Coombe Barton Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Graffiti and broken indicator http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-17512297 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 They must have VERY simplistic minds; to imagine that any modern-country can exist in a state of fiscal, mental and physical insularity...but I guess that such ignorant-racism can come from any corner of the closed mind! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 How very sad. I think it must be said that they are a small minority of what is a very proud, and in my experience, very friendly nation. There are these type of idiots in every country, I suspect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 It always used to make me laugh that just over the border by the side of the A55 there were numerous placards saying "English go Home" and similar... Unfortunately they were written in Welsh, so completely meaningless to their intended audience!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidH Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 It's always easier to hate someone else and blame them for your problems than to get your own life in order ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 How very sad. I think it must be said that they are a small minority of what is a very proud, and in my experience, very friendly nation. There are these type of idiots in every country, I suspect. Unfortunately my experience is that the view taken by this minority is quite widespread. Also my experience of holidaying in Wales is that they are in general a very introverted and insular people who are very unwelcoming until you make that extra effort to break the surface of their prejudice. I have a couple of very good close friends who hail from North Wales who are both frequently apologetic for their national attitude, can speak the language fluently and are not of this minority. It is sad that the minority are frequently the most vocal. And there is me planning to boost the local economy later this year by holidaying in the area. As long as the cottage doesn't get burnt down or they dig up/blockade the roads. It will take more than graffiti I cannot read to stop me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 The attitude is really nothing new. When I was living in North Wales in the mid-70s there were the occasional instances of English being painted out on signs. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Keeping the pubs (and pretty much everything else) shut on Sundays was a pretty effective way of keeping me out as a youth! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 On a personal note an otherwise nice Pub in South Wales has been the only Pub in my lifetime (quite long now) that refused to serve me the first time I walked into it.... The staff treated me as if I was invisible - once you have had this happen to yourself then you can understand the frustrations of whole groups of people for which this was a commonplace occurrence. And don't all line up to hit "Like this"......... Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 It's always easier to hate someone else and blame them for your problems than to get your own life in order ... Indeed, the Daily Mail devotes an entire daily newspaper to just that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Dad and I used to have an occasional pint in the Colliers' Arms in Pwll, back in the 1970s. At the time, the public area consisted of the former front parlour, with the beer being drawn straight off the barrel in the former pantry. The lingua franca was Welsh, with concessions made to me, as dad had never taught me the language (sadly). One Friday evening, we took my cousin Sheila, who's from Northamptonshire, with us- we sat in the usual spot, and after a couple of minutes, the landlady came across and said 'The boys (average age 75) are worried their language might be a bit strong for the lady; would you like to sit in the living room with my mother?' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Imagine the controversy If the English played the same graffiti game with 'Go home foreigners' slogans. The Scots and Welsh are given every assistance to protect their culture, customs and language, while the English are simply told to lie down and accept they are multicultural! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Imagine the controversy If the English played the same graffiti game with 'Go home foreigners' slogans. The Scots and Welsh are given every assistance to protect their culture, customs and language, while the English are simply told to lie down and accept they are multicultural! They do, Larry, they do..I remember being told 'We don't serve f*****g Taffs' at a pub in Bristol, and have witnessed much worse behaviour directed to those who were even more evidently non-Anglo-Saxon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 I wonder if we shouldn't keep this to railway related discussions rather than attract the attention of the Mods? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I wonder if we shouldn't keep this to railway related discussions rather than attract the attention of the Mods? Are they Welsh.....lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 They do, Larry, they do..I remember being told 'We don't serve f*****g Taffs' at a pub in Bristol, and have witnessed much worse behaviour directed to those who were even more evidently non-Anglo-Saxon. Not only Bristol, but much of the south west in my experience. I've yet to receive similar treatment as an Englishman - with some Welsh - in Wales even in Caernarfon out of season, at least, not in earshot, though as a southerner in Durham, I have: but I know not all northerners share that prejudice... Is it wise to make such a judgement from a single piece of, apparently unusual (unprecedented in 11 years according to the report) graffiti? I note that one post has already been deleted so I think the mods have already spotted this one. Adam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 26, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 26, 2012 Years back when I was working in South Wales (the southern of the two Welsh countries for those unfamiliar with the Welsh nation ) my colleague - almost a visual embodiment of Lloyd George used to refer every now and then to demolishing the bridge to keep out the English, I offered to assist provided we could firsts end home all the Welsh; all good friendly banter but this sort of thing is occasionally spoilt by the loony fringe. But that is all they are - a loony fringe and in the case of the Snowdon incident probably just a bunch of small minded yobs who wanted to dress-uo their vandalism as something else. I worked in South Wales for several years and never encountered any hostility at all - just a few odd instances of Welsh speakers using their own language to avoid being overheard. Of course what they never knew was that I understood a bit of it (but not very much), and a few years back I greatly surprised a shopkeeper in Dolgellau when I spoke a couple of words to him in Welsh as we left his shop - and got a big smile. But then of course if you worked on the Western you could no more avoid having Welsh colleagues than you could Devonians or Brummies - we all worked for the same 'firm' and nobody bothered who came from, or worked, where. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 26, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 26, 2012 Not only Bristol, but much of the south west in my experience. I've yet to receive similar treatment as an Englishman - with some Welsh - in Wales even in Caernarfon out of season, at least, not in earshot, though as a southerner in Durham, but I know not all northerners share that prejudice... Is it wise to make such a judgement from a single piece of, apparently unusual (unprecedented in 11 years according to the report) graffiti? I note that one post has already been deleted so I think the mods have already spotted this one. Adam For some reason which I have never been able to fathom there used to be a lot of anti-Welsh prejudice in the immediate Bristol area and it all seemed to be founded on 'we should have had what has just been built in/moved to/given to 'any major town you care to name in South Wales'. Apparently the Royal Mint and DVLA should both be in Bristle according to the more extreme Bristolians - nowt so queer as folk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I wonder if we shouldn't keep this to railway related discussions rather than attract the attention of the Mods? I worked with a Welshman some years ago on the railway; he was almost-rabidly anti-English too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 For some reason which I have never been able to fathom there used to be a lot of anti-Welsh prejudice in the immediate Bristol area and it all seemed to be founded on 'we should have had what has just been built in/moved to/given to 'any major town you care to name in South Wales'. Apparently the Royal Mint and DVLA should both be in Bristle according to the more extreme Bristolians - nowt so queer as folk. I was told it dated to the 1920s/30s, when unemployed Welshmen would come to Bristol and 'steal our jobs' or 'steal our women'; I pointed out I wasn't interested in either, and would be out of there as soon as I could.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Max Stafford Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 To my view. I'm sure that this kind of hostility is tacitly perpetuated by those in power as a divide and rule tactic. This, allied with no real attempt to educate this mindset out merely serves to distract us from our common enemy, the Westminster/City cabal. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Same as anywhere, there are the polite and the less than polite. I have found most locals are inclusive and they speak English out of politeness even though it can be difficult for them to express themselves in a language that is not their mother tongue. A person cutting into a conversation might assume we are all Welsh speaking but after an introduction he will usually speak in English. If he continues to speak in Welsh afterwards, it is a statement that we all understand! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Every country has its rash of xenophobic idiots - it'll be interesting to see if the culprits are found (they were probably p1ssed out their tiny minds in any case). Are people familiar with the EDL ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted March 26, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 26, 2012 I think that the angst on that level is a minority view - but look at the social issues. This is an area of distinctly limited employment - into which tourists come in their flashy cars and throwing money about. Yes, the tourist industry does create jobs - but they are what the unions would classify as "McDonalds jobs", with neither pensions nor prospects, and many are no doubt seasonal. And how many of us love having the roads near our home invaded & clogged up in nice weather - by anyone, let alone "foreigners"? If spending countless millions on promoting use of the Welsh language in all official documents & signs was supposed to buy peace, then Westminster got it very wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Sad news re the vandalism. Those responsible don't speak for the majority of Welsh in my opinion. I've never had any problems, and have visited and worked in North Wales on many occasions. I was involved in service work to the "Jet Aircraft Factory" at Broughton - just in Wales. (where A380 & other Airbus wings are made) when it was being enlarged. Quite a few chaps I worked with & supervised were fluent Welsh speakers, indeed some could hardly speak english - but all were great blokes to work with. Occasionaly when going into a shop etc I was spoken welsh to, I just smiled and replied in my finest Wigan / Lancashire dialect. which is untranslateable to anyone born more than 5 miles away from Wigan town centre. Allways got served !! Lets all keep our languages & local dialects, and show respect to all for doing so. Brit 15 (or should it be Brit10 Owen Glendower / Owain Glyndwr) ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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