The independence mindset

Some people in Plaid Cymru have been calling for a more aggressive stance from our politicians on independence for a long time, most notably an alumnus of this youth wing, Adam Price. It seems that since our sister party's landslide victory last year, that view has been adopted by most in the party, and certainly since the overwhelming endorsement it received in Llandudno last year by the membership, we as a party have been significantly more vocal on the issue.

Although I am certain of my support for an independent Wales, I do not share the view of the majority in our party that we should be moving the independence campaign into top gear just yet. It has been inspirational to witness the SNP's success in Scotland and I believe we have a lot to learn from them, but simply copying and pasting their rhetoric on independence would be a mistake. There are many reasons why Scotland is constitutionally so far ahead of Wales, not least the manner in which it was united with England and its success in preserving a distinct education system, legal jurisdiction and civil society. Wales was not united with England, it was assimilated into England, along with all aspects of civil society. Wales' distinctiveness was almost exclusively cultural for the best part of half a millennium. It is understandable therefore, that civil society in Wales has taken its time to build itself into the intrinsic role within Welsh governance that it now plays.

These differences are such that the SNP have been able to include in their manifestos and indeed, in their programmes of government, a promise to hold a referendum on independence. Only once do I remember any senior figures within Plaid Cymru mentioning such referenda in Wales, and even then it was a promise to hold one after we manage to become the biggest party in the Assembly in two consecutive elections. It begs the question therefore, why are we pushing the independence campaign to the forefront of our message at a time when a Plaid Cymru government would do nothing to deliver on that message?

In my opinion, we need to design that “roadmap” that Elin Jones promised in her leadership campaign. We need to know exactly what we are campaigning for. Simply saying, “We support independence… but not yet” is not good enough. We need to be campaigning for the first step on that road map, something that we could include in our manifesto. In doing that, we would be able to argue effectively, that what we are doing is advancing down a path towards a level of prosperity that would make independence a viable option. If we are going to reach our shared goal of setting our country free from the British puppet strings, we need to make this a priority after the election on May 3rd.

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Mae rhai ym Mhlaid Cymru wedi bod yn gofyn am agwedd mwy ymosodol gan ein gwleidyddion ar annibyniaeth ers amser maeth, yn fwy nodweddiadol na phawb yw alumnus o’r mudiad ieuenctid hwn, Adam Price. Mae hi’n ymddangos, ers canlyniad gwefreiddiol ein chwaer-blaid y llynedd, fod y barn hynny wedi’i fabwysiadu gan y rhan fwyaf yn y Blaid, ac yn enwedig ers y cefnogaeth llethol cafwyd yn Llandudno llynedd gan yr aelodaeth, rydym ni fel plaid wedi bod yn llawer mwy lleisiol am y peth.

Er fy mod i’n gadarn fy marn o blaid annibyniaeth, dydw i ddim yn rhannu barn y rhan fwyaf yn y Blaid y dylem rhoi annibyniaeth ar flaen y gad yn ein hymgyrch presennol. Rydym ni gyd wedi ein hysbrydoli gan lwyddiant yr SNP yn yr Alban ac yr wyf yn credu bod gennym lawer i’w ddysgu ganddynt, ond bysai eu copïo gair wrth air yn gamgymeriad. Mae yna lawer o resymau pam fod yr Alban yn gyfansoddiadol mor bell o’n blaenau. Un o'r prif resymau yw natur yr undeb rhwng yr Alban a Lloegr a llwyddiant yr Albanwyr i ddal ymlaen at eu system addysg, awdurdodaeth gyfreithiol a’u cymdeithas sifil. Ni fu undeb rhwng Cymru a Lloegr. Gorchfygu Cymru y gwnaeth Lloegr, gan gynnwys pob agwedd o'n cymdeithas sifil. Mi 'roedd Cymru'n wahanol i Loegr o ran diwylliant yn unig am bron i hanner mileniwm. Mae hi'n ddaelladwy felly, bod gwasanaeth sifil yng Nghymru wedi cymryd ei amser i ddatblygu mewn i'r rol ganolog y mae yn eu chwarae heddiw o fewn proses llywodraethu Cymru.

Mae'r gwhaniaethau yma mor ddwys, y bod yr SNP wedi gallu cynnwys addewid yn eu manifesto, ac wrth gwrs, yn eu rahglenni llywodraethu, i gynnal refferendwm ar annibyniaeth. Dim ond unwaith yr wyf yn cofio aelod uwch yn y Blaid yn son am fath refferendwm, ac mi oedd hyd yn oed yr aelod hynny yn son o fewn cyd-destyn o Blaid Cymru'n llwyddo ennill mwy o seddi nac unrhyw blaid arall, ddwywaith yn olynol. Ac felly, mae'r cwestiwn yn codi, pam gwthio'n hymgrych am annibyniaeth mewn adeg lle bysai llywodraeth Plaid Cymru yn gwneud dim byd i wireddu'r ymgyrch hynny?

Yn fy marn i, mae angen dylunio'r "map" hwnnw yr oedd Elin Jones yn son amdano yn ystod ei hymgyrch arweinyddol. Mae angen i ni wybod yn union am beth yr ydym yn ymgyrchu. Dydy dweud yn syml, "rydym yn cefnogi annibyniaeth... ond ddim eto" ddim yn ddigon da. Mae angen i ni allu dadlau yn effeithiol mai yr hyn yr ydym yn ei wneud yw symyd Cymru fyny llwybr tuag at lefel ffyniant mor uchel, bod annibyniaeth yn opsiwn go iawn i'r niferoedd. Os ydym am gyrraedd ein nod o rhyddhau ein cenedl o ddwylo'r Saeson, wedyn mae rhaid i ni wneud dylunio'r map yma yn flaenoriaeth ar ol Mai y 3ydd.


Osian Lewis

Peint i'r Blaid | Pint for Plaid

Gyfeillion oll,

Heddiw, ry'n ni'n lansio ymgyrch i gynyddu incwm misol mudiad ieuenctid a myfyrwyr Plaid Cymru, er mwyn inni allu cyflogi trefnydd a fydd yn hwyluso'n gwaith a'n hymgyrchu ledled Cymru.

Yr hyn ry'n ni'n ei ofyn yw gwerth peint rhad o gwrw bob mis - rhyw £2. Os ellwch chi fforddio rhoi mwy, felly gwych! Mi fydd pob un ohonom yn gwerthfawrogi unrhyw faint bynnag y gellwch chi fforddio rhoi.

Os y'ch chi'n fodlon buddsoddi yn nyfodol eich cenedl, yna cysylltwch gyda Cadeirydd y mudiad ar cerithrjones@live.co.uk am ffurflen ddebyd uniongyrchol.

Diolch enfawr ichi.

Friends,

Today we're launching a campaign to increase Plaid Cymru's student and youth movement's monthly income, so that we can employ an organiser who will facilitate our work and campaigning across Wales.

What we're asking is that you give us the value of a pint a month - some £2. If you can afford more, then great! We will all appreciate however much you can give very much.

If you want to invest in the future of your nation, then contact the movement's Chair at cerithrjones@live.co.uk for a direct debit mandate.

Thank you so much.

Cerith Rhys Jones
Cadeirydd | Chair

An important lesson for Plaid to learn...

Today, Cerith Rhys Jones, non-portfolio officer on the National Exec writes about an important factor that Plaid should consider, as it moves with Wales towards independence:

"A discussion with my grandfather (who, for the record, is English) got me thinking yesterday, about one of Plaid’s major challenges in the years to come. One of the biggest misconceptions people have, is that a nation is the same thing as a nation-state. People will gladly say that they are Welsh before they are British, but they will sometimes think of their citizenship as being the same thing as their nationality.

"There has been plenty of discussion about Plaid being in a crisis. As a party activist and an executive member of the party’s youth wing, I would take the view that the party is not in a crisis but rather, that it really needs some thinking time about its way forward. No matter how much Plaid members and activists say that the election wasn’t all that bad, the truth is that we didn’t do as well as we had hoped and expected and we, as a party, need to think long and hard about our message for the Assembly elections next year, and the local elections on 2012.

"In the long term however, as Wales works towards, first, a full parliament with fiscal autonomy, and eventually, an independent Wales, Plaid needs to focus on changing people’s view of a ‘nation’. (I would say that this would go for other parties too, but how keen they’d be to do this is another matter.)

"Too many people think of a ‘nation’ as a physical entity with a clear geography. To me, and I would think, to the party, a nation needn’t have defined borders and the people of that respective nation needn’t share a specific patch of land. Take Patagonia, for instance. The Welsh people who moved there to establish Y Wladfa (the Welsh Settlement), they went there with the intention of creating a ‘second Wales.’ To this day, their descendants think of themselves as being Welsh Argentine. If we look at that phrase – Welsh Argentine, that is – it can be split in two; into ‘nationality’ and ‘citizenship’. The citizenship is clearly Argentine; of that, let there be no doubt. This works in the same way with us here in Wales. I will always say that I am Welsh first, European second, and British third. As much as I may be against the British institution, I can’t escape the fact that I am a Briton, by law. Wales doesn’t have its own sovereignty (yet), so it is legally impossible to be a ‘citizen’ of the country, in the conventional way. The nationality of a Welsh Argentine person, however, is Welsh. This will confuse some people as it did my grandfather. A ‘nation’ to me, doesn’t mean a group of people who inhabit a specific piece of territory; it is a group of people (or peoples, as would probably be appropriate) who share a heritage, a history, and a feeling. So yes, while a resident of Y Wladfa may hold an Argentine passport, his or her nationality is Welsh, in so much as he or she shares our heritage and history here in Wales.

"This very principle will apply to the Quebecois of Canada. They are by law, of course, Canadian. However, in nationality, they are Quebecois. They are a group of people who share a history and a heritage. I guess this principle could go for any group of people within a nation-state, anywhere on Earth.

"Plaid’s challenge is teaching the people of Wales that although they may be subjects of the United Kingdom, they do have their own heritage and history - an Unique Selling Point, if you will - that makes them Welsh in nationality. Let them think of themselves as British, and what makes them so, and they will list things that are primarily English. As Gwynfor said, “Britishness…is a political synonym that extends English culture of the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.” This hits the nail right on the head!

"The difficulty that Plaid faces of course, is that too many people in Wales still have trouble thinking about Wales as a country in its own right; they challenge that idea, even. The question they should ask themselves though, is ‘what is a country? What makes a country, a country?’ Again, people will often think that Wales can’t possibly be a country, because it’s a ‘constituent region’ of ‘the mother-country’ of Britain. Britain, though, is not a country. It’s a nation-state. Britain is simply the entity, which contains the countries of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, which are countries and nations in their own right.

"When Plaid looks forward in terms of how it can raise support for full autonomy within the European Union and the United Nations for Wales, it really has to get people to understand that whatever their passport says, their nationality – their heritage, their history, their national persona – is different to that of Britain. If Plaid is to succeed, it needs to ensure that the people recognise Wales as a country in its own right, which is being dictated to by another country.

"Those who disagree with me (or who are unionists), will argue that we are not being dictated to by another country at all; we are part of the UK and so we are governed as part of Britain. Here again, the problem that people think of Wales as a region and the UK as a country, is raising its ugly head. Of course we’re being dictated to by another country – England! Was it not the English who annexed Wales to England, extended English laws unto Wales, and oppressed the Welsh language all those hundreds of years ago – and still do to this day? Does the British government not create laws, which apply only to England and Wales? Is it not true that Wales is treated differently to Scotland? Yes. Yes. Yes.

"The biggest challenge to Plaid, to the SNP, Mebyon Kernow, in fact, any nationalist party, is to show their people, the citizens of their respective nations, that they are their own people, and that there is a huge divide between Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cornwall – wherever – and the nation-state which ultimately governs them.

"It’s all very well and good Plaid in the short term focussing on its successes in the National Assembly as part of the One Wales government (and I wouldn’t for one minute say anything different to that) but if Plaid wants to keep itself as the Party of Wales – to keep its USP, to remain a nationalist party, which will do its best to govern in the short term, but all the while working towards an independent Wales – it has to realise that people still think that they’re country is Britain, and break down that idea.

"People may also rebut my ideas by saying that one’s nationality can also be interpreted as British, in that we as Britons share our own history and heritage. I can accept this to an extent, but here rises Gwynfor’s quote again; that what we perceive to be British is actually English.

"Plaid needs to campaign to teach people that their nation-state is Britain. They are British subjects. They pay their taxes to the British government. But as a people, they are Welsh. Their history is Welsh. Their heritage and their national persona are Welsh. When people grasp and believe this, Plaid won’t have much bother on election day.

"While our passports may tell us that we are subjects of the British crown, we are and always have been citizens of the Welsh nation. It will remain that way until we can look at a Welsh passport and see that we are citizens of the Welsh nation-state.

"The challenge for Plaid is to lead the way on that (long) road to independence, but all the while, making sure that we’re re-elected to the Assembly Government and we continue to do a good job of it."

Gwersi o Catalunya / Lessons from Catalunya

Gan Emyr Gruffydd, Caerffili
Scroll down for english version

Fel myfyriwr ieithoedd sydd a diddordeb arbennig mewn ieithoedd lleiafrifol a gwledydd bychain eraill Ewrop, afraid dweud bod treulio wythnos yng Nghatalonia (neu Catalunya) yn ddiweddar wedi bod yn brofiad hynod ddiddorol. Trueni fodd bynnag oedd gorfod dychwelyd i dywydd gwlyb ag oer Cymru! Penderfynais dreulio dau ddiwrnod yn nhre Girona yng Ngogledd Catalonia cyn mynd ymlaen i Barcelona, prifddinas Catalunya. Afraid dweud bod y profiad wedi dylanwadu arnaf yn gryf, gan fod yna gymaint o wersi i Gymru ac i ni fel Plaid ddysgu oddi wrth y genedl ddiddorol hon.

Mae edrych ar system wleidyddol a pholisiau'r 'Generalitat', sef llywodraeth Catalonia, yn hynod ddiddorol. Efallai mai'r peth mwyaf trawiadol ynglyn â'r wlad yw ei pholisi ieithyddol, sy'n gorfodi pob busnes i ddefnyddio'r iaith Gatalaneg. Mae hyn yn gwneud yr iaith yn hynod weledol, hyd yn oed mewn dinas mawr gosmopolitaidd fel Barcelona. Y Gatalaneg sy'n cael blaenoriaeth ar bob arwydd ac ym mhob sefydliad cyhoeddus, yn enwedig mewn ysgolion lle ni addysgir yr un plentyn trwy gyfrwng 'Castellano', yr iaith Sbaeneg, bellach. Mae pob un cyngor lleol, prifysgol a sefydliad llywodraethol yn gweithio trwy gyfrwng y Gatalaneg. Canlyniad y polisiau radical hyn a osodwyd gan y 'Generalitat' wedi blynyddoedd o orthrwm gan Franco yw bod Catalaneg wedi dod yn iaith feunyddiol i bron i 64% o boblogaeth y wlad, yn ogystal a chael statws swyddogol yn Valencià a'r Illes Balears (Ynysoedd y Baleares.) Hyfryd oedd clywed yr iaith yn cael ei siarad gan y mwyafrif helaeth ar strydoedd Girona yn y gogledd.

Dywed nifer ei fod wedi bod yn weddol hawdd i'r Gatalaneg gael ei normaleiddio fel prif iaith y wlad gan ei bod yn debycach i'r Sbaeneg na'r iaith Fasceg, er enghraifft, sydd â chanran llai o siaradwyr. Fodd bynnag, yn dilyn cynllun radical diweddar gan lywodraeth Gwlad y Basg, fe fydd 55% o blant y wlad yn cael ei haddysg trwy gyfrwng y Fasceg yn unig ymhen ychydig o flynyddoedd, a 75% yn derbyn ei haddysg yn ddwyieithog. Dyma ddangos taw polisiau cryf sydd wrth wraidd adfywiad ieithoedd lleiafrifol.

Pam felly nad ydym ni yng Nghymru yn manteisio ar y cyfle i normaleiddio'r Gymraeg yn ein cymunedau Cymraeg? Dyliai'r Gymraeg gael priod le ar bob arwydd yn yr ardaloedd hynny lle mae dros 50% o'r boblogaeth yn siarad yr iaith, a'i wneud yn iaith weinyddol i bob busnes, boed lleol neu rhyngwladol, yn yr ardaloedd Cymraeg eu hiaith - a bod POB plentyn yn derbyn addysg cwbl Gymraeg yn yr ardaloedd hynny. Mae'n hollbwysig hefyd bod plant yn yr ardaloedd llai Cymraeg eu hiaith yn cael y cyfle i astudio trwy gyfrwng yr iaith (yn enwedig gyda'r cynlluniau dadleuol diweddar i leihau darpariaeth Gymraeg i ddisgyblion y chweched yn Rhondda Cynon Tâf). Dyliai fod pob cyngor yn yr ardaloedd Cymraeg, fel Ceredigion, Môn, Conwy a Chaerfyrddin yn dilyn esiampl cyngor Gwynedd gan osod y Gymraeg fel eu prif iaith gweinyddol. Os ydy hi'n bosib yng Nghatalonia - mae'n bosib yma hefyd!

Un elfen arall o'r wlad a fy nharodd yn arbennig oedd y galwad cryf am anibynniaeth. Wrth siarad a nifer o bobl ifanc yng Catalonia, roeddent ar dân eisiau hunan reolaeth i'w cenedl eu hunain. Mae'r 'Generalitat' ar y funud yn bwerus (hyd yn oed yn fwy na llywodraeth yr Alban) a'r cam nesaf, yn naturiol, byddai anibynniaeth. Mae'n destun sgwrs beunyddiol ar y strydoedd, yn y papurau newydd ac yn enwedig yn y genhedlaeth ifanc. Mae polau piniwn diweddar yn dangos fod dros 40% o Gatalanwyr yn cefnogi anibynniaeth - ac roedd refferendwm anghyfreithlon diweddar ar anibynniaeth yn dangos cefnogaeth gref i'r syniad.

Yng Nghymru, rydym wrth gwrs yn canolbwyntio ar gael mwy o bwerau i'r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, a da o beth yw hynny. Fodd bynnag, byddai'r pwerau newydd yn dal yn chwerthynllyd gan eu cymharu a grym llywodraeth yr Alban a hyd yn oed yn fwy trwy eu cymharu a phwerau'r 'Generalitat'. Pam felly taw dim ond 14% o boblogaeth Cymru sy'n cefnogi anibynniaeth, i gymharu a rhyw 30% yn yr Alban a 40% yng Nghatalonia? Yn fy marn i, nid yw anibynniaeth erioed wedi bod yn destun trafod difrifol i fwyafrif y Cymry. Nid yw'n cael sylw priodol mewn papurau fel y Western Mail, y Daily Post ac ar raglenni teledu gwleidyddol. Fodd bynnag, mae llawer o'r bai arnom ni fel Plaid am guddio ein dyheuadau am Gymru rydd, annibynnol. Rhaid i ni, fel yr SNP a'r ERC (Plaid adain chwith sy'n cefnogi anibynniaeth yng Nghatalonia) ddechrau trafod y posibiliadau ynglyn ag anibynniaeth, gan ei wneud yn destun trafod ym mhob tafarn, eglwys a siop leol yn y wlad. A fel adain ieuenctid ein Plaid Genedlaethol, NI ddyliai fod yn dechrau yn yr ymgyrch - gan ysbydoli'r genhedlaeth ifanc i feddwl o'r newydd am y posibiliadau cyffrous o Gymru annibynnol llewyrchus.

Cymru Rydd / Visca Catalunya Lliure!



I don't know what this translation is like, but I've given it a go!

As a languages student with special interest in minority languages and the small nations of Europe, I must say that spending some time in Catalonia (or Catalunya) recently was an interesting experience. It's a shame however that I had to come back to the cold and the rain here in Wales! I decided to take two days to explore the town of Girona in North Catalonia, before going on to the capital of the country, Barcelona. Needless to say that the experience has had a huge influence on me, as there are so many lessons we can learn in Wales and as a party from this interesting nation.

Looking at the political system and the 'Generalitat' (the Catalan government)'s policies is quite interesting. Perhaps the most striking thing about this small nation is its linguistic policy, which obliges each and every business, be it a local one or an international one, to use the Catalan language. This makes the language very visible, even in a highly cosmopolitan city such as Barcelona. Catalan is given priority on every sign and in every public institution, especially in schools where every single child is taught through the medium of Catalan. Each local council, university and governemental institution works through the medium of Catalan - and many of them in Catalan only. As a result of these radical policies implemented by the Generalitat after years of linguistic opression by Franco, almost 64% of the Catalan population uses Catalan as their main, daily language, as well as being spoken by over a million more in Valencià and the Illes Balears (The Balearic Islands). It was inspiring to hear the vast majority using the language on the streets, especailly in Girona in the north.

Many believe that it has been easy for Catalan to be normalised as the main language of Catalonia due to its similarity to Castillian Spanish, whereas in the Basque Country, where the percentage of speakers is lower, it has been harder due to the lingustic difference between the two languages. However, following a radical plan by the Basque Government, close to 55% of children will be educated solely through Basque in the space of a few years and 75% will be receiving a bilingual education. This shows that strong policies are the key to succesful language revitalisation.

Why are we in Wales therefore not ready to take the bull by the horns and really make a go of language normalization in our Welsh speaking communities? Welsh should have priority on each and every sign in those communities where more than half the population speaks Welsh, and make it the administrative language of every business, be it local or international - and make sure that ALL children in the Welsh speaking West receive an education solely through the medium of Welsh. It's also important that children in the less Welsh speaking areas in the South East have a full opportunity to study through the medium of the language (especially with the recent controversial plans to downgrade Welsh medium provision in the sixth forms of Rhondda Cynon Taf). Every council in the Welsh speaking areas, such as Ceredigion, Môn, Conwy and Caerfyrddin must follow Cyngor Gwynedd's example and make Welsh their main administrative language. If it's possible in Catalonia - It's possible here as well!

Another thing that especially struck me about Catalonia was the strong call for independence. Speaking to many young people in Catalonia, it was obvious that they were passionate for self rule for Catalonia. At the moment, the 'Generalitat' is very powerful (even more powerful that the Scottish Parliament), so naturally the next step would be independence. It's a daily topic of conversation on the streets, in the newspapers and especially within the younger generation. Recent polls show that 40% of Catalans support independence - and an illegal referendum recently held on the subject showed strong support for it.

At present in Wales, we are concentrating on getting more powers for the National Assembly, which is of course a good thing. However, the new powers would still be incredibly weak compared to the powers of the Scottish Parliament, and even more so compared to those of the Generalitat. Why therefore is it that only 14% of the Welsh people support independence, whereas 30% do so in Scotland and over 40% in Catalonia? In my opinion, independence has never really been a serious topic of conversation for many Welsh people. It doesn't get the same coverage in the Western Mail, the Daily Post and on political TV programmes as other issues. However, a lot of the blame rests with us as a political party for hiding our desire for a free, independent Wales. Like the SNP and the ERC (A leftist, independentist Catalan political party), we must really begin to talk about independence and the opportunities it would bring, by making it a topic of conversation in ever pub, church and local shop in the country. And as the youth wing of our national party, it is US that should start the campaign for self rule by inspiring the younger generation to think of the exciting opportunities that an independent and flourishing Wales would bring.

Cymru Rydd/ Visca Catalunya Lliure

I want to change the world, I'm looking for a new England

by Luke James
Cymru X Vice-Chair

I was speaking to a Labour student on Friday in the wake of Nazi Nick Griffin’s appearance on BBC’s Question Time.

Although a short conversation I think I was somewhat enlightened as to why the racist BNP are now winning national elections and consequently appearing on QT.

I dared to suggest that I thought Griffin had a point when he asked why the option to state your nationality as ‘English’ was not on the census.

To which the response was ‘all nationalism is sh*t’.

I’m not for one minute going to be taken in by Nick Griffin or the BNP and their attempts to dress race based discrimination up as ‘standing up for the silent majority.’

I know and you know that man will say anything for votes; I shudder at the thought of such a vile individual and party gaining any further ground.

However it does seem that the mainstream English/British parties’ refusal to accept an English identity and hold their own national conversation is playing straight into the hands of the far right.

At the Plaid Cymru conference in Llandudno members of Cymru X were present at the Undeb (English:Union) fringe meeting to hear Mark Perryman speak about his efforts to form an inclusive, left leaning English national identity.

Perryman is a serial contributor to the Guardian: Comment is Free and this piece outlines his vision for a better England. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/23/britishidentity



Imagined Nation: One of Mark Perrymans books.


It struck me that Perryman was so frustrated in his efforts, being hit by the brick wall of the British parties on one side who want to sweep England under the carpet and the far right hijacking English identity on the other.

And this Labour student’s response was just typical of the attitude of the British parties.

Identity is important to us all, whether that be we are a supporter of a football team, a Royal Mail worker or English.

What nationalism does is bring all these identities under a national community, as I have mentioned before Plaid’s vision of Wales is a diverse community of communities.

If the London parties refuse to wake up and accept English people want to be recognised as such and not under a false British identity then maybe we will see the civil war Nick Griffin is so eager for.

England is in such an early stage of its national development, Wales as Perryman admits is the envy of many English men and women of all religions and origins.

We have much work to do in Wales building our national future and contribution to the world and humanity, but our English friends can rest assured Cymru X and Plaid Cymru will always have time to guide you on your course too.

"Take down the Union Jack, it clashes with the sunset" - Billy Bragg

Free England!

Victory over fascists in Swansea

by Luke James, Cymru X Vice-Chair

Swansea stood united yesterday to send 60 fascist protesters packing from our streets.

Members of of the Cymru X Swansea University branch joined a peaceful demonstration in Castle Square, the heart of Swansea city centre, to stop the 'Welsh Defence League' from holding a demonstration there.


Myself and Bethan Downes (Cymru X Abertawe Secretary) centre with other Swansea students.

Demo

The fascist 'Welsh Defence League' could be seen 'mobbing up' like hooligans at a pub facing onto the square.

Despite this intimidation the Unite Against Fascism demonstation didn't move an inch and held Castle Square all day to prevent the facists from taking centre stage.


Our flag not yours! - Cymru X member shows fascists they don't speak for Wales.

When the WDL tried to move in they were opposed and the police stepped in and kept them penned outside the sheep shop opposite the square for an hour before they were marched to the trainstation and dispersed.

Whilst held in the street the fascist WDL gave Nazi salutes, chanted rule britannia and burnt an anti Nazi flag.

The counter demonstration and everyone present showed that when opposed Nazi's will get nowhere, and our streets belong to the whole community and not small minded rascists.

Rhyddid,Tegwch,Cymuned

At the demo I took along the Welsh republican tricolor and had a couple of questions about what it was about and what it stood for.

The green is for freedom, the white for equality and the red for community. Rhyddid, tegwch, cymuned.

That is what Cymru X and Plaid Cymru are all about, which is why I took the tricolor to fly alongside Y Draig Goch.

And I believe the tricolor represents our national future and the community of communities we are trying to build, our vision for a inclusive Welsh Republic.

Lighter moments

Although it was a day where passions ran high there were some very amusing moments.

Throughout the day UAF supporters had been playing bongo drums to keep up the atmosphere, this continued despite tensions rising when we faced down the fascists.



At one particuarly intense moment in the stand off when the police were moving people back, the ever indomitable Aled of Swansea Uni Gym Gym and Cymru X Abertawe turned round to a drummer and said "butt, try sticking in a counter rythem."

Which he did and to be fair it sounded a lot better.

Result

As a result of our actions yesterday the WDL have called off their Newport demonstration. You can read more about that @ http://welshramblings.blogspot.com/

Da iawn to everyone who went and stood their ground against fascism yesterday. Dal dy dir!


Cymru X Prifysgol Abertawe/Swansea University facebook group

cymruxabertawe@hotmail.com

Plaid a mynd i chwilio am Degid

'Da ni yma ac yn ei chanol hi. Prynhawn Gwener cafwyd croeso gan Gwenllian Lansdown Prif Weithredwr Plaid Cymru a chael ein siarsio gan Huw Antur pennaeth Glan-llyn i beidio torri'r rheolau megis - bechgyn i beidio mynd i 'stafelloedd merched a.y.b.
Cyn cael swper roedd cyfle i gael dau weithdy - 'Ymgyrch San Steffan' gan Gwenllian ac 'Sut i ennill mewn tir newydd' gan Neil McEvoy. Bwysicaf oll mae'n falch gen i gyhoeddi bod y bwyd yn 5 seren ac mi roeddwn i'n gwneud yn fawr o bob pryd a phwdin!
Ni fyddai noson gymdeithasol Plaid yn gyflawn heb sing song gan icon rhif 6 Cymru gyfan- y dyn ei hun - ein Llywydd - Dafydd Iwan, ond tro 'ma fel trît ychwanegol fe'n diddanwyd gan neb llai na Geraint Lovegreen. Roedd y neuadd dan ei sang wrth i Lovegreen adrodd ei gerddi a chanu alawon hen a newydd gan gynnwys yn briodol iawn y gan Dafydd Elis Thomas. Siomedig iawn oedd y DJ (nid D.J Williams) Er mor holl alluog yw'r Pennaeth Cyfathrebu, Morgan Lloyd, mae dewis playlist allan o'i afael mae gen i ofn.
Aeth pawb am y cae sgwâr yn blant da, rhai yn gynt na'r lleill ( 'da chi'n gwybod pwy yda chi) yn barod am ddiwrnod llawn dop o sesiynau a gweithdai. Er safon uchel iawn y gweithdai bu rhaid i un neu ddau fynd am nap neu 'forty winks' er mwyn gallu para'r diwrnod cyfan. Cafwyd sesiynau megis 'Cyfraith etholiadol a Chyllid Ymgyrchu', sut i 'Ddysgu o Bleidiau Eraill' ac 'datblygu Maniffestos lleol'. Mi siaradais i gyd aelodau o'r Blaid ar sawl lefel boed yn ymgeisydd i actifyddion neu i Brif weithredwyr! oedd yn gweld budd mawr i'r sesiynau ac wedi dysgu rhywbeth newydd a fyddant yn sicr yn ei gario wrth fynd yn nôl i'w canghennau neu rhanbarthau.
Cyn cael swper roedd staff Tŷ Gwynfor wedi trefnu noson o ffug-etholiad. Dyna'r olygfa, neuadd bentref yn Llanbidinodyn, pedair plaid gyda phedwar ymgeisydd, pedwar asiant, pedwar rheolydd ymgyrch a llu o 'counting agents'.
Diben y gweithgaredd oedd tynnu sylw pawb at bwysigrwydd rôl pawb mewn count. Rhoddodd y swyddog canlyniadau sawl trap a bagl er mwyn dal rhai o'r pleidiau allan. Cafwyd achos lle bu i un o aelodau'r Torïaid ddwyn papurau pleidleisio'r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ac o dan amgylchiadau go-iawn byddai rhaid ffonio'r heddlu. Roedd hefyd sawl papur pleidleisio wedi ei ddifetha ac felly roedd rhaid i fod ymgeisydd ac asiant ynghyd a'r swyddog canlyniadau fynd drwy'r rheolau gan gytuno ar y papurau hynny oedd yn dderbyniol.
beth bynnag roedd y noson yn llwyddiannus a thensiwn i'w deimlo gyda 'chydig o staff y Torïaid yn digio!
Ar ôl swper aeth pawb i newid i rywbeth chydig bach yn jazzy ac off a ni i Bala wa. Plas Coch oedd y stop cyntaf a'r unig stop. Dros beint mi roth pawb y byd yn ei le, gyda'r aelod o'r SNP yn teimlo'n hapusach mewn cynefin mwy cyfforddus. Dechreuodd 'na rai chwarae Tipit ond mi aeth chwarae'n troi'n chwerw gydag un tîm yn torri rheolau a dechrau chwarae'n fudur. Mi wyddoch chi yn iawn pwy yda' chi y Double Bants.

Bore Sul, pawb yn edrych ymlaen am sesiwn gyda Hywel Williams AS ar sut i greu tîm o ymgyrchwyr i ennill. Gyda'r pwyslais ar ennill. Sesiwn anffurfiol oedd hon gyda thasgau hwyliog tipyn o chwerthin ond roedd y neges wedi ei chario mewn ffordd gynnil. Cyn cau'r ysgol haf mi aeth pawb am ginio dydd Sul oedd bron a bod mor fawr â chinio 'dolig i rai ohona ni. Beth bynnag mae pawb wedi gadael hefo cyswllt newydd a bwysicaf oll wedi creu ffrindiau o fewn y Blaid a thu allan. Dwi'n sicr yn edrych 'mlaen at yr ysgol haf nesaf fydd heb os yn bigyr and betyr.
O.N. Mae'r Bala nawr wedi ei hysbysu ar wallt melfedaidd Ioan Bellin.

CWJ

Summer School - Why you need to go!

By Luke James

I had only read accounts from dusty books about summer schools being part of life as a Plaid Cymru member and patriot so I am excited at the opportunity to attend one this year.

After receiving the Cymru X email giving all young members of Plaid Cymru the chance to come along to the summer school in Bala from July 10th – 12th , and for the bargain price of £20, I wanted to find out more.

So today I headed for the depths of Swansea University library and managed to find the official programme for the 1962 Pontarddulais conference and summer school.

The 1962 affair was certainly longer than the weekend event this year; in 1962 the party met over 5 days to plan a way forward for Wales. I suspect this year’s event might be a little more informal minus the conference too.

The programme's youth report is encouraging with four new branches at Denbigh, Newcastle Emlyn, Monmouth and even Birmingham University having been established.

“The 1962 Youth Summer School will have greater emphasis on practical nationalism with loudspeaker canvassing…” and it goes on describing how the party intended to “furnish” its young activists with the information and arguments they needed to take the message of a free and fair Wales to the people.

And then I flicked through the motions and saw what this generation achieved.

The Penycae branch submitted a Welsh language television motion calling for the BBC to give Welsh language programmes earlier slots in the schedule. Now we have two Welsh language television channels with a broad and appealing output.

And again the Penycae branch raised Welsh in education at the ’62 conference, they talked about the decreasing number of children who speak Welsh in Wales, but now I live a stones throw away from a thriving Welsh primary school which is amongst hundreds.

I tip my hat to the Penycae massive.

And in motion 6, a short term programme for Wales submitted by the executive council stated: “The establishment of National Boards for Wales for Transport, Water, Electricity and coal” and “Establishment of National cultural institutions such as National Theatre, National Opera House, National Orchestra, National Art Gallery, National Sporting Organisation and Stadium” as priorities.

All of these things the youth of this generation fought for and won with the party, and what they won was the survival of this nation.

Now our generation and Cymru X must fulfil its role, by attending the summer school and learning how to fight political battles.

I for one am truly grateful to everyone in this party before us who have laid the foundations for our generation to win independence and a more prosperous nation for the people of Wales.

And remember just four years later in the 1966 General Election Gwynfor Evans was elected, the first Plaid Cymru electoral victory.

Afterwards Gwynfor said: “There’s new life here, there is a new generation rising in loyalty to their land. And the light we see today is not the light of a setting sun but the light of a new dawn and together in the next few years it’s possible for us to restore our national freedom and to set Wales once again where she should be – A free nation and a responsible member of the great community of nations in the world.”

So… who’s giving me a lift to Glan Llyn?

For further information please contact Tŷ Gwynfor on 029 20 475926 or email postcymrux@googlemail.com.

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.