Monday 31 August 2009

Conservative Future's 'Erotic Party'

By Luke James

With my press credentials somewhat dented recently I decided to attempt some good old fashioned digging to find the story of the day and provide me with inspiration for this blog.

I failed and ended up on Facebook.

Where I did at least manage to have a little nose at other party’s groups at universities around Wales.

Students attending Swansea Uni’s fresher’s fayre are in for a treat courtesy of Conservative Future, who are apparently hosting an ‘Erotic Party’.

Swansea CF’s Facebook event specifies the type of event as ‘Party – Erotic Party’ and the group is titled ‘Conservative Future Swansea @ Freshers Fayre’ with ‘All hands to the pumps!!!’ as a sub header.

I think it’s safest if all members of the Conservative Future keep their hands where we can see them!

The price to be included in this ‘Erotic Party’ is £5, which must be a little too much for young conservative’s judging by the mere 8 intrepid party goer’s who have confirmed their attendance so far.

But maybe they can get their Conservative Future colleague’s in Cardiff to help out for numbers, perhaps the officer titled ‘Aggressive whip’ in CF Cardiff’s group could ‘submit’ a few names for attendance.

One things for sure, I don’t want to be around when Peter Snow and his Swing-o-Meter start declaring blue gains!

Friday 28 August 2009

The Release of the Welsh Phone

Guest blogger and CymruX intern Iago ap Steffan writes:

The release of the new Welsh phone, which has been developed by Samsung and Orange, will be released next week. Its release date is set for 1st September 2009. It is a great new development and a big step in the right direction in getting big international companies to recognise that Welsh is a living language and Welsh-speakers have the right to services in their native tongue. The menu will be in Welsh and predictive text too. This comes as the iPhone launches their Welsh language downloadable application.

What we need now is for people to show other companies that there is a demand in people wanting services through the medium of Welsh. The big companies that do offer Welsh services should also advertise, in order to show Welsh-speakers that these services do actually exist. I mean how many Welsh-speakers know that there is a Welsh directory enquiries service (118404)? How many know that they can contact some banks through the medium of Welsh?! More money and effort must be put into promotin these services - otherwise, how will speaking Welsh become another everyday activity?

Make a Difference

Guest blogger Marcus Warner writes:

At 26, perhaps I am becoming a bit of an old timer in terms of being part of the youth wing of Plaid. But this is perhaps balanced by the fact that I am one of Plaid’s newest members, impressed by the party’s energy and willing to muck in.

Most of my friends don’t know their Marx from their elbow. They probably think Gramsci is a brand of salami, no doubt that de-centralised socialism is something that the Human Resources department deal with. The point is that many of the young people we are friends with are not political, they take very little interest in party politics, still less so in participating in politics.

The challenge for those of us who are engaged in politics is to look around you and make a difference. Your friends are an ideal starting point. One of things I try to do is get my friends to register to vote, simple. Despite some indifference most of them did register to vote, which means they get an election card every time. Many of those friends vote in every election.

Don’t get me wrong, some of them vote for different parties, Labour, UKIP and Lib Dems. But the crucial thing was that they are now into the process of considering who to vote for, of thinking about what issues matter to them, and how political parties can make a difference to those issues. They at the very least come to me and get my objective advice – normally on what issues are local, Assembly, Westminster or EU.

The first signs of my efforts are starting to bear fruit. Some of my friends are going to vote Plaid in the upcoming local by-election, many are going to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum, and even some are beginning to at least listen to my views on them becoming involved in their communities. They now feel informed and able to talk with me about politics, disagree and agreeing, all the while I take a gently, gently approach to promoting what I and Plaid stand for.

Politics doesn’t have to be about high minded ideological debate, in fact for young people it is hardly ever likely to be. But young people do have ideas and views on important issues, they care about society and the communities they live in. In Plaid we must be willing to embrace and nurture that. The politics will come later, we need to engage with a network of young people who might not be political animals, but care about issues.

Go on, ask a few of your friends.

Tuesday 25 August 2009

Wythnos Y Glas

Mae Ffeiriau Glas Prifysgolion a Cholegau Cymru ar fin ein cyrraedd ac mi fydd CymruX gobeithio gyda cynrychiolaeth mewn nifer helaeth. Mae ffeiriau’r glas yr un mor boblogaidd ac erioed i fyfyrwyr newydd sy’n ysu am brofi pawb a phopeth yn eu wythnos cyntaf. Wnewch chi fyth anghofio eich wythnos gyntaf yn y brifysgol. Mae popeth mor newydd a chyffrous - symud i ardal newydd, cwrdd â ffrindiau newydd, setlo mewn a dod i adnabod lleoedd a phobl newydd. Mae’n gyfle i ddatblygu eich rhwydwaith o ffrindiau a defnyddio eich oriau hamdden yn weithredol ac yn adeiladol. Datblygu eich sgiliau rhyngbersonol a’ch hyder, a mwynhau ar yr un pryd.
Dyma un o wythnosau mwyaf cymdeithasol y flwyddyn, felly ymunwch yn yr hwyl a’r sbri!
Dyma’r lle perffaith i’r Blaid a CymruX gyhoeddi ei neges a cheisio denu aelodau newydd ac ifanc.
Dyma ddyddiadau a lleoliad pob un ffair y bydd CymruX ynddi.

Medi 16: Coleg Sir Benfro

Medi 21: Prifysgol Caerdydd

Medi 22: Coleg prifysgol y Drindod

Medi 23: Prifysgol Bangor
Prifysgol Abertawe

Medi 24: Prifysgol Bangor
Prifysgol Abertawe

Medi 29: UMCA, Aberystwyth

Medi 30: Prifysgol Aberystwyth

Os oes gan unrhyw fyfyriwr sydd mewn Prifysgol yn barod neu yn cychwyn o’r newydd fis nesa ddiddordeb ein helpu, yna bydden ni’n ddiolchgar iawn. Cysylltwch gyda ni ar postcymrux@googlemail.com

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Dyfodol diogel i’r iaith?

Yn dilyn cyhoeddiad Comisiwn y Cynulliad ni fyddai cyfieithiadau o drawsgrifiadau o’r Saesneg i’r Gymraeg o sesiynau llawn y Cynulliad yn cael eu cynhyrchu o hyn ymlaen, ar Ddydd Sadwrn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol galwodd yr Arglwydd Gwilym Prys-Davies am Fwrdd Iaith Statudol yn ei araith fel Llywydd yr Ŵyl.

Pam torri’r cyfieithiadau?, gofynnwch; yr ateb - i arbed arian. Yn ôl y Comisiwn, a gadeiriwyd gan Lywydd y Cynulliad yr Arglwydd Dafydd Elis-Thomas, bydd y toriadau’n arbed £250’000 y flwyddyn i’r Cynulliad. Serch y ffaith fod gan Gymru dwyieithrwydd felly, mae’r sesiynau llawn yn dilyn yr un llwybr â’r pwyllgorau.

Mae hyn yn dodi’r siaradwyr Saesneg yn y blaenllaw gan nad ydynt nhw ddim yn siarad yr Iaith ond yn anfanteisiol i ymgyrchwyr a siaradwyr yr iaith Gymraeg fyddai fel arfer yn darllen y trawsgrifiadau yn eu hiaith ddewisol nhw, sef yr y Gymraeg. Ers sefydlu’r Cynulliad, mae pob trawsgrifiad wedi bod yn ddwyieithog ond nawr, byddan nhw ond wedi eu cyfieithu i’r Saesneg os siaradwyd yn wreiddiol yn y Gymraeg, a ddim y ffordd arall o gwmpas.

Mae Prif Weithredwr Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru, Geraint Wyn Parry wedi siarad am siom y gymdeithas ynghylch penderfyniad y Comisiwn, a bod y gymdeithas “yn gobeithio na fydd hyn yn gosod cynsail ar sefydliadau yn y sector cyhoeddus i gwtogi ar gyfieithu dogfennau pwysig.” Meddai hefyd y byddai’r symudiad yn effeithio’n fawr ar ddiwydiant cyfieithu Cymru, yn enwedig yn y gogledd-orllewin, lle mae’r gwaith wedi ei gyflawni ers rhai blynyddoedd bellach.

Yng ngwyneb hyn, fel y sonnir uchod, galwodd un o brif wleidyddion y blaid Llafur, yr Arglwydd Gwilym Prys-Davies, am fwrdd iaith statudol yng Nghymru, pan ddaw Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg i ddiwedd ei yrfa, a hynny o fewn flwyddyn neu ddwy, meddai ef. Soniodd am y ffaith mai’r Capeli oedd cryfder yr Iaith eisoes ond y nawr, gyda bod cyn lleied yn mynychu’r Capel, y mae’r fro Gymraeg “yn dal i grebachu yn hynod o gyflym am resymau sy’n hysbys i ni i gyd, ond mae’n ymddangos na allwn eu rheoli, o leiaf ar hyn o bryd.”

Meddai am yr angen i agor trafodaeth ar yr hyn fyddai dyletswyddau a chyfrifoldebau’r fath bwrdd nawr ac ystyried y gwrthddadleuon yn ofalus. Gyda’r genhedlaeth nesaf, awgrymodd, y mae’r pŵer a’r gallu i sicrhau dyfodol ein hiaith. Er iddo ddweud fod dyfodol agos yr iaith yn “gadarn obeithiol”, soniodd nid oes lle eto i ystyried dyfodol hirdymor yr iaith yn ddiogel.

Ac y mae hyn i gyd yn digwydd cyn lansiad y ffôn symudol cyntaf erioed sy’n cefnogi’r iaith Gymraeg. Ar Fedi’r 1af, bydd Orange a Samsung yn lawnsio’r model ‘S5600’ gyda’r iaith Gymraeg arno, efo ryw 44,000 o eiriau Cymreig yn y geiriadur testun dyheadol ar-system.

Lansiwyd rhywbeth tebyg y llynedd lle’r oedd ffôn ar gael yr oedd yn cefnogi’r iaith Wyddelig. Bydd yr S5600 Cymraeg ar gael mewn siopiau Cymreig i ddechrau, ond yna’n ymestyn i Phrydain-oll ar sail naill ai gytundeb neu ar y cynllun ‘pay as you go’.

Efallai gellid ystyried hyn yn gam enfawr o ran hybu defnydd bob dydd yr iaith ymysg pobl ieuanc; yn aml, caiff technoleg newydd ei baru i fyny gyda phobl ifainc. Mae’n ffôn weddol dechnolegol - efo sgrin cyffwrdd a’r deunyddiau mwyaf modern megis Bluetooth, galwadau fideo, y We a chwaraeydd radio ac MP3.

‘Sgwn i os fyddai Gwilym Prys-Davies yn cytuno mai dyma’r fath o beth y mae’n son am - am bobl ifainc (y genhedlaeth newydd) yn cymryd y penderfyniad i ddefnyddio’r iaith yn eu bywydau bob dydd? Mae’n siŵr y byddai’r rhai sy’n mynnu ar feddalwedd iaith Gymraeg ar eu ffônau symudol hefyd yn mynnu darllen trawsgrifiadau o gyfarfodydd llawn y Cynulliad yn yr iaith.

Y dasg inni yw sicrhau fod y math o bobl sydd yn archebu’r S5600 Cymraeg yn ymgymryd â phroses gwleidyddol Cymru, a hynny drwy’r iaith Gymraeg ymhob agwedd o’r hyn â wnëir gan y Cynulliad.

Monday 10 August 2009

Welsh in Cardiff?

In the Western Mail it said today that nobody in Cardiff talks Welsh and nobody uses the Welsh language services on offer. I went into the post office in the Queen’s Arcade in Cardiff to post something and apart from the Welsh signs I couldn’t see anything that suggested that there was a Welsh language counter. It says in the paper that nobody uses the Welsh counter in the post office. How am I supposed to use a Welsh language counter if I can’t see where it is?

My point is if I go into a Post Office and see a Welsh language service I would use it. But if I have to ask to use the Welsh language service and wait to get served in the Welsh language, I’d be wasting my time. If the service is not in front of me and ready to use I’m not going to use it, am I? I go into Tesco to use the self service checkout machines. I use the Welsh language service on the machine and what do I find they’ve only translated half the words into Welsh. Is this acceptable? This feels to me like a second rate service compared to the English language.

The Principality Building Society has a Welsh language service but the only way to get this Welsh language service is to ask for it personally. I didn’t even know that you can get your bills through the Welsh language only if you ask them personally. I didn’t hear it through an advertisement campaign but another source. Is this acceptable? It once again shows me that Welsh language speakers are subject to a second rate service. Yes, if we want the Welsh language to survive more people need to use the Welsh language service. But not everybody feels like they want to fight to save the Welsh language and people aren’t going to use it if the service isn’t there and it lacks quality. We need a Welsh language service that is of quality and is easily accessible.

A month ago as part of a project researching into banking services in Cardiff. I found that not one bank in Cardiff except the principality was offering a completely bilingual service in both Welsh and the English languages. We asked all the banks why they didn’t operate a fully bilingual service. The answer we got from one member of staff in RSB was ‘we are a Scottish bank’!! This was staggering; the bank of Scotland didn’t have a bilingual service because they were a Scottish Bank in the capital of Wales. If this is the attitude that banks take there is no hope for the future. Will we ever get a Wales where the Welsh and English languages stand together in harmony? If banks say there is no demand for Welsh language services, maybe there is no point having Welsh language services.

After creating a questionnaire on the streets of Cardiff asking people what they though of Welsh language services, the majority of people wanted to learn the welsh language. But they said the facilities were just not there or they mentioned that they hadn’t the time to learn the Welsh language. If there are more services available through the Welsh language, maybe, just maybe people will decide to learn it. What was amazing to see was that a student from Italy had taken the opportunity to learn the Welsh language. An Italian student had come to Cardiff to enrol in Welsh lessons because she felt the need to learn more about our culture. Fascinating. Maybe this is the attitude we must take to our language. Next time we go to Spain or the Basque. We must learn their language. For the language to survive, we need a quality service. Not a second rate one.

Monday 3 August 2009

BNP history fail!

By Luke James

It’s a Monday so I won’t burden you with a lengthy diagnoses of the political scene.

In fact I am just going to lead playground style pointing and laughing at the BNP most recent and epic history FAIL!

The lovely people at the BNP merchandise department were presumably instructed by their leader, Peter Griffin or whatever his name is, to come up with some swanky new t shirts for their fashion conscious members to sport this summer whilst taking time out of being massive bigots.

And so they have come up with this:



That’s right #1 Welsh nashie himself Owain Glyndwr is being employed by the BNP as their new poster boy.

The article at the BNP website promoting these t shirts is titled “Excalibur Launches Exciting Range of Brand New T-Shirts”.

Excalibur Launches Exciting Range of Brand New Version of History might be closer to the truth.

The t-shirt exclaims “British by birth, Welsh by the Grace of God.”

Which is somewhere close to the truth actually, my passport coldly states that I am a registered citizen of the ‘British’ all powerful super state but thank the lord I was in fact born and bred Welsh and no bit of ID is going to tell me otherwise.

The school curriculum, now just another thing to worry about should the BNP come into power.

Coming soon: Sinn Fein’s new range of Rev Ian Paisley dog collars.