Independence Cymru

Syr Emyr is safe! Official!

2009-11-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your query on our website. Syr Emyr was commissioned to look into and report on the current devolution settlement, the public's understanding of it and how people would vote in a possible referendum to give further powers to the Assembly. Therefore his work and his contract came to an end once the report was published last week, and he will not be sacked.

Kind regards,
Elin Rowlands
Rheolwr Rhaglen Waith / Work Programme Manager
Confensiwn Cymru Gyfan / All Wales Convention
Ffôn / Phone - 02920898085
www.confensiwncymrugyfan.org
www.allwalesconvention.org

This is an official reply in answer to my question:
Will Syr Emyr Jones Parry be sacked for producing a report which highlights the deficiencies of the LCO system and comes out in favour of holding a Referendum for a Welsh Parliament?
(harking back to the sacking of Professor David Nutt)

A Welsh EU President...why not?

2009-11-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

WALES/CYMRU - IN THE HEART OF EUROPE

It is not inconceivable that some day in the future the EU will have a Welsh president. The European Union is made up of diverse countries, some large and some small. Belgium has a population of 10 million + and other nations in Europe are smaller but are no less capable of producing statesmen who may rise to high office in the EU.

Cofiwch - Dros Gymru Collasant Eu Gwaed

2009-11-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

Subject: Lawmaking powers - Evening Post Poll

There's an online poll in the South Wales Evening Post at the moment asking if we are in favour of lawmaking powers. If you go on the main page, scroll half way down, it's on the right hand side. Why not go on there now and click "YES!!!". Wales First is now up to nearly 2,500 members, and the EP is the biggest selling daily in south wales.

Let's make it clear what we want - in no uncertain terms! Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/l/04f72;www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/home

From Dafydd Iwan, President of Plaid Cymru...

Time for a proper Parliament.

Today, we learnt that Emyr Jones Parry and the All-Wales Convention have come out in favour of moving to a referendum.

You can guarantee that certain anti-devolution politicians and so-called 'True' Wales will be doing everything in their power to stop any further progress and devolution to Wales . Make no mistake - they will be very vocal in their opposition during today and over the coming months.

So, now is the time for YOUR voice to be heard. Today, and over the next few days and weeks, we are asking you to play your part in shaping our Country's future.

1. Make a point of talking to your friends and colleagues about why Wales needs its own Parliament
2. Make sure people understand why we should not be treated as second class citizens.
3. Make it clear that what’s good for Scotland is good for Wales .
4. Write to your local newspaper, phone your local radio station and tell them that Wales deserves a proper Parliament. Radio Wales will be asking for your views on programmes throughout the day. Make sure your voice is heard by phoning 03700 100 110 or texting 811012. You can also send a message to the programmes online by clicking here. The news programmes on BBC and ITV this evening will also be asking your views. Make sure you have your say!
5. Use twitter, Facebook, blogs and any medium available to you to spread the Word!
6. Sign Tomorrow's Wales' petition for a proper parliament
7. Donate to Plaid today and help us campaign for a proper Parliament.

Just get people talking - but above all make sure that they are hearing the right side of the story, and not the excuses of those who want to hold Wales back. I hope you will join me in doing everything we can to spread the word.

For Wales

Dafydd

Comment:
Preseli said...
All who wish Wales well must now rekindle the spirit of the '97 Yes Campaign and get stuck in. Do we want Tory government from London or Welsh government from Cardiff? Its a no-brainer really!!

18 November 2009 16:34

Syniadau makes an appeal to Labour politicians :
"Now that the report has been published, there is no need for any division between Labour's AMs and MPs in Wales. Surely you all want what is best for Wales? True, your idea of "best" may not be the same as ours in Plaid, but they're close enough for us to be able to work together in a common programme for government in Wales. Of course it would be better to have a Labour than a Tory government in Westminster ... but with only 40 MPs out of more than 600, Wales doesn't get to have much of a say in the outcome of the Westminster election, does it?"

Read what Helen-Mary Jones has to say......
http://www.plaidcymru.org/content.php?nID=14;ID=1613;lID=1

The £1.3 Million Question?

2009-11-17T23:29:00.000-08:00

...and that is:
Will Syr Emyr Jones Parry be sacked for producing a report which highlights the deficiencies of the LCO system and comes out in favour of holding a Referendum for a Welsh Parliament?
(harking back to the sacking of Professor David Nutt)

http://allwalesconvention.org/getinformed/thereport/thereport

BREAKING NEWS!, Click here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/wales_politics/8350333.stm

After considering over 3,000 pieces of evidence the All Wales Convention has come to the same conclusion as Tomorrow's Wales - our present system of governance is unclear, complex and needs to change. The Convention calls for a referendum, but can't guarantee a YES vote in favour of primary law-making powers in the 20 devolved areas.
What can you do to help secure a YES vote in the referendum?
You can JOIN Tomorrow's Wales. You can set up a LOCAL BRANCH. You can hold an event to raise awareness locally. And you can encourage more people to sign the Declaration for Welsh Democracy.
JOIN US TO SECURE A PROPER PARLIAMENT FOR WALES!
http://www.facebook.com/l/52b56;www.tomorrow-wales.co.uk

Scottish Nation - Scottish Independence

2009-11-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Ghandi

"UK debt is a higher percentage of GDP than other countries’ and it’s accumulating at a rate of more than £6,000 a second. A fighting SNP might respond to such figures with a slogan such as: “Can Scotland afford to stay in the Union?”

Note: Britain did not come into being until after AD 1603 (ratified into law 1707). Before that date Scotland was a separate kingdom. Once united with England it suffered deprivation, land enclosure, banning of national dress, persecution and exploitation.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6917223.ece

People of Glasgow are so mired in poverty, negativity and depression that they cannot see the way forward for Scotland. Even the hope of a better future does nothing to inspire them.

People of Glasgow are so mired in poverty, negativity and depression that they cannot see the way forward for Scotland, and even the hope of a better future does not inspire them. People in this condition, if they vote at all, are inclined to vote Labour.

Welsh Nation - Welsh Parliament

2009-11-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

Anti-Welsh sentiments from Don Touhig and David Davies and "True (Untrue) Wales".
Their aim? Not to work together for a Welsh Parliament but to scrap the Welsh Assembly!
"A TORY MP has accused the Archbishop of Wales, accusing him of “arrogance” in his lead role with a body campaigning for the National Assembly to get full law-making powers."
"The Monmouth MP and former AM warned a 'Yes' vote would "drag Wales down to Soviet-style poverty".

From a string of Unionist Welsh MPs of all three parties now sitting in Westminster (the "imperial parliament"), reeling off some names of anti-Welsh-progress politicians... Touhig, Davies, Hain, Murphy, Howells, Bryant, Opik, Irranca-Davies, Michael, Kinnock, George Thomas ......
all of them "yesterday's men" ..... may the Lord preserve us!

Read this:
http://cambriapolitico.com/2009/02/untrue-untrue-untrue-thats-all-we-get-from-true-wales/

Liberate Pontypool - pentref fy nhadau....and now

A Message from "AN INDEPENDENT WALES."

Maelgwn Ap Cadwallon
--------------------
Subject: Make some noise

By the end of this week, we will all learn what Emyr Jones Parry and his All-Wales Convention will be proposing for the referendum on a Welsh parliament.

You can guarantee that certain anti-Welsh politicians such as Peter Hain will be doing everything in their power to stop any further progress.

So make sure that we make more noise than him - make a point of talking to your friends and colleagues about why Wales deserves its own parliament - why we should not be treated as second class citizens compared to Scotland - why cant we be trusted to govern ourselves a bit more?

Write to your newspapers - phone your local radio station - saturate the internet. Get people talking - but make sure that they are hearing the right side of the story, and not the excuses of Labour MPs and the lies of Untrue Wales.
--------------------

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/

From "Secretperson" blog:
Cameron will not bring an end to the Union, but if he agrees anything like this suggested deal with the SNP he will move it on its way to dissolution. It seems unlikely any major political party will support an English parliament, but as more powers drift to Scotland, with Wales close behind, Westminster will become the English parliament. If we get EVoEL, any more power passed to the devolved bodies means less work for their MPs until they are simply pointless. If the Union finishes it will be through this gradual process, not a dramatic event. Until it is simple and easy just to stop MPs from Scotland and Wales turning up at all, and there we have it. No more Union.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Britain, the thorn in the side of Europe

2009-11-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

"Britain’s luck may be on the wane. The political and legal problems associated with its half-in, half-out status are growing."

******************************************************************************

From: "British Nationalists in Wales - Watch" blog

What's the Point of Britain?
Interesting article in The Times by Rachel Sylvester on 1 September. Now that Britain is just a medium-sized state why stick with it? Whatever your view on the Lockerbie Bomber decision it's interesting to note two facts. It took a Scottish Parliament Minister to stand up to the Americans in a way the 'Brits' never would, what Blair called the 'Love Actually moment' and related to that, the general increasing irrelevance of, or irritation with, Britain which the US feels.

Now that Britain can't offer the glory which always attracts a type of person who just like to be on the winning side, then what does Britain offer? Unlike a Welsh or Irish or Estonian state which are there to foster and promote weaker cultures and languages, the most appealing parts of British identity - comedy and popular music are independent of needing a state. After all, would the independence of four Britannic nations undermine 'British' comedy or pop music? Hardly ... it would probably strengthen it if anything. So, why stick with Britain?

Basically, there's nothing a British state can do which a Welsh or Scottish one can't do just as well or better. Now that the glory and prestige once attached to it is fading it will lose the affection of those fickle people who want to associate themselves with it. There is no point to Britain!

Posted by Nicholas Michael Morgan 0 comments

Bedtime reading.....
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2007/04/welsh-language-wales-england

Comment: the obvious solution to the invidious state of Britain is for the nations of Britain to rule themselves, which they would do far more effectively and a good deal more democratically. The other alternative is for Wales and Scotland to colonise England ;-) and govern the country from Edinburgh. I have no doubt Alex Salmond would oblige.

Labour's True Motives for Instigating Mass Immigration

2009-11-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

From the" Telegraph".co.uk

Labour wanted mass immigration to make UK more multicultural, says former adviser
Labour threw open Britain's borders to mass immigration to help socially engineer a "truly multicultural" country, a former Government adviser has revealed.

By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor
Published: 6:42PM BST 23 Oct 2009

Quote:
The huge increases in migrants over the last decade were partly due to a politically motivated attempt by ministers to radically change the country and "rub the Right's nose in diversity", according to Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett.

He said Labour's relaxation of controls was a deliberate plan to "open up the UK to mass migration" but that ministers were nervous and reluctant to discuss such a move publicly for fear it would alienate its "core working class vote". As a result, the public argument for immigration concentrated instead on the economic benefits and need for more migrants. Critics said the revelations showed a "conspiracy" within Government to impose mass immigration for "cynical" political reasons.

Mr Neather was a speech writer who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair and in the Home Office for Jack Straw and David Blunkett, in the early 2000s. Writing in the Evening Standard, he revealed the "major shift" in immigration policy came after the publication of a policy paper from the Performance and Innovation Unit, a Downing Street think tank based in the Cabinet Office, in 2001. He wrote a major speech for Barbara Roche, the then immigration minister, in 2000, which was largely based on drafts of the report. He said the final published version of the report promoted the labour market case for immigration but unpublished versions contained additional reasons, he said.

He wrote: "Earlier drafts I saw also included a driving political purpose: that mass immigration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multicultural. "I remember coming away from some discussions with the clear sense that the policy was intended – even if this wasn't its main purpose – to rub the Right's nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date." The "deliberate policy", from late 2000 until "at least February last year", when the new points based system was introduced, was to open up the UK to mass migration, he said.

Some 2.3 million migrants have been added to the population since then, according to Whitehall estimates quietly slipped out last month. On Question Time on Thursday, Mr Straw was repeatedly quizzed about whether Labour's immigration policies had left the door open for the BNP. In his column, Mr Neather said that as well as bringing in hundreds of thousands more migrants to plug labour market gaps, there was also a "driving political purpose" behind immigration policy.
He defended the policy, saying mass immigration has "enriched" Britain, and made London a more attractive and cosmopolitan place. But he acknowledged that "nervous" ministers made no mention of the policy at the time for fear of alienating Labour voters.

"Part by accident, part by design, the Government had created its longed-for immigration boom.
"But ministers wouldn't talk about it. In part they probably realised the conservatism of their core voters: while ministers might have been passionately in favour of a more diverse society, it wasn't necessarily a debate they wanted to have in working men's clubs in Sheffield or Sunderland."

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the Migrationwatch think tank, said: "Now at least the truth is out, and it's dynamite.

"Many have long suspected that mass immigration under Labour was not just a cock up but also a conspiracy. They were right. "This Government has admitted three million immigrants for cynical political reasons concealed by dodgy economic camouflage." The chairmen of the cross-party Group for Balanced Migration, MPs Frank Field and Nicholas Soames, said: "We welcome this statement by an ex-adviser, which the whole country knows to be true. "It is the first beam of truth that has officially been shone on the immigration issue in Britain."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Our new flexible points based system gives us greater control on those coming to work or study from outside Europe, ensuring that only those that Britain need can come. Britain's borders are stronger than ever before and we are rolling out ID cards to foreign nationals, we have introduced civil penalties for those employing illegal workers and from the end of next year our electronic border system will monitor 95 per cent of journeys in and out of the UK."

"The British people can be confident that immigration is under control."

Comment:the government was not merely incompetent in enforcing its immigration policy.
It was a deliberate attempt to transform the complexion of British society. This government has performed a grave disservice to the people of Britain. Labour's social engineering ploy is doomed to backfire.

God save Ireland - Britain, Farewell and Adieu

2009-11-13T17:42:00.001-08:00

It is a fact that one of the most pressing concerns within Europe is mass immigration from overseas. The prime danger is the effect the influx will have on the native culture, the economy, the society and the demography of the country as immigrants object to giving up their own habits and traditions in order to conform. There should be a full-scale Europe-wide debate on this issue as it is doubtless a time-bomb waiting to erupt.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1226223/New-immigration-row-memo-reveals-Home-Office-officials-told-risks.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/minette_marrin/article6898174.ece
http://www.prlog.org/10396583-disgraceful-truth-of-the-labour-immigration-strategy.html

Ireland and Immigration - Enough is enough

2009-11-13T17:07:00.001-08:00

Brown to address immigration fears
By Tim Castle
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown will address public concern over immigration in a speech on Thursday, acknowledging that many people fear foreign workers are taking their jobs and putting strains on local housing. Steep rises in immigration over the past decade and a recession-led climb in unemployment have boosted support for the far right and fuelled charges Brown's Labour government has lost control of the nation's borders. The issue is set to be a factor in a general election due by June next year, with the Conservatives pledging they would impose a cap on immigration from outside the European Union.

Devolutionary Land Grab in Gwynedd

2009-11-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

The People’s Council For North Wales

Posted by admin. No Comments

Sign the Welsh Assembly petition to stop the West

Cheshire/North East Wales sub-regional strategy:

There is no age limit to sign this petition and you do not have to be resident in Wales in order to sign. Please do not sign the petition as ‘Anonymous’ as we will not be able to accept your signature due to Welsh Assembly guidelines.

Click here to sign

If you would like a pdf copy of the petition in order to collect written signatures, please see above. Contact us at the address below if you need copies posting out or for any other info.

thepeoplescouncil@googlemail.com

Following a meeting of the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee of Wrecsam Council on 23rd March 2009, members of the public who attended the meeting were so affected by the proceedings that they convened a meeting themselves to discuss what they had witnessed.

At the scrutiny committee meeting the West Cheshire/North East Wales sub-regional strategy was being discussed. The strategy itself ( adopted by Wrecsam, Flintshire and Denbighshire councils in 2006) aims in essence to merge North East Wales economically and demographically with Cheshire and Merseyside. Members of the public were extremely worried about the strategy which to date has never been discussed openly in public. Further, the way in which the strategy has increasingly become a statutory planning policy without any scrutiny has alarmed those members of the public who have knowledge of the strategy. At the scrutiny committee meeting, members of the public and their opinions were brushed aside by Council officers and further belittled by the councils leaders! The council voted AGAINST reviewing the Mersey Dee Alliance (the organisation set up to implement the sub-regional strategy).

Following the scrutiny committee meeting, a public meeting was held and the whole issue of the sub-regional strategy and the defensive nature of the council regarding these plans was discussed.

As regards the sub-regional strategy the conclusion reached was that basically the strategy was aimed at the expansion of Cheshire and Merseyside into North East Wales. That in a nut shell the expansion of Cheshire and Merseyside is limited due to building restrictions and a desire to preserve their green belt. In Wales there is no green belt and the strategists identify North Wales as the answer to their expansion limitations.

The expansion programme ignores the National Border and at numerous points within the plans acknowledges that Welsh identity will be lost and that this is caused by in migration from the North West of England. In essence North East Wales is to cater for the housing market of the North West of England, becoming a dormitory area for English lifestyle change.

The plans are social engineering and should never have been allowed to be implemented. However, they have already been adopted, and in North East Wales virtually every single planning decision is affected by it. The plans have not been scrutinised apart from the Executive Board at a council level (Members of the executive board are also members of the Mersey Dee Alliance) and in general the way that the plans have been pushed through has been thoroughly undemocratic and thoroughly secret.

For this reason members of the public formed the People’s Council for North Wales with a view to:

a) Inform the people of North Wales about the West Cheshire/ North East Wales sub-regional strategy.

b) Campaign against the sub-regional strategy.

c) Become a non political voice for the people of North Wales .

d) Challenge the culture of undemocratic, unethical and discriminatory behaviour within our local government.

e) Support, promote and to include ordinary people into the Welsh Assembly’s vision for Wales, as outlined in the One Wales document.

f) Provide alternative developmental plans that reflect local people’s needs and local people’s aspirations.

g) Preserve and ehance our environment, communities and Welsh identity.

To become a supporter of The People’s Council for North Wales, please click here

This website is a work in progress, only about a quarter of the information we have has so far been uploaded. We are also in the process of providing Welsh translation for all our pages and apologise if some of the information is currently in English only, please bear with us! This web site is being run by volunteers, if you have any spare time to help with some translation work, please get in touch.

Celtic Nations - The Magnificent Six (+ England?)

2009-11-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

Click on the link: http://en.allexperts.com/e/m/mo/modern_celts.htm

Six nations tend to be most associated with a modern Celtic identity, and are considered 'the Celtic nations'. These are:
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man
It is these 'Six Nations' that (alone) are considered Celtic by the Celtic League, and the Celtic Congress. These organizations ascribe to a definition of Celticity based upon language. In the aforementioned six regions, Celtic languages have long survived and in the cases of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany continue to be used.

A number of activists on behalf of other regions/nations have also sought recognition as modern Celts, reflecting the wide diffusion of ancient Celts across Europe. Of these, the following regions are prominent:

Galicia, Asturias, England

In neither Galicia nor Asturias has a Celtic language survived, and as such both fall outside of the litmus test used by the Celtic League, and the Celtic Congress. Nevertheless, many organizations organized around Celticity consider that both Galicia and Asturias "can claim a Celtic cultural or historic heritage." [1]. Justification for these claims to Celticity derive from similarities in music, dance, folklore, and culture to the other widely recognized Celtic countries. Further support is drawn from findings that the populations of northwestern Spain and those of other Celtic regions share a common genetic makeup.The Longue DurÃ©e of Genetic Ancestry: Multiple Genetic Marker Systems and Celtic Origins on the Atlantic Facade of Europe, American Journal of Human Genetics

England has a wealth of Celtic music, dance, folklore and culture, and the Cumbric language was identified with northwestern England until long after the Norman invasion. England as a whole comprises many distinct regions, with some acknowledging a larger Celtic identity than others.

Comment: It may come as a surprise to many readers of this blog but England can be considered to be a Celtic nation as the population is largely descended from Celtic forebears. According to the latest research there is more genetic evidence from Vikings in the north-east than from Angles and Saxons in the South. Most of the Germanic peoples settled in the area ruled by Offa in the Central Midlands and East Anglia. 67% of the DNA of England as a whole is considered Celtic with larger proportions in the north-west and south west and Kent and smaller proportions in the centre (Mercia) and the east.

alanindyfed

Thanks but No Thanks

2009-11-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

What kind of a government sets up an Advisory Council of eminent people to investigate and advise on the scientific evidence (on drug-taking) and then rejects its advice and sacks its chairman?
UNBELIEVABLE!

New procedural changes will see advice being made public at the same time as it is received by the Home Office. In the past, statements rejecting ACMD advice have been issued within minutes of it becoming public.

If the Home Secretary thinks he is going to reject the advice, he will meet with the ACMD chairman before making a final decision. And if he does reject it, his reasons for doing so will be made clear to the ACMD in writing.

Speaking at a lecture organised by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Prof Nutt the concessions made were "only moderate". "It's the old rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic," he added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8335189.stm
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/let-scientists-write-drug-laws-says-fired-british-expert/
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18099-david-nutt-governments-should-get-real-on-drugs.html

Three more drug advisers quit

Nov 11 2009

Three drug advisers have dealt the Government a further blow by resigning from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). Chemist Simon Campbell, psychologist John Marsden and scientific consultant Ian Ragan stepped down following showdown talks with Home Secretary Alan Johnson on Tuesday. The meeting was held amid the fall-out from the sacking of the Government's chief drugs adviser Professor David Nutt over his controversial remarks about cannabis, Ecstasy and LSD. Two other advisers - Marion Walker and Les King - had already quit the committee

Three Unionist Leaders - time for three more "advisors" to step down?

2009-11-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Which of these will yield Scottish and Welsh Independence?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/blog/talking_politics/article/76799/
The best way to succeed is to secede.

Defeat the Police State Part 2

2009-11-10T15:07:00.001-08:00

More hugs......

Freedom is a Word.....

2009-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

.....but it is also a fundamental human right.

See this: http://swlibertarians.blogspot.com/

Saving Face - Whatever the Cost

2009-11-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

The main justification offered by the Government for keeping troops in Afghanistan is rejected by the majority of British people, a new opinion poll for The Independent shows today. Four out of five of those questioned do not believe that British involvement in the conflict, with its rising toll of casualties, is keeping the streets of Britain safe from terrorist attacks.

In direct contradiction of the Government's position, almost half, or 46 per cent, of those surveyed held that the presence of British forces in the US-led war actually increased the threat of attacks in the country by creating anger and resentment among the Muslim population.

********************************************************************************
Both the Labour government and the British Army are determined to continue the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. In yesterday's news in an interview with a British army commander it was stated that the army is accustomed to winning, not losing, battles and will see it through whatever the cost in lives and equipment. Gordon Brown, despite his comments on Afghan government corruption, has given his full backing to the war. Meanwhile support for the war among the public is fading away. It is increasingly felt that this is an unwinnable war.

Afghanistan has long been a "trouble spot", since the British conquest of India. The fierce tribesmen of the North West Frontier have often been a challenge for British troops and the Russians made a similar discovery when the Mujaheddin swept down from the Panjir Valley and harassed them, eventually obliging them to withdraw from the country and return home. This will also be the outcome of the present conflict. However much the allied troops attempt to ingratiate themselves with the Afghan public their efforts will come to nought as more and more innocent citizens, men, women and children are caught up in the battles and killed by allied bombing and Taliban suicide reprisals.

This unwinnable war will not end until the present government is out of office. It is in the interests of the Labour ministers to prolong it, as to withdraw now would be to lose face and admit defeat, and it diverts the attention of the British public from the sins of the administration and promotes "patriotic" feelings to a level not seen since the Falklands war (DAVID MILIBAND: "We are in Afghanistan because this is every bit a necessary war.") The general public is proud of its brave soldiers and does not see that they risk their lives for a lost cause. Britain is not under threat from the Taliban so much as from fanatical British Pakistanis who have spent time in the training camps of Al Qaeda. But more are questioning the reasons why their troops are there and why they went there in the first place.

The actions of British and American troops provoke and exacerbate a worsening situation and are an obstacle to a solution as more Afghan citizens yearn for an end to the conflict whosoever their rulers may be. The result of this debacle is that the war has spilled over into Pakistan and threatens to topple the government of that country, a nuclear state which could well go the way of Iran.

alanindyfed

See this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8349757.stm
and this: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2004/edesk020204.htm - "the spirit of Masoud...."

Addendum:
The recent shooting at Fort Hood in Texas highlights the serious problem of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). 20% of US soldiers returning from the war exhibit this in varying degrees and it is not readily noticeable, but can without warning flare up and result in previously normal and rational individuals perpetrating an incident such as the one at Fort Hood. Stress also results from conscripted soldiers being assigned to front-line duties in the Middle East against their wishes, particularly in cases of soldiers who are Muslims being required to fight against fellow-Muslims in circumstances such as the Afghan conflict. Soldiers are expected to obey orders and not to question motives or reasons for entering into conflict, but they are human beings, not automatons, and have complex emotional and psychological responses. The act of killing another human being and equally being a target for hostile fire can set up mental disorders which can psychologically maim and derail, resulting in trauma and possibly life-threatening actions.

alanindyfed

Britain and Europe

2009-11-06T17:37:00.001-08:00

"Britain is not in the Euro, and has not taken part in Schengen. It has deliberately turned itself into a marginal, offshore island, irrelevant to the concerns and future of the European mainland........Britain is no longer an asset to the EU, if it ever was. It’s a pain in Europe’s fundament. Monnet had the right attitude to Europe’s British problem. Continental Europe, he thought, should go ahead with its integration without Britain; the British would then have to stew in their own juice; and sooner or later they would realise that they can’t get along on their own, and apply to join. That, of course, is exactly what happened. If the mainland Europeans had the guts to treat us like that again, that is what would happen again. The truth is that the extraordinary media hoo-ha about Blair’s supposed candidacy is merely one more sign that our political and media classes are living in a time-warp. They still think Britain matters. It doesn’t."

David Marquand: Our Kingdom

Comment: Britain is engrossed in a cloud of illusion, "living in a time-warp" and divorced from reality; believing that it is still a major power which does not need Europe, while accepting the benefits of membership and denying the rights of its own member nations within the UK. The realistic way forward is for the nations of Britain to become independently member nations within the European Union.

Vote SNP - Whatever the Weather!

2009-11-06T15:57:00.001-08:00

The candidates who will contest the Glasgow North East by-election are:

Charlie Baillie, British National Party
Willie Bain, Scottish Labour Party
Eileen Baxendale, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Mev Brown, Independent
Colin Campbell, The Individuals Labour and Tory (TILT)
Ruth Davidson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
David Doherty, Scottish Green Party
Mikey Hughes
David Kerr, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Louise McDaid, Socialist Labour Party
Kevin McVey, Scottish Socialist Party – Make Greed History
Tommy Sheridan, Solidarity – Scotland’s Socialist Movement
John David Smeaton, Jury Team

The SNP by-election campaign rooms will be open during the following hours - Mon to Fri 10.30am to 8pm, Sat 10.30 to 6pm, Sun 12 to 5pm. At all of these times there will be work available whether you want to canvass or leaflet. If you want to work INSIDE, give us a call on 07504 830227 to check there's enough indoor work for you first. To find us click here 10 Angus Street, Springburn, G21 1DN.

Concerning the coming General Election:
"a vote for any of the three major parties is a vote for the status quo." (Peter Hitchins).
Do you favour change..... or more of the same?

Ethnic European Nationalism

2009-11-06T01:00:00.001-08:00

Independence Day in Wales

2009-11-06T00:52:00.001-08:00

The Youth of Wales will bring about Independence for Wales. Cymru X and the colleges and universities will be the breeding ground where the spark is ignited and Wales will become Cymru Fydd, a Once and Future Nation where people live in harmony and equality and where everyone is accorded honour and respect as a citizen of a vibrant and united nation state in Europe.

Plaid Making a Difference - An Increasing Momentum

2009-11-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

Plaid leader wants public to vote on Scottish-style parliament on same day as future Assembly election
Jan 4 2007 Western Mail

How it was then.....has anything changed?

PLAID CYMRU will seek an early referendum on more devolution from potential coalition partners after the Assembly election in May. Party leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said the public should vote to give Wales a Scottish-style parliament on the same day as the 2011 Assembly election. In an interview with the Press Association, Mr Jones acknowledged a hung Assembly was almost inevitable in 2007. He said, "Most people expect there to be no party winning 31 seats and therefore some kind of an arrangement is going to be inevitable. All parties have to face that reality."

A referendum would form part of a policy "package" that Plaid would call for in coalition negotiations, he said. The Liberal Democrats will not do a deal unless their coalition partners back proportional representation for local elections - something Labour has ruled out. Mr Jones said his party had no such "red-line issues" and would "judge any arrangements after the election on a number of principles". He said he would not insist on a referendum now because it was "a matter for negotiation", along with policies on health, education, housing and transport. He further diminished the prospect of a so-called rainbow coalition with the Tories and Lib-Dems by labelling the Conservatives "extremely immature".

Relations between Plaid and the rest of the Opposition broke down in early December during the stand-off over the Assembly's Budget. The Assembly will get new lawmaking powers after the election in May as a result of the 2006 Government of Wales Act. It opens the door to a Scottish-style parliament after a referendum. That needs the support of two-thirds of AMs before it can be sought. Labour has insisted there is not the support for more devolution at present and a referendum would be lost if held now.

Mr Jones said, "One of the things that we would want is an assurance that the momentum for devolution would continue. "What that means is that our view is that we would want the next Assembly to be the last under the new arrangements and we would want to find that we would go into the following election in 2011 with either having had the referendum or committed to a referendum during that Assembly. "The current Act, as it stands, allows you to have a referendum as long as two thirds of the Assembly agrees. Well that means you can't do it on your own. "The earliest - and the time which we think would be the ideal time - would be to hold a referendum on the day of the 2011 Assembly election." He added, "It would be a package. You cannot just have one issue.

"So we are not putting that red line in the sand as the Lib-Dems are doing because, frankly, you know, as far as the public is concerned, if they think you are hung up on just constitutional matters or electoral matters then, frankly, how attractive is that?" The Assembly will be able to apply to Westminster for the right to pass laws from May. Mr Jones said, "I don't want, sort of, constitutional change for its own sake. "I want it because that means I can get things done without constantly having to ask, 'Well if I want to do something here, how is Peter Hain going to react?'"

In October the Opposition united to block the minority Government's £14bn spending plans and made a series of demands. But the Budget was approved two months later when Plaid parted company and Mr Jones did a last-minute deal with First Minister Rhodri Morgan to get more money for schools. The Tory and Lib-Dem camps accused him of having caved in for too little. Mr Jones insisted they had breached his trust by briefing against him and overstepping an agreed line on whether they should replace Labour with a caretaker government. He said, "Now the problem we found in addition to this breach of trust was that the Tories in particular were playing up this idea of a coalition before the election, which nobody in their right mind would be proposing before an election for the next four months.

"I mean that's just nonsense politics. "And therefore they had to be told that would not happen and they have shown themselves to be extremely immature in the way that they have reacted." He went on, "The problem I think for the Assembly was that (with) the Opposition parties, that trust broke down dramatically and therefore you couldn't continue with those negotiations and I think that's a lesson that certain individuals will now have to reflect on."

Governing with the Conservatives - who hold one seat less than Plaid's 12 in Cardiff Bay - "was always going to be a difficult issue, but it has been made more difficult by the events of [the Budget]". He said Labour's pre-election slogan that a vote for Plaid would result in a Tory First Minister was "absolutely dead in the water". Mr Jones maintained that his party was united behind him and that it was entering 2007 in better health than for years. It has suffered a succession of ballot-box setbacks - at council, devolved and Westminster elections - since a high point of 1999 when it got 17 AMs.

This year has seen it rebrand itself and embark on policy and PR campaigns. In the spring it handed overall political control of the party to Mr Jones. He said, "I think that my party has grown up as a result of the Budget process by accepting that you have to compromise and take hard choices, whereas if you remain out and out oppositionists you never have to face them." He added, "There are various options being looked at (for 2007) but our position is that we are not looking for second jobs. We are looking for the first job going into the election in May. "That's what the party is keeping its eye on."

He described himself as a "pragmatist" and said the only remaining fault line in Welsh politics was not between left and right, but between those who wanted more devolution and those who opposed it.

Comment: Independence Cymru has said it before.......
it is not a question of left v. right in Wales. It is between unionists and non-unionists, between those who seek to dismember the union and those who wish to keep it, between the "British nationalists" - unionists and the Celtic devolutionists who wish to see an independent Scotland and Wales. The Plaid leader still talks of further devolution but the true aim of Plaid Cymru, as ever, is full independence.
Meanwhile the Labour Triumvirate ( including Mr Hain) try to roll back events and stop the clock. The clock is ticking nevertheless and that day will surely come,
when the Red Dragon flag will fly from Ynys Mon to Amwythig, and from Ty Ddewi to Cas-Gwent.

Footnote: in our recent poll on Dismembering the Union, 82% voted in favour and 11% against with 5% don't knows. Even allowing for the fact that the majority of readers would naturally be pro-independence it is a resounding result. At least it proves that the right people read the right blog ;-)

Facing Reality, unlike Some Politicians

2009-11-04T22:55:00.000-08:00

The Treaty of Lisbon is ratified so we must move on...no point in holding a referendum on what is a fact. Politicians should not hold to fixed positions but move with the changes and take into account present realities and circumstances. Too many are stuck and live in the past, thinking of what could be/what might have been - not "what is".

For a United Ireland

2009-11-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

"This Ireland of mine has for long been half free,

Six counties are under John Bull's tyranny.

And still De Valera is greatly to blame

For shirking his part in the patriot game."

(Dominic Behan)

Adams Calls Irish Unification 'Realizable, Realistic Objective;' Sees Growing Sense of Irishness in North

Sign the petition: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/Re-unify

The British and Irish governments are urging the local parties to agree a date for transferring policing and justice powers to Belfast from Westminster.

Sinn Fein is eager for the move, but the largest political party in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party, is resisting the move saying insufficient confidence exists in the community from which it draws support.

Fighting Talk

2009-11-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Foot-note: The House of "Lords"
Pls enter this in the browser window and click....
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/blog/talking_politics/article/75405/