Anti Welsh Bigotry

Anti-Welsh language bigotry has lessened thankfully in these enlightened times but occasionally it does rear up its ugly head. This week we had two such cases first from Labour Cllr Ramesh Patel of Cardiff who compared Welsh language education to 'ethnic cleansing', yes you read it right, ethnic cleansing. I will not say much because he has been reported to the Police and rightly so for his inflammatory and disgraceful remarks in a public meeting. And secondly Rhys Williams Labour candidate for Dinefwr and Carmarthen East whom claimed all sorts of things in a paranoid and hysterical rant in an article under the headline 'Hating Welsh Speakers' – which says it all doesn’t it. I wonder what the reaction would have been if the headline was ‘Hating Polish speakers or Muslims’.

Could I be bothered, I asked myself, to answer some of the comments made by this pinhead. It’s so tedious to read an ignorant bigoted view of Welsh speakers in this day and age that it seemed easier to just ignore it. The language isn’t nor should it be a party political issue, to be used as a stick to hit your opponents with just as religion and skin colour shouldn’t be, so this does reflect poorly on the Labour Party if this person is the best they can find as a candidate for the constituency. To offend and insult the very people you are trying to appeal to is not only a huge own goal but so stupid it beggars belief.

Mr Williams must be overjoyed with all the attention he's had which was probably his aim, let’s face it before this he wasn’t even a household name in his own household. The truth is Cllr Patel and Mr Williams are really nothing more than pub bores with chips on their shoulders, big enough to been seen from space, ranting against the world. Tells us more about them and their mentality than anything else. But they are a small vocal minority which is, gladly, dying out. They’re on their own. They’ve been left behind. Maybe that’s what’s bothering them, that they are out of touch.

The sad thing all this has slightly overshadowed the real news that matters. The Welsh Government has put a Welsh language legislative order in place. So despite the two narrow-minded bigots above, this week has been a historic day for the Welsh language. "Diwrnod hanesyddol i'r iaith Gymraeg.”

Plus please read these excellent blogs:
http://marilwyd.blogspot.co
http://borthlas.blogspot.com
http://blog.rhysllwyd.com