Er Gwaethaf Pawb a Phopeth

I don't think I've been patriotic enough in these writings, so I guess it's time for a Nationalistic rant.

Oh no, not that type of Nationalism. The second word of the title says "Socialism", not "Nazism". I'm not going to kill anyone for my country, nor would I die for it. That's just stupid. However, I wont let the culture of Wales, its history and language die on my watch.

Wales, for those who don't know, is a country bordering England, and has been oppressed by them for hundreds of years. To such an extend that in the 60s, Welsh - widely cited as the oldest living language in Europe - could die out. This sparked a wide campaign - led by people such as Dafydd Iwan and Saunders Lewis - to save the language. However, despite the fact that it is now growing again, Wales is still to shake of the shackles of this oppression.

Until a few years ago, Wales did not have its parliament. This, from a country that supposedly believes in Democracy. People complain about the break up of Britain. Well sorry but as far as I'm concerned, Britain doesn't even exist any more. When the "good old Empire" broke up, so did Britain. And all these people wave flags as some old person drives by, struggling to hold a hand up. Oh, they'll sing "God Save the Queen" all day without realises that the monarchy does fuck all today. They're just an in-bred family, that happened to be descended from some guy who came to Britain and won a battle.

These same people are the same deluded ones who, for the most part, tried to kill off anyone different. Just look what the xenophobes did in India, Africa, China and - although unnoticed by many - Wales. It's not that long ago when if a child was caught speaking Welsh in school, they would be given a piece of wood with the letters "W N" ("Welsh Not") engraved on it, and the last person wearing it at the end of the day was caned. What a great way to make yourself look good.

I'm not saying that everyone was like this, but something must have gone wrong when the people with these opinions were put in charge. Or is it just coming down to the fact that "Power Corrupts"? Either way, once again, the words of Dafydd Iwan sum it up best:

Er gwaethaf pawb a phopeth,
Ry'n ni yma o hyd.

Despite everyone and everything,
We're still here.