This is a video about the Greenpeace group who shut down Kingsnorth power station in Kent. A coal fired plant that pumps out 9 million tons of CO2 a year.
Protesters who take direct action on matters like these deserve our respect. There are very few of us who are prepared to put our freedom on the line for the things we believe to be important. But there are certain basic rules that apply:
• the action should be done openly
• the reasons for taking the action should be explained clearly
• the people involved should not run away or avoid arrest
• there should be no violence
We have a fine tradition of people who have been prepared to take such action over things like motorway building, airport expansion, the unfairness of the Poll Charge, votes for women, trades union rights, civil rights, nuclear weapons and other military instalations ... and the Welsh language too. It was very heartening to find that most people in Wales agree or strongly agree that protecting the language is as important as protecting the environment ... 55% in total with only 26% disagreeing, a margin of 29%
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Yes, of course I think that it is always best to use democratic means and peaceful protest to the fullest extend. But I would not condemn anyone who in good conscience decided that they needed to go further in order to make a point that was important to them. They do so in the clear knowledge that if they break the law they must accept the full consequences of doing so. In fact being fined or going to prison is perhaps the most eloquent and persuasive way of showing how much the issue matters to you.
Right or wrong is a matter of morality and judgement. It is most certainly not the same as lawful or unlawful. For example, are the rights or wrongs of say foxhunting decided by what the law says about it? Hunting with dogs was made unlawful because enough of our legislators thought it was wrong. Not the other way round. Nobody would say that it suddenly became "wrong" at the moment the law against it was passed ... it merely became unlawful. We should be very wary of anybody who defines right and wrong solely by what is or is not lawful. Most especially politicians. After all, one of the main jobs of a legislature to make and change laws.
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Anyway, the other factor which prompted me to write this post was the news that Ffred Ffransis was sent to prison for five days for refusing to pay a fine imposed on him some years ago. The action taken by Cymdeithas in 2001 fully fitted the criteria I outlined above.
Unlike a few people whose views I have read on the case, I do not condemn the fact that he was either fined or eventually sent to prison for refusing to pay that fine. The law is important, and it is important that the law takes its course. If I were the magistrate hearing the case I would have sent him to prison too. I would probably have been inclined to make the sentence longer. It is important for any society that the law is upheld and that people who break the law accept the consequences of their actions. Those principles have now been satisfied ... and Ffred Ffransis has had his say. Justice has been done.
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But who comes out with more? Well, I have no doubt that it is Ffred Ffrancis and the cause he wanted to highlight by taking the direct action in the first place. In fact the long delay in justice only serves to re-emphasize the point he and Cymdeithas were originally making ... because nothing has changed in the past eight years. That is shameful.
We still do not have a new Welsh Language Act (or now Measure) despite the political assurances that we would. As anyone who was concerned about the issue at the time will remember, Labour were highly critical of the 1993 Act passed by the Tories, and said they would pass an improved Act when they were elected. They were elected in 1997 ... and have had all of twelve years to make good on that promise.
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Also, too many public bodies (or firms to whom the work of public bodies is contracted-out) have simply paid lipservice to the requirements of the 1993 Act. The NHS is a good example: even now, sixteen years after the Act, the chances of being able to go to a hospital in many parts of Wales and get your consultation or treatment from NHS staff that speak Welsh are very, very remote indeed.
And so too, as Ffred Ffransis has now been able to highlight, is the prison service. As reported here the largest prison in Wales had no bilingual official forms, no bilingual signs and notices ... not even a Welsh bible.
So again, who comes out with more? These revelations are an embarrassment only to the National Offender Management Service and the government in general, not to Mr Ffransis. It is a supreme irony that the prison authorities have now been shown to have failed to comply with the requirements of the law. I think Ffred Ffransis will smile and say that this alone was well worth the price of admission.
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We talk about a broken political system. But one of the main complaints is that politicians all too often fail to take any notice of what those who elected them elected them to do. For as long as that continues, protest and direct action have important parts to play in building and maintaining a healthy society.
6 comments:
Thanks for your kind comments about Syniadau, Marcus. I didn't expect my question to get so full an answer. But since you have taken the time and trouble, I owe you a considered response. My only fear is that it's hard to do justice to such a large subject, but here goes.
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My basic starting point is this: I think that Welsh-medium education should be a matter of parental choice, not compulsion.
The clear evidence is that more and more parents are choosing WM education, so it is worth asking why this is happening. I have always thought that there are these broad categories:
1. Parents who strongly believe in Welsh, and who would sent their children as far as necessary to get an education where they become competent in both Welsh and English.
2. Parents who would like their children to have a WM education, but who would only do so if it were available relatively locally.
3. Parents for whom the choice of WM or EM education is less important than that they go to a local school that is part of their community.
4. Parents who believe that a WM education is irrelevant, and who would opt to sent their children to an EM school even if it meant travelling further to get it.
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Is WM Educatio more select?
I have heard the argument that WM schools are in some way better than EM schools because they are more select, and that is something you, Marcus, repeat here. I think that's a serious point worth looking at.
First, the obvious point is that if there is any element of selection, it rests entirely with the parents themselves, not the schools. Any parent who wants it can get a WM education for their child ... if they are prepared for them to sometimes travel long distances to get it.
Second, it seems to me that this argument is only possible where a minority of schools are WM. But there are a good few places in Wales where the majority of provision at primary level is WM. If we take Carmarthenshire as an example, about 65% of primary provision is WM ... yet the demand for WM education there is still increasing. Therefore I can only conclude that parents want WM education primarily because it is the best way of ensuring that become competent in Welsh (as well as English, of course) rather than for more general reasons such as the better quality of education.
However in any position where there is a shortage of provision, parents will fight like hell to make sure that their own children are the ones who get in. And it is for this reason that richer, more articulate parents who know the "system" get tend to get their children into WM schools. Treganna in Cardiff is a good example of this. This would also explain the thorny, but nonetheless real, problem of ethnic mix ... although for any family whose first language is neither English nor Welsh, it is fairly obvious that their first priority will be to ensure that their children are competent in English first, so they would choose EM education for that reason.
I would also note that although there are some newly-built WM schools, the majority of WM schools, particularly in SE Wales, were set up in older buildings when they became vacant. Whatever the quality of teaching, the quality of facilities is more often than not better in the EM sector. This again leads me to conclude that parents choose WM education for the sake of their children learning Welsh rather than for any other reason.
Thanks for your kind comments about Syniadau, Marcus. I didn't expect my question to get so full an answer. But since you have taken the time and trouble, I owe you a considered response. My only fear is that it's hard to do justice to such a large subject, but here goes.
-
My basic starting point is this: I think that Welsh-medium education should be a matter of parental choice, not compulsion.
The clear evidence is that more and more parents are choosing WM education, so it is worth asking why this is happening. I have always thought that there are these broad categories:
1. Parents who strongly believe in Welsh, and who would sent their children as far as necessary to get an education where they become competent in both Welsh and English.
2. Parents who would like their children to have a WM education, but who would only do so if it were available relatively locally.
3. Parents for whom the choice of WM or EM education is less important than that they go to a local school that is part of their community.
4. Parents who believe that a WM education is irrelevant, and who would opt to sent their children to an EM school even if it meant travelling further to get it.
-
Is WM Educatio more select?
I have heard the argument that WM schools are in some way better than EM schools because they are more select, and that is something you, Marcus, repeat here. I think that's a serious point worth looking at.
First, the obvious point is that if there is any element of selection, it rests entirely with the parents themselves, not the schools. Any parent who wants it can get a WM education for their child ... if they are prepared for them to sometimes travel long distances to get it.
Second, it seems to me that this argument is only possible where a minority of schools are WM. But there are a good few places in Wales where the majority of provision at primary level is WM. If we take Carmarthenshire as an example, about 65% of primary provision is WM ... yet the demand for WM education there is still increasing. Therefore I can only conclude that parents want WM education primarily because it is the best way of ensuring that become competent in Welsh (as well as English, of course) rather than for more general reasons such as the better quality of education.
However in any position where there is a shortage of provision, parents will fight like hell to make sure that their own children are the ones who get in. And it is for this reason that richer, more articulate parents who know the "system" get tend to get their children into WM schools. Treganna in Cardiff is a good example of this. This would also explain the thorny, but nonetheless real, problem of ethnic mix ... although for any family whose first language is neither English nor Welsh, it is fairly obvious that their first priority will be to ensure that their children are competent in English first, so they would choose EM education for that reason.
I would also note that although there are some newly-built WM schools, the majority of WM schools, particularly in SE Wales, were set up in older buildings when they became vacant. Whatever the quality of teaching, the quality of facilities is more often than not better in the EM sector. This again leads me to conclude that parents choose WM education for the sake of their children learning Welsh rather than for any other reason.
There's a limit on reply length, so here is part two:
Practical problems for parents
I can well understand the problem of not being able to help your children with homework if it is in a language which neither parent can speak themselves. If it is of any help, I would say that this is not anywhere near so much of an issue in practice than it might appear to be at first. The best thing would be to talk to parents in a similar situation about their experiences ... but the choice is yours.
The aim of WM education is to ensure that children are equally competent in both Welsh and English. This is something that very rarely happens by learning Welsh in an EM school. If you and your partner did decide to send your son to a WM school, Marcus, remember that he is always going to be as capable of expressing himself in English as he will be in Welsh. In fact one of the factors that WM education in English speaking areas can take advantage of is that, even though his homework might be set in Welsh, he will be able to explain it to you in English, and the help that you give him in English is something that he can then put back into Welsh. He will be able to think in parallel in both languages ... and paradoxically will probably be better off than a child from a home where Welsh was the first language.
I have often told this story: if, say thirty years in the future, a new younger me lived in a part of Wales where the primary language of the community was Welsh, and where commerce, entertainment and the printed and electronic media were in Welsh, I would send my children to an English-medium school to ensure that my children were as competent in English as they naturally would be in Welsh.
There's a limit on reply length, so here is part two:
Practical problems for parents
I can well understand the problem of not being able to help your children with homework if it is in a language which neither parent can speak themselves. If it is of any help, I would say that this is not anywhere near so much of an issue in practice than it might appear to be at first. The best thing would be to talk to parents in a similar situation about their experiences ... but the choice is yours.
The aim of WM education is to ensure that children are equally competent in both Welsh and English. This is something that very rarely happens by learning Welsh in an EM school. If you and your partner did decide to send your son to a WM school, Marcus, remember that he is always going to be as capable of expressing himself in English as he will be in Welsh. In fact one of the factors that WM education in English speaking areas can take advantage of is that, even though his homework might be set in Welsh, he will be able to explain it to you in English, and the help that you give him in English is something that he can then put back into Welsh. He will be able to think in parallel in both languages ... and paradoxically will probably be better off than a child from a home where Welsh was the first language.
I have often told this story: if, say thirty years in the future, a new younger me lived in a part of Wales where the primary language of the community was Welsh, and where commerce, entertainment and the printed and electronic media were in Welsh, I would send my children to an English-medium school to ensure that my children were as competent in English as they naturally would be in Welsh.
And finally, part three:
Should Welsh be compulsory?
Although I think that the choice of Welsh or English-medium education should be a matter of parental choice, I do think that Welsh should continue to be a compulsory subject in our schools.
But I certainly think that anyone should be free to question whether we should aim for a bilingual society even though, as I see it, the consensus in Wales—reflected by the four main parties in Wales—is to create a fully bilingual Wales. So yes, that IS a political goal, but one that simply reflects the overwhelming attitude of people in Wales. For example, 81% of people agree with the statement "It is important that children learn to speak Welsh" ... only a tiny 7% disagreed. No political party can go against such strength of public opinion.
And if you want to call that "social engineering" I won't particularly object to the phrase. Eradicating child poverty is social engineering. Creating a society where there is no room for discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation or identity, race or disability is social engineering. We are entitled to decide on the sort of society we want. The great thing is that we have got this far by consensus ... it has not become a party political issue.
Personally, I would always justify learning Welsh more on the grounds of inclusion rather than on the grounds of culture. We cannot afford to have a society in which a section of our people are disadvantaged, not least in employment opportunities. As it is harder to learn any language as a grown up, it means we have to do it through the education system ... particularly in early years. As I see it, the aim has got to be that every child that grows up in Wales should be able to speak both Welsh and English.
We are not there yet ... even some twenty-one years after the 1988 Education Reform Act made Welsh a core subject. It was only in 2001 that we reached the point of all children in secondary schools being taught Welsh. As things stood last year about 12,000 of the 38,000 children who took GCSEs did not take any exam in Welsh ... which is a reflection on how poorly we have taught Welsh as a second language in EM schools.
I believe it is the failure of EM to respond to the challenge of teaching our children Welsh that has lead to so many parents now deciding that WM education is the only way forward. So I think we need a two-pronged approach:
First, to make WM education available locally to all who want it; meaning that we have to adequately survey the demand for it.
Second, to improve the way Welsh is taught in EM schools; meaning that a more time needs to be devoted to using Welsh in contexts other than a couple of formal Welsh lessons a week.
But these issues are being adressed. So, although the pace may not be as fast as I would like, I think we have put the building blocks in place to achieve our overall aim. Within ten of fifteen year, I think we should have reached the point where every child who goes through their schooling in Wales will be competent in both English and Welsh. Of course the language they choose to use as adults will be entirely up to them ... but at least no one will be excluded on the grounds of inability to speak both languages.
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Apologies for such a long-winded answer, Marcus. But I wanted to do your post justice.
And finally, part three:
Should Welsh be compulsory?
Although I think that the choice of Welsh or English-medium education should be a matter of parental choice, I do think that Welsh should continue to be a compulsory subject in our schools.
But I certainly think that anyone should be free to question whether we should aim for a bilingual society even though, as I see it, the consensus in Wales—reflected by the four main parties in Wales—is to create a fully bilingual Wales. So yes, that IS a political goal, but one that simply reflects the overwhelming attitude of people in Wales. For example, 81% of people agree with the statement "It is important that children learn to speak Welsh" ... only a tiny 7% disagreed. No political party can go against such strength of public opinion.
And if you want to call that "social engineering" I won't particularly object to the phrase. Eradicating child poverty is social engineering. Creating a society where there is no room for discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation or identity, race or disability is social engineering. We are entitled to decide on the sort of society we want. The great thing is that we have got this far by consensus ... it has not become a party political issue.
Personally, I would always justify learning Welsh more on the grounds of inclusion rather than on the grounds of culture. We cannot afford to have a society in which a section of our people are disadvantaged, not least in employment opportunities. As it is harder to learn any language as a grown up, it means we have to do it through the education system ... particularly in early years. As I see it, the aim has got to be that every child that grows up in Wales should be able to speak both Welsh and English.
We are not there yet ... even some twenty-one years after the 1988 Education Reform Act made Welsh a core subject. It was only in 2001 that we reached the point of all children in secondary schools being taught Welsh. As things stood last year about 12,000 of the 38,000 children who took GCSEs did not take any exam in Welsh ... which is a reflection on how poorly we have taught Welsh as a second language in EM schools.
I believe it is the failure of EM to respond to the challenge of teaching our children Welsh that has lead to so many parents now deciding that WM education is the only way forward. So I think we need a two-pronged approach:
First, to make WM education available locally to all who want it; meaning that we have to adequately survey the demand for it.
Second, to improve the way Welsh is taught in EM schools; meaning that a more time needs to be devoted to using Welsh in contexts other than a couple of formal Welsh lessons a week.
But these issues are being adressed. So, although the pace may not be as fast as I would like, I think we have put the building blocks in place to achieve our overall aim. Within ten of fifteen year, I think we should have reached the point where every child who goes through their schooling in Wales will be competent in both English and Welsh. Of course the language they choose to use as adults will be entirely up to them ... but at least no one will be excluded on the grounds of inability to speak both languages.
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Apologies for such a long-winded answer, Marcus. But I wanted to do your post justice.
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