Editor's Letter April 2008

THIS YEAR I WAS RATHER SURPRISED by how little there seemed to be in the way of celebration - and support - of St.David’s Day in the media. Usually, in the evening, there is a Noson Lawen, several concerts perhaps, and a show or two with, say, Mike Doyle or Max Boyce on at least two channels - but not this year. The television and papers seemed dominated by sport with little time or space given over to our national day. Cardiff, though, was ablaze with flags and banners, and the National St. David’s Day Parade taking a quantum leap was absolutely magnificent, a real spectacle.

This year, Cardiff Council and the National Assembly gave it their support and that made all the difference. It was a beautiful albeit rather windy day and, of course, a Saturday, which meant it really could be a family outing. The atmosphere and camaraderie made attendance well worthwhile and there was plenty to see and hear. When the Parade reached the Senedd there was a programme of performances and a number of other events and activities had been laid on in the Bay.

The National St. David’s Day Parade was born of a challenge. Many in Wales will be unaware of its history. Six years ago our founder and publisher Henry Jones-Davies was invited by a friend to the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Birmingham. The entire city was given over to celebration, green beer, green costumes, with the local radio and television stations broadcasting live from the city centre. More than a quarter of a million people were out on the streets, joining in. Henry’s friend, Peter McAleese, a Glaswegian of proud Irish descent, jocularly remarked “I bet you Taffs couldn’t organise anything like this on St David’s Day!” Henry replied “Just you wait and see!” and determined to do something about it.

At the Cilmeri Commemoration in December that year Henry announced from the Prince Llywelyn memorial stone that he would carry the Ddraig Goch, alone if necessary, through the streets of the capital on St David’s Day the following year. A number of others present, including Adam Price MP, Gareth Westacott, David Petersen and Rhobert ap Steffan also pledged to be there. Like most great initiatives in Wales it started with a small determined band of believers and enthusiasts - in the words of Hilaire Belloc ‘From quiet homes and first beginning, out to the undiscovered ends’. The first parade, attended by just 600 people, took place on 1st March 2004. Since then the event has grown steadily with this, the fifth St. David’s Day Parade, attended by many thousands. Watching the huge procession with pipe and brass bands, dancers and flags work its way from the National Museum and City Hall past the Castle, down St Mary Street and Lloyd George Avenue through columns of cheering onlookers was a joy. As we passed the Pierhead Building a fellow walker looked up towards the new Senedd and told me that just hearing the very word ‘Senedd’ still gave her a thrill and the sight of the building filled her with pride.

Siôn Jobbins’ article on language is more than usually thought-provoking; I look forward to hearing what you think. There are those who say the fight for language has taken the fire out of the fight for autonomy: it is an emotive and sensitive subject. Take a look too at the challenging article by Rhydian Fôn James about the pressing need for affordable housing for young Welsh people.

Frances Jones-Davies

St.Davids Day Cardiff 08

Dramatic rescue of trapped cavers at Dan yr Ogof

Photo Credit Carl Ryan

Intrepid Cambria photographer Carl Ryan was with the rescue team

Two cavers cut off by flood water have made it to the surface after more than 30 hours underground.

They were trapped in the Dan-yr-Ogof caves in the Swansea Valley but were in a dry area and had access to food, drink and warm clothing.

Gary Mitchell, of the West Brecon Cave Rescue team, said the pair "have come out in really good spirits".

The men, in their 30s and from South Wales and Gloucestershire, had been trapped in the complex since Saturday.

St.Davids Day Parade Photos

St.Davids Day Cardiff 08

Go to the Official Website for more photos and videos done on the Day.

And then there’s ap Sion!

There are very few people in Wales who can be described as ‘arwr’.

There are those who don outlandish robes, performing meaningless rituals among circles of stone in the company of weak-minded, decrepit, fellow-travellers, those who award each other literary honours in a self-perpetuating circle of sycophants and back-scratchers, those who rant and rave against a seemingly all-powerful establishment storm wind which throws their words faster than they can utter them into a void of silence, and those who play ball with a political system which has the guile and cunning to outwit the cleverest and noblest, outmanoeuvring them at every turn.

...............And then there’s ap Sion!

Henry Jones-Davies, St. Pirans Day, 2008

Self-styled epithet - insult to Wales

The Editor,The Western Mail,

SIR

Your lack of coverage of the Saturday’s National St David’s Day Parade in the capital is shameful. That you published false information in your Saturday edition about the location and timing of the Parade was even more reprehensible. The largest National St David’s Day Parade ever was held in partnership with Cardiff Council and the National Assembly and was attended by national dignitaries and many thousands of people from all over Wales and beyond. Some 8,000 people including pipe, brass and drum bands processed through the capital’s streets which were thronging with onlookers. The earlier military parade was miniscule by comparison. The St David’s Day Parade was officially received by officials of the Senedd and the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff Bay. It was, as Presiding Officer Lord Elis-Thomas said in his address, ‘a significant step in the progress of Welsh history’. Cardiff has never experienced anything like it, yet you chose to ignore it. This can only be construed as willful, discreditable negligence on your part.

An increasing number of people in this country are beginning to see through the now barely hidden agenda of your management and editorial team, doubtless prompted by your London owners, as the lamentable ABC circulation figures published last week show. Tired of being treated with intellectual contempt, Welsh readers are voting with their feet.

Three years ago you threatened, risibly, Cambria magazine and myself as then editor, with actions for criminal libel and defamation over an article by Clive Betts, which suggested that the tabloid version of your paper had dumbed-down, a graph which showed the steady decline of your circulation, and a cartoon showing an ailing mule on its last legs. The threats were, of course, swiftly rebutted by my legal team, but it is satisfying to know that we were absolutely right. You cannot fail to agree that the figure of 35,067 speaks, deafeningly, for itself.

I suggest that you remove the self-styled epithet ‘The National Newspaper of Wales’ from your masthead as it is an insult both to the Welsh nation and the newspaper publishing industry.

Henry Jones-Davies

Publisher

CAMBRIA – The National Magazine of Wales

Bogus National Newspaper of Wales

Sir,

The absence of any coverage ( except 1 photograph of the figure of St David with a strange caption in Wales on Sunday) by your newspaper of the massive and joyous National St David's Day Parade last Saturday through the streets of Cardiff and ending up at the Senedd in the bay, must rate as one of the most blatant pieces of media spin ever to befall this Nation of ours. Add to that your bogus claim to be "The National Newspaper of Wales" and there is a certain lack of credibility starting to creep into your ever declining readership.

That almost 8,000 people walked to the sounds of Brass Bands, Scottish Pipe Bands, Welsh Pipers, Drum Bands and two Breton Bagads (pipes and drums), one from Cardiff's twinned city of Nantes, who played to the thousands of well wishers and shoppers who lined the streets and completely filled St Mary's Street ( that's the one next to your offices) and went completely unnoticed by any of your reporters is unbelievable. Especially as the Rt. Hon.The Lord Mayor of Cardiff led an array of dignitaries including some 40 Town Mayors from all over Wales and the Presiding Officer for the Assembly Government, Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, who delivered an astounding speech to the assembled Paraders outside the Senedd at the end of the Parade.

Your small notice given to readers to assemble at Sophia Close at 3:0 pm was misleading and on it's own could be construed as a mistake, but in the light of your total avoidance of any coverage can only mean that you have another agenda. One that clearly is not shared by the 8,000 people who did join the Parade.

It is not too late to address this faux pas completely, a series of coloured photographs showing just what a spectacle it was, along with an article mentioning how important this show of National pride is for the Nation of Wales would go some way to redressing the balance of what actually went on in Cardiff, the National City of Wales, on our Patron Saint's Day.

Your readers deserve nothing less.

Yours sincerely,
David Petersen. (One of the Organising Committee).

Western Mail non-existent coverage of St.David's day

Photo by Carl Ryan
Dear Editor (of the Western Mail)

Do you know that there was a major celebration of our Patron Saint in Wales on Saturday last. Perhaps you do not know that March 1st is our Patron Saint's Day. Apart from most of the important people of Wales being there at the Senedd on Saturday afternoon, there were representatives from Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall and bands from Brittany.

Perhaps if the Western Mail is not interested in Wales it should go back to England and fulfill it's role as an English Provincial Newspaper.

I would rather it was otherwise, but alas I cannot see the Western Mail ever representing this country.
Yours very sincerely, John H. Davies

Quoted from http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/mar/01/scienceofclimatechange.climatechange/print:

'Enjoy life while you can' | From the Guardian | The Guardian

Enjoy life while you can'

Climate science maverick James Lovelock believes catastrophe is inevitable, carbon offsetting is a joke and ethical living a scam. So what would he do? By Decca Aitkenhead

"There have been seven disasters since humans came on the earth, very similar to the one that's just about to happen. I think these events keep separating the wheat from the chaff. And eventually we'll have a human on the planet that really does understand it and can live with it properly. That's the source of my optimism."

What would Lovelock do now, I ask, if he were me? He smiles and says: "Enjoy life while you can. Because if you're lucky it's going to be 20 years before it hits the fan."