It seems we are in great demand these days! Nick Bourne, leader of the Conservatives in the Welsh Assembly, has called on Plaid members to join the Conservatives. They are doing their best to become the Party of Wales. To tell the truth, there is only one Party of Wales and that is Plaid Cymru.
The philosophy of Conservatives is very different from that of Plaid Cymru, quite apart from the fact that they are a British Party directed from Westminster. Conservatism is based on capitalism and the profit-motive, a policy which the Labour Party has come to espouse. It is less concerned with the welfare of the community and more with the advancement of the individual and his egocentric ambitions. Plaid Cymru on the other hand has more in common with the ideals of international socialism , the creation of a fair and egalitarian society where people are concerned for one another and not solely for their own interests. Its outlook is radical, progressive and classless rather than class-ridden, and it has inherited these principles from the very roots of Welsh tradition and its co-operative community values. Plaid Cymru remains the natural Party of Wales and any members who are tempted to political conversion by the siren call of Nick Bourne will be renouncing their Welsh heritage and betraying the whole ethos of their nation. It is a prospect that no self-respecting Cymro would contemplate.
"The Nineteenth century saw a great Springtime of Nations as the revolutions of 1848 saw new countries created the length and breadth of Europe. In our world today we are now seeing our own Spring Awakening with people and cultures that have long been dormant and subdued asserting their right to exist, their right to dream." Adam Price MP
Sunday, 30 September 2007
We are all Raring to Go so Why the Delay?
The Conservatives say they are raring to go; the Liberal Democrats have been raring to go for some time; the Scots Nationalists are positively raring to go; Plaid Cymru is absolutely raring to go; the (British) Labour MPs are asking one another whether or not they are raring to go.
So what are we waiting for? Where is the announcement from Gordon Brown? The electors are raring to make a difference. Plaid Cymru in government is already making a difference. The SNP in its first 100 days has made a tremendous difference. Now the Flemings in Belgium want to make a difference. Why is it such an issue that the national ethnic groupings in Europe are voting for self-determination within the European Union? Make no mistake, this is where it is all leading.
Independent national entities with the EU.
Yes, bring on the election - life is getting interesting. Devolution spelled with an "R".
So what are we waiting for? Where is the announcement from Gordon Brown? The electors are raring to make a difference. Plaid Cymru in government is already making a difference. The SNP in its first 100 days has made a tremendous difference. Now the Flemings in Belgium want to make a difference. Why is it such an issue that the national ethnic groupings in Europe are voting for self-determination within the European Union? Make no mistake, this is where it is all leading.
Independent national entities with the EU.
Yes, bring on the election - life is getting interesting. Devolution spelled with an "R".
Saturday, 29 September 2007
It's not the End of the World
Wales' hopes were dashed and the Fijians proved their mettle and their strength but all is not lost. If there is one thing which brings out the spirit of a Welshman it is the game of Rugby. It focuses the consciousness and stimulates the national fervour like nothing else does. Now that Wales is out of the competition where may all this energy be directed? Here is a suggestion - that the Welsh public now turn their attention to the cause of greater devolution, to a Welsh Parliament, and onward to Independence. If all the energy that goes into cheering on Wales at the rugby venues were directed into the national politics and support for Assembly government as opposed to the controlling tactics of Westminster how much greater would be the momentum towards self-determination for the nation?
Friday, 28 September 2007
GB=GB=GB=GB=GB=GB=GB - Where Next?
How many times do we have to hear the voices of long gone politics and nostalgic references to Britain's greatness? Great Britain disappeared with the end of the Victorian Era and its fate was sealed at the end of the Second World War. We grew up in a world where Britain was a pale shadow of its past, with former colonies one by one declaring their independence - one of the first being Ghana. Now all that remains of a once-glorious Empire are the Falkland Islands, saved for posterity by an Iron Lady, now the mentor of GB - Gordon Brown. But GB does not live in a GB - a Great Britain. He lives in a small but relatively prosperous country which is a member of the European Union, a union made up of 26 other nations. Factually "Great Britain" is not a nation, but a composite of nations which have yet to gain their independence from this former colonial power.
GB (Gordon Brown) is like King Canute (Knut), a Danish King of England who foolishly thought he could hold back the tide. He failed of course. Gordon Brown believes he can hold back the tide of devolution which is greater than was envisaged by the men and women of Westminster and has taken on a life of its own. This is why I quoted the allusion to Pandora's Box - forces have been unleashed which will not be turned back.
Wales and Scotland are on their way to independence and have the bit between their teeth. Already the majority, not all nationalists, will vote for a Welsh Parliament, and later we will see what we will see!
GB (Gordon Brown) is like King Canute (Knut), a Danish King of England who foolishly thought he could hold back the tide. He failed of course. Gordon Brown believes he can hold back the tide of devolution which is greater than was envisaged by the men and women of Westminster and has taken on a life of its own. This is why I quoted the allusion to Pandora's Box - forces have been unleashed which will not be turned back.
Wales and Scotland are on their way to independence and have the bit between their teeth. Already the majority, not all nationalists, will vote for a Welsh Parliament, and later we will see what we will see!
What is a British Nationalist?
A British Nationalist is a very strange and peculiar creature. A British Nationalist actually believes that there is such a thing as a "British Nation". He/she considers him/herself British, but then goes on to declare him/herself Welsh or Scots or Irish. One cannot logically be both at the same time, as there are groupings which are nations within Britain, but Britain is not and cannot be considered a nation. There is no such thing as "Britishness" as Gordon Brown tries to con people into believing. The Union flag does not represent the peoples of the United Kingdom and should be discarded as having no relevance to the true facts. So is Britain a lie? Have the history books got it all wrong? Have those generations that have been brought up on the feats and exploits and glories of the British Empire been duped? Is it so bad that this anomalous situation should be rectified and that the constitution should be radically overhauled? Until these issues are resolved there will be no solution to the question of identity and nationality within these islands. It is a situation that demand redress. The way forward is to look at the truth and the existential realities of the circumstances which led up to this confusion and attend to the aspirations of the people of the various nations within Britain.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
The Illogical Notion about being British
Let's face it, and there has been much talk about this notion of Britishness in the blogs and in the Labour party conference, there is no such thing as a British nation. In fact if it exists at all the British nation is the Welsh nation. It is the Welsh and Cornish, the Bretons, the Cumbrians, and the people of Strathclyde who are the true Britons and whose descendants can lay claim to the title of the British nation. All the rest are interlopers who happened to adopt the label British and make it their own. These people are the descendants of the Teutons - Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings and Normans (who were themselves of Viking descent), who invaded these islands during and after the Roman occupation. The Celtic peoples, the true Britons, were pushed northwards and westwards into those mountainous areas which they were able to defend with varying degrees of success.
So when Gordon Brown proclaims his Britishness he is perpetuating the illusion. There is no British nation nor has there ever been, in stark reality. Britain is a grouping of nations under one highly unrepresentative flag known as the Union Jack. It is time these wool-gathering politicians confronted the truth and discarded the distorted versions of history which were embedded into the minds of credulous schoolboys for generations, and were later expressed in terms of loyalty to Britain and the British Crown. Logically there cannot be a British nation if there exist the nations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. There can, however, be an English nation to stand alongside its Celtic neighbours. No longer will these proud nations be dominated and made subject to their restive former ruler. National consciousness among these nations has been awakened and will no longer be stifled, and the politicians of Westminster, whatever their persuasion, will not succeed in capping and containing this Pandora's Box.
So when Gordon Brown proclaims his Britishness he is perpetuating the illusion. There is no British nation nor has there ever been, in stark reality. Britain is a grouping of nations under one highly unrepresentative flag known as the Union Jack. It is time these wool-gathering politicians confronted the truth and discarded the distorted versions of history which were embedded into the minds of credulous schoolboys for generations, and were later expressed in terms of loyalty to Britain and the British Crown. Logically there cannot be a British nation if there exist the nations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. There can, however, be an English nation to stand alongside its Celtic neighbours. No longer will these proud nations be dominated and made subject to their restive former ruler. National consciousness among these nations has been awakened and will no longer be stifled, and the politicians of Westminster, whatever their persuasion, will not succeed in capping and containing this Pandora's Box.
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
The Coming General Election
Don't be fooled by Gordon Brown's ambivalent attitude towards the holding of an election! The snap election will be called for the end of October as predicted long ago on this blog. There are a number of indicators to substantiate this conviction.
1) The polls are running strongly in Labour's favour
2) The Conservatives are in disarray if not in dispute within their ranks
3) The Liberal Democrats are considered of little consequence
4) Gordon Brown is seeking a mandate for the next ten years
5) There is no better time than now
There are factors which also come into play regarding the resurgent nations of Scotland and Wales, and Labour is heading for trouble in both these countries. Labour will not do well in either place. In England, however, they will show their strength.
The reason is that the Scots are becoming increasingly nationalistic and large numbers will support the SNP. In Wales, there is a dislike of "New Labour", which is a pale pink form of Socialism, and Welsh sentiment is predominantly socialist and progressive. Therefore Plaid Cymru stands to benefit and will gain votes across the country and not only in the north and west. This is why Rhodri distanced himself with his "clear red water" from the staunchly Unionist and retrogressive Labour MPs in Westminster. But as the election is now imminent he is concerned to present a united front along with Gordon Brown and Peter Hain in order to gain the most Labour votes and preserve some kind of party unity. The problem with Labour is that it is party-centric rather than people-centric which a truly socialist party would be.
I will now print an extract from the blog Tartan Hero which supports the view expressed above.
These are some of the reasons given for Brown going now:
- An autumn election is about giving Brown a mandate, not on his record
- The Conservatives are not ready - Cameron has not had long enough
- "Give him a chance" is a compelling narrative
- The Murdoch press is broadly onside
- The economic clouds are gathering even though the storm is of Brown's creation he looks a steadier and more credible pair of hands to see us through than Cameron & Osborne (who looks out of his depth)
- The government is clearly thinking short term politically, see the panicked and knee-jerk reaction to the pictures of queues outside Northern Rock branches. If they were not thinking of an election they wouldn't have panicked
- Buggers up the Conservative (and the SNP) conference
Against an Autumn Election
- Lack of EU referendum will cause a stink and bad timing with the forthcoming EU ICG (not exactly on the minds of most punters)
- Polls may be wrong a la 1992 and overstating Labour support as a reaction to the thank god Blair has gone public feeling
- Will Alex Salmond and the SNP bring trouble for Labour at the polls?
So what do you think?
1) The polls are running strongly in Labour's favour
2) The Conservatives are in disarray if not in dispute within their ranks
3) The Liberal Democrats are considered of little consequence
4) Gordon Brown is seeking a mandate for the next ten years
5) There is no better time than now
There are factors which also come into play regarding the resurgent nations of Scotland and Wales, and Labour is heading for trouble in both these countries. Labour will not do well in either place. In England, however, they will show their strength.
The reason is that the Scots are becoming increasingly nationalistic and large numbers will support the SNP. In Wales, there is a dislike of "New Labour", which is a pale pink form of Socialism, and Welsh sentiment is predominantly socialist and progressive. Therefore Plaid Cymru stands to benefit and will gain votes across the country and not only in the north and west. This is why Rhodri distanced himself with his "clear red water" from the staunchly Unionist and retrogressive Labour MPs in Westminster. But as the election is now imminent he is concerned to present a united front along with Gordon Brown and Peter Hain in order to gain the most Labour votes and preserve some kind of party unity. The problem with Labour is that it is party-centric rather than people-centric which a truly socialist party would be.
I will now print an extract from the blog Tartan Hero which supports the view expressed above.
These are some of the reasons given for Brown going now:
- An autumn election is about giving Brown a mandate, not on his record
- The Conservatives are not ready - Cameron has not had long enough
- "Give him a chance" is a compelling narrative
- The Murdoch press is broadly onside
- The economic clouds are gathering even though the storm is of Brown's creation he looks a steadier and more credible pair of hands to see us through than Cameron & Osborne (who looks out of his depth)
- The government is clearly thinking short term politically, see the panicked and knee-jerk reaction to the pictures of queues outside Northern Rock branches. If they were not thinking of an election they wouldn't have panicked
- Buggers up the Conservative (and the SNP) conference
Against an Autumn Election
- Lack of EU referendum will cause a stink and bad timing with the forthcoming EU ICG (not exactly on the minds of most punters)
- Polls may be wrong a la 1992 and overstating Labour support as a reaction to the thank god Blair has gone public feeling
- Will Alex Salmond and the SNP bring trouble for Labour at the polls?
So what do you think?
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