The article in question was penned by
a Theo Davies Lewis and is entitled... "If Adam Price wants to
win Independence he must focus on Wales' present not the past" and In
the article (see at bottom of this post) the author is critical of Adam Price for comparing the
experience of Cymru in the industrial era to that of a colonial nation and that
Cymru was owed 'reparations' from the U.K. Government for a century of being
ground down in poverty. The author then states that he considers the comments
made by Adam Price to be "offensive and Inappropriate.
"offensive" to whom, I ask, the U.K. Government?
"Inappropriate"? What I find inappropriate is that Adam Price
was only seeking 'reparations' for one century of colonial
exploitation when the English State and Royalty, along with their legions of
Robber Barons, Industrialists and capitalists have all, in turn, robbed and
scavenged our land and natural resources, impoverishing our nation and people
for well over 700 yrs! Now, 'reparation' payments for 700 years of colonial exploitation
from State, Royalty and the modern day families of the Robber Barons and
Industrial capitalists, would go a long way towards getting an Independent Cymru
back on its feet! I have always gone with the presumption that if you ask for a
loaf, you get half, if you ask for half a loaf, you get nothing!
Theo Davies Lewis then goes on to
state:
" These analogous remarks
misconstrue Wales’
active and willing role in fueling the expansion of the British Empire,
and distracts us from the broader issue of promoting racial equality and a more
reflective historical curriculum in Wales and
the UK".
Are we 'really' that cowed as a nation to have been reduced to 'having the need
to' inform the world that we 'fueled' the expansion of the British Empire? Do we 'really' want to express our
servitude to the world that our people 'slaved' to expand the British Empire at the cost of our own small
nation and its people? I would like to think that we don't and that we have a
grain of pride left in us yet - and no, we did not 'willingly' play
the role. Most of our people were serfs living off the land until the Robber
Barons taxed them so heavily that they could hardly feed their families with what
produce they were left with. Then, came the enclosures, forcing our people to
leave their Tyddynod for the new industrial areas to slave again for starvation
wages and now, thanks again to the 'great' British Empire, we live in a nation
stripped of its industries and our people remain poverty stricken - which
brings me to the next point where Theo Davies Lewis goes on to accuse Adam
Price of, wait for it...
"distracts us from the broader issue of promoting racial equality and a
more reflective historical curriculum in Wales and the UK".
Exactly what does he mean by that statement? Is it Plaid Cymru's main role now
then to promote racial equality? Last time I checked, Plaid Cymru was
established in 1925 to be the National Party of Cymru (the
give away is in the name) bought into existence as opposition to the Unionist
parties with its main aim (at this time at least) to achieve Independence for
Cymru so that all our citizens can have equality when it comes to jobs, homes,
health care, education etc. By making the case for 'reparations', which will be
needed to fund the infrastructure of an Independent Cymru, because the system
of accepting crumbs off our master's table in the form of grants will go along
with our chains, Adam is doing his job as leader of Plaid admirably. There is
already a Racial Equality Commission and it will continue to be, as a
department within the infrastructure of an Independent Cymru.
As for a 'more reflective historical curriculum'
Whose history? Our school children
have had to endure the dreaded 'Welsh Knot' regime which 'literally' beat their
native language out of them. It has always been British policy not to
teach our heroic or any Cymric history that might give us back our
national consciousness in Cymric schools. These policies have resulted in
generations of Cymric children being totally ignorant and deprived of
their native history and a national consciousness and pride in their nation
right up to the present. It is long overdue for that issue to be
addressed and the teaching of Cymric history in Cymric schools should be the
priority for the 'Senedd' now, along with the setting up of a Cymric History
Month, in preparation for the new dawning of an Independent Cymru.
Theo Davies
Lewis in the article conceded that Adam Price had, earlier this month, pushed for
an inquiry into “structural racism” in Wales, and had last week pushed the
First Minister into voicing support for a BAME museum and I would agree, that
it would be appropriate to have such a museum located in Bute in Bae
Caerdydd as the history and growth of Bute/Tiger Bay is now a part of Cymru's
modern history but, whilst recognizing that fact, let's not, as a nation,
be dictated to by today's political correctness to belittle and play down our
own native history.
Theo Davies Lewis then goes on to say: "However, there is another reason
to refrain from using historical analogies to support arguments for an
independent nation which is that most people care about the here and now not
what has gone before".
Obviously, people's main concern in
life has and will always be 'bread and butter' issues, that's a fact of life as
is that 'those who have' and 'those who do not have' but, I do not know of any
other nation that has campaigned for Independence, doing so without the
utilization of their history as a tool in their campaigns. Surely, the
historical experiences of any nation in struggle for Independence
is the background and argument for any Independence
cause. We have to only look in the direction of Ireland, Catalonia, Scotland
and Kurdistan for proof of this but, if further proof is needed, go and google
up Wars of Independence, they're limitless but the common denominator is that
they all based their right to be independent on their unique history, and their
struggles were/are then based on their right to 'self determination' so that
they can better the everyday lives of their people. Our history and
Sovereignty is what makes us unique as Cymry. If we are not at one with it then
we are 'nothing' and there is absolutely no need for a Plaid Cymru. Our history
and Sovereignty (although the British State has done its uppermost to deprive us of
both) is the fabric that is our identity as a people, and is every bit as
important to the continuance of our existence as English history is to the
existence of the English State. That is why they spend a fortune
of our taxpayers' money on their pomp and pageantry from one year to the next!.
Adam Price knows all this and is
correct in making use of history to show that we were and still should be a
proud nation, able and ready to stand on our own two feet. The daily lives of
the Cymric masses will not improve until we are independent and can build our
own independent infrastructure that will bring prosperity and equality to
every citizen residing in our nation.
Theo Davies Lewis continues:
"invoking a nation’s history may
get the cultural nationalists already converted to Plaid’s cause very excited.
It no doubt goes down a storm at the party’s conferences.But it
will hardly resonate at all with the kind of people the party need to convince
to expand its voter base beyond the low 20% – the people who, if they consider
Welsh independence at all, will do so on entirely practical terms".
But, who is Theo Davies Lewis referring to when he refers to 'the kind of
people' the party need to convince to expand its voter base'? Would he be
referring to the Cymric underclass, the underprivileged ill educated, out of
work mass of Cymry living in poor housing on council estates, the Cymry that Plaid Cymru
has never won over to the cause because the majority are not of the same social
class as members of Plaid Cymru and Plaid have never, in all of its existence,
really worked at establishing relations with them and/or tried to educate them
in regards to the history that they have been deprived of, and/or have worked
hard enough to convince them that their lives will improve for the better in an
Independent Cymru. Nevertheless, they are Cymry so the underlying fabric is in place
for Plaid to capitalize on in terms of potential voters if, the party is
prepared to 'really' get to grips with this issue; or, is Theo Davies Lewis
referring to the new AUOB voter, a combination of 'middle class' Cymry and
those that have moved into Cymry in recent years in their quest for escapism
into a quieter life from what they get in the inner cities of England? Yes,
These 'new age colonisers' may appear to be in support of the Cymric
Independence campaign and may be potential voters for Plaid Cymru but, questions
need to be poised as to why they are in support?. Is it for the
"practical" reasons that Theo Davies Lewis referred to? being, that apart from being able to live out their quieter existence in Cymru, are
they hoping for jobs in the new technologies industries for themselves and
their families and/or hoping that grants for arts and media or building
development projects will be easier to access in an Independent Cymru or, would
they be hoping for political positions or other forms of employment in the new, or associated with the Independent Senedd once the campaign is won and that infastructure is in
place? If so, isn't that rather artificial and, where do the loyalties of these
people really stand when it comes to the crunch? and, talking of loyalties,
shouldn't it be the role of Plaid Cymru to better the lives of the
indigenous population of our nation? A populace that have suffered for
centuries under English rule and still do, a Cymric underclass that grossly
outnumbers the new 'fair weather friend' new age coloniser/ I would suggest
that Plaid Cymru's loyalties should be to this Cymric people or, if it Is not,
they have no more to offer than the Unionists parties and might as well throw
the towel in.
It seems that there are 'some knives' being thrown at Adam Price by certain
leading members of his own party who, according to Theo Davies Lewis, have
criticized him for making his "reparations" remarks. Why? Are we
not to demand "reparations" for the already listed and much more -
such as for all the Cymric villages and communities that have been drowned to
provide water to England, water that has never been paid for I might add. Why
would our Cymric national party be against "reparations" for such
atrocities and why would they not stand with the leader in fighting for such on
behalf of our nation and its people? Would it be because there are certain
people in the higher ranks of Plaid Cymru who are looking with 'jaundiced' eyes
at the role of President as a role that they would wish to take on as their own and for
their own gratification than rather for the overall good of our nation. These
people need to be very wary when they throw about statements such as that...
"the debate surrounding Independence is
very much focused, as it should be, on issues surrounding the economic and
political situation in twenty-first century Wales, not the state of our country
over the last three hundred years"
Of course me must focus on issues surrounding the economic and political
situation in twenty-first century Cymru but, let's not forget why we need to do
that and for whose benefit and, in regards to undervaluing our rich native
history as a tool towards achieving our goal of Independence, I would suggest
that this would be a serious case of 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater'
what other nation fighting for Independence has been or would be so dense as
not to use it as a tool just because it did not resonate to 'fair weather'
friends of the day.
Theo Davies Lewis also stated that
Professor Martin Johnes had critizised
Adam Price for his lack of understanding of Cymric history and argued that he
was damaging his party's credibility. I do not claim to know what
Professor Martin Johnes' political affiliation is - if any but, he has written enough on Cymric national
identity so, he should know that without a knowledge of our history, we cannot
claim to have a national identity - and due to the fact that the Cymry have
been deprived of our history, they do not possess a national identity. Adam is
from a working class background, his father was on the picket line during the
Miner's Strike of 1984 so, he's had a taste of personal experience of that
fabric which produces a national identity - which is more than Professor Martin
Johnes has had so, I would suggest that it is the author and Professor Martin
Johnes that appear to have a lack of knowledge or understanding of Cymric
history and/or are in a state of 'self induced' amnesia in regards to our
colonial history for reasons best known to themselves. Maybe, its due to the
ingrained colonized induced mentality that, we will never have Independence or have 'real' control over our
own destiny as a nation so, best to sweep the past under the carpet and fall in
line.
