Friday 29 May 2009

Team GB own goal

by Luke James

It’s summer 2012; Wales have qualified for their first major football tournament since 1968 and thousands of proud Welsh men and women are sunning themselves in Poland and Ukraine.

Meanwhile in London England’s Under 21 team have been dressed up in union rags and will be playing in the most underwhelming football tournament since Vale of Glamorgan Schools Cup 1975, which I hear got rained off.

Decide for yourselves which of these events will capture the imagination of the Welsh nation.

What great news it is that Westminster politicians have scored an own goal for Team GB before a ball has even been kicked.

It was announced today that a Team GB football side will take part in the 2012 London Olympics and it will made up entirely of English players.

This team is the perfect representation of what Britain really is. In the words of the great Gwynfor Evans “Britishness is a political synonym for Englishness which extends English culture over the Scots, the Welsh, and the Irish.”

This Team GB saga has run for so long and been a hot news topic and long may it continue so that it hits home to the majority of Welsh citizens that Wales is severely misrepresented as part of the UK.

Our proud, vibrant and diverse nation cannot continue this way so let’s make it clear – we are Welsh and not British, we value our culture and respect our neighbours and we want our voice to be heard in Europe, by the World, in the UN and not forgetting at Eurovision.

I will leave you with some lyrics of a song by famous English singer Billy Bragg: “Britain isn't cool you know, it’s really not that great. It's not a proper country; it doesn't even have a patron saint. It’s just an economic union that’s past its sell by date."

Below: A cash point in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan advertising Nationwide's support for the English football team, despite the fact they also sponsor Wales.

1 comment:

Illtyd Luke said...

Great post Luke (from, a different Luke).