S4C...The Welsh Language Channel....Not The Responsibility Of Wales...Let's Pause And Reflect Here

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well Welsh Language channel S4C received the news yesterday that from 2022 it's funding will be mainly from the TV licence fee. It was also announced that the recommendations of a review of the channel would be accepted and announcements on how it's implementation would be made in due course.

This decision was not announced as you would think by Carwyn Jones in the National Assembly building in Cardiff but by the Conservative Secretary Of State for Wales, blog villain and all round political slimeball Alun Cairns.

That's right. Westminster and not Wales has control of Welsh media issues. Even though some right wing commentators would disparage the language they do not understand they seem happy that they and not the devolved administration has responsibility for it.

Now of course Westminster has responsibility for the English language Welsh stations as well. With regard to those it would not be difficult to spilt UK and Welsh parts of say, BBC Wales between Cardiff and London. But for the moment let's focus on S4C. The station is after all for the Welsh language and yet politicians living outside of Wales can have influence over it's future.

So for example S4C is to be given more responsibilities with regard to digital services (which I would hope, as I've mentioned before would include another channel. S4C suffers at having to provide a full range of programming in just one channel) however there would be no extra money provided for these services.

The National Assembly urged on by Plaid Cymru would have made sure that S4C would have got that money (the Labour Party is only a minority administration). But no. London Parliamentarians, most of whom would not be Welsh  or have never even visited Wales will make the decision.

And as a side issue. Remember the furore of "English laws should only be made by English MPs"? Yet here's a Welsh TV channel whose future can be decided by non Welsh MPs.

So you would think that the Welsh Government would want devolved broadcasting powers for Wales. Particularly in such an obvious case such as S4C? Well....err.. no. Independent AM propping up the Labour administration, Welsh Government Culture minister,former Plaid Cymru leader and Welsh Fame Is The Spur candidate Dafydd Elis-Thomas (see my previous post) says that devolved broadcasting should not be considered at this present time. Welsh Labour, with the inability to grow a pair when it really matters, have acquiesced.

S4C then...the Welsh Language channel.....not the responsibility of Wales but Westminster. Let's pause and reflect on that.

Until the next time.

Dafydd Elis-Thomas:The Welsh Version Of Fame Is The Spur?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

For those of you who think Fame Is The Spur is a sort of sequel to Fame and gives more airtime to young New York lycraed  aspirants in show business prepare to be disappointed. For it actually refers to a 1940 novel by Howard Spring (which I haven't read) subsequently made into a film in 1947 starring Michael Redgrave (which I have seen).

The plot is simple. A man starts off as left wing but as the story moves on becomes more and more to the right. Thus alienating those who helped him.

Well it appears that the Welsh version has finally made the ultimate step of no return. And it wasn't even joining the Labour Welsh government in Cardiff as a minister.

I won't bother giving a full blow by blow account of the career of Dafydd Elis-Thomas, there are far more expert than me for that. But see how the trajectory of his political career as gone when I give the following list.

Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader, No Longer Leader, Plaid Cymru Peer, Member of National Assembly For Wales, Presiding Officer For The Assembly, Leaves Plaid Cymru, Independent Member Of The National Assembly For Wales, Minister For Culture,Sport and Tourism under the current Labour Welsh government.

So the man who was once leader of Plaid Cymru is, though an independent, a minister in Carwyn Jones' arrogantly incompetent Welsh Labour administration.

But as I said. That's not the most dramatic sea change. For in his capacity as tourism minister he's announced that he will promote Wales as a "Principality". Which is, for the uninitiated, means a territory "held and governed by a prince".

No matter that Wales has not been a Principality since the sixteenth century. No matter either that not even the Welsh Labour government agrees with this. This is the image, the servile state of the heir to the British Monarchy, that a former leader of Plaid Cymru wants to present Wales to the world.

I have spoken before about the dangers post Brexit of the Welsh nation becoming the last whipping boy to a certain type of arrogance that some English people possess. This servant/master image of Wales will not help matters.

Wales is a proud nation that possess many thing that it can shout about. A culture, heritage and full of breathtaking views that surely would bring the tourists in. It's people are on the whole nice, friendly and welcoming. It is the equal of any nation not it's slave counterpart.

It'll need a slogan. "Italy with rain" is close. How about "Italy in a cool climate"?

There you are Lord Elis-Thomas, I've done your job for you. And I didn't have to risk betraying Wales in so doing.

Until the next time.