Deddf Iaith a'r Ceidwadwyr

Hat tip i Guerilla Welsh Fare am y syniad tu ol i'r blog yma. Yn ei blog, mae'n son am y ffaith nad yw'r Toriaid, a oedd gynt yn weithredol dros yr iaith Gymraeg, sef Lisa Francis a Glyn Davies wedi cael eu ail ethol, ac yn awgrymu na fydd y grwp Toriaid newydd yn rhoi'r iaith ar flaen yr agenda gwleidyddol.

Roedd y gwleidyddion uchod yn fwy na rhannol gyfrifol am apel y Toriaid i Genedlaetholwyr adain de, ac am symud blaenoriaethau'r Blaid i ffwrdd o agenda canol y ffordd, cyffyrddus, i'r tasg o 'Gymreigio'r' Toriaid yng Nghymru. Yn sicr, roedd eu gwaith wedi dwyn ffrwyth i raddau helaeth, yn enwedig o ysytyried eu rol o fewn Cymdeithas yr Iaith- eu cefnogaeth i adolygiad o'r Ddeddf Iaith bresenol, a datblygiad addysg Gymraeg. Ond, y cwestiwn mawr yw- a fydd yr adain yma o fewn y Blaid yn parhau nawr bod Lisa Francis a Glyn Davies ill dau ymhell o goridorau pwer Bae Caerdydd, yntau a fydd agenda'r Blaid yn cael ei domiwnyddu gan Cameron o'r swyddfeydd Toriaid yn Llundain?

Felly mi fydd y misoedd nesaf yn gyfnod ddiddorol iawn o ran deall blaenoriathau polisi y grwp Toriaid newydd. Mi fydd yn gyfnod diddorol i aelodau Cymdeithas yr Iaith hefyd, wrth iddynt baratoi eu gwaith o lobio Aelodau Cynulliad i gyflwyno Deddf Iaith Newydd yn rhan o bwerau newydd y Cynulliad, yn ogystal a strategaeth y grwp pwyso wrth fynd at eu gwaith.

Rhaid peidio anghofio chwaith bod natur y Blaid Lafur wedi newid yn awr hefyd. Os fydd ras arweinyddol o fewn y Blaid Lafur yn y misoedd/ blwyddyn nesaf, byddech yn siwr o weld ymgeiswyr o adain Undebol y Blaid hynny, ac o adain mwy Cenedlaetholgar y Blaid Lafur ( Andrew Davies vs Carwyn Jones, tybed?)
Efallai y bydd y ddadl ieithyddol yn rhan ganolog o'r ras hynny. Pwy a wyr?

Happy 10th birthday to the blog!

According to a Guardian article today, it's been 10 years since the first ever blog. There are now supposedly 70 million bloggers worldwide, with 1.5 million blogs being written a day! I'm a relative newcomer to the blogosphere, and I have to admit that I am something of a blogaholic! If I go at least a day without checking the blogs that I read frequently, I feel that I am being left out of the loop, and that I will miss out on a story. This may sound really sad to some, but to others no doubt the symptoms are well and clear!

Of course, blogging in most places is now a popular pastime, and a 'norm'. Although some bloggers have been unfortunate enough to be taken to court due to their blog content, others have reaped the benefits, and have become famous through the blogosphere alone. In many countries where blogging is not a norm as in Iraq, or where freedom of speech is suppressed, however, blogging is still a controversial hobby.

Before I started blogging I really did not see the benefits of it at all. My negative viewpoint stems from taking part in some web forums where, in my opinion, the voices of women were effectively ignored, and discussion was male dominated and cynical. Blogging is somewhat different in that you can create the story on your own agenda, shape it to how you would like it to sound, and engage in discussion on a far more equal playing field. It also sharpens your mind, and allows you to practise arguments (political in my case) that can be used in other areas of life.

I started blogging to air my opinions, not as a narcissist who likes the sound of my own voice. I want to engage with different people of different political persuasions, and hopefully encourage people to empathise with my way of thinking. As Glyn Davies has said on many occasions, blogging allows for you to become your own media, and highlight issues which other mainstream media channels may choose to ignore.

For now I will continue blogging. Nevertheless, my appetite for all things technological has grown, and I'm currently working on getting you tube films/ pod casts up and running, but that will be one for the future...

Tory donations at a record £ 24million- will Bourne splash this cash in Assembly election?

News today shows that the Conservatives received much more cash in donations than New Labour last year. They received£24.2 million in total, ( including gifts in kind and state funding) which is nearly twice the amount of Labour's total finances- standing at a mere £12.3 million.

In Wales, the issue comes down to whether or not the British parties really do want to fight the Assembly election on Welsh issues only. They may announce publicly that this is so, but behind closed doors, are they not scrappling to get their hands on HQ money that can fund a larger, possibly more successful Assembly election campaign?

If they are serious about Wales and the development of the National Assembly for Wales, then these parties must fight the election in it's entirety on a principled stand that Wales comes first- this must include a discussion on who donations are from, and where they are from. I believe that all parties should use money from Welsh donors, and donors in Wales. As a member of Plaid, I believe firmly in this, as it corresponds with my aspiration of establishing a Wales which can stand on it's own two feet. For the Tories, Lib dems and Labour, such a step could highlight a clear ideological shift - from being financially dependent on money budgeted from their London centre, to promoting fundraising and campaigns on purely a Wales wide level.

There needs to be a complete overhaul in the funding system- an increase in state funding could be an option, but only under the premise that a cap on funding would be introduced on private donations for all parties, and strict guidelines as to how such funding is implemented. I also believe that correspondence of any possible funding between investors and political parties should be much more open, so that corruption can be avoided. Cases such as Labour's 'cash for honours' scandal would then (with luck!) be a thing of the past.

Only when parties sign up to an agenda that puts Wales first can Glyn Davies AM and others with similar opinions suggest that Rhodri Morgan should concentrate efforts on targeting Nick Bourne as the Leader of the Conservatives in Wales. And only then can Labour in Wales truly become the Welsh Labour party that they continuely seek to portray themselves as in the Welsh press in the run up to the election on May the 3rd.

Glyn Davies's love affair with Cymdeithas yr Iaith

Chanticleer- the Cardiff Journalist, has blogged about Cymdeithas yr Iaith. I read with interest his remarks on the organisation. One comment in particular caught my eye- that Cymdeithas 'need to begin lobbying professionally - to an extent they already do, but they're still regarded as a tin-pot collection of vocal students rather than a serious policy-forming outfit'. Obviously many people do hold this stereotypical viewpoint of Cymdeithas, and probably many a Conservative Party member, but not Glyn Davies AM. His opinion is as follows:

'The reason that Cymdeithas have lost a bit of profile is that all the political parties have moved onto their territory.

Perhaps its my rebellious streak but I see great value in unruly organisations (within reason) that challenge the establishment - that I have become a part of. There is a lot to be said for what you call a "tinpot collection of vocal students". I wouldn't have used this description myself. We need political opinion driven by the heart as well as by the head, to inject some grit into the cosy consensus.'

I must say I was surprised, if pleasantly so by Glyn Davies's remarks. It reflects much of why I have entered politics- to try and put the passion and the drive back in to Party politics that currently exists amongst pressure groups such as Cymdeithas. With the development of devolution, I don't want to see a Cardiff Bay bubble of dry, dull politics taking centre stage. I want to see groups with real interests and concerns protest at the Assembly, lobby, campaign in any way to make their voices heard. This should be so that Politicians are at the edge of their seats, ready for the next challenge.

This does not go without saying that Cymdeithas must also embrace new challenges as a pressure group. As a member, I would not wish to criticise overtly, but those leading the organisation are aware that I think that Cymdeithas should be working much more closely with other, similar groups. They should especially be working with equal rights organisations, to maximise their campaign, and so as not to appear isolated in their demands. The perfect example is when Cymdeithas took part in anti- war demo's at the height of the Iraq war.

Yes, some political parties have moved over to Cymdeithas's territory- especially with regards to supporting a New Welsh Language Act. Let's hope New Labour will take a leaf out of their book, and rediscover/ discover 'political opinion driven by the heart....'