..........................."Ymhob pen y mae 'piniwn."-" In every head there is an opinion."-Welsh proverb....
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Plaid Cymru leader seeks move to Welsh referendum on independence | UK news | theguardian.
Plaid Cymru leader seeks move to Welsh referendum on independence
Leanne Wood wants devolution replaced by a new constitution written by the people!
- theguardian.com, Wednesday 11 June 2014 14.01 ED
Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru, wants a system of self-government determined by the Welsh people. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
The leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru has called for devolution in Wales to be scrapped and replaced by a system of self-government determined by the country's citizens.
In what is being seen as the most significant intervention on the future shape of government in Wales made by a Plaid leader since the creation of the Welsh national assembly 15 years ago, Leanne Wood said a new constitution should be written and led by the people of Wales.
In recent years Plaid's leadership has tended to speak about independence as a longer-term aspiration, but with the Scottish referendum putting the issue centre-stage across the UK, Wood said independence ought to be regarded as "normal" and it ought to be up to the people of Wales to decide what powers or decisions are shared with others rather than London deciding what powers the Welsh assembly should have.
Speaking at University College London, Wood said Plaid would now produce a white paper on its plans. She said: "For too long, independence in the Welsh context has been treated as a pipe-dream, as an aspiration so distant it has been seen as unrealistic and unworkable. I want to elevate the debate and I can reveal that Plaid Cymru will shortly be publishing plans to begin the debate on Wales's future."
Wood said a future Plaid Welsh government would seek an agreement with the UK government to devolve the Welsh constitution – including the right to hold binding referendums – to the Welsh assembly. She said this would give the chance for the people of Wales to write their own constitution. "I would be eager for the new process to be people-led, not politician-led.
"Wales's constitution should be written and led by the people of Wales. A citizen-led constitution would help us reinvigorate the politics of Wales generally, it would put power back in the hands of the people rather than with a small elite."
If those constitutional changes were made, the people of Wales would be empowered – if they wanted it – to seek a referendum on independence.
She made it clear that she wanted an independent Wales to continue working closely with other parts of the UK. "We support the establishment of an independent Wales in order to join the international community, not to somehow retreat into an inward-looking isolationism," she said.
"Independence is not an end in itself. It is the beginning of a period of endless opportunity. Above all, independence is normal."
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The Roman attack on Anglesey 60AD
The Roman attack on Anglesey 60AD
Anglesey’s strategic importance was clearly significant. It was a place of refuge for dissenters, and had considerable agricu...ltural and mineral wealth, but the main incentive for the campaign seems to have been the desire to destroy the druids last major outpost . The Romans legions XIV and XX attacked Mona with a level of brutality and ferocity rarely seen elsewhere in their conquest of Britain, such was their determination to wipe out the druids. It is thought that the Romans crossed the Menai Straits at low tide, when there was only a narrow strip of water between Anglesey and the mainland. Although they were initially cowed by their superstitions, urging from their commanders soon led them to inflict a bloody slaughter on the the defending Deceangli force , making especially sure to kill the druids, destroy their sacred groves, and cover their altars with the blood and entrails of British captives. Before the victory over the Deceangli can be secured, however, Paulinus is forced to abandon the campaign and rush his troops eastwards to deal with the massive rebellion led by queen Boudicca.
The attack is documented by Tacitus.
"Ranks of warriors lined the Anglesey shore, urged on by their women, shrieking like furies, dressed in burial black, while druids, with arms outstretched to heaven, cursed the invaders."
"The legionnaries doffed their clothes and swam naked across the Menai Straights to do battle with the druid-led Celts.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
On 25th May 1999, the last pit pony in the South Wales coalfield
25th May.
On 25th May 1999, the last pit pony in the South Wales coalfield, 'Robbie' worked his last day underground at Pant y Gasseg, Pontypool.
At its peak in 1913, there were 70,000 ponies working underground in Britain's coal mines.... In later years, mechanical haulage was quickly introduced on the main underground roads replacing the pony hauls, and ponies tended to be confined to the shorter runs from coal face to main road . As of 1984, 55 ponies were still in use with the National Coal Board in Britain.
Larger horses, such as varieties of Cleveland Bay could be used on higher underground roadways, but on many duties small ponies no more than 12 hands high were needed. Shetlands were a breed commonly used because of their small size. In shaft mines, ponies were normally stabled underground and fed on a diet with a high proportion of chopped hay and maize, coming to the surface only during the colliery's annual holiday. In slope and drift mines, the stables were usually on the surface near the mine entrance. Typically, they would work an eight-hour shift each day, during which they might haul 30 tons of coal in tubs on the underground narrow gauge railway. One 1911 writer estimated that the average working life of coal mining mules was only 3 1/2 years, where 20-year working lives were common on the surface. See More
Monday, May 19, 2014
Earl T. Williams Jr
On this day in 1869, miners at the Leeswood colliery near Mold march their English manager to the train station in order to send him home. This led to the Mold Riots.
http://leeswoodcommunity.org.uk/history/the-mold-riots/
A very good article on the riots.
http://www.welshnot.com/history/the-mold-riots-the-summer-of-69/
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