So the Welsh MP who refused to talk in English

[Beetroot]

On the BBC news?

WHY?

That's quite astounding MB!

mb - woh, that's all a bit Dark Ages!

I think this is why people accuse the English of being arrogant and lazy regarding language.

It's very important to some people to retain cultural identity and language is a key aspect of this which is to be respected.

Horrible, isn't it?

My mum spoke welsh, but not dad, so db and I were brought up speaking english only.

and I'm crap at languages, and lazy, so never picked up the language.

stories like mb's are not uncommmon at all I have heard similar in my country about francophones and first nations people

Chibi-because he probably speaks fluent English and the Italian probably doesn't

Welsh si fine, love the fact the boys get to elarn a second language (even thougha dmittedly nobody here does speak it)

A bit that a few places like the Uni of Wales have apaprently decided nott o employ academics who don't speak Welsh though- given that newport (here) didn't actually become part of Wales that longa go in real terms, but Welsh si a beautiful language and at least it gives the boys a way of hiding tings from me....

But Welsh may well be his first language.

However - if I was the politician concerned I would check that the BBC had the appropriate translation services available to provide sub titles. Think it's a bit of an own goal to give the interview in Welsh otherwise....surely a key role of the politician is to communicate with the masses (rather than just the 600,000 welsh speakers in the world)

I am of course talking out of my expansive arse, since I didn't see the interview and don't know what the subject matter was. If it was a matter particularly salient to the Welsh then fair enough.

Talking about welsh - does Welshboris still post?

Peach, LOL at your boys using welsh to hide things from you.

My mothers mother used to slip into Welsh when she wanted to hid things from mum and her siblings. They learned PDQ!

but mrsr, Welsh might be the language that he feels most himself in. I myself would not want to have to speak publicly in anything other than my native language about anything important, or indeed if any eloquence was called for, even though I can speak another language.

Having said all this, I do think welsh is a particularly entrancing and exotic language (God I am so pissed)

at Cods post, but use to it now!

I can talk welsh, not a lot, but why shouldn't a welsh speaker talk in welsh?

No wonder the english get a bad reputation.

Ah, you let yourself down with the last sentence. Racism is never pretty

Handlemecarefully,
There are a lot of welsh speakers outside Cardiff. Where I live is probably 50/50.
And a lot more are learning it as children learn it all through school now.

I do think it is important that the language is kept alive and truly think it would be a tragedy if it was lost.

Apologies for what I said, and I've asked for that part to be deleated.
Just for information, I was actually born in South shields, After being told by my parents that I am not allowed to do a Welsh GCSe, but instead German.

And I also feel that if it was any other language, it wouldn't have had the same response.

It is interesting, there was a thread earlier on today about Cornish names. Cornish is a dead language as there are no native speakers left.

It is very similar to Welsh and also to Breton. Breton was also 'put down' but the French speaking French.

When onion sellers used to come to wales (this sounds like something out of Little Britain I know )from Brittany my Grandmother could speak to them in Welsh and they would reply in Breton. they could just about understand each other.

When I went on holiday in Brittany I was unconsciously translating lots of the place names, as they are so similar to Welsh.

Racism? Please.

Bet he spoke English when he went cruising on Clapham Common...

I don't see why he couldn't speak Welsh on the BBC. It's the British Broadcasting Corporation, not the English one. They've got translators.

I think he's a prat though, it was Rhodri Clapham Common "We are what we are", wasn't it, or am I getting confused with a different prat?

No, no I think I overreacted.... It's just that the English sometimes feel a bit fragile too!

Handlemecarefully,
Shake Hands. I know what you mean, it is easy to take things wrong over the net.

(Passes HMC a glass of wine)

jo - you are truly lovely. I sense it (hic)

Well I'm not hanging around if you're all going to be so damn nice to each other!

Thank You

Lol WS