WELSH FLAG WARS CONTINUE
Haf/Summer 2006
Information: Locating the Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre can be achieved by coming from Neath on to the Pontardawe road, turn left at Blaenhoddan School, then left by Tafarn Bryn Goch * through a large private housing area (Waunceirch) until you see a large playing field. At this point ask the way as there are two Community centres close by. A much quicker way is off the Skewen/New Road/Cadaxton Road by Neath - Port Talbot College Campus past Dŵr y Felin school and up the hill to Waunceirch (which you will not find on a map).
Tafarn Bryn Goch: Good social venue for Eisteddfod Week; also, the Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre has a licence so may be useful for organising Socials during Eisteddfod week plus, of course, a great venue for an annual Gŵyl Glyndŵr on 16 Medi/September
Since the start of the World cup much hot air has been let off over the flying of the cross of St George but
now the Dragon is breathing flames over the controversy of a Labour Coucillor rejecting the flying of 'Baner Glyndŵr' the Royal flag of the National hero of Wales. Owain Glyndŵr - Owain IV, the 15th century Welsh leader who came close to liberating and establishing an Independent Wales 1400 - 16.For further Information with photographs of Embassy Glyndŵr's 'Baneri Glyndŵr Flag Campaign', contact Embassy Glyndŵr directly and also its worthwhile to do a web search for… EMBASSY GLYNDŴR and 'GLYNDŴR FLAG'.
BLAENHONDDAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL REFUSES TO FLY GLYNDŴR FLAG.
According to the South Wales Evening Post 21 June 2006 p10 - a report headed:
"Council refuses to fly the flag"
A request to fly 'Baneri Glyndŵr' on 16 Medi/September on the Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre at Waunceirch was rejected following a ''passionate speech'' by Cllr Elwyn Jones who is also the present Mayor of Neath and Port Talbot Council. Mr Elwyn Jones is quoted as saying:
"wte are a council representing all people of all colours and all races within Blaenhoddan''.
We can only comment: So what? what on earth has that got to do with it? This is Wales and at the moment I am having to live with seeing St George's crosses all over the place but I am not going around telling people they cannot fly that flag because I am Welsh and it does not represent me or that it might upset me. I doubt very much if people of other colour and race would be upset about the flying of 'Baner Glyndŵr' but rather, would welcome the sight of a 'bit of history' of the country they have chosen to move to... Wales!. I lived in London for 5 years and was not bothered by St George's Crosses or Union Jacks or whatever flag anyone chose to fly. No! come off it Elwyn Jones, your reasoning is a bit lame and limp, I suspect your motives go beyond what appears to be no more than playing to the gallery of a rather pseudo multi - culturalism. Does this mean that you would not want our national flag 'Y Ddraig Goch' or 'Baner Dewi' flown from 'anywhere' that falls under your rather pathetic pandering to possibly out dated peripheral ''anti - nationalist sympathies''? Somehow, i cannot see the English Government dictating that the Union Jack should not fly in a number of areas in England on the basis of your misguided sentiments which, of course, your entitled to hold but, please do not make our history suffer because of your immature political bias; have you not heard the old Welsh saying: "Heb Dreftadaeth - Heb Enaid".
Please reconsider this request to fly 'Baneri Glyndŵr' and make a little generous acknowledgement to our national history as I did regards our peoples political and social history by attending the '3 June 1831 Massacre at the Castle Inn' commemoration earlier this month. I was quite happy then to help others raise the 'Red Flag' in Merthyr Tudful and I am amongst those campaigning to have the 1831 Red Flag raised at half mast all over Wales on 13 August 2006 to remember the transportation to Australia of Lewis Lewis and other leaders of the Merthyr Rising of 1831 and the execution of Dic Penderyn for which your district council is campaigning for a posthumous award of a pardon. Hopefully, this 1831 Red Flag will be flown on your Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre and other halls in your care - on the appropriate commemorative day of course. Having said that, as Embassy Glyndŵr's Chief Executive officer, I must give priority to our 'Baneri Glyndwr' campaign and thus call on patriots at home and abroad to make their voices heard on this matter by sending messages to Mr Elwyn Jones and Blaenhoddan Council requesting that they reconsider a fairly obnoxious piece of political patheticism and a slur on our national hero and his largely peasant 'Barefoot Doggis'' army that fought for 21 years for Welsh Independence, community freedoms and peoples liberties.
Last but not least, this matter has now also prompted me to call upon Pobl Glyndŵr everywhere to make a major effort, between now and 16 Medi/September 'Dydd Glyndwr' 2006, to contact their local Community and District Councils to request that they join the many that already fly 'Baneri Glyndŵr' annually if they do not already do so. Hopefully, other patriots will campaign likewise. Why not now go OTT to get 'Baneri Glyndŵr' really flying in as many places as possible this 16 Medi 2006 and that includes Pobl Glyndŵr flying it from their upstairs windows or outside on a flag pole plus, lets see more 'Baneri Glyndŵr' flying at more Sport occasions and open air pop concerts. (Baneri Glyndŵr made it to Glastonbury last year, well seen on the TV).
It is rather ironic that this matter comes to our attention on this day of all days, today being the anniversary of the establishment of the first Welsh Parliament on 21 June 1404 which the foundations of our democratic Welsh Nation must of need be based. This is the day on which all should recognise and remember the achievements of our national hero Owain Glyndŵr whose national day,16 Medi/September 1400, is also now celebrated annually by communities throughout Wales who organise 'Gŵyliau Glyndŵr Festivals and fly the Glyndŵr flag. Embassy Glyndŵr launched this successful campaign for the flying of this flag in the year 2000 and since then, the National Assembly of Wales, the National Eisteddfod, the Wales Millennium Stadium, at least sixteen County/District councils, CADW (on a number of the castles under its care) far too many businesses inc hotels and pubs etc to name, plus 1000's of individuals fly the Glyndŵr flag. This 'Baner Glyndŵr' is now also flown widely throughout the world, particularly so in America and Australia. The popularity of 'Baner Glyndŵr' may be seen best in towns with a significant historic association with Owain Glyndŵr such as the towns of Corwen, Machynlleth, Harlech and Dolgellau in which dozens of this colourful flag can be seen to be flying throughout the year. However, the flying of 'Baneri Glyndwr' by such towns is not exclusive and certainly on 16 Medi/September 'Dydd Glyndwr' one may travel the length and breadth of Wales and see it proudly flying in most communities of our country but not, it seems, in Blaenhoddan where the community council has voted against the flying of a 'Baner Glyndŵr' on 16 Medi/September 'Dydd Glyndwr' on it's recently named Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre and five other halls under it's control and care. ARE YOU BAFFLED?... WE ARE !
A further report was published in the Media on 24 – 6 - 2006 under the heading:
"Flag quarrel has council in a right flap" (See South Wales Evening Post web site).
Embassy Glyndŵr comments - and concludes:Chairwoman of the council, Janice Dudley who is also a PLAID member ( PLAID formerly known as Plaid Cymru, Welsh Nationalist Party) has taken issue with Cllr Elwyn Jones, a member of the Labour Party over a Community Council's decision not to fly the Owain Glyndwr flag on 16th Sept - Owain Glyndwr Day. It will be noted that this area is in the constituency of Peter Hain, Labour MP, who is now also Secretary of State for Wales. There is a long history of antagonism between Plaid Cymru and Labour in this constituency and much bitterness over Local Labour electing Peter Hain as their representative to the London Parliament. Below you will note Cllr Elwyn Jones, Labour, raising the matter of colour and race; this, perhaps, indicates a move to exploit such a matter which may be a ''political issue'' in England but not so in Wales. The London Government has in recent years re directed Asylum Seekers from the South East of England to Welsh cities such as Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, Neath is a town close to Swansea and Blaenhoddan Community Council is on the outskirts of Neath. The smaller area of Waunceirch in which the Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre is situated is mostly made up of a contemporary private housing estate - part of the expansion of Neath in recent years. Waunceirch/Blaenhoddan is hardly what one would call cosmopolitan, i doubt if any people of colour or race even live there in any significant numbers at all. Possibly, other than Welsh people the next ''ethnic group'' of any size would be ''English Incomers'' and i would very much doubt if they are on the scale of such in areas of rural Wales where this matter is a ''big issue''. See history connected with the Meibion Glyndŵr Arson War (late 1970 - 80's) and recent news on the issue of the flying of flags bearing the Cross of St George in ''Sensitive Welsh Areas'' Also, shops displaying English football souvenirs are being daubed. However, the truth is that ''asylum seekers'' are given a welcome to Wales in keeping with tradition of accepting refugees such as Basque children during the Spanish Civil War and English children during WW II. So, in reality , Cllr Elwyn Jones is simply firing ''blank bullets''. Ironically, the new "PLAID'' has not only ditched it's name but also symbols of it's former nationlism. Its 'triban' ( three peaks representing Welsh mountains) has been replaced with what is claimed to be a 'poppy' for a badge and this new "PLAID'' is more likely to promote ''Rainbow Coalitian" than "nationalist" Policies' and regards itself as being more ''progressive'' than "patriotic". It seems however, that Owain Glyndŵr still speaks to, and pulls on the heart strings of new "PLAID''. Perhaps old and new Labour in Wales thinks that the 'dragon' cannot change it's scales? Labour party leaders regularly make aggressive attacks on what they perceive as any form of ''Welsh Nationalism'', Cllr Elwyn Jones stands shoulder to shoulder with such as Labour A.M's Leighton Andrews and Huw Lewis who see ''Nats under the bed'' all the time and recently, they were joined by Rhondda Labour M.P. Chris Bryant accusing Llandaf based BBC Wales in Cardiff of being a 'hot bed' of Plaid Cymru members, a boiler house of Welsh Nationalism. That’s an exaggeration!
WHAT TO DO:
Why not contact Cllr Jones for full reasons as to his unpatriotic position write Email/letter of protest to Elwyn Jones and whom ever else it concerns, Plus protest to the community council send communication to Clerk of the Council Mrs M. Hewitt 11. Maes Llwyn Onn, Cadoxton, Neath, SA10 8AQ. tel: 01639 635978.
Follow up with Emails/letters/phone to the media both local and national such as the South Wales Evening Post and the Western Mail. Further, post your comments to the BBC South West Wales Web Site and other forums that are of advantage to our campaign to see ‘Baneri Glyndŵr’ fly over the Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre on 16 Medi 2006 ‘Dydd Owain; and thereafter annually.
POST SCRIPT:
Local Pobl Glyndŵr and other Welsh patriots of Nedd are considering the holding an annual 'Gŵyl Dydd Glyndŵr' at the Blaenhoddan Owain Glyndŵr Community Centre as a positive way to see that there are plenty of 'Baneri Glyndŵr' flying there on 16 Medi/September 'Dydd Glyndŵr' and why not annually? We are sure that all the community would appreciate such a festival which in no way need be exclusive to Welsh people but may seek participation of all colour, race and religion. Indeed, as this year black people commemorate the 'Sharpes' and 'Nat Turner' Rebellions of 1831 against slavery; I would suggest it to be a good idea to have talks on such at any Blaenhoddan Community 'Gŵyl Glyndŵr' on 16 Medi/September 2006. Hopefully, this history of anti – slave rebellions may encourage the Council or ‘Baneri Glyndŵr’ rejectionists of Blaehoddan not to be so “slavish” when it comes to our history of patriots in struggle against tyrrany and oppression.
Embassy Glyndwr Comment: Have you seen where Blaenhoddan is? hardly the most ''multi - cultural cosmopolitan'' centre of the world is it now! However, what can you expect from this ''Labour Lot'' after all they are the sort who voted that ''Dilletante'' Peter Hain as their MP candidate, that is whom we are dealing with. So wake up, let this lot get away with their anti - patriotic political bigotry and they will encourage others of their ilk to reject Baner Glyndŵr Plus, of course, keep in mind this: FIRST THEY CAME FOR BANER GLYNDŵR AND THEN THEY CAME FOR BANER DEWI SANT AND THEN THEY CAME FOR BANER Y DDRAIG GOCH AND ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS OF COURSE THE UNION JACK WHICH THIS LABOUR LOT POSSIBLY LOVE MORE THAN THE RED FLAG, NOT LEAST THE RED FLAG OF INSURRECTION 1831. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!...ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOTHING?
Royal Standard of Wales.
The four lions Royal Standard of Wales derives from the four lions passive of the last prince of Gwynedd Llywelyn ap Gruffydd who adopted the title ‘Tywysog Cymru’ until His death on 11 December 1282 in the area of Builth Wells. A rally of ‘Adfywiad Gwladgarwyr’ (Resurgent Patriots) has been held at Cilmeri (where there is a monument in memory of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd) since 1966, this year marks the 40th anniversary of this ‘Rali Adfywiad Gwladgarol’.
WELSH FLAGS.
For further information on all Welsh flags, history ancient and contemporary Welsh political history with partdicular knowledge of Alternative Nationalist History, Republican and otherwise. Plus information on Welsh Battle fields contact gethin.gruffydd@ntlworld.com
Stop Press: Welsh Media Censors the Blaenhoddan Flag story, we will tell you why in forth coming post.
'Juratus Oweyn'
http://owain-glyndwr-embassyllysgenhadaeth.blogspot.com
posted by WELSH REMEMBRANCERS @ 10:35 am
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