Simon Brooks explains the thinking behind today’s launch of a new movement Dyfodol i’r Iaith
Perhaps it is the season for pressure groups and think tanks. The celebrations this year to mark 50 years of the language movement, at least in its modern guise; the Forum on the Changing Union set up by the Wales Governance Centre, IWA and Cymru Yfory back in January to push the devolution agenda forward; a new think tank for the Welsh centre right, Gorwel, launched in June. And most importantly, of course, the IWA passing the milestone of 25 years of public service in good cheer and with typical understatement.
This is hardly a Welsh Spring, but the continued growth in the number and variety of NGOs in Wales is a prerequisite if Welsh democracy is to fully mature. It is one of the ironies of Welsh devolution that a specifically Welsh civil society is weak, as the continued decline of Welsh media attests. Perhaps the oddest irony of all is that the most uniquely ‘Welsh’ groups in the political landscape, namely those rooted in the social movement for the Welsh language, have responded the least to devolution, and have been marginalised in terms of policy impact as a result.
| Those who’ve already committed to support Dyfodol include the following:
Nick Bennett, Angharad Dafis, Cynog Dafis, Beti George, Heini Gruffudd, Robat Gruffudd, Dr Bleddyn Huws, Ron Jones, Emyr Lewis, Gwion Lewis, Dr Huw Lewis, Angharad Mair, Dr Barry Morgan, Adam Price, Elin Royles, Hywel Williams, Elin Wyn and Richard Wyn Jones. |
Nothing is more symptomatic of this failure than the astonishing fact that 13 years after devolution, no Welsh language pressure group has ever seen fit to appoint a member of staff to lobby full-time at the National Assembly. With Leighton Andrews, the Minister with strategic responsibility for the language, so obviously sincere in his support for Welsh, and widespread support across the political spectrum, Welsh language activists might want to consider coming in from the cold. If the door appears closed, it might be because nobody has bothered to knock.
There have been successful individual initiatives (in Welsh-medium education and in achieving official status), but there has been no concerted effort to lobby for the interests of the language across the broad swath of devolved public policy fields. Now that we have primary legislative powers, this situation can no longer be tolerated. The Welsh language needs an organisation committed wholly to making Welsh devolution and Welsh policy-making work as effectively as possible for the growth of the language.
This is the context for the advent of Dyfodol i’r Iaith (A Future for the Language), a new organisation to be launched at this year’s National Eisteddfod. Its core aims are to provide a voice for the Welsh language, to ensure it is central to national and community life, and to make sure it remains at the forefront of the political agenda in Wales.
Operating as a constitutional pressure group to both develop and champion public policy initiatives, Dyfodol i’r Iaith will be an advocate for the Welsh language within the context of the Welsh Assembly and Government. It will lobby politicians, the Language Commissioner and leaders of public, private and third sector organisations to ensure that Welsh is at the heart of policy-making.
Supporters include the Archbishop of Wales, academics like Professor Richard Wyn Jones, well-known broadcasters such as Angharad Mair and Beti George, leading lawyers like the constitutional expert Emyr Lewis. They also include a selection of figures who represent the main political strands of the Welsh-language community, from both the nationalist and non-nationalist Left through the centre ground to those, like the historian Hywel Williams, associated with the right.
There is a change of emphasis here to language campaigns in the past, which on the whole have tended to be associated with the rhetoric of political nationalism, and used a variety of non-constitutional campaigning methods. This remains an important strand within Welsh-language culture, However, it is also important that a language movement exists which is inclusive and reaches out – and is as welcoming to members of unionist political parties as it is to members of Plaid Cymru.
As regards civil disobedience and direct action, the position of Dyfodol i’r Iaith as an organisation is clear, unambiguous and irrevocable – there are no circumstances in which the movement would break the law.
Pursuing policy change via constitutional channels does not mean that Dyfodol i’r Iaith will be a soft touch. The movement will be defined by its objectivity. Its members have not been appointed by Government. Building a constructive relationship with the Assembly does not mean that it exists to promote the status quo. All professions, be they teachers or politicians, improve their performance under the microscope of independent scrutiny. Dyfodol i’r Iaith will examine the extent to which the Government’s various language strategies work in practice. Professional expertise will also be on offer, and Dyfodol i’r Iaith will use the extensive knowledge base in universities and among other experts to provide Assembly committees and inquiries with evidence-based research.
Following the launch at the Eisteddfod, Dyfodol i’r Iaith will be holding its initial AGM in early Autumn when board members for a not-for-profit company, and officers, will be elected. A political strategy will be put in place, and a National Language Plan is in the offing. Like all good pressure groups, Dyfodol i’r Iaith will retain a think tank function – and some of this work will be speculative, challenging orthodoxies within the Welsh language movement itself.
The medium-term goal is to raise sufficient funds to employ a member, or members, of staff in Cardiff Bay. The Welsh political classes have been calling for a constitutional language pressure group for some time. Now that one is on its way – a sort of birthday present to mark 50 years since Tynged yr Iaith – it needs support from all who wish to see a considered approach to language advocacy. And for language activists who believe that the hour has finally come to face up to the challenges of devolution, it’s time to roll up, join up and get the job done.
What should be fascinating to all of us is just how little of the Welsh Language provision provided by this long suffering country is actually taken advantage of by Welsh speakers. After the recent “Tynged yr Iaith ” opinion survey by Beaufort Research I asked the BBC how many of the Welsh speaking respondents had CHOSEN to respond in Welsh:
““Beaufort Research, on behalf of the BBC, conducted this poll:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/images/pdf/2012_02_13_languagesurvey.pdf
Please can you tell me how many of the 510 Welsh speakers interviewed for the poll answered the poll through the medium of Welsh?”
Of the 510 Welsh speakers who were interviewed, 129 answered in Welsh. It may also be relevant to note that 48% of the 510 Welsh speakers described themselves as fluent in Welsh.”
And then there’s these figures for views of Welsh Language web sites on the BBC:
BBC Cymru Wales English language sites
2,380,000
BBC Cymru Wales Welsh language sites
21,000
Over and over again figures show that Welsh speakers, left to themselves choose to speak English…nevetheless, even as the rights of Non Welsh speakers are eroded, more and more “Rights” (and jobs) are given to the 10% of first language Welsh speakers.
In the annals of history, never have so many given so much to so few and received such a good kicking in return.
In 2001 44,000 census forms were returned completed in Welsh. In 2011 the census surveyed 1,302,700 households in Wales and 36,000 of them returned a form completed in Welsh, 2.7%.
In 2010 “Consumer Focus Wales” carried out a survey of Welsh speakers concerning provision of services in Welsh. How many of those Welsh speakers chose to answer in Welsh? 24%. Even amongst those fluent in Welsh the figure was only 36%.
Jon Jones you are right in what you say about not many people taking advantage of Welsh services. But highlight ‘not many’. I use Welsh services all the time when I can. Also, ‘Welsh speakers choose English when left to themselves’ – Rubbish, Welsh speakers choose not to use Welsh services for a myriad of reasons, the take up of services had nothing to do with using the language with people in daily life.
Well Ben, you must be one of the 2.7% who filled in the census form in Welsh… but 100% of Welsh households were supplied with a Welsh version. You may well use Welsh in your daily life and there may be many reasons why Welsh speakers don’t use Welsh Language services… you, and they, are still exercising choice and most are choosing to use English.
The point that I’m making is that there is little sense in Wales bending over backwards to employ Welsh speakers in public service positions on the off chance that you and a few others will use that service from time to time. There comes a point where the 88% of us who aren’t fluent Welsh speakers have to suspect that we are being taken for mugs as yet another Welsh language pressure group springs up demanding more rights and services in their chosen language. Of course the only certainty is that every new service is going to employ one or more of just the people who agitated for that service in the first place.
Earlier this year, an opinion poll found that 82% of people surveyed in Wales supported a bi-lingual language policy. Likewise 59% believed that more should be done to encourage the use of Welsh and to improve its status in Wales.
Given the various figures used by those who oppose the use of Welsh in Wales, it would appear that the majority of monoglot English speakers in fact want to see more Welsh in Wales and its status improved.
Perhaps it is time to respect the view of the majority.
The ‘use’ of polling to get one’s way is as old as the hills, and most certainly the Welsh Language enforcers use this tool at all opportunities. I am an English-only speaker, and grew up in an area that was totally anglicised and never once have I heard any one of my friends ‘worrying’ about the demise of the Welsh language, however they express no hostility to people who use the language as they clearly are entitled to do so. The drive by Welsh Language fanatics is however causing much distress to English-only speakers as they can see the little Welsh world being turned on its head, with public money, which is in short supply being used for a questionable project. It might be unfortunate for the Welsh language that the use of the English language is so pronounced through the world, however the world is as it is. It should be noticed that ABBA a Swedish pop group only became famous when they won the Eurovision song contest by singing Waterloo in ENGLISH! In all honesty has any one except a minority in Wales ever heard of Dafydd Iwan? Was there recently not a BBC Wales programme on Welsh language policies in schools in both the north and south of this region of the UK and it was clear that the children used English as main language, even where Welsh was the main language at home. I know grandparents of children who are educated through the Welsh language and seemingly regard it as a ‘nuisance’, and conduct their lives through English. The WM schools have been an elitest venture to hive off children into more ‘exclusive’ environments, and away from economic deprivation etc. If jobs are not protected why has the head of BBC Wales always been a Welsh-speaker, particularly as S4C caters for minority interests.
Howell Morgan – are you suggesting that being fluent in a language other than English should prevent someone being head of BBC Wales? What a strange suggestion.