Watching Betsan Powys' report from the launch of the True Wales campaign this evening, I couldn't help but notice that they are prominently advertising their Welsh language website:
At last, a genuine attempt to engage with all the people of Wales, I thought. They've had a good few months to get something in Welsh onto a website, perhaps they've finally got their act together for the big launch. So I took a look, expecting to find at least a page or two of Welsh as a token of goodwill.
But as we can see, www.cymruwir.org.uk isn't up and running. It was nothing but a sham designed to give people who they know would never visit a site in Welsh the impression that they take the language seriously.
10 comments:
I noticed this as well. I thought at the least it would lead to the English website as opposed to not exist at all. And the Welsh in the slogan is quite a lot smaller than the English - quite subliminal!
outright deception is TWs stock in trade...so their deception over having a welsh language site is entirely in keeping with this reactionary ragbag operation. But well spotted MH...but dont expect the joke that passes for the media in wales to pick up on this flagrant piece of deception by true wales....rachel banner must feel she's driving a rolls royce every time she's interviewed in the welsh media so easy a ride is she given!
As for the truly shambolic events in newbridge yesterday there was nothing new im what rachel banner had to say...the usual scaremongering about ‘independence’.....coupled with the stale and unworkable arguments she’s been trotting out for months about keeping the devolution settlement as it ie legislation already approved by the welsh assembly should either be blocked altogether or be tied up in westminster for 3 years....so no house sprinkling scheme in wales......no organ donor scheme for wales......and no powers to tackle the very real crisis in social housing in wales. That is the kind of Wales that Rachel Banner seems to want!
Though in truth of course most members of true wales are on record as opposing the Assemblies very existence. And such people see a no vote as the first step to the welsh assembly’s outright abolition....that is the real 'slippery slope' in this campaign...
But perhaps the real news from the launch of the NO campaign today......is that there will in fact be no NO campaign! With rachel banner stating that the No campaign will not actually be seeking to become the No campaign...a frankly bizarre position ...and one which of course effectively disenfranchises those in wales who are opposed to the assembly gaining lawmaking powers...as there will be no NO campaign to represent them.....something which will prove to be a blunder of monumental proportions i think!
Even as a yes supporter the fact there will not now be a NO campaign is not something i relish.....as while i disagree with them the views of those opposed to lawmaking powers should be represented in this referendum by an official campaign but it appears that true wales believes that they should not be.
Thankfully we on the yes side of this debate take our responsibility to our supporters and to the people of wales seriously and there is i’m pleased to say an enthusiastic and growing yes campaign....which is reaching out to people right across wales and which is holding large meetings right across wales...attracting many new volunteers and supporters in the process.
But am surprised to see true wales throwing in the towel so early in the campaign.....which is what they have effectively done in seeking not to be registered as the NO Campaign. Yesterday true wales have not just said no to lawmaking powers for the welsh assembly...yesterday true wales...the self styled NO campaign.... have said no to a NO campaign...you couldn't make it up....
Leigh Richards
Also, they've managed to fluff the translation of their own name. Cymru Wir kind of translates to 'Wales Indeed' - or maybe that's intentional!
On CF99 on S4C last night the True Wales spokesman said quite openly that they didn't have enough people willing to work for the No Campaign.
However, the strategy is obviously; we're saving tax payers money by not having a campaign - though, as Dr Richard Wyn JOnes on CF99 pointed out, it won't save money as the government will now pay for the literature as well as posting cost of the referendum. If there was a No campaign, then the No and Yes campaign would pay for their own literature with just the tax-payers paying for the posting.
It's 'little, poor, ordinary people (who support the continuation of being run by toffs in Westminster) against those nasty crachach who speak Welsh correctly (how dare they!) and who are in it for themselves. Blunt, but will resonate with a not insubstantial sector of society.
The loser is democracy as the level of debate will be very low and the turn out lower. Of course, so as to discredit the vote.
Will the BBC give equal coverage now that the No Campaign say they don't have enough workers etc?
I see True Wales, the so called official No campaign are not seeking help from the public purse. How can they expect to show a balanced argument in support of a no. Some people pretending to be the official No campaign or even rouge Labour members could write their own local news letters and say all the untruths they like. As the True campaign is not under the Electoral Commission guideline lines they can accept any donations from anywhere even right wing donations. There was a chap on the radio this morning giving some half hearted reason, telling the listeners that there are cells of people around Wales waiting to spring into action. I believe No campaign as a lot of talkers and very few walkers.
Thanks for the comments. As for the general subject of the No campaign, and True Wales' decision not to seek to become the No campaign, that's worthy of a post in itself. But it's difficult to know what to hit, the whole thing is falling to pieces before it even got off the ground.
So I'll just comment on the Welsh for now, and agree with Rhys that Cymru Wir doesn't really sound right. Gwir Gymru would be better. But I doubt it even entered their head to think about what the Welsh version True Wales would be when they chose that name for themselves. And if anyone did say it should be Gwir Gymru rather than Cymru Wir, they would probably have thought it meant this.
I was actually worried that a grass-roots "us against them" movement, tapping in to latent anti-Assembly/abolitionist/devo-sceptic views would be able to make an impact (but still fall short of victory).
After TW's pythonesque performance in the last 24 hours those worries have receded.
This is just a ploy by True Wales to get the lowest turnout possible so that the legitimacy of the Yes vote can be put into question. If we get a narrow Yes vote on low turnout than the No camp would have no right to complain!!
I'm worried about a low turn-out because of True Wales's manipulative little stunt, but I'm also more worried about the the democratic deficit implicit in this referendum. As a nationalist, I obviously want a YES vote, but I also want to see a meaningful debate, so that people know what the issues are. It is a significant change to the way we do things in Wales, and such a significant change should be genuinely covered and debated. Where is the politician who has really raised this issue of a democratic deficit and how we in Wales are denied the right to fully hear the issues because of our abysmally poor media situation? Shouldn't at least someone put the case that English papers, read by 90% of our population, should cover the issue? Shouldn't even the Assembly Government consider taking out full page adverts in some of the most widely read papers? I really don't like the fact that the YES side seem to have accepted that this will be won by default so to speak, and that they are unwilling to flag up the democratic deficit with this referendum.
some interesting points aled but i honestly dont know what more the yes camp could do to promote the debate you would like to see. Shouldnt this question perhaps be directed at true wales as it is they who have denied the people of wales that informed debate by taking the decision they have.
Leigh Richards
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