillance. Those personal details meticulously collated, if they have not been lost or mishandled, are on file and recorded, along with a large data-base of DNA records taken as a matter of course, where citizens are taken into police custody, whether or not they have committed a crime.

Even so, the government has shown that it cannot control the society which is in the early stages of disintegration. This is the reason for the call for the inculcation of Britishness and education for citizenship by Gordon Brown and Lord Goldsmith. There is a fear that Britain will break apart, that Scotland will go it alone, and that Wales will follow. For anyone who is clear-sighted and in touch with the realpolitik of Britain this process is already well on the way, unstoppable and inevitable. Europe has taken the place of Britain as the real centre of political power and influence. Britain is unique in Europe as it has four nations within it clamouring in various degrees for self-determination. Spain is similar to a certain extent - the Basques, the Galicians, Navarra, Asturias and Catalunya, regions which, like Andalucia, have acquired more autonomy. In Belgium we have the Flemings and the Walloons. In France we have the French, the Basques and the Bretons. These differing nationalistic groups will not be subdued, but they may well form a part of a wider European federation.

When Unionists in Britain talk of devolution they do not mean the road to independence for the constituent nations. They assume that Britain will continue to exist and thrive as efforts are made to unify its peoples and encourage them to display their allegiance to the British state and the British crown. That time has gone, long gone, and a new generation has different ideas. Change is taking place rapidly and apace and the politicians of the past, the Yesterday Men of British politics, will not succeed in bringing back the conditions of the Twentieth Century. Times have changed and we must move on and dance with the changes. We need to restore the time-worn eternal values that govern society, seek out leaders and politicians who are dedicated, impartial and wise, and integrate these core values and our distinctive cultural traditions into the new political realities that confront us.

Wednesday 12 March 2008

Saturday's Rugby Remembrance - Wales v France




During this Saturday's Grand Slam match in Caerdydd as many as possible will take and raise Baneri Glyndŵr at the Wales Millenium Stadium in honour of Ray Gravell who at every opportunity would wear an iconic image of Baner Glyndŵr on shirts, caps or ties. So you are invited to raise Baneri Glyndŵr for Grav. Buy your Baner Glyndŵr in Caerdydd on Saturday. You can purchase them from Siop Crefftau'r Castell, opposite Castell Caerdydd. Thin gardening canes can be bought at any gardening outlet and are light and ideal to tie your flag to for waving purposes.
As a further note, Ray's two little girls will be leading the Welsh team on to the field on Saturday.

(published on request of Sian Ifan)

Another world.

ST DAVID'S DAY PARADE, MARCH 1st 2008 CARDIFF, CYMRU / WALES

In the Interests of Truth

In the interests of accessing the truth and the revision of history to reveal the true facts, click HERE and HERE and read about the shameful and abhorrent colonisation of America.

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Trust in the Dragon - the Guardian of the Nation



THERE IS NO WAY TO TRUTH.........TRUTH IS THE WAY

Our Shared Identity Crisis

Lord Goldsmith has made some feudalistic remarks, and proposes an Oath of Allegiance to the Queen, and presumably to the British state. Such a thing would be a complete anathema to many people, and particularly those who have no interest in being a subject of the Royal Family, or those who hail from Scotland or Wales, countries which have been subject to the kings and queens of England for the past four or five hundred years.
In a democracy people should be allowed to choose their allegiance, if they are to be required to do so and, the way things are, there are many people in Wales and Scotland - Cornwall too - who would prefer to give their allegiance to their own native land, and not to a British state which has little meaning to a rising generation.

CLICK HERE

From "Hearts and Minds" - 5th August, 2007 (enter "allegiance" and search the archives).
"It is all a question of allegiance is it not? Are you Welsh or are you British? To say that you are both is innacurate and indefensible. Being British implies that one denies Wales, as it does not exist constitutionally as a country except as a part of the English realm which teamed up with Scotland to form the Union. Are you a Unionist or are you a Nationalist? You cannot be both, or you are like fire and water which are incompatible and like fire your spirit is liable to be extinguished by the water-cannon or at the stroke of a pen. When we speak of Wales we speak of a nation with a long history, like Ireland, of struggle and resistance in the face of adversity. But I do not wish to dwell on the past with all its sorrows and lost opportunities. I wish to talk of now, the time where all that was is no longer with us, the time when fortune beckons. We are now the guardians of the nations fortunes, its heritage, its language and its people. Whether or not we were born in England, or Jamaica, or Pakistan or Japan we owe our allegiance to our nation, this nation, and our hearts and minds are well and truly here in Cymru - Wales."

Is your identity in crisis, or are you just happy to be Welsh and proud of it?

Monday 10 March 2008

Do-It-Yourself Affordable Housing



A Low Impact Woodland Home

Meet Simon, Jasmine, Cosmo and Elfie. They look a little tall to be Hobbits, right? This Welsh family found a unique solution to the high-cost of housing while also indulging their desire to live closer to nature by building a small eco-home into a hillside. It took them a few months, a few thousand dollars, and a tolerance of mud and slugs.















Often when we feature incredible spaces created by parents, one or both of them turn out to be trained as architects or designers, but dad, Simon Dale, is just a regular guy. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.


Some of the eco features include:

* a skylight to let in natural light

* solar panels to fuel lights and electronics like a cd player and computer

* a refrigerator cooled by air coming underground through the foundation

* water supplied by gravity from a nearby spring

* collection of roof water for use in the garden

* a compost toilet

See more photos and read more about the house and the building process at Simon Dale's website. What's next for this family? They're participants in the Lammas project - along with eight other families, they'll be swinging their hammers again to create Wales' first self-built eco-village.

Click HERE for more information....and HERE

Squandering Taxpayers' Money on Futile Exercises

The British government is spending 3.3 billion pounds a year on military operations in Iraq, for the sake of supporting its big buddy across the pond in imposing western democracy to 'stabilise' the area and maintaining the continued flow of oil. Iraq poses no threat to Britain or the United States, and the public was deceived into believing that a threat existed when none was present. Leave Iraq to the Iraqis and bring the troops home. Others too have their right to exist without the interference of a foreign power.

Sunday 9 March 2008

Wales and Scotland in the Ascendant

The victories at Croke Park and Murrayfield symbolise and reflect the continued rise of Wales and Scotland in the political field as they move unerringly towards independence.
The impetus is growing as more and more electors see the sense of severing the links in the British constitution which no longer has meaning in the present century, when our respective futures lie with Europe and the World.

Saturday 8 March 2008

Prince Madoc Taught the Indians to Speak Welsh

Madoc plaque removed by the Alabama Parks Department!!!
Believers in the voyage of Madoc (click) have erected monuments to him in the United States. In 1953 a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a plaque near Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay commemorating "Prince Madoc, a Welsh explorer, who landed on the shores of style="font-weight:bold;">Mobile Bay in 1170 and left behind, with the Indians, the Welsh language." This plaque was later removed by the Alabama Parks Department. A plaque at Fort Mountain State Park in Georgia recounts a nineteenth-century interpretation of the ancient stone wall that gives the site its name. The plaque repeats Tennessee governor John Sevier's claim that the Cherokees believed " "a people called Welsh" had built a fort on the mountain long ago to repel Indian attacks.

We need all Welsh organizations to contact Sam Jones, Mayor of Mobile about the missing Prince Madoc plaque that denoted the spot where Madoc landed at Mobile Bay in 1170.
Now CLICK on this link - HERE

mayor@cityofmobile.org
Thank you.
Billy E. Price
cscitizen@alltel.net
VP Alabama Welsh Association
http://www.alabamawelsh.com/

Looks familiar? - Britain in 2008

Emigration shock for Wales

Mar 8 2008 by Sarah Miloudi, Western Mail

THE number of people leaving Wales for a new life abroad has almost doubled within nine years, latest figures reveal.

The government statistics found 4,000 more emigrated in 2006 than in 1997. It matches evidence from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and The Emigration Group which shows Britain is experiencing unprecedented emigration levels. More than 200,000 UK residents have left for a life abroad in the past two years.

Figures from the ONS show that in the year to July 2006 – the latest year for which figures are available – an estimated 10,000 people left Wales to move abroad, with Australia and New Zealand the most popular destinations. Nine years earlier, just 6,000 citizens were recorded leaving the country.

Paul Arthur, director of The Emigration Group, said highly- skilled workers and professionals such as doctors and architects were not the only ones leaving Wales for a life abroad. Increasing numbers of tradesmen and women were also choosing to emigrate.

“Australia and New Zealand – two of the most popular places to emigrate to – are booming economies, and people see they need all sorts of skills to help build these countries for the future,” he added. “We help many skilled trades people emigrate as well as professionals like doctors and teachers, and one thing they all mention are the opportunities that exist for themselves and their children.”

People often felt opportunities for employment in Britain were diminishing, and worried there would be even fewer for their children. Despite the similarities between Wales and countries like New Zealand in terms of scenery and main economies, they felt life abroad would offer more leisure facilities, leading to better health.

In the 1960s, thousands left the UK under the subsidised migration scheme, Ten-pound Pom, which offered financial support to UK citizens emigrating to Australia. American states such as Pennsylvania also attracted Welsh citizens in the mid-19th century, from industrialised South Wales.

Economists and social scientists say the same countries remain popular today, and a perception exists that foreign countries offer more opportunities.

Professor Steve Hill, an economic development expert at the University of Glamorgan, said, “Predominantly those leaving are young people in their 20s and 30s. The reason they go is that they are more mobile, and many who go become settled and do not come back. They respond to economic opportunities. It is like those here becoming teachers, for example, going to London and the South East (of England). It can seem you get quicker career progression in certain places.”

Prof Hill added that Britain – including Wales – had also experienced an influx of migrants from abroad and that often, when people living abroad reached their 50s, they chose to move home. “Wales is a nice place to be at that age – there is less congestion, less pressure on services and it has a pleasant environment,” he said.

Psychologist Dr Paul Saunder also said youngsters were attracted to countries like Australia and Canada due to the perception these provided more opportunities and a better quality of life.

However the principal lecturer in psychology at Uwic in Cardiff, said often people did not research the full implications of a permanent move, and would return in weeks once they discovered life abroad came with its own problems.

“It is easy to find the good things somewhere else, but not the bad. This only comes with experience. The problems of a country are often not immediately available to us. People can become very disillusioned once these become apparent,” he added.

The ONS says there has been a 50% increase in the number moving abroad to countries like Australia in the past three years.




News Report.
(from "Independence Cymru")


"IF WALES IS SUCH A GOOD PLACE WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE LEAVING?"


Britons in their hundreds of thousands are leaving these shores. In general, the elderly are going to Spain, the younger people to Australia. Meanwhile immigrants from all over, particularly Eastern Europe and the Middle East and South Asia, are flooding in, and are granted Council housing which the local citizens find extremely hard to obtain. There is at present no requirement for English to be spoken or understood, let alone Welsh. Part of the disaffection with the British way of life as it changes for the worse is represented by the cartoon above - the rest lies with the climate and the increasing disparity between the rich and the poor in society as well as the rising cost of living.

Friday 7 March 2008

The Rights of Peoples to Choose their Rulers

All nations should have the right to self-determination. Rhodri Morgan has been urged to speak out for Tibet. Large and powerful states have always had the temptation to swallow up their smaller neighbors, or to build empires to conquer and exploit for their own ends. Examples include the Spanish conquest of Mexico and Peru, the British conquest of India and the German conquest of Poland and Czechoslovakia. There are also nations without a country of their own, including the Kurds, the Basques and the Palestinians.
It is right that pressure should be put on states such as China to encourage them to rectify the wrongs committed by their own previous administrations.

CLICK HERE

There's More to Poetry than Meets the Eye

For those readers who are interested in Mediaeval Welsh Poetry click and read.
Or do you prefer a Chinese?

Thursday 6 March 2008

For Mencap Cymru in Memory of Gwynfor

Rhobert ap Steffan will be going on the Patagonian Trip to raise money for Mencap Cymru, and he is requesting donations.
Please send your donation via the following web address: rhobertmencap.blogspot.com/

Campaign : Welsh Flag Number Plates




Welsh number plate campaign / Ymgyrch Cyfreithloni'n baner

Global
Information
Group InfoName:
Welsh number plate campaign / Ymgyrch Cyfreithloni'n baner
Type:
Common Interest - Politics
Description:
Plaid is launching this number plate campaign to legalise the use of the Welsh national flag on vehicle number plates. The New Labour London Government have yet to honour a promise it made in 2001 to make it legal for the Welsh flag to be used on the number plates of cars, vans and lorries.

Mae Plaid wedi lawnsio ymgyrch i gyfreithloni defnyddio baner genedlaethol Cymru ar blatiau cofrestru ceir. Dydy'r llywodraeth Llafur newydd yn Llundain heb gadw'r addewid a wnaethpwyd yn 2001 i'w gwneud hi'n gyfreithlon i ddefnyddio'r ddraig goch ar platiau cofrestru ceir, faniau a loriau.
Contact InfoEmail:
post@plaidcymru.org
Website:
http://www.numberplates.plaidcymru.org/

Democracy that is No Democracy

It has been said:
"Democracy is the rule of the majority, by the majority, for the majority....."
but who wants to be ruled by the majority, and who says the majority knows best?


Answers on a piece of paper, please, and delivered to No.10.

Liberating the mind

Liberating freedom requires extracting ordinary wisdom from its inherited delusions, cultural containers, political manipulations, rampant superstitions, and blinding orthodoxies. We must come to understand that freedom is essential to our survival. It might be manipulated by ideology, but we must empower critical thinking, wise discernment and deep inquiry.

Only then can we learn to discern propaganda from truth. It is important to understand that freedom has no logo, no identity, and no nationality. True freedom is not American anymore than it is Israeli or German or Chinese. The liberation of freedom requires a radical vigilance to above all, think for oneself.

Professor Noam Chomsky reminds us of the task of the freedom fighter. “For those who stubbornly seek freedom, there can be no more urgent task than to understand the practices and mechanisms of indoctrination, which is so easy to perceive in the totalitarian societies, much less so in the systems of ‘brainwashing under freedom,’ to which we are subjected, and which, all too often, we serve as willing, or unwitting instruments.”

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Laws concerning "Yr Iaith Gymraeg"

LAWS RELATING TO THE WELSH LANGUAGE.

From Councillor Gwyn Hopkins - Sir Gar

There have been five of these. A major purpose of the first two laws was to drastically downgrade the Welsh language to the point of extinction. In Wales, English was to be made indispensable and Welsh very much dispensable, indeed superfluous. The last three laws represent extremely reluctant, woefully inadequate and grudging attempts to atone for the monstrous injustices of the first two Acts.

N.B. Actual passages from the Acts are written in “italics” and are quoted verbatim.

The Acts of Union 1536/1543 (Acts of Imposed Incorporation would be a more honest description).

Although enacted by the English Parliament of Henry VIII that contained no members from Wales, these Acts are still highly relevant because they were not finally repealed until 1993 (by the Welsh Language Act of that year; Section 35, Schedule 2).

The preamble of the 1536 Act says: Some rude and ignorant people have made distinction and diversity between the King’s subjects of his realm (England) and his subjects of the said dominion and Principality of Wales.
The clear implication is that all “distinction and diversity” is to be eradicated, not least the Welsh Language.

This is re-emphasised by the following passage in the body of the Act: utterly to extirpate all and singular the sinister usages and customs differing from his realm of England.

The Act then spells out the primary, draconian provisions by which the language is to be eliminated: Also be it enacted that all justices, commissioners, sheriffs, coroners, stewards and their lieutenants, and all other officers and ministers of the law, shall proclaim and keep the sessions, courts, hundreds (divisions of counties), sheriff’s courts and all other courts in the English tongue; and all oaths of officers, juries and inquests, and all other affidavits, verdicts and wagers of law to be given and done in the English tongue; and also from henceforth no person or persons that use the Welsh language shall have or enjoy any manner of office or fees within this realm of England, Wales or other of the King’s dominion upon pain of forfeiting the same office or fees, unless he or they use and exercise the English speech or tongue.

One cannot imagine a better example of a colonial linguistic policy – in a country whose people were nearly all monoglot Welsh-speakers. Unfortunately these (and other) barbaric measures, together with the accompanying intense anti-Welsh language indoctrination, have given rise to a profoundly anti-Welsh language mentality in many people within successive generations of Welsh people. Faced with such intense practical and psychological pressure many people have acquiesced and “gone with the tide”, even though it was, and is, patently obvious that – unchecked – the policy would lead to the long-term demise of the language and national identity of the Welsh people, as was its intention.

Half a century later the English poet Edmund Spenser (1552 – 1599) expressed this colonial oppression even clearer: For it has been ever the custom of the conqueror to destroy the language of the conquered and to force him by all means to learn his (the conqueror’s) language.

Of course, this language persecution policy was just a very important means of implementing the central policy of the English government, namely that Wales be swallowed up by England, as declared by the key passage of the Act: That the King’s said country or dominion of Wales shall be, stand and continue for ever from henceforth incorporated, united and annexed to and with his Realm of England.

Foster’s Education Act 1870 (this introduced compulsory primary education).

This gave state authorisation to the force-feeding of English to Wales’ children (most were monoglot Welsh-speakers at the time). It was an unmitigated disaster for the Welsh Language.

Prior to 1870 primary education was not compulsory but the elementary schools that existed were thoroughly anglicized. This trend was firmly cemented in 1861 when schools became financed by results – in reading and writing English, not Welsh. This measure effectively forced teachers to drastically downgrade, if not banish, the Welsh language from schools.

The 1870 Act legalised this trend by extending, throughout Wales, the network of “English” schools in which Welsh was outlawed on pain of physical punishment. To enforce anglicization the notorious “Welsh Not” was introduced. This was a piece of wood attached to a circular string and children were exhorted to betray one another by reporting anyone caught speaking Welsh to the teacher who would then hang the “Welsh Not” around the neck of the “offender”. The child possessing it at the end of the day was then punished physically. Thus children were mocked, scorned and punished not for any wrongdoing but for speaking their mother tongue – often their only language!
This disgusting and disgraceful persecution of children, and the policy that made the Welsh language an outcast in its own country, lasted for the best part of 30 years. The enactment and uncivilized implementation of the Act had the appalling – and intended - effect of further poisoning the minds of many Welsh children and adults against the language, reinforcing the damage already wreaked by the 1536 Act. This produced widespread indifference and often hostility towards the language that has only abated, to some extent, in recent times. Even amongst those who have - against all the odds - retained the language, the totally anglicized educational system imposed upon them has ensured that a very substantial proportion are, although quite fluent speakers, barely semi-literate in Welsh.
Unfortunately, as a result of this intense, anti-Welsh language indoctrination, all too many of these have compounded the problem of ensuring the survival of Welsh by refusing to pass the language on to their children, thus largely depriving their offspring of the linguistic and cultural heritage of their own country.
The diabolical legacy of the 1870 Act endures and is very much alive within the educational system in Wales today.

Welsh Courts Act (1942).

This was the first chink made in the armour of the linguistic provisions of the Acts of Union. Of course, the vast majority of the provisions - essentially banning Welsh from public life - remained.
The Act merely gave legal validity to the use of Welsh in court proceedings and allowed evidence to be given in Welsh. Prior to this Act accused people whose only language was Welsh were compelled to pay for a court translator.
At this juncture it is worth recalling the bold, ground-breaking part played by Trefor and Eileen Beasley back in 1953 in challenging the totally unjust linguistic status quo. They were fearless enough to demand a rates bill in Welsh from Llanelli Rural Council – a revolutionary act at the time, when the cursed, barbaric, anti-Welsh language provisions of the Act of Union (1536) were still in force. As a result these trailblazers – natives of Llangennech and living there at the time - were summoned to appear before Llanelli Magistrates Court no fewer than 11 times during the period 1953 – 1961. They were consistently found guilty of refusing to pay the rates (until they received the rates demand in Welsh) and fined. As they refused to pay the fines the bailiffs removed all the furniture from their house on three occasions. They suffered much contempt and derision at the time. However, they finally triumphed and received their rates demand in Welsh. Trefor has passed away but Eileen is still with us and lives near Whitland.

The Welsh Language Act (1967).

Although better than nothing, this measly two-page sop gave Welsh equal validity – though certainly not equal status – with English, but only in an extremely limited set of circumstances. Section 1 of the Act states: In any legal proceedings in Wales the Welsh language may be spoken by any party, witness or other person who desires to use it.
Section 2 of the Act says: Where any enactment specifies the form of any document used for an official or public purpose, the appropriate Minister MAY by order prescribe a version of the document in Welsh or partly in Welsh and partly in English.
This, of course, allowed the appropriate Minister to do as he/she liked. Section 3(1) states: Anything done in Welsh in a version authorised by the appropriate Minister shall have the like effect as if done in English. However to reassure those who feared that the Act would cause the imperial language to relinquish any of its superior, totally dominant, status, Section 3 (2) (a) says: provided that in the case of any discrepancy between an English and a Welsh text the English text shall prevail. Welsh speakers had to be left in no doubt of their continued subordinate and inferior status.

The Welsh Language Act (1993).

Its preamble says: An Act to establish a Board (the Welsh Language Board) having the function of promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh language, to provide for the preparation by public bodies of schemes giving effect to the principle that in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice in Wales the English and Welsh languages should be treated on the basis of equality.

As it applies only to public bodies, private and voluntary bodies can continue to totally ignore the Welsh language. Many do. Also ”basis of equality” – qualified, as it is in the Act, by any action having to be “reasonable and practical” - is a significantly watered-down version of “actual equality” let alone “equal status”. Indeed, this is effectively a cop-out.
To address this issue – which is essentially a matter of human rights - a new and much more comprehensive Welsh Language Act needs to be formulated aimed at ending all discrimination against Welsh-speakers by giving them exactly the same linguistic rights as non-Welsh speakers enjoy. If, and when, that occurs a Welsh language Act will be unnecessary – after all there is no need for an English language Act in Wales.

GWYN HOPKINS 21/7/2006 (Updated 10/2/2008)

Postscript.

Broadly speaking three linguistic categories of people exist in Wales today: (i) non-Welsh speakers, (ii) Welsh-speakers who tend to favour the English language particularly when communicating with officialdom, often – and understandably - because they are a lot more literate in English than in Welsh, (iii) Welsh-speakers whose loyalty is to the Welsh language and who favour its use and use it in all possible circumstances. Members of the first category enjoy the privilege of conducting the whole of their lives entirely and unhindered through the medium of English. The second category also face no difficulty whatever in choice of language, using English in official circumstances and Welsh socially, if they so wish. Members of the third category are very much the poor relations and linguistically down-trodden second class citizens, for in present circumstances - in large measure engineered by the first two of the above Acts - it is completely impossible for them to conduct anywhere near the whole of their lives through the medium of Welsh. Discrimination militating against this abounds at every corner throughout their lives – a constant reminder of the grossly inferior status of their language. The sooner the better both the Westminster and National Assembly governments seriously address this obvious, continuing and major discrimination; for no objective, fair-minded, impartial individual - nor any civilised society- could possibly condone the status quo.

The fight continues for the rights of the people of Wales to use their own native language in all situations without discrimination in their own land, and for sections of their own people to recognise the importance of Welsh for maintenance of national cohesion and identity. We await a new Welsh Language Act and encourage all Welsh citizens and immigrants to become fluent in the language so that it becomes the lingua franca of all.
Alan in Dyfed

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Avalokiteshvara - Treasury of Compassion

Time for a spot of meditation



There Are Hundreds Of Paths Up The Mountain

There are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading in the same direction,
so it doesn't matter which path you take.
The only one wasting time is the one
who runs around and around the mountain,
telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.

Hindu teaching

Thought for the Day

Compassion is the finest weapon and best defence.
If you would establish harmony,
Compassion must surround you like a fortress.

Therefore, a good soldier does not inspire fear;
A good fighter does not display aggression;
A good conqueror does not engage in battle;
A good leader does not exercise authority.

This is the value of unimportance;
This is how to win the cooperation of others;
This to how to build the same harmony that is in nature.

Monday 3 March 2008

NEWSFLASH - Britain to be Abolished!

Find out all about it by clicking HERE and HERE

IMPORTANT NOTE:
INDEPENDENCE CYMRU AGREES WITH THE FACTUAL CONTENT OF THE REPORT BUT NOT WITH THE SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED IN IT.
INDEPENDENCE CYMRU, AND PLAID, SUPPORT THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS PARLIAMENT ADMINISTERING THE 27 MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE EU.

Following the demise of Britain presumably the nations of England, Scotland and Wales will be added, making 29 countries, and if Cornwall negotiates entry it will make a total of 30 nations.

Sunday 2 March 2008

ST. DAVIDS DAY PARADE, CARDIFF, WALES. 2008

88% back EU treaty referendum bid

'88% back EU treaty referendum bid'
Press Assoc. - 33 minutes ago

Campaigners for a referendum on the European Union's controversial Lisbon Treaty claim they have overwhelming public support.
The I Want A Referendum Campaign said that in unofficial mini-referendums which it ran in 10 parliamentary constituencies, 88% voted in favour of a full-blown referendum on the treaty.
The campaign said that 152,520 people voted in the polls, of whom 133,251 voted for a referendum.
The announcement of the results came as MPs prepare to vote on Wednesday on whether to hold a referendum for real.

St David's Day Parade in Pictures








































Saturday 1 March 2008

ST. DAVID'S DAY PARADE IN CARDIFF 2008

We were there! Were YOU there?
If not you missed a spectacular event in the making of the history of the nation.
Photographs coming shortly....