Stat Summary, since June 2007

Page Loads - Unique Visitors - First Time Visitors - Returning Visitors
Total 15,505 - 8,459 - 4,662 - 3,797
Average 15,505 - 8,459 - 4,662 - 3,797

Year - Page Loads - Unique Visitors - First Time Visitors - Returning Visitors
2007 - 15,505 - 8,459 - 4,662 - 3,797

Continue your loyal support for Cymru and the blog Independence Cymru os gwelwch yn dda!

The State of Latvia vis-a- vis Wales

I encountered a political pundit who manages a private Latvian university yesterday and was given a three-hour exposition of the inside story on the state of Latvian politics and economy. Prices are high and yet wages and salaries are low, meaning that it is a struggle for people to make a living and afford the high cost of living. Living accommodation accounts for approximately half of take-home pay. Prices are similar if not higher than in the UK and availability of produce is limited. Road infrastructure is poor and suffers badly in comparison with its Lithuanian neighbour where the roads are very satisfactory and where internal funding was provided without reliance on the EU coffers. In Latvia European money is being leached out of the economy and is being directed in an easterly direction, and money laundering is practised on a wide scale. Politicians are under the sway of big business and corruption and corporate crime is rife. Wales should count itself lucky in a comparison between the economies of these two nations. Things could be a lot worse.
Meanwhile Cyprus and Malta join the Eurozone on January 1st.

Welsh History Online

Century of history made available online

Dec 27 2007 by Karen Price, Western Mail

MILLIONS of people from around the world will now have access to a landmark exhibition at the National Library of Wales after it went online yesterday.

In This Place features exhibits relating to Wales during the past 100 years. Visitors can turn the pages of Dylan Thomas’s passport – the one which came home to Wales following his death in the US – or see Welsh recruitment posters from World War I.

The website also features pages from Welsh newspapers, including the Western Mail, as they reflect the changing face of Wales and the world from 1907 – which is when the National Library was awarded its foundation Royal Charter.

There is news on the Senghenydd mining disaster of 1913, the formation of the Urdd in 1922, the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

The exhibition, which was displayed at the National Library earlier this year, has been described by organisers as a treasure trove of information in photographs, correspondence and newspaper.

The website includes cartoons by the Barry-born cartoonist Leslie Illingworth and literature from the 1979 and 1997 devolution referendums, as well as archives from Charlotte Guest and her interest in the Mabinogi legends.

Day School Announcement - Celtic Cousins

Cymdeithas Carnhuanawc

EIN CEFNDRYD CELTAIDD
Ysgol Undydd

Dyma'r newyddion am ein Hysgol Undydd, dydd Sadwrn 16 Chwefror 2008 . Bydd gwasanaeth cyfieithu ar y pryd ar gyfer y ddwy darlith yn y bore.Bydd Brynach Parri , golygydd 'Brycheiniog' yn cadeirio.
Croeso cynnes i bawb . Buasai'n hwyluso ein trefniadau pe gallech anfon y tal cofrestru [£10 y pen ] erbyn 9fed Chwefror at ein trysorydd Hywel Davies 8 Forest Oak Close Cyncoed Caerdydd CF23 6QN
Edrychwn ymlaen i'ch weld a dewch a'ch cyfeillion

OUR CELTIC COUSINS
Day School

Here's the news about our Day School Saturday, 16 February 2008. There will be a simultaneous translation service for the two morning lectures. Brynach Parri the editor of 'Brycheiniog will chair the day school.
Everyones welcome . It would help us with the organisation if you could send your registration fee [£10 a person] to our treasurer Hywel Davies 8 Forest Oak Close Cyncoed Caerdydd by the 9th February .

Looking forward to seeing you and your friends.
Alan Jobbins
029 20 623275

Rhaglen Programme

Cofrestru / CoffiCroeso Taith Carnhuanawc i Lydaw Mary-Ann Constantine(Canolfan Uwch-Efrydiau Cymreig a Cheltaidd Prifysgol Cymru)Y “Jailtacht” - Adfywiad y Wyddeleg yng ngharchardai Gogledd IwerddonDiarmait Mac Giolla Chriost(Prifysgol Caerdydd)Cinio (trefniadau unigol)Y Gernyweg Heddiw (yn Saesneg) Jenefer Lowe(Swyddog y Gernyweg, Cyngor Cernyw)Dyfodol Gaeleg mewn Alban ddatganoledig (yn Saesneg)Robert Dunbar(Prifysgol Aberdeen) 09.4510.0010.1511.1512.3013.4515.00 Registration / CoffeeWelcomeCarnhuanawc’s Journey to BrittanyMary-Ann Constantine(University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies)The “Jailtacht” - Revival of the Irish language in the jails of Northern IrelandDiarmait Mac Giolla Chriost(Cardiff University)Lunch (individual arrangement)Cornish Today (in English)Jenefer Lowe(Cornish Language Development Officer, Cornwall County Council)The future of Gaelic in a devolved Scotland (in English)Robert Dunbar(Aberdeen University)

Mae Mary-Ann Constantine yn Uwch-Gymrawd y Ganolfan Uwch-Efrydiau Cymreig a Cheltaidd yn Aberystwyth ac yn Arweinydd y Prosiect ar Iolo Morganwg a’r Traddodiad Rhamantaidd yng Nghymru. Datblygodd ei diddordeb yn niwylliant Celtaidd pan fu’n astudio llenyddiaeth Saesneg yng Ngholeg Clare, Caergrawnt. Symudodd i Aberystwyth ym 1995 lle bu’n ymchwilio’n helaeth ym meysydd ieithoedd a diwylliannau’r gwledydd Celtaidd, gan gynnwys baledi Llydaw, cyn ymuno â phrosiect Iolo yn y Ganolfan yn 2002.

Mae Diarmait mac Giolla Chriost yn Uwch-ddarlithydd yn Adran y Gymraeg, Prifysgol Caerdydd, ers 2004. Mae ganddo ddiddordeb arbennig yn y perthynas rhwng iaith a gwrth-droi cymdeithasol a hefyd mewn iaith mewn sefyllfaoedd dinesig.

Mae Jenefer Lowe yn un o’r gweithwyr dycnaf dros yr iaith Gernyweg. Mae’n Rheolwraig Ddatblygu dros Bartneriaeth y Gernyweg, corff sy’n ymdrechu i gryfhau ac uno’r gwahanol fudiadau iaith yng Nghernyw. Yn 2006 fe’i hapwyntiwyd yn Swyddog y Gernyweg cyntaf Cyngor Cernyw.

Yn enedigol o Ganada, mae Robert Dunbar yn Ddarllenydd yn y Gyfraith a Chelteg ym Mhrifysgol Aberdeen. Mae’n arbenigo yn y gyfraith a lleiafrifoedd ieithyddol ac ethnig, a chanddo ddiddordeb arbennig yng Ngaeleg yr Alban.



Mary-Ann Constantine is a Senior Fellow in the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies and Leader of the Iolo Morgannwg and the Romantic Tradition in Wales Project. She developed her interest in Celtic culture whilst studying English Literature in Clare College, Cambridge. Mary-Ann moved to Aberystwyth in 1995 where she held a succession of Research Fellowships and taught various topics in Welsh and Celtic Studies and continued her work on the ballad tradition in Brittany, before joining the Iolo Morgannwg Project as leader in 2002

Diarmait mac Giolla Chriost has worked as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Welsh in Cardiff University since 2004. His research interests include the nature of the relationship between language and conflict and also language in city contexts.

Jenefer Lowe is one of the most tireless supporters of the Cornish language. She is a Development Manager for the Cornish Language Partnership, an organisation which seeks to strengthen and unite the different language movements in Cornwall. In 2006 she was appointed as Cornwall County Council’s first Cornish Langauage Officer.

Originally from Canada Robert Dunbar is a Reader in Law and Celtic in the University of Aberdeen. He has expertise in the law and ethnic and linguistic minorities and a special interest in Scottish Gaelic.

Forget Party Politics - Think of Wales and its People and the Future of the Nation

Plaid put Wales before politics, says leader

Dec 22 2007 by David Williamson, Western Mail

PLAID Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones yesterday summed up 2007 as the year when the party put the interests of Wales above political ambitions.
Describing the unprecedented One Wales coalition between Labour and Plaid, he said, “2007 has been a landmark year in the history of our party; the year when we entered government for the first time.
“It will also be remembered as the year when the interests of the people of Wales were put before narrow party political concerns.”
Mr Jones used his Christmas message to say he was “filled with hope for the future of Wales”.
“These next 12 months will also be crucial as we take the next step in the devolution process,” he said.

Christmas Message from Independence Cymru
This is the line taken by Independence Cymru. All Welsh politicians should make clear where their true interests lie, in the preservation of the Union or in the prospect of future independent Wales - not "New Labour" but "New Wales" - Cymru Fydd. This view of what can be must be uncompromising and non-negotiable - Wales has waited too long for this. The time has come to make the dream a reality. We in Plaid have chosen the political means to bring this about but we cannot wait forever - life is too short, and many lives have come and gone in the course of history in relentless struggle and aspiration for what many other nations, including the Baltic States, have already achieved.
alanindyfed

Welsh Window to the World

Breaking news - Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 are now available in the Welsh language.

Our New Year's Resolutions

Let us now turn these campaigns into New Year's Resolutions for the sake of Cymru Fydd.

The Campaign for an independent Cymru

Campaign - to fly the flag of Wales and not the Union flag
Campaign - to celebrate Welsh national holidays
Campaign - to give recognition to Welsh battle sites
Campaign - to rectify the wrongs in the constitution
Campaign - to bring in a new Welsh Language Act
Campaign - to demand a Parliament for Wales
Campaign - to review funding issues for Wales - Barnett
Campaign - to revert to the true place-names of Wales
Campaign - to reject "Britishness" and all its forms and disguises
Campaign - to spread the word and inspire Welsh people to support their homeland
Campaign - to work towards the May council elections and ensure victory for Plaid

Green-eyed Goddesses of Impressive Stature

Green eyes are the product of moderate amounts of melanin. They are most often found among people of North and Eastern European descent, and to a slightly lesser extent, in Southern Europe, and parts of Central and South Asia. Green eyes are the rarest eye color; only 1-2% of human population possesses this trait. Hungary is the country with the highest percentage of green eyed people, about 20%. In Iceland 88% of the population have green or blue eyes.

It seems that in Latvia and Lithuania green eyes predominate. I have noticed that a great number of people here have green eyes. They also exchange girth for height as there appear to be virtually no obese people but many women are slim and over six feet in height and when they look towards you their green eyes focus on a point way above your head. Possibly the lack of sunshine accounts for this phenomenon as a plant tends to grow tall and straggly in its effort to reach the light.
Alan in Dyfed

Return from One Spell to another spell in ......Latvia.

Lithuania was something else and caters for every fantasy and I won't go into details but just say that today I was high-tailing it on the straight and narrow highway cutting its way through the flat and frosty landscape. Vilnius is renowned for its amber jewellery among other things as well as babushka dolls. The young woman sitting next to me spent half the four-hour journey on the mobile phone. I could have continued my journey on to Taillinn but the winter is not the best time to venture farther north. These two Baltic nations in the EU and Estonia have just this week been freed of the need for border checks and are a part of the Shengen Agreement giving free access across national borders. They revel in freedom from the yoke of Soviet domination and one wonders when Cymru will take a similar place in Europe and decolonise itself! Back in Riga Old Town I think to myself : I haven't seen sunshine since I left Wales a week or more ago!

Gas Pipeline Cuts Through Wales

Plaid MP wants work halted for inquiry
Dec 20 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price last night called for all further commissioning work on the pipeline to be halted pending a UK Government investigation.
Mr Price said, “Very serious safety concerns have been raised and it is essential that before the pipeline is used to transport gas, the people of Wales can be confident that it is safe.”
Meanwhile opponents of the pipeline will today present their case to a meeting of the European Parliament’s petitions committee in Brussels.
The protestors claim the pipeline is ill-thought-out and dangerous, and that the scheme breaches several European directives.

Furthermore, were the people affected by this consulted, not only regarding possible dangers, but also about the disturbance and upheaval to the environment?

Part II : Whatever Happened to Obesity?

As I look around me in the streets of these two newly independent nations I see no sign of obesity whatsoever. The national dishes are healthy, appetizing and sustaining. There in Britain the hospitals are overflowing with patients suffering the symptoms and effects of obesity, tobacco, alcohol and self-abuse. Here there does not appear to be a problem. What is required in Wales is an enlightened education to bring about a revolution in caring for the body, physically and mentally, as the body is, it is said, the receptacle of the soul. This would vastly improve the health of the nation and virtually eliminate obesity, and also drastically reduce the burden on the NHS. So much money is wasted on treating the diseases that arise from neglect and abuse of the body, when a change of attitude is what is required so that the body is seen to be a holy chalice and not a garbage bin for the disposal of trash.

Wales Could Learn a Lesson from the Baltic States

Since I have been in Latvia and Lithuania I have not seen a scrap of litter on the streets and everything is kept fastidiously clean and tidy. It is ingrained in the consciousness of the people. The people themselves are exceedingly smart and well turned-out, especially the women who walk like fashion models in their winter furs and boots, looking regal and statuesque as they stride along. What a stark contrast they present to the street sights of Britain. It is very noticeable and quite startling to observe the differences. In Britain what is needed is a social revolution in attitudes of mind and a pride in appearance and demeanour. I do not know if this will happen in my lifetime, but I am giving myself another 30 years, so who knows, it might!

Rhodri Makes a Stand for Cymru

‘Wales won’t stand for further Olympics raids’

Dec 19 2007 by Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail
‘
Wales won't stand for further Olympics raids on lottery cash.
The Assembly Government will not stand for any further cuts in lottery funding as a result of the 2012 London Olympics, Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas said yesterday. Mr Thomas said Wales was already effectively £70m down as a result of decisions to Thomas became the first Plaid Cymru Minister to give evidence at a Westminster select committee yesterday, and was questioned on issues as varied as registration for tourist operators to whether Wales should have its own time zone.
He said he had been in talks with a major nation’s Paralympic team with a view to them using a Welsh site as their base for the 2012 Paralympics. If that deal is concluded it could bring £2m into the Welsh economy, Mr Thomas said.
The Wales Tourism Alliance has already presented evidence to the MPs that the Olympics will have “little or no direct benefit” to the tourist trade in Wales.
Mr Thomas said, “I can understand what the Tourism Alliance have said, and it’s difficult to find the direct benefit.
“As I’ve already alluded to, the negatives tend to be far greater than the positives at the moment, and our strategy is to maximise the positive as much as we can.
“The fact of the matter is the Olympics are coming to London in 2012, we are going to lose £70m in terms of lottery funding. We have to live within that reality.
“If we put a sustained effort into it, we can reap a number of benefits.”
London tourism chiefs are known to be concerned that a number of visitors may decide to shun the city during the Olympics, and have studied data from previous hosts Sydney and Athens that suggests residents tend to leave during the Games.
Mr Thomas said Wales could benefit. “We will be looking at people who want to get away from the Olympics,” he said. “Not everyone likes sport, and not everyone likes a situation where there are lot of people in their area. We can offer them something different.”
Asked if putting the clocks back an extra hour in the summer – so-called Double Summer Time – would help boost tourism, he said, “Traditionally in Wales the industry and sector has been supportive of this move, but ultimately this is a matter for the UK Government.”
Ministers were looking to introduce a compulsory registration scheme for those offering tourist accommodation, he said, but would be happy to look at how such schemes had worked in other countries before pressing ahead.
Speaking about his historic appearance after the hearing, Mr Thomas said, “If you had any kind of political aspiration you wouldn’t have joined Plaid Cymru when I did nearly 40 years ago, and you wouldn't have stood for Plaid in the 1999 elections expecting to be in government.
He said he was enjoying “the opportunity to take decisions that affect the future of Wales”.

Plaid Cymru Llanelli Constituency asks : Why not have a Welsh Lottery for Wales, and for the benefit of Welsh needs and projects? They also question why the winnings are so high and why they cannot be distributed more widely with smaller gains. Alan in Dyfed

Back on the Road to .......Lithuania

I have dismounted from my Latvian horse and have exchanged it for a Lithuanian steed, then pounded through the desolate wet countryside dotted with forests of spruce and birch to the Old Town of Vilnius, there to have accommodated myself in a local hostelry, naturally with internet access provided. I will now begin to acquaint myself with the attractions of this capital city, a quaint old town hemmed in by vast areas of featureless and uninspiring high rise apartment buildings - affordable housing?

Questions on the Future of Welsh Politics

Question: do you consider Plaid to be an independence party, a devolutionist party, or both?
Question: following independence would Plaid's raison d'etre be over or should it continue as a nationalist political party?
Question: who would make the best President/Prime Minister for Wales?
Question: as the other parties would cease to be unionist would they all continue their role in Welsh politics?
Question: which party do you foresee as having the majority vote?