Oi! Where are you going with my country?

Tony Blair recently stated in his memoirs that:

'I was never a passionate devolutionist. It is a dangerous game to play. You can never be sure where nationalist sentiment ends and separatist sentiment begins'

Very true Tony.  Unfortunately his party still pressed ahead with the devolution agenda. Certainly to my mind the creation of the Welsh Assembly, and all that goes with it, has furthered separatist sentiment. This has happened to the extent that I have noticed a change in public attitudes and the frequency that one encounters radical views within the short time that the Assembly has been in place.

The front line of this feeling is of course lead by Plaid Cymru, who quite amazingly, are actually in coalition and currently 'running' Wales. This comparatively tiny party shout a lot louder than their number would suggest.

Recently I learned that they have invited a politician from the Flemish Nationalist Party to speak at their annual conference. One should wonder what, if anything, ties Wales and Flanders together. Looking at the Flemish Nationalist Party's policies you can begin to see their motivation.

1) Preferential choice in schooling for families with one Dutch speaking parent.
2) Libraries to stock at least 75% Flemish books.
3) Blood donation drives to be conducted among people who are mono-lingually Dutch.

Plaid Cymru has been pushing the Welsh language agenda throughout. My view has always been quite simple. Language is a method of communication; it is a 'currency' if you like, for information exchange. Efficient exchange occurs within single currency areas, and therefore having multiple currencies in use is always inefficient.

In economics the argument can be made for separate currencies for a multitude of reasons which do not apply to language, and if I digressed would take this metaphor too far. The promotion of Welsh language in Wales is not designed to improve efficiency, which could be argued about teaching other foreign languages to children, it is designed to appease a cultural desire. This is why it should not be mandatory, or an issue for government.

As far as I know, 20% of the population of Wales can speak Welsh, most of which I would imagine are young and can only speak Welsh because it was made compulsory in schools a few years ago. I am also lead to believe that of those completing the most recent census, only 2.5% chose the Welsh option, and the numbers who select Welsh at cash-points are even lower. Where is the demand for Welsh that this party thinks it is satisfying?

Lastly, Plaid has recently issued some new ideas it is considering putting into its new manifesto.

- making Wales a trilingual nation within a generation, with children learning a third language.
- introducing a national car-free day from 2012.
- making electric car charging stations compulsory in every new public building from 2016.
- creating more community gardens for food security.
- launching a new Welsh diet and nutrition drive based on the creation of local food systems across Wales.

What strikes me about these, apart from the fact that most of them are a bit wacky, is that they all seem to appeal to small groups of fanatics. Having found some support banging the Welsh language drum, they have now found that appeasing the 'greens', the 'eat locals', and so on, can improve their party base. I found the trilingual policy particularly humorous as with only 20% of the population speaking Welsh I would say it is a bit ambitious to claim that we are even a bilingual nation!

So the question I have is, where are this party, who are currently in office, with their wacky ideas, fanatical support, and lack of demand from the public, going with my country!??!?

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