As published in the Letter page of the "Western Mail" - Wednesday, November 21st,2007
Gordon Brown has been warned that his promotion of Britishness is in contravention of Wales' devolutionary progress. He should realise that Britain is fundamentally flawed and belongs to an age which is past and gone, never to return. His efforts to restore a ramshackle institution which has outlived its purpose are doomed to failure. Welsh people identify with Wales, a nation in resurgence, and the Scottish people with Scotland. By transforming itself from a socialist party to a bureaucratic pseudo-conservative party embracing capitalist and vaguely totalitarian principles New Labour has lost the Welsh and Scottish votes, and has no hope of winning another election. Popular opinion is quickly moving away from Labour and towards parties which have the peoples' interests at heart. The gap is widening in Britain between the haves and the have-nots, and inequality is on the increase throughout society. Politicians have lost the art of listening to their constituents and are out of touch with the needs and wishes of the electorate. The promotion of Britishness is divisive and is intended to exacerbate divisions in society, between those who cling to Unionist beliefs, though their forebears might have been Welsh loyalists, and those who wish to regain their nation's true and unique identity, and shake loose the ties which bind it to a flawed constitution which does not recognise Wales as a separate entity (For Wales see England). Let those representatives of Wales and Scotland who now fill the seats of the Westminster parliament stand up for their respective nations and promote the interests of their compatriots (the Cymry and the Scots)- or resign. Let them remove their blinkers and see the writing on the wall. In the words of the song:
"I'm a gonna travel on the road to freedom
I'm a gonna travel on the road to freedom,
I'm a gonna travel on the road to freedom,
I'll keep a-travellin' on....."
"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
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Monday, 19 November 2007
The Controversial Military Academy Issue
A comment from one of our readers
Comment
Anne said...
Jill is the only politician in Wales with the courage to challenge the privatisation and concentration of military training at St Athan to be delivered by a consortium which includes arms dealers Raytheon associated with the deliver of cluster bombs.
Where did this figure of 5,000 even 6,000 jobs come from? That is pure spin at best or deliberate falsehood! The BBC, Peter Black, Huw Lewis and Bryant are all quoting 5/6,000 jobs at St Athan when they know that most are to be transferred in to St Athan and that the MOD has announced 1,100 after it dumped half the initial plan - or package 2? It will be 1,100 - yes 1,100 and nothing near the 5,000 jobs promised and that Emperor Rhodri Morgan was drinking champagne to celebrate! Most of the ‘high skill’ jobs been transferred in are for instructional officers who are in the main ex-forces with additional training of 5 years on top of that. Not many of those going to Barry job centre will have those qualifications.
PCS, the union that represents many MOD staff says that the number of jobs in scope of package 1 has dropped from 1500 to 1100. These 400 posts are those not directly linked to training delivery. Package 2 has been dumped by the government as it is too expensive.
This contract will be the largest PFI/PPP project ever undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and will be the largest partnering arrangement ever undertaken in the UK. A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for DTR in simplistic terms means that the winning consortia will effectively own all of the real estate and services for training for the next 25 years. For this they will be paid an annual sum and must, by law, make a profit for their shareholders. The contract is worth £19 billion.
They couldn’t make a privatised railway work so it is pretty unbelievable that we even suggest privatising military training never mind applauding it especially when it is to be delivered by private arms companies that are excluded from any ethical investing country, bank or charity as in Norway and Belgium.
In a recent press release PCS, (Union) welcomed the MoD U-turn on training privatisation and the announcement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to halt the privatisation of approximately 4,000 staff who train the armed forces in driving armoured vehicles, lorries and jeeps as well as languages. The union hailed the decision to keep one half of defence training in the public sector as a victory for common sense which would ensure world class training for the armed forces whilst providing value for money for the taxpayer.
PCS called on the MoD to see sense and halt the privatisation of the other half of defence training which includes technical and mechanical training. The union warned that pushing ahead with remaining half of defence training would represent poor value for money and lead to a loss of knowledge and experience as staff would refuse to relocate to the new training base in South Wales….
Jill is right that we should stop and take an honest look at what is being proposed for St Athan.
For more information See http://www.cynefinywerin see also our blog www.metrixconsortium.blogspot.com
http://www.nomurderacademyatstathans.com/
our briefings on:Qinetiq - http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=286
Raytheon - http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=287
and our cluster bombs press release -
http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=288
19 November 2007 10:15
Delete
Comment
Anne said...
Jill is the only politician in Wales with the courage to challenge the privatisation and concentration of military training at St Athan to be delivered by a consortium which includes arms dealers Raytheon associated with the deliver of cluster bombs.
Where did this figure of 5,000 even 6,000 jobs come from? That is pure spin at best or deliberate falsehood! The BBC, Peter Black, Huw Lewis and Bryant are all quoting 5/6,000 jobs at St Athan when they know that most are to be transferred in to St Athan and that the MOD has announced 1,100 after it dumped half the initial plan - or package 2? It will be 1,100 - yes 1,100 and nothing near the 5,000 jobs promised and that Emperor Rhodri Morgan was drinking champagne to celebrate! Most of the ‘high skill’ jobs been transferred in are for instructional officers who are in the main ex-forces with additional training of 5 years on top of that. Not many of those going to Barry job centre will have those qualifications.
PCS, the union that represents many MOD staff says that the number of jobs in scope of package 1 has dropped from 1500 to 1100. These 400 posts are those not directly linked to training delivery. Package 2 has been dumped by the government as it is too expensive.
This contract will be the largest PFI/PPP project ever undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and will be the largest partnering arrangement ever undertaken in the UK. A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for DTR in simplistic terms means that the winning consortia will effectively own all of the real estate and services for training for the next 25 years. For this they will be paid an annual sum and must, by law, make a profit for their shareholders. The contract is worth £19 billion.
They couldn’t make a privatised railway work so it is pretty unbelievable that we even suggest privatising military training never mind applauding it especially when it is to be delivered by private arms companies that are excluded from any ethical investing country, bank or charity as in Norway and Belgium.
In a recent press release PCS, (Union) welcomed the MoD U-turn on training privatisation and the announcement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to halt the privatisation of approximately 4,000 staff who train the armed forces in driving armoured vehicles, lorries and jeeps as well as languages. The union hailed the decision to keep one half of defence training in the public sector as a victory for common sense which would ensure world class training for the armed forces whilst providing value for money for the taxpayer.
PCS called on the MoD to see sense and halt the privatisation of the other half of defence training which includes technical and mechanical training. The union warned that pushing ahead with remaining half of defence training would represent poor value for money and lead to a loss of knowledge and experience as staff would refuse to relocate to the new training base in South Wales….
Jill is right that we should stop and take an honest look at what is being proposed for St Athan.
For more information See http://www.cynefinywerin see also our blog www.metrixconsortium.blogspot.com
http://www.nomurderacademyatstathans.com/
our briefings on:Qinetiq - http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=286
Raytheon - http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=287
and our cluster bombs press release -
http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=288
19 November 2007 10:15
Delete
A View from Wales and a Welsh Lottery
When have Welsh views been considered seriously?
When has Wales been given a voice in matters of defence,law and national security?
When has Wales been seen to have national status except on the rugby field?
When has Wales received adequate funding for its particular problems : poverty, unemployment, social disintegration, community needs, affordable housing?
When will Wales receive its own independent news channels and television coverage?
Why is Wales denied adequate state funding for the National Eisteddfod and other national and cultural activities? Why is lottery money diverted to the London Olympics?
There is now a call for an independent Welsh lottery, with lottery money distributed more equally, and not a lottery with pay-outs running into the millions of pounds.
Money accrued from a Welsh lottery will not be squandered but will be spent wisely on projects which directly benefit the society and cultural needs of the nation. This will reflect the true egalitarian nature and age-old spirit of the Welsh community.
To many there is only one nation, the "British nation", and Wales is still regarded as a regional backwater of England. Until the legislation enacted in 1535 is dissolved and Wales achieves its long-awaited independence this will continue to be the case. To many national consciousness and cultural aspirations are part of fantasy land and a dream which can never be realised. Wales has had to fight for everything it has obtained and the fight for rights and justice will continue. The age of imperialism and domination is at an end. The reason Welsh nationalists are in the House of Commons and the reason they will soon be in the House of Lords is solely to fight for the just rights and privileges for a nation in resurgence, claiming its rightful place as a nation in the heart of Europe.
When has Wales been given a voice in matters of defence,law and national security?
When has Wales been seen to have national status except on the rugby field?
When has Wales received adequate funding for its particular problems : poverty, unemployment, social disintegration, community needs, affordable housing?
When will Wales receive its own independent news channels and television coverage?
Why is Wales denied adequate state funding for the National Eisteddfod and other national and cultural activities? Why is lottery money diverted to the London Olympics?
There is now a call for an independent Welsh lottery, with lottery money distributed more equally, and not a lottery with pay-outs running into the millions of pounds.
Money accrued from a Welsh lottery will not be squandered but will be spent wisely on projects which directly benefit the society and cultural needs of the nation. This will reflect the true egalitarian nature and age-old spirit of the Welsh community.
To many there is only one nation, the "British nation", and Wales is still regarded as a regional backwater of England. Until the legislation enacted in 1535 is dissolved and Wales achieves its long-awaited independence this will continue to be the case. To many national consciousness and cultural aspirations are part of fantasy land and a dream which can never be realised. Wales has had to fight for everything it has obtained and the fight for rights and justice will continue. The age of imperialism and domination is at an end. The reason Welsh nationalists are in the House of Commons and the reason they will soon be in the House of Lords is solely to fight for the just rights and privileges for a nation in resurgence, claiming its rightful place as a nation in the heart of Europe.
Sunday, 18 November 2007
Weapons firm’s role in St Athan academy condemned
From the Western Mail :
Nov 9 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of a weapons company previously linked to cluster bombs.The St Athan Defence Academy is due to create 5,000 jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2013.
But an anti-military group called the Cluster Munition Coalition says that one of the major companies involved in the academy, Raytheon, has been involved in manufacturing devices that carry cluster munitions. Raytheon, a leading American arms firm, insists it no longer produces weapons capable of carrying cluster bombs. But campaigners say they remain concerned. Anne Greagsby, co-ordinator of the campaign to stop the St Athan academy from being built, said, “In 2005 a European Parliament resolution was introduced to ban investments in companies, such as Raytheon, that have produced cluster munitions. In response to this, Norway and Belgium have already endorsed this call. Liverpool City Council has also recently adopted a similar position. “Yet the Welsh government has ignored all of these concerns, and instead launched a high profile development project with Raytheon.“Raytheon is a central member of the Metrix Consortium that was awarded the St Athan Defence Training Academy contract in January 2007. The St Athan Defence Academy has been supported by all of the main political parties in Wales and sold to the public on the basis of alleged benefits to the economy. “The involvement in the project of the world’s largest arms companies has so far not received any attention.” Ms Greagsby added, “Given the evident public concern over cluster bombs and the arms trade more generally, I am sure that most people would be shocked to hear that the Assembly has laid a welcome mat for such companies, especially after other governments have turned their backs on them.”
In 2005, the Advisory Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund excluded Raytheon from the fund’s investment portfolio, along with other manufacturers associated with cluster munitions. In 2007, Belgium passed a law banning all investments in any companies still producing cluster munitions. Raytheon is still producing the AGM154 Joint Standoff Weapon, which according to its website,“is a family of low-cost, highly lethal weapons that can engage a wide spectrum of targets – from soft targets to hardened point targets – over a range of threat environments by using highly integrated Global Positioning System and Inertial Measurement System guidance.” Ms Greagsby said, “It has been reported that a Raytheon device hit the Shu’ale market in Baghdad in 2003, killing at least 62 civilians, and that a Raytheon device hit Qana in Lebanon in 2006, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children.” Veteran former Labour MP Tony Benn has signed a petition opposing plans to build the £14bn defence training academy at RAF St Athan. The project has also been criticised by CND Cymru.
A spokesman for Raytheon said, “Raytheon does not manufacture cluster bombs or any associated delivery vehicles. Any assertion to the contrary is based on dated information that is no longer valid or correct. “To clarify, Raytheon has never manufactured cluster bombs, but in the past we have been associated with their manufacture because of our contract to produce a missile that can carry different types of munition payloads, determined by the customer. One configuration allowed it to carry cluster bomb payloads, which were not produced by Raytheon. “But in any case, Raytheon has completed its contracted production run for this particular missile, and we have no plans to resume production. Furthermore, Raytheon has no other products in development that are designed to dispense cluster submunitions.”First Minister Rhodri Morgan said, “The development at St Athan is vital if our armed forces are to have the best possible training to equip them to deal with any threat to the safety and security of this country and its people. “The training activities at St Athan are related to engineering and IT skills, which are also useful in civilian life as well. “Under the Metrix consortium’s proposals, the army, navy and air force will get better training to protect the UK from enemies, both now and in the future. “Raytheon is one of the partners in the consortium. They have made it clear to the Welsh Assembly Government that they do not manufacture cluster bombs or any missiles capable of delivering the weapons, and they have no plans to do so in future Any claim to the contrary is wrong and based on old information. “The UK government is committed to banning the production, stockpiling and use of cluster bombs, and has signed a joint declaration with 45 other countries to achieve this aim.”
Nov 9 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of a weapons company previously linked to cluster bombs.The St Athan Defence Academy is due to create 5,000 jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2013.
But an anti-military group called the Cluster Munition Coalition says that one of the major companies involved in the academy, Raytheon, has been involved in manufacturing devices that carry cluster munitions. Raytheon, a leading American arms firm, insists it no longer produces weapons capable of carrying cluster bombs. But campaigners say they remain concerned. Anne Greagsby, co-ordinator of the campaign to stop the St Athan academy from being built, said, “In 2005 a European Parliament resolution was introduced to ban investments in companies, such as Raytheon, that have produced cluster munitions. In response to this, Norway and Belgium have already endorsed this call. Liverpool City Council has also recently adopted a similar position. “Yet the Welsh government has ignored all of these concerns, and instead launched a high profile development project with Raytheon.“Raytheon is a central member of the Metrix Consortium that was awarded the St Athan Defence Training Academy contract in January 2007. The St Athan Defence Academy has been supported by all of the main political parties in Wales and sold to the public on the basis of alleged benefits to the economy. “The involvement in the project of the world’s largest arms companies has so far not received any attention.” Ms Greagsby added, “Given the evident public concern over cluster bombs and the arms trade more generally, I am sure that most people would be shocked to hear that the Assembly has laid a welcome mat for such companies, especially after other governments have turned their backs on them.”
In 2005, the Advisory Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund excluded Raytheon from the fund’s investment portfolio, along with other manufacturers associated with cluster munitions. In 2007, Belgium passed a law banning all investments in any companies still producing cluster munitions. Raytheon is still producing the AGM154 Joint Standoff Weapon, which according to its website,“is a family of low-cost, highly lethal weapons that can engage a wide spectrum of targets – from soft targets to hardened point targets – over a range of threat environments by using highly integrated Global Positioning System and Inertial Measurement System guidance.” Ms Greagsby said, “It has been reported that a Raytheon device hit the Shu’ale market in Baghdad in 2003, killing at least 62 civilians, and that a Raytheon device hit Qana in Lebanon in 2006, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children.” Veteran former Labour MP Tony Benn has signed a petition opposing plans to build the £14bn defence training academy at RAF St Athan. The project has also been criticised by CND Cymru.
A spokesman for Raytheon said, “Raytheon does not manufacture cluster bombs or any associated delivery vehicles. Any assertion to the contrary is based on dated information that is no longer valid or correct. “To clarify, Raytheon has never manufactured cluster bombs, but in the past we have been associated with their manufacture because of our contract to produce a missile that can carry different types of munition payloads, determined by the customer. One configuration allowed it to carry cluster bomb payloads, which were not produced by Raytheon. “But in any case, Raytheon has completed its contracted production run for this particular missile, and we have no plans to resume production. Furthermore, Raytheon has no other products in development that are designed to dispense cluster submunitions.”First Minister Rhodri Morgan said, “The development at St Athan is vital if our armed forces are to have the best possible training to equip them to deal with any threat to the safety and security of this country and its people. “The training activities at St Athan are related to engineering and IT skills, which are also useful in civilian life as well. “Under the Metrix consortium’s proposals, the army, navy and air force will get better training to protect the UK from enemies, both now and in the future. “Raytheon is one of the partners in the consortium. They have made it clear to the Welsh Assembly Government that they do not manufacture cluster bombs or any missiles capable of delivering the weapons, and they have no plans to do so in future Any claim to the contrary is wrong and based on old information. “The UK government is committed to banning the production, stockpiling and use of cluster bombs, and has signed a joint declaration with 45 other countries to achieve this aim.”
Sain Tathan Military Academy Future in Question
Plaid MEP queries military centre
Plaid Cymru's vice-president has questioned whether the party should support a military training academy at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
MEP Jill Evans said the proposed 5,000-job centre was inconsistent with the spirit of the party's defence policy and pacifist vision for Wales.
Her views are in a paper for the party's ruling national council in Aberystwyth on Saturday.
But Vale Labour MP John Smith said her comments were "dangerous nonsense".
Ms Evans also said that if Wales were to become independent, it should slash spending on defence and pull out of Nato.
She said Plaid should condemn what she said was the increasing militarisation of Wales.
Her paper suggested that Plaid should be committed to purely defensive armaments.
Existing military infrastructure, it said, would come under Welsh control with a chain of command answerable to the Welsh Parliament.
Plaid has been in coalition with Labour in the assembly government since last May.
She called on the assembly government to investigate any links between the private companies involved in St Athan and the international arms trade.
Building work on the centre is due to start in 2009, with the final phase expected to be completed by 2013.
The academy is predicted to provide an economic boost to the area, but will it, and should it?
Plaid has deferred the issue for further examination
Plaid Cymru's vice-president has questioned whether the party should support a military training academy at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
MEP Jill Evans said the proposed 5,000-job centre was inconsistent with the spirit of the party's defence policy and pacifist vision for Wales.
Her views are in a paper for the party's ruling national council in Aberystwyth on Saturday.
But Vale Labour MP John Smith said her comments were "dangerous nonsense".
Ms Evans also said that if Wales were to become independent, it should slash spending on defence and pull out of Nato.
She said Plaid should condemn what she said was the increasing militarisation of Wales.
Her paper suggested that Plaid should be committed to purely defensive armaments.
Existing military infrastructure, it said, would come under Welsh control with a chain of command answerable to the Welsh Parliament.
Plaid has been in coalition with Labour in the assembly government since last May.
She called on the assembly government to investigate any links between the private companies involved in St Athan and the international arms trade.
Building work on the centre is due to start in 2009, with the final phase expected to be completed by 2013.
The academy is predicted to provide an economic boost to the area, but will it, and should it?
Plaid has deferred the issue for further examination
Friday, 16 November 2007
There is no Way to Peace - Peace is the Way
Peace cannot be attained while preparing for war. War is a wasteful and expensive anathema. There is no victor in a vengeful war - both are losers. How many beautiful and ancient cities have been razed to the ground in the name of war, beginning with Troy and Carthage? How many lives have been lost and relationships torn apart by the evils of war? In the words of another Dylan : "How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?"
Wales has no quarrel with anybody yet Britain still suffers from the karma of war. When will people come to their senses and see the path of self-destruction? Is this nature's plan, to restore equilibrium to the Earth and a natural balance and harmony, by inflicting upon mankind sickness and disease, natural calamities, and the purging of an escalating population through the perpetration of violence in the name of democracy, sanctified by a fervent and wholly irrational belief in God?
So now let us consider the question of Peace.....
World Peace Talk to the U.N. by J. Krishnamurti, 1985, aged 89
1 " I am supposed to talk on World Peace beyond the 40th anniversary of the United Nations.
2 Mankind, man, has lived on this earth over fifty thousand years, and perhaps much longer, or for less duration. During all this long evolution man has not found peace on earth - 'pacem in terris' has been preached long before Christianity, by the ancient Hindus and the Buddhists. And during all this time man has lived in conflict, not only conflict with his neighbour but with people of his own community, with his own society, with his own family, he has fought, struggled against man for the last five thousand years, and perhaps more. Historically there have been wars practically every year. And we are still at war. I believe there are forty wars going on at the present time. And the religious hierarchy, not only the Catholics but the other groups have talked about 'pacem in terris', peace on earth, goodwill among men. It has never come about - to have peace on earth. And they have talked about peace when you die and go to heaven and you have peace there.
3 One wonders, if one is at all serious, why man kills another human being - in the name of god, in the name of peace, in the name of some ideology, or for his country - whatever that may mean - or for the king and the queen, and all the rest of that business. Probably we all know this: that man has never lived on this earth, which is being slowly destroyed, and why man cannot live at peace with another human being. Why there are separate nations, which is after all a glorified tribalism. And religions, whether it be Christianity, Hinduism, or Buddhism, they are also at war with each other. Nations are at war, groups are at war, ideologies, whether it is the Russian, or the American, or any other category of ideologies, they are all at war with each other, conflict. And after living on this earth for so many centuries, why is it man cannot live peacefully on this marvellous earth? This
question has been asked over and over again. An organization like this has been formed round that. What is the future of this particular organization? After the 40th year what lies beyond?
4 Time is a strange factor in life. Time is very important for all of us. And the future is, what is present. The future is now, because the present, which is also the past, modifying itself now, becomes the future. This has been the cycle of time, the path of time. And now, not beyond 40 years of this organization, but now, at the present time if there is no radical change, fundamental mutation, the future is, what is now. And that has been historically proved, and we can prove it in our daily lives.
5 So the question really is: whether human beings, you and us, sitting on the platform - I am sorry to be sitting up here - are human beings? And as long as we with each other, or with man and woman, are in perpetual conflict there will be no peace on this earth. One may talk about it endlessly. The Roman Catholic hierarchy talks about 'pacem in terris', and they have been also responsible for appalling wars in the past. A hundred years of war, torture, all kinds of horrible things they have done to man. These are all facts, actualities, not the speaker's wish. And religions, are all facts, actualities, not the speaker's wish. And religions, including Islam, Hindus, Buddhists, and so on, they have had their own kind of war. And the future beyond the 40th anniversary is what is going on now.
6 One wonders if one realizes that. The present is not only the past, but also contains the future; the past modifying itself constantly through the present and projecting the future. If we don't stop quarrels, struggles, antagonism, hate, now it will be like that tomorrow. And you can stretch out that tomorrow for a thousand years, it will be still tomorrow.
7 So it behoves us to ask ourselves whether we, as human beings, single or a community, or in a family, whether we can live peacefully with each other? Organizations have not solved this problem. You can reorganize but war still goes on. So organizations, whether it is world organization or a particular kind of organization to bring about peace, such organizations will never succeed because human beings individually, collectively, nationally, are in conflict. Strong nations, like America or Russia, are at war with each other - economically, ideologically, and actually - not bloodshed yet. So peace cannot possibly exist on this earth if there are nationalities, which, as we said, is glorified tribalism. Nationalities give certain security, man needs security and he invests in nationalism, or in a particular ideology or belief. Beliefs, ideologies and so on, have separated man. And organizations cannot possibly bring about peace between man and man because he believes in something, he believes in certain ideologies, he believes in god and others don't.
8 I wonder if one has ever considered, religions based on a book - like the Koran or the Bible - become very bigoted, narrow and fundamentalist. And religions like the Hindu and the Buddhist, they have many, many books, all considered sacred, real, straight from god's mouth! They are not so bigoted, they are tolerant, they absorb. So there is this conflict going on: those who rely, put their faith in books, and those who do not put their faith in any book. So conflict between the book and those who accept multiple books. I wonder if one is aware of all this.
9 And we are asking deeply, if you are serious at all, whether you and I, and those of us who are involved in organizations, can live at peace with each other? Peace requires a great deal of intelligence, not just demonstrations against a particular form of war, against a nuclear or atom bomb and so on. Those are the products of minds, brains that are entrenched in some particular form of belief, ideology, so they are supplying armaments - the powerful ones, whether it be Russia, America, or England or France - armaments to the rest of the world, and they also talk about peace, supplying at the same time armaments.
10 It is a vast cynical world and cynicism can never tolerate affection, care, love. I think we have lost that quality - quality of compassion. Not analyse what is compassion - it can be analysed very easily. You cannot analyse love, love is not within the limits of the brain, because the brain is the instrument of sensation, it is the centre of all reaction and action, and we try to find peace, love, within this limited area. Which means, thought is not love because thought is based on experience, which is limited, and on knowledge, which is always limited, whether now or in the future. So knowledge is always limited. And having knowledge, which is contained in the brain as memory, from that memory springs thought. This can be observed very simply and easily if one examines oneself, if one looks at one's own activity of thought, experience, knowledge. You don't have to read any book, or become a specialist to understand
11 So thought is always limited, whether it is now or in the future. And we try to solve all our problems, both technological, religious, and personal, through the activity of thought. Surely thought is not love, love is not sensation or pleasure, it is not the result of desire? It is something entirely different. To come upon that love, which is compassion, which has its own intelligence, one has to understand oneself, what we are - not through analysts, but understanding our own sorrows, our own pleasures, our own beliefs.
12 You know wherever you go, all over the world, mankind, human beings, suffer, for various reasons, it might be petty or some very, very deep incident which has caused pain, sorrow. And every human being on this earth goes through that on a minor scale or a tremendous incident, as death. And sorrow is shared by all mankind, it is not your sorrow or mine, it is mankind's sorrow, mankind's anxiety, pain, loneliness, despair, aggressiveness. So you, and we, are the rest of humanity, we are not separate human beings psychologically. You may be a woman, or a man, you may be tall, dark, short and so on, but inwardly, psychologically, which is far more important, we are the rest of mankind. You are the rest of mankind, and so if you kill another, if you are in conflict with another, you are destroying yourself. You can observe this very, very carefully if you look at yourself without any distortion.
13 So there can only be peace when mankind, when you and I, have no conflict in ourselves. And you might say, "If one achieves, or comes to an end of all conflict within oneself, how will it affect the rest of mankind?" This is a very, very old question. This has been put thousands of years before Christ, if he ever existed. And we have to ask whether in ourselves sorrow, pain and anxiety, and all that, can ever end? If one applies, looks, observes, with great attention, as you look with considerable attention when you are combing your hair, or shaving, with that quality of attention, heightened, you can observe yourself - all the nuances, subtleties. And the mirror is your relationship between human beings, in that mirror you can see yourself exactly as you are. But most of us are frightened to see what we are, and so we gradually develop resistance, guilt, and all the rest of that business. So we never ask for total freedom - not to do what you like, but to be free from choice. Where there are multiple choices there are multiple confusions.
14 So can we live on this earth, 'pacem in terris', with great understanding of mankind, which is to understand yourself so profoundly, not according to some psychologist, analyst. They too have to be analysed. So we can, without turning to the professionals, as simple laymen we can observe our own idiosyncrasies, tendencies. Our brain - the speaker is not a specialist about brain matter - our brain has been conditioned to war, to hate, to conflict. It is conditioned through this long period of evolution, whether that brain with its cells, which contain all the memories, whether that brain can free itself from its own conditioning. You know it is very simple to answer such a question. If you have been going north all the days of your life, as humanity has been going in a particular direction, which is conflict, and somebody comes along and says, "That leads nowhere". He is serious, and perhaps you are serious. Then he says, "Go south, go east, any other direction but that". And when you actually move away from that direction there is a mutation in the very brain cells themselves because you have broken the pattern. And that pattern must be broken now, not forty or a hundred years later.
15 And can human beings have the vitality, the energy, to transform themselves to civilized human beings, not killing each other?
- J. Krishnamurti / New York. United Nations 11th April 1985
(after Krishnamurti had left the conference room the Peace Medal which had been presented to him was lying on the table).
http://www.krishnamurtiaustralia.org/articles/world_peace.htm
Wales has no quarrel with anybody yet Britain still suffers from the karma of war. When will people come to their senses and see the path of self-destruction? Is this nature's plan, to restore equilibrium to the Earth and a natural balance and harmony, by inflicting upon mankind sickness and disease, natural calamities, and the purging of an escalating population through the perpetration of violence in the name of democracy, sanctified by a fervent and wholly irrational belief in God?
So now let us consider the question of Peace.....
World Peace Talk to the U.N. by J. Krishnamurti, 1985, aged 89
1 " I am supposed to talk on World Peace beyond the 40th anniversary of the United Nations.
2 Mankind, man, has lived on this earth over fifty thousand years, and perhaps much longer, or for less duration. During all this long evolution man has not found peace on earth - 'pacem in terris' has been preached long before Christianity, by the ancient Hindus and the Buddhists. And during all this time man has lived in conflict, not only conflict with his neighbour but with people of his own community, with his own society, with his own family, he has fought, struggled against man for the last five thousand years, and perhaps more. Historically there have been wars practically every year. And we are still at war. I believe there are forty wars going on at the present time. And the religious hierarchy, not only the Catholics but the other groups have talked about 'pacem in terris', peace on earth, goodwill among men. It has never come about - to have peace on earth. And they have talked about peace when you die and go to heaven and you have peace there.
3 One wonders, if one is at all serious, why man kills another human being - in the name of god, in the name of peace, in the name of some ideology, or for his country - whatever that may mean - or for the king and the queen, and all the rest of that business. Probably we all know this: that man has never lived on this earth, which is being slowly destroyed, and why man cannot live at peace with another human being. Why there are separate nations, which is after all a glorified tribalism. And religions, whether it be Christianity, Hinduism, or Buddhism, they are also at war with each other. Nations are at war, groups are at war, ideologies, whether it is the Russian, or the American, or any other category of ideologies, they are all at war with each other, conflict. And after living on this earth for so many centuries, why is it man cannot live peacefully on this marvellous earth? This
question has been asked over and over again. An organization like this has been formed round that. What is the future of this particular organization? After the 40th year what lies beyond?
4 Time is a strange factor in life. Time is very important for all of us. And the future is, what is present. The future is now, because the present, which is also the past, modifying itself now, becomes the future. This has been the cycle of time, the path of time. And now, not beyond 40 years of this organization, but now, at the present time if there is no radical change, fundamental mutation, the future is, what is now. And that has been historically proved, and we can prove it in our daily lives.
5 So the question really is: whether human beings, you and us, sitting on the platform - I am sorry to be sitting up here - are human beings? And as long as we with each other, or with man and woman, are in perpetual conflict there will be no peace on this earth. One may talk about it endlessly. The Roman Catholic hierarchy talks about 'pacem in terris', and they have been also responsible for appalling wars in the past. A hundred years of war, torture, all kinds of horrible things they have done to man. These are all facts, actualities, not the speaker's wish. And religions, are all facts, actualities, not the speaker's wish. And religions, including Islam, Hindus, Buddhists, and so on, they have had their own kind of war. And the future beyond the 40th anniversary is what is going on now.
6 One wonders if one realizes that. The present is not only the past, but also contains the future; the past modifying itself constantly through the present and projecting the future. If we don't stop quarrels, struggles, antagonism, hate, now it will be like that tomorrow. And you can stretch out that tomorrow for a thousand years, it will be still tomorrow.
7 So it behoves us to ask ourselves whether we, as human beings, single or a community, or in a family, whether we can live peacefully with each other? Organizations have not solved this problem. You can reorganize but war still goes on. So organizations, whether it is world organization or a particular kind of organization to bring about peace, such organizations will never succeed because human beings individually, collectively, nationally, are in conflict. Strong nations, like America or Russia, are at war with each other - economically, ideologically, and actually - not bloodshed yet. So peace cannot possibly exist on this earth if there are nationalities, which, as we said, is glorified tribalism. Nationalities give certain security, man needs security and he invests in nationalism, or in a particular ideology or belief. Beliefs, ideologies and so on, have separated man. And organizations cannot possibly bring about peace between man and man because he believes in something, he believes in certain ideologies, he believes in god and others don't.
8 I wonder if one has ever considered, religions based on a book - like the Koran or the Bible - become very bigoted, narrow and fundamentalist. And religions like the Hindu and the Buddhist, they have many, many books, all considered sacred, real, straight from god's mouth! They are not so bigoted, they are tolerant, they absorb. So there is this conflict going on: those who rely, put their faith in books, and those who do not put their faith in any book. So conflict between the book and those who accept multiple books. I wonder if one is aware of all this.
9 And we are asking deeply, if you are serious at all, whether you and I, and those of us who are involved in organizations, can live at peace with each other? Peace requires a great deal of intelligence, not just demonstrations against a particular form of war, against a nuclear or atom bomb and so on. Those are the products of minds, brains that are entrenched in some particular form of belief, ideology, so they are supplying armaments - the powerful ones, whether it be Russia, America, or England or France - armaments to the rest of the world, and they also talk about peace, supplying at the same time armaments.
10 It is a vast cynical world and cynicism can never tolerate affection, care, love. I think we have lost that quality - quality of compassion. Not analyse what is compassion - it can be analysed very easily. You cannot analyse love, love is not within the limits of the brain, because the brain is the instrument of sensation, it is the centre of all reaction and action, and we try to find peace, love, within this limited area. Which means, thought is not love because thought is based on experience, which is limited, and on knowledge, which is always limited, whether now or in the future. So knowledge is always limited. And having knowledge, which is contained in the brain as memory, from that memory springs thought. This can be observed very simply and easily if one examines oneself, if one looks at one's own activity of thought, experience, knowledge. You don't have to read any book, or become a specialist to understand
11 So thought is always limited, whether it is now or in the future. And we try to solve all our problems, both technological, religious, and personal, through the activity of thought. Surely thought is not love, love is not sensation or pleasure, it is not the result of desire? It is something entirely different. To come upon that love, which is compassion, which has its own intelligence, one has to understand oneself, what we are - not through analysts, but understanding our own sorrows, our own pleasures, our own beliefs.
12 You know wherever you go, all over the world, mankind, human beings, suffer, for various reasons, it might be petty or some very, very deep incident which has caused pain, sorrow. And every human being on this earth goes through that on a minor scale or a tremendous incident, as death. And sorrow is shared by all mankind, it is not your sorrow or mine, it is mankind's sorrow, mankind's anxiety, pain, loneliness, despair, aggressiveness. So you, and we, are the rest of humanity, we are not separate human beings psychologically. You may be a woman, or a man, you may be tall, dark, short and so on, but inwardly, psychologically, which is far more important, we are the rest of mankind. You are the rest of mankind, and so if you kill another, if you are in conflict with another, you are destroying yourself. You can observe this very, very carefully if you look at yourself without any distortion.
13 So there can only be peace when mankind, when you and I, have no conflict in ourselves. And you might say, "If one achieves, or comes to an end of all conflict within oneself, how will it affect the rest of mankind?" This is a very, very old question. This has been put thousands of years before Christ, if he ever existed. And we have to ask whether in ourselves sorrow, pain and anxiety, and all that, can ever end? If one applies, looks, observes, with great attention, as you look with considerable attention when you are combing your hair, or shaving, with that quality of attention, heightened, you can observe yourself - all the nuances, subtleties. And the mirror is your relationship between human beings, in that mirror you can see yourself exactly as you are. But most of us are frightened to see what we are, and so we gradually develop resistance, guilt, and all the rest of that business. So we never ask for total freedom - not to do what you like, but to be free from choice. Where there are multiple choices there are multiple confusions.
14 So can we live on this earth, 'pacem in terris', with great understanding of mankind, which is to understand yourself so profoundly, not according to some psychologist, analyst. They too have to be analysed. So we can, without turning to the professionals, as simple laymen we can observe our own idiosyncrasies, tendencies. Our brain - the speaker is not a specialist about brain matter - our brain has been conditioned to war, to hate, to conflict. It is conditioned through this long period of evolution, whether that brain with its cells, which contain all the memories, whether that brain can free itself from its own conditioning. You know it is very simple to answer such a question. If you have been going north all the days of your life, as humanity has been going in a particular direction, which is conflict, and somebody comes along and says, "That leads nowhere". He is serious, and perhaps you are serious. Then he says, "Go south, go east, any other direction but that". And when you actually move away from that direction there is a mutation in the very brain cells themselves because you have broken the pattern. And that pattern must be broken now, not forty or a hundred years later.
15 And can human beings have the vitality, the energy, to transform themselves to civilized human beings, not killing each other?
- J. Krishnamurti / New York. United Nations 11th April 1985
(after Krishnamurti had left the conference room the Peace Medal which had been presented to him was lying on the table).
http://www.krishnamurtiaustralia.org/articles/world_peace.htm
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Sorry Folks, St David's Day is Cancelled
"Whilst the Government is pleased that so many people are interested, as you can imagine it is not possible to please everyone as to who or what should be celebrated. Unlike Northern Ireland, where St Patrick's Day is a bank holiday, bank and public holidays in Great Britain do not, by tradition commemorate particular individuals, events, or institutions, other than those associated with Christmas and Easter. Moreover, many individuals and communities in Wales already celebrate St David's Day in a way they consider more suitable. The present pattern of bank holidays in the United Kingdom is well established and accepted, and the Government has no current plans to change the arrangements."
The Labour Government of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Labour Government of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Independence Cymru Condemns Militarization
As this issue is to be discussed very shortly, Independence Cymru takes a stand against the militarization of Wales by the British military establishment and the founding of a Military Academy at Sain Tathan, which is to be a training institute for ever more sophisticated forms of warfare with links to American military technology and companies such as Raytheon, the producer of 'cluster bombs'. In fact, we say that Wales, which has formerly played a major role in the British military machine, should now eschew all forms of warfare and merely maintain a defence force on the Swiss model for the security of its citizens. Along with Scotland we oppose the Trident missile system. Wales as an independent and non-aligned nation state would not require an aggressive fighting force or to be a member of NATO, but would maintain its neutrality as Sweden has done for generations. We would call upon Scotland and Ireland to support this stance and show that this nation of Wales is a peace-loving nation and condemns the use of military force to interfere in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations.
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
A Full Day in Llanelli
Today (Thursday) is a day of nationalist activity in Llanelli, starting with the Funeral of Ray Gravell at Strade Park. Later the hustings will be conducted for the election of the candidate to become the next Member of Parliament to represent the Llanelli Constituency (!). This will be followed by a Talk to the WEA at the Town Hall by Dafydd Wigley.
Wales' Constitutional Position vis-Ã -vis England
Another post from Cllr Gwyn Hopkins
Wales' Constitutional Position vis-Ã -vis England - Past and Present
Since the military conquest of Wales by the Normans of England in 1282-83, there have been 4 Laws relating to the status of Wales and its inhabitants:-
1. The first Statute of Westminster (1284).
Also called the "Statute of Rhuddlan", this was the basis for all that followed in the other three Acts. It was this Act that made Wales, as a political entity, a part of Norman England. It was a direct consequence of the military victory of the Norman King of England, Edward I, over Llewelyn II and his government in Wales. The Act legalised (in English Law) the absorption of Wales by England on the basis of military conquest, although it was attributed in the Act as the "Divine Right" of Edward I! Proximity enabled Wales to become a colony that could be, and was, swallowed-up by England. The Statute states :- "To put the country of Wales and her inhabitants under feudal authority" and "to annex and unify the said country with the crown of the Kingdom (of England) .........in one (political) body".
This Statute was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act of 1887. However, this had little real effect because the Statute of Rhuddlan was confirmed, and effectively superseded, by the 1536 and 1542 Acts.
2 and 3. The Acts of 1536 and 1542.
In the Statute Books these Acts are referred to as "27 Henry VIII C26" and "34 Henry VIII C26" respectively. The first means the 26th Statute passed in the 27th year of the reign of Henry VIII; etc.
The first of these became known as "the Act of Union" in the 19th century. Both Acts deal with the status of Wales and confirmed the relationship that had existed between Wales and England since 1284. They put the stamp of authority of the English Parliament on the whole relationship in words that echo the words "annex", "unite" and "one body" of the 1284 Act. The Act proclaimed "The Country or Dominion of Wales shall be, stand and continue for ever from henceforth incorporated, united and annexed to and with the Realm of England".
The two Acts – imposed by an English Parliament that had no Welsh representation - are best considered together. Between them very detailed Orders were made for administrating Wales including the provision and appointing of Justices of the Peace, establishing Assize Courts and a new thirteen County structure. The right to elect members to England's Parliament was established. Superficially this appears to have been a magnanimous gesture. In reality it was a very astute and cunning means of reinforcing, and of conferring legitimacy on, the status of Wales as an absorbed colony, for on entering Parliament the 27 Welsh MP’s implicitly provided “home-made” endorsement of the incorporation of Wales into England. Of course, these Welsh MP's posed no threat whatsoever to England’s huge, built-in, hegemony because they were so hopelessly outnumbered by 322 English MP's. Currently the ratio is 529 English MPs to 40 Welsh MPs so this swamping is now even more overwhelming.
The Acts contained draconian anti-Welsh language measures. The language was banished from all official and public life in Wales - where almost all the people spoke only Welsh! It must, even then, have been perfectly clear that ultimately the inevitable consequence of these Acts would be the genocide of the Welsh nation - not by physical extermination but - by (i) eradicating its language and associated culture; (ii) being swallowed-up in the very much larger English nation and (iii) swamping Wales with alien laws, government, administration, customs, language, culture and people. I leave it to the reader to surmise the extent to which these Acts succeeded in their purpose. Almost identical oppression is being inflicted by the Chinese on the inhabitants of Tibet today.
Both the 1536 and the 1542 Acts were finally repealed by Section 35 (Schedule 2) of the Welsh Language Act 1993. Hence the previous "de facto" recognition that Wales is a different country to (and from) England became "de jure" only in 1993.
4. The Wales and Berwick Act 1746.
This Act proclaimed that in future the term England was to be understood to include Wales (even though not explicitly mentioned) in Acts of Parliament. This Act was repealed by Section 3 of the Welsh Language Act 1967.
N.B. There is no mention of Great Britain or the United Kingdom in any of the above Acts as these political entities did not exist until the 18th Century.
The current position
As a result of the repealing of the above mentioned Acts, Wales is no longer a part of England, legally or in any other respect. However, Wales is still a part of a political entity known as "England and Wales", because of the mass of political and administrative Laws and Orders passed by the Westminster parliament that refer to this entity and which are still operational.
However, the principle of “self-government” for Wales was established by the setting up of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. The Assembly Government has taken over the bulk of government administration within Wales and has wide powers to “plough its own furrow” in this respect, that includes the administration of some laws that relate only to Wales. Moreover, the Government of Wales Act (2006) has resulted in the Westminster government granting the National Assembly powers to enact laws relating to its own functions as from May 2007, albeit in a clumsy, grudging, demeaning and patronising manner by means of “Orders in Council”, i.e., subject to the approval of the Secretary of State for Wales, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It is however inevitable that the National Assembly will be granted proper primary legislative powers – the same as those enjoyed by the Scottish Parliament (and the Northern Ireland Assembly) - in the not-too-distant future. The Labour – Plaid Cymru Assembly Coalition Government’s manifesto “One Wales” contains a commitment to hold a referendum on the issue by 2011.
Thereafter it will be a matter for the people of Wales to decide what degree of self-government they choose at any particular point in time. As time progresses it may well be that the people of Wales will gradually discard the centuries of intensive indoctrination to which they have been submitted that has succeeded in producing a stunted, down trodden and subjugated nation. They should then gain sufficient self-confidence to choose the only degree of national status that would satisfy any self-respecting nation, namely that aspired to by Owain Glyndwr – Independence, as it is understood in today’s highly interdependent world.
Carmarthenshire County Councillor Gwyn Hopkins
Wales' Constitutional Position vis-Ã -vis England - Past and Present
Since the military conquest of Wales by the Normans of England in 1282-83, there have been 4 Laws relating to the status of Wales and its inhabitants:-
1. The first Statute of Westminster (1284).
Also called the "Statute of Rhuddlan", this was the basis for all that followed in the other three Acts. It was this Act that made Wales, as a political entity, a part of Norman England. It was a direct consequence of the military victory of the Norman King of England, Edward I, over Llewelyn II and his government in Wales. The Act legalised (in English Law) the absorption of Wales by England on the basis of military conquest, although it was attributed in the Act as the "Divine Right" of Edward I! Proximity enabled Wales to become a colony that could be, and was, swallowed-up by England. The Statute states :- "To put the country of Wales and her inhabitants under feudal authority" and "to annex and unify the said country with the crown of the Kingdom (of England) .........in one (political) body".
This Statute was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act of 1887. However, this had little real effect because the Statute of Rhuddlan was confirmed, and effectively superseded, by the 1536 and 1542 Acts.
2 and 3. The Acts of 1536 and 1542.
In the Statute Books these Acts are referred to as "27 Henry VIII C26" and "34 Henry VIII C26" respectively. The first means the 26th Statute passed in the 27th year of the reign of Henry VIII; etc.
The first of these became known as "the Act of Union" in the 19th century. Both Acts deal with the status of Wales and confirmed the relationship that had existed between Wales and England since 1284. They put the stamp of authority of the English Parliament on the whole relationship in words that echo the words "annex", "unite" and "one body" of the 1284 Act. The Act proclaimed "The Country or Dominion of Wales shall be, stand and continue for ever from henceforth incorporated, united and annexed to and with the Realm of England".
The two Acts – imposed by an English Parliament that had no Welsh representation - are best considered together. Between them very detailed Orders were made for administrating Wales including the provision and appointing of Justices of the Peace, establishing Assize Courts and a new thirteen County structure. The right to elect members to England's Parliament was established. Superficially this appears to have been a magnanimous gesture. In reality it was a very astute and cunning means of reinforcing, and of conferring legitimacy on, the status of Wales as an absorbed colony, for on entering Parliament the 27 Welsh MP’s implicitly provided “home-made” endorsement of the incorporation of Wales into England. Of course, these Welsh MP's posed no threat whatsoever to England’s huge, built-in, hegemony because they were so hopelessly outnumbered by 322 English MP's. Currently the ratio is 529 English MPs to 40 Welsh MPs so this swamping is now even more overwhelming.
The Acts contained draconian anti-Welsh language measures. The language was banished from all official and public life in Wales - where almost all the people spoke only Welsh! It must, even then, have been perfectly clear that ultimately the inevitable consequence of these Acts would be the genocide of the Welsh nation - not by physical extermination but - by (i) eradicating its language and associated culture; (ii) being swallowed-up in the very much larger English nation and (iii) swamping Wales with alien laws, government, administration, customs, language, culture and people. I leave it to the reader to surmise the extent to which these Acts succeeded in their purpose. Almost identical oppression is being inflicted by the Chinese on the inhabitants of Tibet today.
Both the 1536 and the 1542 Acts were finally repealed by Section 35 (Schedule 2) of the Welsh Language Act 1993. Hence the previous "de facto" recognition that Wales is a different country to (and from) England became "de jure" only in 1993.
4. The Wales and Berwick Act 1746.
This Act proclaimed that in future the term England was to be understood to include Wales (even though not explicitly mentioned) in Acts of Parliament. This Act was repealed by Section 3 of the Welsh Language Act 1967.
N.B. There is no mention of Great Britain or the United Kingdom in any of the above Acts as these political entities did not exist until the 18th Century.
The current position
As a result of the repealing of the above mentioned Acts, Wales is no longer a part of England, legally or in any other respect. However, Wales is still a part of a political entity known as "England and Wales", because of the mass of political and administrative Laws and Orders passed by the Westminster parliament that refer to this entity and which are still operational.
However, the principle of “self-government” for Wales was established by the setting up of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. The Assembly Government has taken over the bulk of government administration within Wales and has wide powers to “plough its own furrow” in this respect, that includes the administration of some laws that relate only to Wales. Moreover, the Government of Wales Act (2006) has resulted in the Westminster government granting the National Assembly powers to enact laws relating to its own functions as from May 2007, albeit in a clumsy, grudging, demeaning and patronising manner by means of “Orders in Council”, i.e., subject to the approval of the Secretary of State for Wales, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It is however inevitable that the National Assembly will be granted proper primary legislative powers – the same as those enjoyed by the Scottish Parliament (and the Northern Ireland Assembly) - in the not-too-distant future. The Labour – Plaid Cymru Assembly Coalition Government’s manifesto “One Wales” contains a commitment to hold a referendum on the issue by 2011.
Thereafter it will be a matter for the people of Wales to decide what degree of self-government they choose at any particular point in time. As time progresses it may well be that the people of Wales will gradually discard the centuries of intensive indoctrination to which they have been submitted that has succeeded in producing a stunted, down trodden and subjugated nation. They should then gain sufficient self-confidence to choose the only degree of national status that would satisfy any self-respecting nation, namely that aspired to by Owain Glyndwr – Independence, as it is understood in today’s highly interdependent world.
Carmarthenshire County Councillor Gwyn Hopkins
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Bring Back the Ancient Woodlands
Assembly Minister Elin Jones AM will be asked to support the preservation and restoration of ancient deciduous woodlands in Wales. There are vast acres of coniferous forest plantations and these trees are not natural to the environment, and lead to acidic soils. Only 2% of forest in th UK is ancient deciduous woodland and the Celtic peoples of Britain revered these trees and assigned a nature spirit to every species.
Ancient woodland under threat
Ancient semi-natural woodland disappeared at an alarming rate during the last century. Nearly half the ancient woodland remaining in the 1930s was either cleared for agriculture. Recent research shows that 44 per cent of Britain’s remaining ancient woodland is now plantation, and about two-thirds of this plantation is coniferous or mixed8. Overlay of the AWIs with the NIWT undertaken by Oxford University’s Forestry Institute in association with Forest Research, commissioned by the Woodland Trust, reveals the following figures:
England Wales Scotland Total GB
ASNW (ha) 193,460 26,972 64,570 285,002
PAWS (ha) 140,125 24,703 54,725 219,553
Total AW (ha) 333,585 51,675 119,295 504,555
PAWS/AW (%) 42 48 46 44
On this basis the percentage of Britain’s woodland cover that is ancient in origin is less than 19% (10.5% ancient semi-natural woodland and 8% planted ancient woodland sites). However, these figures differ significantly from those that can be derived from the AWIs alone, especially in Scotland, illustrating the need for further work to reconcile different datasets.
In Northern Ireland, the Woodland Trust’s work showed that only 0.73 per cent of the land is covered with woodland that has been continuously present since at least 1830, when the first OS maps were produced. Only 0.08 per cent of Northern Ireland (just over 1,000 ha) is woodland that can be shown with certainty to be ancient. Around a third of ancient and long-established woods is now conifer or mixed plantations.
Increasingly our ancient woods are small islands within a hostile landscape of intensive agriculture and urban sprawl. Only 617 ancient woods in GB exceed 100 hectares (one square kilometre) and only 46 ASNWs exceed 300 hectares. Of the ancient woods recorded on the AWIs in Britain, 48 per cent are smaller than five hectares9. Given that there is likely to be a substantial number smaller than two hectares, this means that most ancient woods may have no core area unaffected by edge effects from surrounding land use10. Most may also be too small to sustain healthy populations of many woodland species, and too isolated to allow migration, particularly given that many ancient woodland species are relatively immobile. As climate change accelerates, species that are unable to relocate to occupy suitable climate space may face local extinction11.
More species have become nationally extinct in the last 100 years from broadleaved woodland than any other habitat (46 species), and it also has the most globally threatened and rapidly declining species (78 species)3. The Institute for Terrestrial Ecology’s Countryside Survey 90 showed that between 1978 and 1990 losses in species richness of woodland (14 per cent) from plots located at random exceeded that for all other semi-natural habitats. And in 2000, a pilot re-survey of 14 of the sites last looked at in 1971 revealed a range of potential issues, including a striking general decline in the variety of woodland plants, with those characteristic of ancient woods suffering most12.
Yet ancient woods are still under threat, particularly from development. In a study commissioned by the Woodland Trust13, 23 per cent of organisations that responded to a questionnaire (including planning authorities, wildlife trusts, Forestry Commission and countryside campaigning bodies) were aware of ancient woods currently under threat. The responses brought to light 109 cases across Britain of ancient woods lost to or threatened by development in the last few years. Development threats associated with transport and infrastructure appeared to be the most significant (31 per cent of cases), followed by amenity and leisure developments (14 per cent), housing (10 per cent), and quarrying and mineral extraction (six per cent). Add to this the more insidious but still very real threats of degradation of our ancient woods through inappropriate use or management and repeated replanting with non-native species1, and the future looks bleak indeed.
As the last bastions of so much of our wildlife heritage, ancient woods deserve protection. Yet only 14 per cent of the UK’s ancient woodland is included within Sites of Special Scientific Interest14 and the remainder, including 14 of the 46 largest ASNWs in Great Britain, has no statutory protection. More recent national planning policies in Scotland and Wales give some cause for hope. In Scotland, NPPG14 states that ‘planning authorities should seek to protect…ancient and semi-natural woodlands [which] have the greatest value for nature conservation’ (para 51). Planning Policy Wales states ‘Ancient and semi-natural woodlands are irreplaceable habitats of high biodiversity value which should be protected from development that would result in significant damage’ (para 5.2.8). In England, PPS9 states that local authorities should “identify any areas of ancient woodland in their areas that do not have statutory protection” and normally “not grant planning permission for any development which would result in its loss or deterioration.”
Ancient woodland under threat
Ancient semi-natural woodland disappeared at an alarming rate during the last century. Nearly half the ancient woodland remaining in the 1930s was either cleared for agriculture. Recent research shows that 44 per cent of Britain’s remaining ancient woodland is now plantation, and about two-thirds of this plantation is coniferous or mixed8. Overlay of the AWIs with the NIWT undertaken by Oxford University’s Forestry Institute in association with Forest Research, commissioned by the Woodland Trust, reveals the following figures:
England Wales Scotland Total GB
ASNW (ha) 193,460 26,972 64,570 285,002
PAWS (ha) 140,125 24,703 54,725 219,553
Total AW (ha) 333,585 51,675 119,295 504,555
PAWS/AW (%) 42 48 46 44
On this basis the percentage of Britain’s woodland cover that is ancient in origin is less than 19% (10.5% ancient semi-natural woodland and 8% planted ancient woodland sites). However, these figures differ significantly from those that can be derived from the AWIs alone, especially in Scotland, illustrating the need for further work to reconcile different datasets.
In Northern Ireland, the Woodland Trust’s work showed that only 0.73 per cent of the land is covered with woodland that has been continuously present since at least 1830, when the first OS maps were produced. Only 0.08 per cent of Northern Ireland (just over 1,000 ha) is woodland that can be shown with certainty to be ancient. Around a third of ancient and long-established woods is now conifer or mixed plantations.
Increasingly our ancient woods are small islands within a hostile landscape of intensive agriculture and urban sprawl. Only 617 ancient woods in GB exceed 100 hectares (one square kilometre) and only 46 ASNWs exceed 300 hectares. Of the ancient woods recorded on the AWIs in Britain, 48 per cent are smaller than five hectares9. Given that there is likely to be a substantial number smaller than two hectares, this means that most ancient woods may have no core area unaffected by edge effects from surrounding land use10. Most may also be too small to sustain healthy populations of many woodland species, and too isolated to allow migration, particularly given that many ancient woodland species are relatively immobile. As climate change accelerates, species that are unable to relocate to occupy suitable climate space may face local extinction11.
More species have become nationally extinct in the last 100 years from broadleaved woodland than any other habitat (46 species), and it also has the most globally threatened and rapidly declining species (78 species)3. The Institute for Terrestrial Ecology’s Countryside Survey 90 showed that between 1978 and 1990 losses in species richness of woodland (14 per cent) from plots located at random exceeded that for all other semi-natural habitats. And in 2000, a pilot re-survey of 14 of the sites last looked at in 1971 revealed a range of potential issues, including a striking general decline in the variety of woodland plants, with those characteristic of ancient woods suffering most12.
Yet ancient woods are still under threat, particularly from development. In a study commissioned by the Woodland Trust13, 23 per cent of organisations that responded to a questionnaire (including planning authorities, wildlife trusts, Forestry Commission and countryside campaigning bodies) were aware of ancient woods currently under threat. The responses brought to light 109 cases across Britain of ancient woods lost to or threatened by development in the last few years. Development threats associated with transport and infrastructure appeared to be the most significant (31 per cent of cases), followed by amenity and leisure developments (14 per cent), housing (10 per cent), and quarrying and mineral extraction (six per cent). Add to this the more insidious but still very real threats of degradation of our ancient woods through inappropriate use or management and repeated replanting with non-native species1, and the future looks bleak indeed.
As the last bastions of so much of our wildlife heritage, ancient woods deserve protection. Yet only 14 per cent of the UK’s ancient woodland is included within Sites of Special Scientific Interest14 and the remainder, including 14 of the 46 largest ASNWs in Great Britain, has no statutory protection. More recent national planning policies in Scotland and Wales give some cause for hope. In Scotland, NPPG14 states that ‘planning authorities should seek to protect…ancient and semi-natural woodlands [which] have the greatest value for nature conservation’ (para 51). Planning Policy Wales states ‘Ancient and semi-natural woodlands are irreplaceable habitats of high biodiversity value which should be protected from development that would result in significant damage’ (para 5.2.8). In England, PPS9 states that local authorities should “identify any areas of ancient woodland in their areas that do not have statutory protection” and normally “not grant planning permission for any development which would result in its loss or deterioration.”
Monday, 12 November 2007
We'll Keep a Welcome
Ireland is a country that has benefited considerably from returning emigrants. Descendants of those who were forced to leave their native land on account of famine, neglect and persecution are flooding back to reinvigorate the country of their ancestors. It has been said that there are a total of 60,000,000 Americans of Irish descent. Then there are many who are descendants of those intrepid Scots and Welsh settlers, who made their home in the New World. There are Welsh societies throughout America and Australia who still retain their devotion to the Land of their Fathers. It is only in Patagonia, however, where the true Welsh traditions, culture and language have survived, as they were not so easily assimilated into the mass society.
We at Plaid Cymru reach out and welcome all immigrants from home and overseas who have made their home in Wales, as well as friends and absent relatives from other lands across the world, to join with us and support us in our endeavours to promote Wales and the culture, language and community of Wales, as we pursue our constant and relentless struggle for justice and dignity, and advance towards our goal of independence and freedom for the country which is our ancestral home. We trust that each and everyone will come to regard Wales as his or her adopted homeland and bear in mind that Plaid alone is the Party of Wales.
We at Plaid Cymru reach out and welcome all immigrants from home and overseas who have made their home in Wales, as well as friends and absent relatives from other lands across the world, to join with us and support us in our endeavours to promote Wales and the culture, language and community of Wales, as we pursue our constant and relentless struggle for justice and dignity, and advance towards our goal of independence and freedom for the country which is our ancestral home. We trust that each and everyone will come to regard Wales as his or her adopted homeland and bear in mind that Plaid alone is the Party of Wales.
Sunday, 11 November 2007
It's What the People Want
John Griffiths AM: Welsh Labour Grass Roots is an organization that very much wants to see strong left of centre policies in Wales with a very strong Welsh character and that's very much what I'd like to see and I think we've been quite successful in developing, and I think that's what we have to do for the future because I think that's what the people of Wales have demonstrated that they want in election after election, it is strong centre-left policies with that strong Welsh character that meets the distinctive needs of Wales.
Plaid Cymru of course has the same agenda and that is why they decided to join Labour in coalition.
Plaid Cymru of course has the same agenda and that is why they decided to join Labour in coalition.
Royalty Recognises no Welsh Identity
From "Wales on Sunday"
Prince Harry in flag storm
Nov 11 2007 by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday
OUTRAGED republicans have blasted Prince Harry for failing to include Wales on his personal flag.
The 23-year-old heir to the throne was handed the livery on his 18th birthday.With its own crest, the standard is made up of four quarterings – two for England, one for Scotland and one for Ireland.
The proud Prince, a lieutenant in the army’s Blues and Royals regiment, flew it for the first time when he visited Portsmouth naval base last week.
But he has now come under fire for not featuring Wales on his crest.
And like his great-great-great- great grandmother Queen Victoria, Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood is not amused.She said: “This is just another example of how out of touch the monarchy is with Wales. The sooner we have an elected head of state for Wales the better.
“Prince William is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, but a firm supporter of the English rugby team. But despite being an England fan, who shows no genuine interest in Wales, he still has a cup named in his honour for which Wales and South Africa will compete.”
Newport West MP Paul Flynn – who is pictured riding a Welsh dragon on his website – said: “The expensive vanity of heraldry should have been buried a century ago.
“The palace of Westminster is littered with symbols of Britain which ignore Wales. If Harry wishes to indulge himself by continuing this ridiculous flummery he should have had the good sense to include Wales instead of continuing with the neglect of the past, where people tended to think of England and Wales as one place.”
Yesterday, Clarence House said Wales was not included on the Prince’s standard due to it’s special place within the Principality.
A Royal spokeswoman said: “Only the Prince of Wales has Wales represented in his coat of arms.
“Prince Harry, like other members of the Royal Family, takes his from the monarch which begs the question ‘Why doesn’t the Queen have Wales represented on the Royal Standard?’
“There are four quarterings, two for England, one for Scotland and one for Ireland. Wales is not represented because of its special position as a Principality.”
Royalist campaign group Monarchy Wales says Prince Harry does enough for Wales.
Spokesman Neil Welton said: “Prince Harry has many connections to Wales, whether through his birth as a Prince of Wales, his numerous visits to the Principality or, indeed, his charity work. Prince Harry puts Wales on the map far better than any flag or Royal standard ever could.
“Did you know that in March, Prince Harry became the first ever Royal patron of the Welsh charity Dolen Cymru?
“This charity aims to promote friendship and understanding between the people of Wales and the people of Lesotho, South Africa.
“Friendship and understanding is something the people of Wales treasure and value highly. It is always better to be outward-looking, open and friendly than narrow-minded, short-sighted and parochial.”
james.mccarthy@mediawales.co.uk
Prince Harry in flag storm
Nov 11 2007 by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday
OUTRAGED republicans have blasted Prince Harry for failing to include Wales on his personal flag.
The 23-year-old heir to the throne was handed the livery on his 18th birthday.With its own crest, the standard is made up of four quarterings – two for England, one for Scotland and one for Ireland.
The proud Prince, a lieutenant in the army’s Blues and Royals regiment, flew it for the first time when he visited Portsmouth naval base last week.
But he has now come under fire for not featuring Wales on his crest.
And like his great-great-great- great grandmother Queen Victoria, Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood is not amused.She said: “This is just another example of how out of touch the monarchy is with Wales. The sooner we have an elected head of state for Wales the better.
“Prince William is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, but a firm supporter of the English rugby team. But despite being an England fan, who shows no genuine interest in Wales, he still has a cup named in his honour for which Wales and South Africa will compete.”
Newport West MP Paul Flynn – who is pictured riding a Welsh dragon on his website – said: “The expensive vanity of heraldry should have been buried a century ago.
“The palace of Westminster is littered with symbols of Britain which ignore Wales. If Harry wishes to indulge himself by continuing this ridiculous flummery he should have had the good sense to include Wales instead of continuing with the neglect of the past, where people tended to think of England and Wales as one place.”
Yesterday, Clarence House said Wales was not included on the Prince’s standard due to it’s special place within the Principality.
A Royal spokeswoman said: “Only the Prince of Wales has Wales represented in his coat of arms.
“Prince Harry, like other members of the Royal Family, takes his from the monarch which begs the question ‘Why doesn’t the Queen have Wales represented on the Royal Standard?’
“There are four quarterings, two for England, one for Scotland and one for Ireland. Wales is not represented because of its special position as a Principality.”
Royalist campaign group Monarchy Wales says Prince Harry does enough for Wales.
Spokesman Neil Welton said: “Prince Harry has many connections to Wales, whether through his birth as a Prince of Wales, his numerous visits to the Principality or, indeed, his charity work. Prince Harry puts Wales on the map far better than any flag or Royal standard ever could.
“Did you know that in March, Prince Harry became the first ever Royal patron of the Welsh charity Dolen Cymru?
“This charity aims to promote friendship and understanding between the people of Wales and the people of Lesotho, South Africa.
“Friendship and understanding is something the people of Wales treasure and value highly. It is always better to be outward-looking, open and friendly than narrow-minded, short-sighted and parochial.”
james.mccarthy@mediawales.co.uk
Saturday, 10 November 2007
On Sain Tathan - from the Western Mail
One of my commenters has suggested an "Academy for Peace" in place of a Military Academy". A good idea, in my opinion, and more in keeping with the spirit of Cymru Fydd.
Weapons firm’s role in St Athan academy condemned
Nov 9 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of a weapons company previously linked to cluster bombs.The St Athan Defence Academy is due to create 5,000 jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2013.
But an anti-military group called the Cluster Munition Coalition says that one of the major companies involved in the academy, Raytheon, has been involved in manufacturing devices that carry cluster munitions. Raytheon, a leading American arms firm, insists it no longer produces weapons capable of carrying cluster bombs. But campaigners say they remain concerned. Anne Greagsby, co-ordinator of the campaign to stop the St Athan academy from being built, said, “In 2005 a European Parliament resolution was introduced to ban investments in companies, such as Raytheon, that have produced cluster munitions. In response to this, Norway and Belgium have already endorsed this call. Liverpool City Council has also recently adopted a similar position. “Yet the Welsh government has ignored all of these concerns, and instead launched a high profile development project with Raytheon.“Raytheon is a central member of the Metrix Consortium that was awarded the St Athan Defence Training Academy contract in January 2007. The St Athan Defence Academy has been supported by all of the main political parties in Wales and sold to the public on the basis of alleged benefits to the economy. “The involvement in the project of the world’s largest arms companies has so far not received any attention.” Ms Greagsby added, “Given the evident public concern over cluster bombs and the arms trade more generally, I am sure that most people would be shocked to hear that the Assembly has laid a welcome mat for such companies, especially after other governments have turned their backs on them.”
In 2005, the Advisory Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund excluded Raytheon from the fund’s investment portfolio, along with other manufacturers associated with cluster munitions. In 2007, Belgium passed a law banning all investments in any companies still producing cluster munitions. Raytheon is still producing the AGM154 Joint Standoff Weapon, which according to its website,“is a family of low-cost, highly lethal weapons that can engage a wide spectrum of targets – from soft targets to hardened point targets – over a range of threat environments by using highly integrated Global Positioning System and Inertial Measurement System guidance.” Ms Greagsby said, “It has been reported that a Raytheon device hit the Shu’ale market in Baghdad in 2003, killing at least 62 civilians, and that a Raytheon device hit Qana in Lebanon in 2006, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children.” Veteran former Labour MP Tony Benn has signed a petition opposing plans to build the £14bn defence training academy at RAF St Athan. The project has also been criticised by CND Cymru.
A spokesman for Raytheon said, “Raytheon does not manufacture cluster bombs or any associated delivery vehicles. Any assertion to the contrary is based on dated information that is no longer valid or correct. “To clarify, Raytheon has never manufactured cluster bombs, but in the past we have been associated with their manufacture because of our contract to produce a missile that can carry different types of munition payloads, determined by the customer. One configuration allowed it to carry cluster bomb payloads, which were not produced by Raytheon. “But in any case, Raytheon has completed its contracted production run for this particular missile, and we have no plans to resume production. Furthermore, Raytheon has no other products in development that are designed to dispense cluster submunitions.”First Minister Rhodri Morgan said, “The development at St Athan is vital if our armed forces are to have the best possible training to equip them to deal with any threat to the safety and security of this country and its people. “The training activities at St Athan are related to engineering and IT skills, which are also useful in civilian life as well. “Under the Metrix consortium’s proposals, the army, navy and air force will get better training to protect the UK from enemies, both now and in the future. “Raytheon is one of the partners in the consortium. They have made it clear to the Welsh Assembly Government that they do not manufacture cluster bombs or any missiles capable of delivering the weapons, and they have no plans to do so in future Any claim to the contrary is wrong and based on old information. “The UK government is committed to banning the production, stockpiling and use of cluster bombs, and has signed a joint declaration with 45 other countries to achieve this aim.”
When will mankind come to its senses and see that war is destructive and obscene?
Wales should declare a state of neutrality and outlaw all forms of warfare as detrimental to the human race.
Weapons firm’s role in St Athan academy condemned
Nov 9 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail
CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of a weapons company previously linked to cluster bombs.The St Athan Defence Academy is due to create 5,000 jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2013.
But an anti-military group called the Cluster Munition Coalition says that one of the major companies involved in the academy, Raytheon, has been involved in manufacturing devices that carry cluster munitions. Raytheon, a leading American arms firm, insists it no longer produces weapons capable of carrying cluster bombs. But campaigners say they remain concerned. Anne Greagsby, co-ordinator of the campaign to stop the St Athan academy from being built, said, “In 2005 a European Parliament resolution was introduced to ban investments in companies, such as Raytheon, that have produced cluster munitions. In response to this, Norway and Belgium have already endorsed this call. Liverpool City Council has also recently adopted a similar position. “Yet the Welsh government has ignored all of these concerns, and instead launched a high profile development project with Raytheon.“Raytheon is a central member of the Metrix Consortium that was awarded the St Athan Defence Training Academy contract in January 2007. The St Athan Defence Academy has been supported by all of the main political parties in Wales and sold to the public on the basis of alleged benefits to the economy. “The involvement in the project of the world’s largest arms companies has so far not received any attention.” Ms Greagsby added, “Given the evident public concern over cluster bombs and the arms trade more generally, I am sure that most people would be shocked to hear that the Assembly has laid a welcome mat for such companies, especially after other governments have turned their backs on them.”
In 2005, the Advisory Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund excluded Raytheon from the fund’s investment portfolio, along with other manufacturers associated with cluster munitions. In 2007, Belgium passed a law banning all investments in any companies still producing cluster munitions. Raytheon is still producing the AGM154 Joint Standoff Weapon, which according to its website,“is a family of low-cost, highly lethal weapons that can engage a wide spectrum of targets – from soft targets to hardened point targets – over a range of threat environments by using highly integrated Global Positioning System and Inertial Measurement System guidance.” Ms Greagsby said, “It has been reported that a Raytheon device hit the Shu’ale market in Baghdad in 2003, killing at least 62 civilians, and that a Raytheon device hit Qana in Lebanon in 2006, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children.” Veteran former Labour MP Tony Benn has signed a petition opposing plans to build the £14bn defence training academy at RAF St Athan. The project has also been criticised by CND Cymru.
A spokesman for Raytheon said, “Raytheon does not manufacture cluster bombs or any associated delivery vehicles. Any assertion to the contrary is based on dated information that is no longer valid or correct. “To clarify, Raytheon has never manufactured cluster bombs, but in the past we have been associated with their manufacture because of our contract to produce a missile that can carry different types of munition payloads, determined by the customer. One configuration allowed it to carry cluster bomb payloads, which were not produced by Raytheon. “But in any case, Raytheon has completed its contracted production run for this particular missile, and we have no plans to resume production. Furthermore, Raytheon has no other products in development that are designed to dispense cluster submunitions.”First Minister Rhodri Morgan said, “The development at St Athan is vital if our armed forces are to have the best possible training to equip them to deal with any threat to the safety and security of this country and its people. “The training activities at St Athan are related to engineering and IT skills, which are also useful in civilian life as well. “Under the Metrix consortium’s proposals, the army, navy and air force will get better training to protect the UK from enemies, both now and in the future. “Raytheon is one of the partners in the consortium. They have made it clear to the Welsh Assembly Government that they do not manufacture cluster bombs or any missiles capable of delivering the weapons, and they have no plans to do so in future Any claim to the contrary is wrong and based on old information. “The UK government is committed to banning the production, stockpiling and use of cluster bombs, and has signed a joint declaration with 45 other countries to achieve this aim.”
When will mankind come to its senses and see that war is destructive and obscene?
Wales should declare a state of neutrality and outlaw all forms of warfare as detrimental to the human race.
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