Interesting e-mail from "Donald"...
Those berks over at the Campaign for an English Parliament are always perpetuating the "Celtic" myth. It's not just us!
I've noticed this before. And it pisses me off. And popping over to the CEP blog, I immediately find:
The Scottish Raj will, of course, be reluctant to curtail the lavish redistribution of England’s wealth to the celts and equally reluctant to allow the Scots fiscal autonomy.
So, as I have a Scots mother, I'm half-Celt, am I? Not according to her family tree I'm not! There's all sorts there...
Why do some English nationalists insist on the "Celt" nonsense? The "pure Celtic" thing was always a myth anyway! We are English, Scots or Welsh - they are UK sub-nationalities, nothing more, nothing less!
If Donald wants to know, he only has to ask. It's just a word to lump the inhabitants of the celtic nations together. I'm part Welsh, I don't find it offensive.
ReplyDeleteOf course they're not truly celts the same as we in England aren't truly Anglo Saxons. Would you be offended if the English were referred to as the Anglo Saxons? No, of course not. The Scots and Welsh are generally quite happy to call themselves celts - there is even some "celtic nations" group that includes Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany!
ReplyDeleteWhat, exactly, "Donald" and your problem with calling a group of people who commonly call themselves celts, celts?
I agree that the Celtic thing is racist crap, Chris, after all Asians or other inhabitants of Scotland and Wales can't be "Celts" so what are they - guests? But I think the CEP does a good job - and the way the UK Government favours Scotland and Wales almost seems to point to some kind of "Celtic superiority" ethos.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for "Donald", "Wonko", but my view is that English, Scottish and Welsh are nationalities - open to all inhabitants of those countries.
ReplyDeleteEnglish, Scottish and Welsh are not a particular colour or tribe - they are nationalities.
I do not like the English nationality being brought down to "Anglo Saxon", either. This is the 21st Century. The Celt/Anglo Saxon thing is simply too exclusive - and downright inaccurate, too.
What I don't understand is why people refer to the Scots and Welsh as Celts, when they aren't?
ReplyDeleteI think that "Donald" was picking up on something I wrote in my previous post about the fact that the Anglo Saxon thing is always being undermined or exploded but the Celtic thing is always left unchallenged.
ReplyDeleteThe histories of England, Scotland and Wales have many influences, but our current day traditions and ways are not purely "Anglo Saxon" or "Celt" and our citizens are far from being purely "Anglo Saxon" or "Celt" either.
But "Donald" is quite right - it's not only certain Scots and Welsh people who push the "Celtic" myth.
It's time the historians and so-called left wingers challenged the "Celt" myth just as much as they do the "Anglo Saxon" one!
As always, rank double standards apply.
So you agree that the Scots and Welsh call themselves celts but you think it's wrong to refer to them as celts? I'm sorry, I really don't understand what the issue is. Going back in time, the Scots are originally either Scandinavian or Irish so is it right to refer to them as Scots at all or is that perpetuating another myth? They're called Scots after the Scotti tribe that emigrated from Ireland to what is now Scotland but the Vikings also settled Scotland so really calling them Scots is perpetuating the myth of them being Scots (ie. from the Scotti tribe) because they're part Viking as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, some Scots call themselves "Celts" - and some believe that - they think they ARE Celts and that, basically, is what ALL Scots are. They think that you must be a Celt to be a Scot.
ReplyDeleteI am saying that the English, Scots and Welsh are ALL far too mixed genetically to go applying "Anglo Saxon" or "Celtic" tags, and that whilst the Anglo Saxon tag is often debunked by academics, the Celtic one, which can be seen as being JUST AS inaccurate, exclusive and racist, never is.
I'm surprised that you don't see what the issue is. But the reality is that the English are the English, the Scots are the Scots, the Welsh are the Welsh - and no other titles need apply (unless you like the "British" one!).
Our past cultural influences do not make us an "unsullied" continuation of ancient tribes.