All committed nationalist should unite, in our view, and give assistance and support to our Celtic cousins across the diaspora.
Paste this address into your browser and read about the latest campaign of the Cornish.
http://www.plenproject.com/
"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
Friday, 27 June 2008
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Friends of Wales and Glyndwr
Please paste the link into your browser window and read on.....
http://cenedl.blogspot.com/
http://cenedl.blogspot.com/
Monday, 23 June 2008
Spain Outstrips Wales in High Tech Infrastructure
It is quite obvious that Spain has benefited tremendously from the influx of EU funds, as infrastructure here on the Costa is highly developed and high tech.
Examples are the disposal of garbage into underground chambers and the toilet facilities in Burgerking where lights switch on and off automatically as one enters and leaves. Transportation is also very efficient with high-speed trains linking the major cities, such as the AVE trains now linking Madrid with Malaga.
Alan in Dyfed in Spain
Wales underfunded for decades – report
Jun 23 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
NEWLY released UK Government papers provide evidence that Wales has been systematically underfunded by hundreds of millions of pounds over more than three decades.
Unearthed documents suggest that calculations for how much money Wales should receive – based on economic data from 1977 – were seriously flawed.
The new information confirms what has long been suspected by some academics and politicians, and will encourage those who want the Treasury’s method of allocating money to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to be revised.
The evidence that Wales has for many years been short-changed is contained in documents released by the Scotland Office following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
An unidentified applicant asked to see two files on the issue kept in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Originally the UK Government refused to release the papers, but was ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner. A mooted appeal to the Information Tribunal has now been abandoned, and the two files amounting to hundreds of pages have now been published on the Scotland Office website.
Currently, Treasury allocations made to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are based on the so-called Barnett formula, devised in the late 1970s when Labour’s Joel (now Lord) Barnett was Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Since it was introduced, the Celtic nations have received block grants based on their proportion of the overall UK population.
The documents show that, according to a Treasury calculation, Wales in 1976-77 was allocated 6% less than it would have been if funding was based on need. In 1984, Treasury officials wrote: “The results imply that, relative to England, ‘actual’ expenditure in 1976/77 exceeded ‘need’ by about 3% in Scotland, by about 6% in Northern Ireland, and fell short of ‘need’ by about 6% in Wales.”
Despite having identified this shortfall in funding for Wales, no attempt was made to increase the amount of funding for Wales, even when it was suggested that Scotland’s funding should be cut.
A large proportion of the material in the documents involves behind-the-scenes attempts by the Treasury to reduce funding for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the resistance at the Scottish Office and Northern Ireland to any such proposal. At one point, it was implied by a senior official at the Scottish Office that George Younger, the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland, would resign if Treasury funding for Scotland was cut.
One of the documents states: “When he met the Chief Secretary on April, 12 the Secretary of State made it clear that whatever any studies showed he could not conceive, of circumstances in which he would be able to announce a reduction in the Scotland block’s share of public expenditure.
“Such an announcement would make his position politically untenable, would further erode the Government’s support in Scotland, and would help to rekindle demands for devolution.”
Shockingly, Treasury officials at one point argue that cuts of up to £100m a year could be imposed in Scotland without opposition MPs or the public noticing.
The suggestion was rejected by officials at the Scottish Office on the basis that academics and journalists would definitely notice.
Last night, Eurfyl ap Gwilym, Plaid Cymru’s economics adviser and one of his party’s nominees for a seat in the House of Lords, said: “This material is extremely interesting and proves what many of us have known for a long time – that Wales has been seriously underfunded for many years.
“We are talking about many hundreds of millions of pounds which ought by justice to have come to Wales.
“It is very clear from the papers that it was political considerations, rather than abstruse technical reasons, that determined the failure to revise the formula. Successive UK Governments have been concerned about the political consequences in Scotland of revising the Barnett formula.
“Although the content of this material is historical, the failure to rectify this funding injustice continues to have a significant effect on public services in Wales.
“It is vitally important the National Assembly’s finance committee is provided with expert advice to monitor the allocation of funds from the Treasury. There is also a powerful case for getting the National Audit Office to scrutinise such funding rigorously.”
Under last year’s One Wales coalition agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru, a commitment was made to set up a commission to investigate the funding of the Assembly. So far, no further announcements about such a commission have been made.
Examples are the disposal of garbage into underground chambers and the toilet facilities in Burgerking where lights switch on and off automatically as one enters and leaves. Transportation is also very efficient with high-speed trains linking the major cities, such as the AVE trains now linking Madrid with Malaga.
Alan in Dyfed in Spain
Wales underfunded for decades – report
Jun 23 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
NEWLY released UK Government papers provide evidence that Wales has been systematically underfunded by hundreds of millions of pounds over more than three decades.
Unearthed documents suggest that calculations for how much money Wales should receive – based on economic data from 1977 – were seriously flawed.
The new information confirms what has long been suspected by some academics and politicians, and will encourage those who want the Treasury’s method of allocating money to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to be revised.
The evidence that Wales has for many years been short-changed is contained in documents released by the Scotland Office following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
An unidentified applicant asked to see two files on the issue kept in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Originally the UK Government refused to release the papers, but was ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner. A mooted appeal to the Information Tribunal has now been abandoned, and the two files amounting to hundreds of pages have now been published on the Scotland Office website.
Currently, Treasury allocations made to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are based on the so-called Barnett formula, devised in the late 1970s when Labour’s Joel (now Lord) Barnett was Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Since it was introduced, the Celtic nations have received block grants based on their proportion of the overall UK population.
The documents show that, according to a Treasury calculation, Wales in 1976-77 was allocated 6% less than it would have been if funding was based on need. In 1984, Treasury officials wrote: “The results imply that, relative to England, ‘actual’ expenditure in 1976/77 exceeded ‘need’ by about 3% in Scotland, by about 6% in Northern Ireland, and fell short of ‘need’ by about 6% in Wales.”
Despite having identified this shortfall in funding for Wales, no attempt was made to increase the amount of funding for Wales, even when it was suggested that Scotland’s funding should be cut.
A large proportion of the material in the documents involves behind-the-scenes attempts by the Treasury to reduce funding for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the resistance at the Scottish Office and Northern Ireland to any such proposal. At one point, it was implied by a senior official at the Scottish Office that George Younger, the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland, would resign if Treasury funding for Scotland was cut.
One of the documents states: “When he met the Chief Secretary on April, 12 the Secretary of State made it clear that whatever any studies showed he could not conceive, of circumstances in which he would be able to announce a reduction in the Scotland block’s share of public expenditure.
“Such an announcement would make his position politically untenable, would further erode the Government’s support in Scotland, and would help to rekindle demands for devolution.”
Shockingly, Treasury officials at one point argue that cuts of up to £100m a year could be imposed in Scotland without opposition MPs or the public noticing.
The suggestion was rejected by officials at the Scottish Office on the basis that academics and journalists would definitely notice.
Last night, Eurfyl ap Gwilym, Plaid Cymru’s economics adviser and one of his party’s nominees for a seat in the House of Lords, said: “This material is extremely interesting and proves what many of us have known for a long time – that Wales has been seriously underfunded for many years.
“We are talking about many hundreds of millions of pounds which ought by justice to have come to Wales.
“It is very clear from the papers that it was political considerations, rather than abstruse technical reasons, that determined the failure to revise the formula. Successive UK Governments have been concerned about the political consequences in Scotland of revising the Barnett formula.
“Although the content of this material is historical, the failure to rectify this funding injustice continues to have a significant effect on public services in Wales.
“It is vitally important the National Assembly’s finance committee is provided with expert advice to monitor the allocation of funds from the Treasury. There is also a powerful case for getting the National Audit Office to scrutinise such funding rigorously.”
Under last year’s One Wales coalition agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru, a commitment was made to set up a commission to investigate the funding of the Assembly. So far, no further announcements about such a commission have been made.
Saturday, 14 June 2008
Time for Reflection
The central tenet of libertarianism is the principle of liberty, namely individual liberty. To libertarians, an individual human being is sovereign over his/her body, extending to life, liberty and property. As such, rights-theory libertarians define liberty as being completely free in action, whilst not initiating force or fraud against the life, liberty or property of another human being. Thomas Jefferson stated, "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." Jefferson also said "No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him." These concepts are otherwise known as the law of equal liberty or the non-aggression principle.
Libertarians generally view constraints imposed by the state on persons or their property (if applicable), beyond the need to penalize infringement of one's rights by another, as a violation of liberty. Anarchist libertarians favor no statutory constraints at all, based on the assumption that rulers are unnecessary because in the absence of political government individuals will naturally form self-governing social bonds, rules, customs, codes, and contracts. In contrast, minarchist libertarians consider government necessary for the sole purpose of protecting the rights of the people. This includes protecting people and their property from the criminal acts of others, as well as providing for national defense.
Libertarians generally defend the ideal of freedom from the perspective of how little one is constrained by authority, that is, how much one is allowed to do, which is referred to as negative liberty. This ideal is distinguished from a view of freedom focused on how much one is able to do, which is termed positive liberty, a distinction first noted by John Stuart Mill, and later described in fuller detail by Isaiah Berlin.
Many libertarians view life, liberty, and property as the ultimate rights possessed by individuals, and that compromising one necessarily endangers the rest. In democracies, they consider compromise of these individual rights by political action to be tyranny of the majority, a term first coined by Alexis de Tocqueville, and made famous by John Stuart Mill, which emphasizes the threat of the majority to impose majority norms on minorities, and violating their rights in the process. "...There needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of society to impose, by other means than civil penalties, its own ideas and practices as rules of conduct on those who dissent from them..."
But most libertarians would argue that representative majority rule democracy largely has become controlled by special interest groups who represent a minority, leading to a 'tyranny of the minority' against the real numerical majority. Libertarians are egalitarians and believe all people are created equal. People are seen by libertarians as individuals and not representatives of their particular racial, religious or political groups.
Having weak state executive control means libertarian societies are more dependent on the courts for conflict resolution. An impartial judiciary can thus be of paramount importance, for without it wealthy and collective interests might run roughshod over the private citizen.
Some libertarians favor Common Law, which they see as less arbitrary and more adaptable than statutory law. The relative benefits of common law evolving toward ever-finer definitions of property rights were articulated by thinkers such as Friedrich Hayek, Richard Epstein, Robert Nozick, and Randy Barnett. Some libertarian thinkers believe that this evolution can define away various "commons" such as pollution or other interactions viewed by some as externalities. "A libertarian society would not allow anyone to injure others by pollution because it insists on individual responsibility."
SOME GOOD COMMENT HERE! Check tthe comments....
Libertarians generally view constraints imposed by the state on persons or their property (if applicable), beyond the need to penalize infringement of one's rights by another, as a violation of liberty. Anarchist libertarians favor no statutory constraints at all, based on the assumption that rulers are unnecessary because in the absence of political government individuals will naturally form self-governing social bonds, rules, customs, codes, and contracts. In contrast, minarchist libertarians consider government necessary for the sole purpose of protecting the rights of the people. This includes protecting people and their property from the criminal acts of others, as well as providing for national defense.
Libertarians generally defend the ideal of freedom from the perspective of how little one is constrained by authority, that is, how much one is allowed to do, which is referred to as negative liberty. This ideal is distinguished from a view of freedom focused on how much one is able to do, which is termed positive liberty, a distinction first noted by John Stuart Mill, and later described in fuller detail by Isaiah Berlin.
Many libertarians view life, liberty, and property as the ultimate rights possessed by individuals, and that compromising one necessarily endangers the rest. In democracies, they consider compromise of these individual rights by political action to be tyranny of the majority, a term first coined by Alexis de Tocqueville, and made famous by John Stuart Mill, which emphasizes the threat of the majority to impose majority norms on minorities, and violating their rights in the process. "...There needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of society to impose, by other means than civil penalties, its own ideas and practices as rules of conduct on those who dissent from them..."
But most libertarians would argue that representative majority rule democracy largely has become controlled by special interest groups who represent a minority, leading to a 'tyranny of the minority' against the real numerical majority. Libertarians are egalitarians and believe all people are created equal. People are seen by libertarians as individuals and not representatives of their particular racial, religious or political groups.
Having weak state executive control means libertarian societies are more dependent on the courts for conflict resolution. An impartial judiciary can thus be of paramount importance, for without it wealthy and collective interests might run roughshod over the private citizen.
Some libertarians favor Common Law, which they see as less arbitrary and more adaptable than statutory law. The relative benefits of common law evolving toward ever-finer definitions of property rights were articulated by thinkers such as Friedrich Hayek, Richard Epstein, Robert Nozick, and Randy Barnett. Some libertarian thinkers believe that this evolution can define away various "commons" such as pollution or other interactions viewed by some as externalities. "A libertarian society would not allow anyone to injure others by pollution because it insists on individual responsibility."
SOME GOOD COMMENT HERE! Check tthe comments....
Friday, 13 June 2008
Ireland's Lesson on Democracy
From the Scots blog: Tartan Hero.....
The big lesson in this triumph of democracy over state diplomacy is that a small country of 3 million* people has brought 26 other countries of 360 million to heel. So the next time someone says Scotland couldn't cope on its own in Europe, remind them what the Irish did.
* - actually 4.34 million.
The big lesson in this triumph of democracy over state diplomacy is that a small country of 3 million* people has brought 26 other countries of 360 million to heel. So the next time someone says Scotland couldn't cope on its own in Europe, remind them what the Irish did.
* - actually 4.34 million.
A Surveillance Society........
Whether you like it or not, you are a part of it. Why is it that more people from Britain are seeking a new life overseas? It is not only the cold, cloudy winters or the lure of the sun, the search for greener pastures or the need for cheaper living.
It is the erosion of civil liberties, the invasion of privacy and the scrutiny of bureaucratic authorities which fuel the drive to escape to more relaxed and tolerant locations. It will get worse before it gets better.
It is the erosion of civil liberties, the invasion of privacy and the scrutiny of bureaucratic authorities which fuel the drive to escape to more relaxed and tolerant locations. It will get worse before it gets better.
Another Referendum for Cymru?
ITN - 1 hour 15 minutes ago
The United Nations has said that the UK must consider whether they should keep the Royal Family.
The UN's Human Rights Council said the Government should 'think' about holding a referendum on the issue, to see if people would prefer to live in a Republican state with a written constitution.
The monarchy costs each adult in Britain around 62p a year - but even groups representing taxpayers said there was no case for getting rid of it.
The council has 29 members including Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Sri Lanka.
It was the Sri Lankan envoy who raised concerns over the British monarchy.
But a Royal spokesman has said the public haven't haven't displayed any appetite for a referendum.
The UN report was also critical of the UK's treatment of immigrants from Sudan.
Syria accused the UK of discriminating against Muslims and Iran complained about the UK's record on tackling sexual discrimination.
Note:Ireland has voted "NO" to the Lisbon Treaty. This is because Ireland is the most democratic country in the Western World. Ireland has fully embraced the concept of freedom of choice. The Lisbon Treaty, though ratified by 18 European nations, does not allow for full consultation on its provisions and does not display democratic assent. Ireland has stood up to the moghuls of Europe. Europe should heed the lesson that the will of all the peoples of the European Union must be heeded and respected.
Paste to browser window,
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080613/tpl-uk-eu-ireland-43a8d4f.html
The United Nations has said that the UK must consider whether they should keep the Royal Family.
The UN's Human Rights Council said the Government should 'think' about holding a referendum on the issue, to see if people would prefer to live in a Republican state with a written constitution.
The monarchy costs each adult in Britain around 62p a year - but even groups representing taxpayers said there was no case for getting rid of it.
The council has 29 members including Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Sri Lanka.
It was the Sri Lankan envoy who raised concerns over the British monarchy.
But a Royal spokesman has said the public haven't haven't displayed any appetite for a referendum.
The UN report was also critical of the UK's treatment of immigrants from Sudan.
Syria accused the UK of discriminating against Muslims and Iran complained about the UK's record on tackling sexual discrimination.
Note:Ireland has voted "NO" to the Lisbon Treaty. This is because Ireland is the most democratic country in the Western World. Ireland has fully embraced the concept of freedom of choice. The Lisbon Treaty, though ratified by 18 European nations, does not allow for full consultation on its provisions and does not display democratic assent. Ireland has stood up to the moghuls of Europe. Europe should heed the lesson that the will of all the peoples of the European Union must be heeded and respected.
Paste to browser window,
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080613/tpl-uk-eu-ireland-43a8d4f.html
Thursday, 12 June 2008
The Proud Scots Pipers Are Under Attack
Edinburgh buskers 'to pipe down'
Authorised pipers will be allowed to play in Castlehill and Lawnmarket
Bagpipers on Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile have been told they will be arrested if they continue to play.
Lothian and Borders Police said they receive up to 100 calls a day about the bagpipe noise and have to commit too many resources to dealing with it.
About 20 regular buskers have been asked to sign "acceptable behaviour contracts" banning them from performing in Castlehill and Lawnmarket.
If they do, officers said they could be arrested for a breach of the peace.
The police have said they are responding to a very real problem which has been troubling people living close by.
City centre Insp Bruce Johnston told the BBC Scotland news website: "Some days it was from eight in the morning through to 10pm at night. They were disturbing a lot of elderly people and students studying for exams.
"It is more important for the residents to have a normal, healthy life.
"We explained that we would take their pipes away and they would not want that.
"We really don't want to go down that road, but we told them that if we have to we will".
The contract also informs the buskers that if the playing continues after warnings are issued, anti-social behaviour orders would be issued.
Authorised pipers will be allowed to play in Castlehill and Lawnmarket
Bagpipers on Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile have been told they will be arrested if they continue to play.
Lothian and Borders Police said they receive up to 100 calls a day about the bagpipe noise and have to commit too many resources to dealing with it.
About 20 regular buskers have been asked to sign "acceptable behaviour contracts" banning them from performing in Castlehill and Lawnmarket.
If they do, officers said they could be arrested for a breach of the peace.
The police have said they are responding to a very real problem which has been troubling people living close by.
City centre Insp Bruce Johnston told the BBC Scotland news website: "Some days it was from eight in the morning through to 10pm at night. They were disturbing a lot of elderly people and students studying for exams.
"It is more important for the residents to have a normal, healthy life.
"We explained that we would take their pipes away and they would not want that.
"We really don't want to go down that road, but we told them that if we have to we will".
The contract also informs the buskers that if the playing continues after warnings are issued, anti-social behaviour orders would be issued.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Gwynfor's Dream Closer to Reality
Rhodri Morgan to see if Wales can get a spot at UN
Jun 11 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
FIRST Minister Rhodri Morgan yesterday appeared to lend credibility to the idea that Wales should be given “observer status” at the United Nations.
Instead of dismissing the proposal by Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Jenkins – as would almost certainly have happened before the One Wales coalition deal was sealed between Labour and Plaid last year – Mr Morgan (below) agreed to see if there were any precedents that might allow Wales to have its own ambassador at the UN General Assembly.
Last night Ms Jenkins, who represents South Wales West, claimed such a move would be consistent with the One Wales agreement’s commitment to “widen Wales’s membership and effectiveness in appropriate international bodies”.
She said: “In the context of devolution in these islands and in keeping with our proud outward-looking tradition it would be timely and pertinent for the Assembly Government to seek observer status at the General Assembly of the United Nations as a means of enhancing and building strong economic and political links with other nations, regions and organisations.”
Ms Jenkins said that such representation could work in tandem with existing Assembly Government offices overseas that promote Wales as a business destination.
She added: “The interdependence of countries in the 21st century is evident in so many aspects – economically, culturally and politically. We have a unique contribution to make on global issues and in order to increase our international profile we must be prepared to play our part.”
Mr Morgan agreed to investigate and to look at possible precedents in what, according to Ms Jenkins, would be the most significant diplomatic step Wales has taken since the days of Owain Glyndwr 600 years ago.
“Observer status” is afforded to NGOs, stateless nations and supranational organisations such as the EU. It allows such bodies to contribute to debate at the General Assembly of the UN without voting powers. It is enjoyed by Palestine and the Holy See.
But last night it seemed that Wales has little realistic chance of being allowed to send representatives to New York.
A source at the United Nations Association in London said: “There is no way the Foreign Office would allow this. The only precedents are the Holy See and Palestine. The Vatican is an independent state and Palestine is a nascent state.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The UK represents Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland at the UN General Assembly. That’s the way it is.”
Jun 11 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
FIRST Minister Rhodri Morgan yesterday appeared to lend credibility to the idea that Wales should be given “observer status” at the United Nations.
Instead of dismissing the proposal by Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Jenkins – as would almost certainly have happened before the One Wales coalition deal was sealed between Labour and Plaid last year – Mr Morgan (below) agreed to see if there were any precedents that might allow Wales to have its own ambassador at the UN General Assembly.
Last night Ms Jenkins, who represents South Wales West, claimed such a move would be consistent with the One Wales agreement’s commitment to “widen Wales’s membership and effectiveness in appropriate international bodies”.
She said: “In the context of devolution in these islands and in keeping with our proud outward-looking tradition it would be timely and pertinent for the Assembly Government to seek observer status at the General Assembly of the United Nations as a means of enhancing and building strong economic and political links with other nations, regions and organisations.”
Ms Jenkins said that such representation could work in tandem with existing Assembly Government offices overseas that promote Wales as a business destination.
She added: “The interdependence of countries in the 21st century is evident in so many aspects – economically, culturally and politically. We have a unique contribution to make on global issues and in order to increase our international profile we must be prepared to play our part.”
Mr Morgan agreed to investigate and to look at possible precedents in what, according to Ms Jenkins, would be the most significant diplomatic step Wales has taken since the days of Owain Glyndwr 600 years ago.
“Observer status” is afforded to NGOs, stateless nations and supranational organisations such as the EU. It allows such bodies to contribute to debate at the General Assembly of the UN without voting powers. It is enjoyed by Palestine and the Holy See.
But last night it seemed that Wales has little realistic chance of being allowed to send representatives to New York.
A source at the United Nations Association in London said: “There is no way the Foreign Office would allow this. The only precedents are the Holy See and Palestine. The Vatican is an independent state and Palestine is a nascent state.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The UK represents Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland at the UN General Assembly. That’s the way it is.”
All That Glitters........
Read on...... (paste in browser winow)
http://www.moneyweek.com/file/41862/is-the-gold-price-really-being-manipulated.html
http://www.moneyweek.com/file/41862/is-the-gold-price-really-being-manipulated.html
Welsh Cars for Welsh Roads and Beyond
Morgan Lloyd sent a message to the members of Welsh number plate campaign / Ymgyrch Cyfreithloni'n baner.
--------------------
Subject: Y DIWEDDARAF / UPDATE
AC Plaid yn ceisio deddfu i ganiatau arddangos y Ddraig Goch ar blatiau cofrestru
Diolch am gefnogi fy ymgyrch i gyfreithloni dangos y Ddraig Goch ar blatiau cofrestru cerbydau. Mae’r ymateb i’r ymgyrch hyd yma wedi bod yn anhygoel, gyda thros fil o lofnodion ar y ddeiseb a thros bedwar cant o bobl wedi ymuno a’r grwp ymgyrchu ar ‘Facebook’. Mae poblogrwydd yr ymgyrch yn arwydd o gryfder y teimladau sydd yn bodoli.
Ysgrifennaf atoch gyda diweddariad i'r ymgyrch. Bellach mae gen i gyfle i gynnig deddfwriaeth newydd yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol. Os yw'n cael ei derbyn yn llwyddiannus, bydd y ddeddfwriaeth yma'n cyfreithloni arddangos y Ddraig Goch ar platiau cofrestru. Byddaf yn cadw mewn cysylltiad dros y misoedd nesaf, a dwi'n gobeithio'n fawr fy mod yn gallu dibynnu ar eich cefnogaeth.
Janet Ryder AC
Plaid Cymru
________________________
New legislation to allow Welsh flag on number plates proposed by Plaid Assembly Member
Thank you for supporting my campaign to legalise displaying the Welsh dragon on number plates. I have been overwhelmed by the response so far, with over a thousand people signing the petition and over four hundred people joining the ' Facebook ' campaign group. The popularity of the campaign is an indication of the strength of feeling that exists.
I am writing to you to update you on the progress of this campaign. I have been given the chance to propose new legislation in the National Assembly. If successfully passed, this legislation will make it legal to display the Welsh flag on vehicle number plates. I will stay in contact over the coming months, and I hope I will be able to rely on your support.
Janet Ryder AM
Plaid Cymru
Note: Independence Cymru already has the dragon logo on its number plates, along with the European flag and the name CYMRU.
--------------------
Subject: Y DIWEDDARAF / UPDATE
AC Plaid yn ceisio deddfu i ganiatau arddangos y Ddraig Goch ar blatiau cofrestru
Diolch am gefnogi fy ymgyrch i gyfreithloni dangos y Ddraig Goch ar blatiau cofrestru cerbydau. Mae’r ymateb i’r ymgyrch hyd yma wedi bod yn anhygoel, gyda thros fil o lofnodion ar y ddeiseb a thros bedwar cant o bobl wedi ymuno a’r grwp ymgyrchu ar ‘Facebook’. Mae poblogrwydd yr ymgyrch yn arwydd o gryfder y teimladau sydd yn bodoli.
Ysgrifennaf atoch gyda diweddariad i'r ymgyrch. Bellach mae gen i gyfle i gynnig deddfwriaeth newydd yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol. Os yw'n cael ei derbyn yn llwyddiannus, bydd y ddeddfwriaeth yma'n cyfreithloni arddangos y Ddraig Goch ar platiau cofrestru. Byddaf yn cadw mewn cysylltiad dros y misoedd nesaf, a dwi'n gobeithio'n fawr fy mod yn gallu dibynnu ar eich cefnogaeth.
Janet Ryder AC
Plaid Cymru
________________________
New legislation to allow Welsh flag on number plates proposed by Plaid Assembly Member
Thank you for supporting my campaign to legalise displaying the Welsh dragon on number plates. I have been overwhelmed by the response so far, with over a thousand people signing the petition and over four hundred people joining the ' Facebook ' campaign group. The popularity of the campaign is an indication of the strength of feeling that exists.
I am writing to you to update you on the progress of this campaign. I have been given the chance to propose new legislation in the National Assembly. If successfully passed, this legislation will make it legal to display the Welsh flag on vehicle number plates. I will stay in contact over the coming months, and I hope I will be able to rely on your support.
Janet Ryder AM
Plaid Cymru
Note: Independence Cymru already has the dragon logo on its number plates, along with the European flag and the name CYMRU.
Is the BBC News Anglo-centric?
BBC news of UK nations examined
The BBC Trust is to publish a report on the way news is covered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BBC News has faced "new challenges" since devolution, the Trust says.
The review, commissioned in November, looked at the accuracy and context of the BBC's reporting, particularly in the devolved nations. It will consider if the nations' differing policies, and other issues, are properly reflected in the BBC's TV, radio and online output. Viewers have complained that too many stories are relevant only to England.
BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas said when Labour failed to gain a majority in the Welsh Assembly last year, many people in Wales felt the story and the subsequent coalition negotiations received too little coverage on the national news bulletins.
Licence fee boycott
There have also been complaints that since devolution too many health and education stories apply only to England, where policies differ from those in other parts of the UK. The Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price said if things did not improve he would be prepared not to pay the licence fee.
News is not regionally distributed but prejudice is. But some in England say they do not need to hear about events in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly that do not affect them. BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons told BBC Five Live that BBC News was not the sole cause of the problem: "This problem is not entirely of the BBC's making," he said. "There is a propensity for ministers, and government departments, to talk as if devolution hasn't taken place, and to act as if they are now speaking for the whole United Kingdom on issues of health and education when in fact those decisions are taken elsewhere."
The BBC appointed Anthony King, professor of government at the University of Essex, as independent author of the review. He was supported by Mike Robinson, a former BBC news and current affairs programme editor, as the review's project director.
They looked at network coverage of the four nations - particularly on devolution and devolution issues - during the English local elections and national elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in spring 2007.
The aim was to assess the impartiality of the BBC's network news.
It is the first impartiality review to be undertaken by the trust since it was set up in January last year.
The BBC Trust is to publish a report on the way news is covered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BBC News has faced "new challenges" since devolution, the Trust says.
The review, commissioned in November, looked at the accuracy and context of the BBC's reporting, particularly in the devolved nations. It will consider if the nations' differing policies, and other issues, are properly reflected in the BBC's TV, radio and online output. Viewers have complained that too many stories are relevant only to England.
BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas said when Labour failed to gain a majority in the Welsh Assembly last year, many people in Wales felt the story and the subsequent coalition negotiations received too little coverage on the national news bulletins.
Licence fee boycott
There have also been complaints that since devolution too many health and education stories apply only to England, where policies differ from those in other parts of the UK. The Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price said if things did not improve he would be prepared not to pay the licence fee.
News is not regionally distributed but prejudice is. But some in England say they do not need to hear about events in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly that do not affect them. BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons told BBC Five Live that BBC News was not the sole cause of the problem: "This problem is not entirely of the BBC's making," he said. "There is a propensity for ministers, and government departments, to talk as if devolution hasn't taken place, and to act as if they are now speaking for the whole United Kingdom on issues of health and education when in fact those decisions are taken elsewhere."
The BBC appointed Anthony King, professor of government at the University of Essex, as independent author of the review. He was supported by Mike Robinson, a former BBC news and current affairs programme editor, as the review's project director.
They looked at network coverage of the four nations - particularly on devolution and devolution issues - during the English local elections and national elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in spring 2007.
The aim was to assess the impartiality of the BBC's network news.
It is the first impartiality review to be undertaken by the trust since it was set up in January last year.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Making Welsh Heritage Sites More Accessible
Another initiative from Plaid Cymru in government.
Paste it in your browser...
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/11/welsh-children-and-pensioners-to-get-free-entry-to-sites-of-heritage-91466-21054559/
Paste it in your browser...
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/11/welsh-children-and-pensioners-to-get-free-entry-to-sites-of-heritage-91466-21054559/
Selling the Family Silver (and Gold)
The government is probably congratulating itself on its attempts to reduce the enormous national debt.
Not content with selling off the gold reserves, letting the grandfather clocks go to America, encouraging the brain drain and selling off obsolescent buses, trains and planes by successive British governments, the latest bits of real estate to be targeted are phone boxes. Now that everybody, I mean everybody, uses mobile phones, there is apparently no need to keep those public phones, apart from the traditional old red ones in tourist spots, and they can be disposed of to the highest bidder.
Independence will make a difference provided it can be attained before it is too late to do anything about it.
Not content with selling off the gold reserves, letting the grandfather clocks go to America, encouraging the brain drain and selling off obsolescent buses, trains and planes by successive British governments, the latest bits of real estate to be targeted are phone boxes. Now that everybody, I mean everybody, uses mobile phones, there is apparently no need to keep those public phones, apart from the traditional old red ones in tourist spots, and they can be disposed of to the highest bidder.
Independence will make a difference provided it can be attained before it is too late to do anything about it.
Fathers' Day Looms
Independence Cymru says :
JUSTICE FOR FATHERS
Restore to fathers their rights over their children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/10/parents.familyandrelationships(paste it)
JUSTICE FOR FATHERS
Restore to fathers their rights over their children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/10/parents.familyandrelationships(paste it)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)