Every so often, we wonder over to Our Kingdom. Basically, we find it a tosspot, full of itself, PC, middleclass, anti-English project.
Popping over today, we found Tom Griffin flagging up the views of Plaid Cymru Assembly member Leanne Woods:
Labour and many of the left parties have argued that Scottish and Welsh nationalism is regressive – a diversion that undermines British working class unity, which should be opposed. They refuse to acknowledge the inevitability of both countries becoming, at some point in the future, independent.
And when we leave the union, what will England then do? The loudest expressions of English national identity have until recently come from the far right. Often confusing Britishness and Englishness, theirs has been an imperialist, exclusive and racist nationalism, one that progressives rightly abhor.
But there are growing signs of progressive voices in England who are seriously addressing the issue of post-devolution English identity.
My God - think of the injustices visited upon the English by racist Little Waleans, many of whom believe themselves to be ethnically pure "Celts". Think of the fact that the British National Party Leader IS WELSH. Think of the current state of health apartheid, the West Lothian Question, which none of our non-racist, touchy feely Welsh neighbours see any need to mention. Because it only affects the English.
But it was big of Leanne Woods to drop a few encouraging words our way.
And nice of Tom Griffin to flag it up on OK. All fantasy pure bred "Celts" together, is it?
This blog is not right wing or left wing. It is old style Socialist, true Socialist, and simply points out the facts regarding asymmetric national devolution, which is based on Edward Lhuyd's 1707 'Celtic' labelling of certain languages and historical revisionism, and how it disadvantages ALL people in the largest and most ethnically diverse UK country of all - England.
Think of the current state of health apartheid, the West Lothian Question, which none of our non-racist, touchy feely Welsh neighbours see any need to mention. Because it only affects the English.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness, I think OurKingdom can claim to have flagged up those issues quite frequently.
All fantasy pure bred "Celts" together, is it?
Not as far as I am concerned. I can't speak for Leanne Wood but it would seem she was trying - successfully or not - to build links with English people.
I see, Tom, but Ms Wood's silence on little matters like health apartheid, the West Lothian Question, the Barnett Formula, etc, and her witterings about racist/imperialist British nationalism being a confused version of "English" nationalism (despite the leader of the BNP currently being WELSH) is indicative of somebody trying to "build links with English people" is it?
ReplyDeleteFrankly, we thought she sounded bloody patronising and holier than thou - as though her own country's nationalism was somehow beyond reproach.
We would like to agree with you, but unfortunately a couple of us have visited Wales ourselves and have been exposed to anti-English ... we'll call it "rhetoric", but in reality it was more like vitriol.
ReplyDeleteAnd we have friends who have suffered similarly.
We recall the famous "Not The Nine O'Clock News" sketch in the early 1980s: "Come Home To A Real Fire - Buy A Cottage In Wales", and there was no excuse for this behaviour and no doubt that anti-English hatred was involved.
There was concern in rural parts of England about holiday cottage buyers, but people were not setting fire to the properties!
When people like Leanne Wood begin pointing out moot points in British/English nationalism (and let's face it, England has been submerged in Britishness for so long it is only recently that a distinct, REAL English nationalism has begun to emerge), that we tend to twang back.
If, however, we could read more from Welsh nationalists about negative forms of Welsh nationalism, we'd feel more content that an accurate picture was being presented and that some Welsh nationalists were not living in glass houses and throwing stones.
C&M&D&D - it's sad that you've suffered some anti-English abuse, but believe me that's a stream that runs both ways.
ReplyDeleteMy Welsh exile friends in England suffer sheep-shagging and taffy the thief "jokes" every day at work.
You don't even have to move to England to receive it. There's many a village in Wales where an Englishman has moved in and spends his days mouthing off about the local community or the welsh in the school.
Thankfully the majority of English people who move here are not like that and respect the fact that they are not in England any more and respect the language, maybe even learn some of it. Those people never suffer any anti-English abuse. That should tell you something.
You are a liar. There are many Welsh people in Cambridgeshire where we live (one of them in our village who insists on being called "Taffy") and in no way do they encounter the type of bile that we encountered in Wales.
ReplyDeleteThe English are not so twisted up about Wales and the Welsh, they simply do not spend as much time thinking about the Welsh as the Welsh do about the English. You have a distorted body image as far as Wales is concerned.
You need to grow up. You are the type of Little Walesian who comes round with simpering words trying to ingratiate.
But your view is that the Welsh are basically blameless.
Well you're entitled to that view. Just as we are entitled to the view that people visiting Wales from England need to bear in mind as they suffer all the bile of pent-up Welsh racism, that they are basically PAYING for this "proud nation".
Don't bother calling again, dear - like so many deluded, anti-English Welsh nationalists you reveal your hand far too quickly. But we were fooled for a short while.