Well I was educated in a Welsh speaking school from Junior up to Comrehensive Schooling. I haven't used my mother tounge really since I left school and now my spoken Welsh is VERY poor. I can understand someone speking too me in Welsh or anything written down. I do keep meaning to get some tapes and refresh my Welsh, but as usual it's just trying to find the time to do this.
A nation is not a boundary, a nation is a people. A man made boundary is NOT how a nation should be defined. Common cause and ideology is what binds a people into a nation. The Indigenous Nation of North American Indians consisted of hundreds of disparate groups or tribes, we've all heard of the Sioux Nation consisted of hundreds of tribes from the US and Canada, same with the Apache nation, no boundaries but common ideology bound those people together. It pains me to say this and sorry to upset but in my mind Wales is not a nation at all, but a small country defined by its borders and NOT its people. For a nation to exist there has to be a common heritage, a basic common ideology, a common cause, a common acceptance and a common respect of all its people. All of these commonalities must be heartfelt to bind disparate groups of people together into a nation. The only common national cause we have in Wales is the success of our rugby team, outside of that, fekk all. We all bleat national Pride and no doubt as individuals, we believe it, but we are simply tribal, not national, in our outlook and we are loyal only to our localized brother hoods. Brotherhood - Welsh speakers Brotherhood - Non welsh Speakers Brotherhood - Gogs Brotherhood - Pobl y de The main thread throughout Wales is the battle of the language. Its a battle that truly defines us and also, unfortunately, keeps us apart preventing us from combining together to become a true nation of people. Who is the most Welsh, those who speak Welsh or those who don't? and my dad is bigger than yours. This battle is the only common cause we have. The time we spend squabbling and fighting ourselves is reduces us as a people, it stops us binding together, stops us learning about each other and stops us realizing our common past and common heritage. Without heritage there can't be a nation and some may disagree here but, heritage is far more than a language, Welsh or English. Heritage is the story of a people and its meanings is the same whether its recited in Welsh or English. I realize our language is a part of our heritage and I have all the respect for those who continue to speak it and carry ot into the 21st century, but it is not ALL of our heritage. Our civil war over it clouds the rest of our story and is preventing us binding into something bigger and greater than what we currently are. Arrogant Welsh speakers are more than simply arrogant Welsh speakers they ARE WELSH, ignorant non Welsh speakers are more than simply ignorant non Welsh speakers they ARE WELSH, Gogs are more than simply Gogs they ARE WELSH and Pobl y de ARE WELSH too. We ALL have a common past a common heritage and we should all be one people but we are not. The way we're going we have a disparate future to look forward to, a future moving us further from our idea of a Welsh nation. If we want a future welsh nation then we can't splinter any more, we have to respect each other for being Welsh and my Welsh means THE SAME AS YOURS.
Can't disagree, Stumpy. Of course, the attitude of most of the rest of the world, including the EU, regards Wales as a region of the U.K, just like Catalonia in Spain. Deoesn't mean that as a people we can't be proud of where we come from. Imo rampant nationalism has more negative side effects than positive.
I draw the line there NJ... Sibling rivalry at the Liberty and CCS, a unified Family EVERYWHERE else; sounds good to me.
