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Cymru : Welsh government set the agenda on languages rights

Even before the first ever debate is held in the French Parliament this Wednesday about the languages of the French state, Plaid Cymru have announced that they are preparing to bid for

Par Cathal Ó Luain pour Celtic League le 6/05/08 19:46

Even before the first ever debate is held in the French Parliament this Wednesday about the languages of the French state, Plaid Cymru have announced that they are preparing to bid for an extension of the range of powers for the Welsh language in Wales, as part of the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff.

Currently Welsh language legislation in Wales does not cover the private sector, allowing companies to actively discriminate against Welsh speakers should they wish to do so. However, plans unveiled by Plaid Cymru last week by Welsh Language Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas will give statutory rights to Welsh speakers in the work place for the first time. Last year, several companies and businesses in Wales asked their workforce not to speak Welsh while at work, including the travel agency Thomas Cook, the supermarket chain Tesco and its recruitment agency, Adecco and even a restaurant in North Wales, 'La Voile'.

Welsh Government Assembly Member Alun Ffred Jones, who has been actively campaigning for further rights for the Welsh language said:

"I want 2008 to be remembered as the year that Government Ministers recognised, for the first time, that Welsh speakers should not be treated as second class citizens in their own country and decided to do something about it."

Further rights for Welsh would push language legislation in Wales far in advance of Brittany and the other Celtic countries, outside the Gaeltacht areas of Éire/Ireland. In France it has taken the United Nations Year of International Languages, NGO's denouncing French language and cultural policy to the United Nations in Geneva for the second year running, UNESCO recording an 'endangered' verdict on the Breton language and many, many years of campaigning and lobbying to even get the French Parliament to discuss the issue of its state languages.

The development of the linguistic rights of the peoples in all the other Celtic countries are leaving the Bretons the odd one out while the Breton language continues to suffer and struggle on in the face of a continuing policy of French linguistic assimilation.

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

05/05/08

Voir aussi :

Au festival interceltique, l'ICB fait dialoguer jeunes Irlandais, Écossais, Gallois et Bretons sur l'identité celte par Philippe Argouarch le 17/08/2024
ABP interviewe le Premier ministre du Pays de Galles par Philippe Argouarch le 05/08/2023
La première série en langue galloise sur Netflix sort lundi par TV-Trégor le 01/04/2023
Histoires parallèles du Pays de Galles et de la Bretagne par l'historien Jean-Jacques Monnier et Olivier Caillebot par Marie-Noelle Rinquin le 01/03/2020
Bretagne et Pays de Galles, 1919-2019, histoire parallèle par Jean-Jacques Monnier le 24/02/2020
L' histoire du Pays de Galles par Istoerioù Breizh le 29/12/2019
Le Pays de Galles lance une Journée annuelle de la langue galloise par La rédaction le 02/12/2019
L'Écosse emboîte le pas au Pays de Galles pour la promotion de la langue via Iaith Gwaith par Philippe Argouarch le 15/10/2019

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues. TEL (UK) 01624 877918 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609 (voir le site)

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