Wales is not just a Product of Industrialisation

["D OC" <donaloc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ed,

I enjoyed reading your account of Wales. Much in it which was very
interesting and with which I agreed - however, I have to say I did disagree
with the denial of Welsh nationhood as a historical fact. Wales, as Mark
Jones said, has historical roots back into the eighth/ninth centuries.

Mark brought up the origins of the word Cymru - which has a sense of
community - something I found interesting too. The word 'Welsh' is Germanic
and was used to describe 'Romanicised' peoples of the Western Fringe.

Overall, I think that the variance between your account and his is that
yours is based much more around the South Wales industrial (dare I say it,
post-colonialist) reality. Whereas his is from the North and even more
Western rural parts which retained a much greater sense of nationhood. In my
opener on this, I acknowledged that in South Wales nationalism is much
weaker although it too is growing.

You also deny the fact that Wales was a colony, yet in purely economic terms
Wales provided three things (principally): Cheap Labour, Extensive
Coalfields and a not insignificant contribution to the British Agricultural
sector. Welsh workers were exploited in absolutely terrible conditions - in
much the same way as the English workers of the Northern Industrial
heartlands were abused. (My father worked in the construction of the huge
(and now unused) Llanwern Steelworks - over 600 men were killed building
it). Wales, however, did not receive the benefit of this exploitation which
explains why Welsh industry was left underdeveloped outside the industrial
'core'. Steel smelting made sense close to the Coal sources but other Welsh
industries were left dormant. The rest of Wales was left in sleepy isolation
until areas were discovered by English holiday-homers.

As for your support of Welsh Independence within a United Europe. I
generally am supportive although Europe is a long way from being acceptable
right now. I would like to see greater interaction and work between the
Irish, Scots and Welsh (and even English regions) in furthering our common
objectives.

D OC.


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