The Western Mail briefly picks up today (page 13) on an issue that I blogged about some weeks ago, Alun Ffred Jones of Plaid Cymru only advertising in the English language in the local weekly papers in Arfon. I feel this must be one of the most, I use the word carefully this time, hypocritical acts that Plaid have engaged in for many a long year. Only recently you will find these Plaid Cymru representatives rushing to a Cymdeithas yr Iath rally in Bangor to support protests at Morrison's lack of bilingualism. This included occupying the shop, and then wasting Police time to supervise the protest.
How must Morrison's feel now as it is clearly a matter of expediency whether to use Welsh or not. Apparently Alun Ffred told the Mail that
"In four of the local Welsh language papurau bro we have printed Welsh-only adverts".
So please take note the next time Cymdeiathas or Cymuned come to you about a lack of bilingualism and say you simply follow Plaid Cymru's example - English only adverts in the mainstream weekly papers, and Welsh language adverts when in the papurau bro.
My adverts will use both Welsh and English languages.
Of course I also suggest that if you applied for a job with Plaid lead Gwynedd council suggesting this approach you would not get very far !
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23 comments:
Couldnt agree more - lots of plaid candidates have played the language card in recent weeks.
Anyone would think there was an election on...
But the language doesn't belong to plaid cymru..it belongs to everyone in wales
But the hypocrisy, as you rightly call it, from plaid cymru in their ads in an absolute disgrace. In fact its almost as disgraceful as Alun ffred's silence has been since he got elected four years ago.
Quite why they entrusted him with the economic development portfolio I'll never know
You only have to look around Arfon to relaise that neither he - nor his party - have a clue about how to regenerate nw wales.
Well Martin, this blog is in a sense an advert is it not? Virtually every word is written in English.
BTW Aled - according to the Labour government's own multiple deprivation index the 100 poorest wards in Wales are all represented at Cardiff Bay & Westminster levels by Labour MPs or AMs.
God knows what would happen if we elected Martin - we'd end up like Huw Lewis' Merthyr or Rhodri Morgan's Ely.
Gweler ymateb i dy bost yma:
Hen Rech Flin: Hysbysebion Saesneg Alun Ffred
I have some sympathy with your comment about my blog and wish I had the time/langauge competence to blog bilingually. It would also be nice when trying bilingual blogging if all those voices did not rush forward to challenge the standard of the Welsh.
However I am not mounting protests, or publishing manifesto policies demanding action and laws on the Welsh language for others - but then doing different myself.
Given all I knows about these people (Ffred, Dafydd, Hywel etc) I find it an astoundingly inept decision. But I sup[pose in the eelction Plaid are trying not to upset the more cosmopolitan Bangor part of their Fro Gymaraeg.
Menai - your point only goes to prove there and statistics and damn statistics.
Merthyr may be starting off from a lower point than Arfon - but you only have to look at Huw Lewis' blog (seeing as you named him) to see just how much he has secured for Merthyr in recent weeks:
A new town hospital.
New childrens centres.
A new health centre with a GP surgery, dentist, health visitors and a pharmacy all on the same site.
£60million upgrade of Prince Charles Hospital
£12m investment in their railway line
Launched Super Surgeries building on the normal advice surgery held by AMs and MPs, by inviting along a range of other agencies to advise on issues like benefit entitlement, grants for heating and energy efficiency etc - aone stop shop
What does Alun Ffred's (non-existant) blog or otherwise say he has done for Arfon?
His record doesnt come even close to securing anouncements like this in his last 4 weeks let alone his last 4 years.
The silent man has let Arfon down plain and simple.
So I for one would welcome the kind of representation that Merthyr has. Thats why Im voting Labout this time. For the first time. Plaid have had their chance - and my vote.
And they've wasted it...
Martin - nid oes unrhyw beth mewn gwirionedd yn eich atal rhag blogio trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.
Os oes rhywun yn gwneud sylwadau amharchus ynglyn a safon eich Cymraeg, mae hynny'n adlewyrchu mwy arnyn nhw nag arnoch chi. Beth bynnag, fel cymedrolwr mae'n hawdd i chi ddileu unrhyw sylwadau sy'n anymunol.
Aled, the problem is that the record for poverty in areas represented by Labour are consistent & chronic. The areas that are worst are the ones that have always returned Labour reps since the introduction of universal sufferage.
The stuff about starting from different baselines is largely meaningless. You have periods when Merthyr has been richer than Arfon & vice versa.
For the record I don't seriously contend that electing Labour politicians makes you poor - i'm simply puting Martin's claims that Labour politicians send out some strange signals that attract investment.
Arfon & Merthyr's relative poverty stems from the fact that they'r part of an uncompetative economy - & that in turn stems from the country's constitutional position.
Aled, if you understood anything about economic development, you would know that investment doesn't automatically lead to growth. If you knew anything about statistics, you would notice that the Assembly has invested more in the M4 corridor than in the rest of Wales altogether, and that Alun Ffred has been one of the most successful AMs at promoting European investment and growth.
And if you knew anything about the human brain, you would know that adverts in a different language from the newspaper it is printed in is next to useless.
Menai - Im starting to realise more and more that you posts reflect the position of the Plaid Cymru campaign nationally.
I ask you to mention Alun Ffred's achievements - and you fail to mention anything positive at all.
Yet you'll snipe and whine from the sidelines at Labour's record all day.
You attacked Huw Lewis's achievements in Merthyr. I showed you how much he has achieved there in the last few months.
So I ask you once again - can you over a positive insight into why Alun Ffred deserves to be re-elected - or do u think wearig the Plaid Cymru badge is simply enough?
And Aled if you knew anything about economic development (to use your turn of phrase) you would know that whilst investment doesn't automatically lead to growth it goes a long way to kick start it.
What investment had Plaid specifically brought to Arfon?
And what has Alun Ffred who is entrusted with Plaid Cymru's economic development portfolio done in Arfon to show that he has a good grip on this arena?
And Aled if you knew anything about the human brain you clearly would seem to suggest that only English speakers read the Angelsey and Bangor Mail! Nor as a nationalist would you surely give any wait to not using Plaid Cymru's money to print a bilingual advert - or are you saying the language doesn't matter any more?
Well, I'm saying that the Mail is an English paper, and doesn't pretend otherwise. Whereas a shop is a different matter - being a public spave it should be bilingual. Easy.
Aled, Arfon has a great record at winning Objective 1 funding. Look at the new community centres and economic development. Or do you prefer imaginary buildings in Merthyr?
Couldn't agree more - many Aleds have played the language card in recent weeks. You woul think that the were elections being held.
The English language does not belong to Labour's campaign group for slander and lies. It belongs to Aled, who has the skills of a three-year old when it's use is required.
Quite what he know about economic development, I'll never know.
This is a Labour Party election broadcast:
Labour are good. We are the best. Vote for us. Free iPods for every Labour voter.
Plaid Cymru are to blame for all ills in Arfon, even though they aren't in power. The children's centre in Caernarfon and Bangor were delivered by Huw Lewis of Merthyr, not Alun Ffred Jones AM, even though this is not Huw Lewis' constituency.
We raped and slaughtered the people of Iraq, in our mercy. Plaid Cymru would have let them live. They are evil. Darth Vader has nothing on them.
We are wise and green, like Yoda. Vote Labour, the party of the Jedi.
Aled - I fear that you're a little confused.
Labour are in power in Cardiff, not Plaid Cymru. If you're in power the good bit is that you get to make all the decisions.
The bad bit is that if you fail to deliver anything you get the blame.
You want it both ways - you want to be the government when it suits you & you want to be in opposition as well.
Still typical Labour - how many of your AMs have made play of their opposition to the downgrading or closure of hospitals on their own patches, despite the fact that they are responsible for New Labour's wretched Designed for Life document , which brought about those very closures & downgradings?
Just to add to that point by Menai, I'd like Aled to realise that this new development in Merthyr is in the initial planning stages. It has been for two weeks.
Usually, people boast about things that actually exist...
Oh cymro...
Good work in boring everyone so much that moderation is back.
And I'm sorry I'm not on call 24/7 to respond to your posts on here.
Unlike you some of us have a life we cherish in the real world and are not able to check back every five minutes to give a response.
V v sorry for that...
As for your reply I note your weasel words.
I ask you what Plaid Cymru's Alun Ffred has done to help regeneration Arfon. You reply by saying "Arfon has a great record at winning Objective 1 funding."
Note you dont say Alun Ffred has a great record. And forgive me - but isn't he the person trying to win my vote based upon his track record?
Very telling statement indeed...
And as for the Mail being an English paper I couldnt agree more - but using that logic, and the fact that Plaid advertised in English only, are we to take from that that Plaid are now an English Party?
What a weak argument from the party that claims the language is only safe in their hands...
As for the Merthyr argument - I'm happy to say this. You shoot your own argument down by admitting that your research has shown the the hospital is at planning stage. My post said Huw lewis had secured a new hospital. I didnt say he had built it. Still nothing like the truth to get in the way of your argument.
This country has planning processes in place to make sure that new build doesnt blight a local area, or the living standard or local residents. I welcome that.
The fact remains that the proposal is already at planning stage showing the Labour Assembly is committed to this.
Unless ofcourse you are saying Plaid would deny the people of Merthyr a new hospital if elected...
As for the rest of your argument it deserves no comment. Your decision to make yourself look foolish is one you are proud of I'm sure.
Menaiblog - nice to find you back posting. At least we can have a good honest sensible debate.
And I can assure you I am anything but confused.
However lets take your train of thought further.
By saying that when you are in power you have to take the blame if you fail to deliver - by the same logic when the Assembly delivers something the party in power have to take the credit.
As you yourself cant have it both ways either...
So here we have a Plaid spokesperson telling us that every bit of investment Alun Ffred claims he has secured from the Assembly is really down to Labour who rule Assembly. Thank you for the clarity.
After all by your argument he cant claim all the positive and lay blame elsewhere for the bad either
And why would I vote Plaid now in Parliamentary elections when you have basically stated that its pointless.
They'll never have a majority so surely you admit that Plaid MPs in Caernarfon and Meirionydd etc are pointless. Thanks again for the clarity.
Personally, I fundamentally disagree with you. Opposition politicans can achieve things for their consituency if they speak up for it. If they are a vocal proponent.
Unfortunately this is something Aled Ffred has shown he is anything but.
And maybe that it why neither yourself or Cymro have STILL been able to tell me one single achievement he has delivered...
Your post was really boring, Aled! Playing things fast and loose with logic. Labour are all right and stand for decent core beliefs, although they seem lost on some points at the moment. Martin is a good bloke.
But thank the Lord that you're not standing. You're just daft!
Oh and your "weasel words" comment really hurt - I really wanted us to be mates...
Aled, we've been over this. Huw Lewis is a member of the party in power. So he can 'achieve' all kinds of things. Keep up!
Mae'n gwbwl amlwg mae un o selogion Llafur yw 'Aled' ac nid rhywyn sydd wedi newid o gefnogi Plaid Cymru i gefnogi Llafur yn ddiweddar. Fyddwn i'n amau dim ei fod yn un o swyddogion cyflogedig y Blaid Lafur, a ddim hyd yn oed yn byw yn etholaeth Arfon!
Yr unig rhagrith sydd yma ydy Martin Eaglestone yn cwyno am 1 hysbyseb uniaith Plaid Cymru, ac yna'n blogio mwy neu lai yn uniaith Saesneg. Mae'n amlwg nad yw'r Gymraeg yn flaenoriaeth iddo o gwbwl!
Llai o'r esgusodion. Y Blaid Lafur yw'r Blaid mwyaf wrth-Gymraeg sydd yng Nghymru. Mae polisiau Plaid Cymru, y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ac hyd yn oed y Ceidwadwyr LLAWER cryfach. Gwarth arno chi!
A gyda llaw Martin, efallai byddai'n syniad i ti ddweud wrth dy ffrindiau yn etholaeth Llanelli pa mor bwysig yw defnyddio'r Gymraeg? Newydd dderbyn llythr UNIAITH Saesneg gan Nia Griffiths AS a Catherin Thomas AC ym Mohontyberem! Ward sydd gyda dros 80% o'r boblogaeth yn siarad Cymraeg!!
Cymro - still no word from yourself or Menai on what Alun Ffred has achieved in the last 4 years.
You're almost as silent on this issue as the man himself has been over the last 4 years.
Still I'm happy to report his first achievement as an excluse here and now.
The man that cymro said was too busy to have a website has finally launched one after 4 years since he was elected.
Anyone would think there was an election on!!!
Still one achievement in four years is some going. Lets hear it for Alun. Hip hip...
The question remains, how thick is Aled, really? Opposition representatives can negotiate, argue, cajole and convince. Alun Ffred has played a big role in keeping small school and local hospitals in Arfon open for business; assisted in creating and keeping jobs and keeping the economy running.
What opposition representatives can't do is decide to build hospitals. So why can't you understand that?
You make a very similar flawed argument to that made by menai above.
One and the same people? I'll let other decide...
But yet again you point out why - in your mind - its pointless electing Plaid Cymru members to the Assembly or Westminster.
You say only people representing the parties that gain power can make a difference.
So Plaid MPs in Westminster - are in your mind - clearly a waste of space.
Ditto in the Assembly - where Plaid's best hope is to set up a pact with the Tories. They know they cant win an outright majority. Even Cymro has admitted that.
So why vote plaid?
If i want the Tories in power - i might as well vote tory.
If I want someone who can make a diffference - someone who has real power - why vote Plaid?
After all cymro and menia have both admitted in their posts that all the achievements that came out of the assembly over the last four years have been down to the party in power. THats Labour.
I personally disagree with that viewpoint.
Opposition politicans can achieve things for their consituency if they speak up for it. If they are a vocal proponent.
Unfortunately this is something Aled Ffred has shown he is anything but.
And maybe that it why neither yourself or Cymro have STILL been able to tell me one single achievement he has delivered...
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