"This young man - he was sitting round in the Swansea Eisteddfod - was so worked up by what Saunders had said, saying we must go out and support him, I just sort of realised at that point there was something going on in that man's mind which was definitely not going on in my mind."

Mr Morgan's father TJ Morgan, a distinguished professor of Welsh, had been a supporter of WJ Gruffydd, the candidate who defeated Lewis in the hard-fought University of Wales parliamentary by-election in 1943. The ex-First Minister said:

"He [Gruffydd] didn't think Saunders was a fit and proper person to become an MP, and I don't think my father did either. Saunders could make speeches and was a very good playwright, and that was it. But as an MP it never crossed my mind that he was a figure of influence."

Quite a shocking quote really. So, in 1964ish Rhodri Morgan in a rather condescending way couldn't get worked up about Saunders Lewis's speech. So, Rhodri Morgan, following another census return which saw the Welsh language accelerate its downward spiral couldn't get 'worked up' about it? What kind of a Welshman can't get worked up about his native language dying? Would he be so blaze about the Wales rugby team losing every consecutive game since 1901? Would the average Labour party member be so blaze were the English language to fall of a cliff? No, this blaze, dressed up as internationalism, is part of the DNA of the 'Welsh' Labour party.

Saunders Lewis 'not fit' to be an MP? I'd agree that Saunders wasn't cut out to be an MP. He was too honest for that. I don't say that in a pejorative way, but being an MP of any party, requires a level of social skill and what could be called ability to be careful with the truth, which SL didn't possess. He was a writer and thinker not a politician. But I can't think he was 'not fit' to be an MP. What and all those long-forgotten Labour MPs were? So being institutionally anti-Welsh (like a good majority) of Labour MPs were - is OK. Being for state socialism which saw the nationalisation of Thomas Cook among other barmy ideas - is OK. Campaigning against Welsh language education - OK. Sucking up to the English establishment and Monarchy - OK. Lewis was no less fit to be an MP than the vast majority of Labour MPs.

In another part of the interview. Morgan says he was inspired by JFK. OK, fair enough, he was a charismatic figure who brought hope to the Cold War generation, but isn't there something missing that a Welsh person, an intelligent Welsh person, projects his aspirations and fears through the politics and policies of another country which he isn't a part of. And that, at the same time, a new, young, radical, peaceful movement, in the spirit of the Black civil rights movement in his own country doesn't 'agitate' him.

Did the young socialist Morgan, not think for one moment, that the language he spoke with his parents in its own country, was in grave danger because the forces of consumer culture, capitalism and status was mitigated against it? Didn't that in any way strike a chord with him? Did he not for one minute just think it was a bit odd that the aforementioned Eisteddfod in Swansea was held in a city which had not one official sign in the Welsh language? Was it not odd that Welsh had not official status in its own country? Maybe Morgan is from that category of Welshman who saw Welsh as being quite nice but really was past its sell-by date and, in the interest of World socialism and internationalism, should just be allowed go quietly into the night?

Morgan is an intelligent man, he's not some bloke who never thinks about abstract ideas. So, the casual, standard, anti-Welsh line of the Labour party that this isn't 'what ordinary people want' doesn't wash (although for thousands of ordinary Welsh people the language was a big issue). Why didn't Morgan have any interest in a new secular type of Welsh language culture - was Welsh just for the past and English the language of the 'white heat of technology'. I don't know.

In any case, it's caused a dislocation between Labour and the Welsh language where any foreign cause, no matter how obscure (Africa is a perennial popular one) is more interesting and less threatening than the Welsh language. Unfortunately, Morgan and much of the Labour party seem ill at ease in modern Welsh language culture - it seems beneath them or alien or 'too Welshie'. It's a pity, a great pity, because had the young Morgan been just a little less condescending towards his own language then Welsh history and the story of the Welsh language since then could have been much brighter and more interesting. Certainly more interesting than following the latest American election in which Morgan could play no part.

The recent referenda on independence held at 160 Catalan municipalities has raised the issue and temperature in Catalonia!

Now, a poll published in the daily El Periodico (which is published as separate Catalan and Spanish editions every day) has found that the public is evenly split on being for and against independence with 20% undecided.

If one takes into account that the poll probably asked people of all backgrounds on their views on the subject then my guess is that a majority of Catalan people are in favour of independence with many of the antis (not all of course) would include 'native' Catalans, people of Spanish decent, Latin American and other nationalities who've moved to the country. It would be interesting to know.

The people who've moved to the UK are by a vast majority very supportive of British independence so, would 'British' people of any political persuasion, be happy to see recent immigrants decide on the constitutional future of the UK? Or the Tibetans happy to see their constitutional future decided by Han Chinese?

Is it also the case that the central Spanish government sees the movement of people into Catalonia as a way of keeping Catalonia a part of Spain in the same way as pro-Belgian Francophones see immigrants to Belgium (who tend to be Francophone) as being voters for the continuation of Belgium and promoters of the French rather than Dutch language? I don't know, Just asking.

Also interesting is the definition of Catalans as a nation (52% among people in Catalonia - the same split again?) whereas the rest of Spain don't see Catalans as a nation (80% against).

Funny that Catalonia with its own language, government which celebrates its 650 anniversary this year and who fought a war of liberation in 1714 is not a nation whilst 'imagined communities' created by the landed elites means that Spanish people recognise such 'nations' as Uruguay, Chile or Columbia!

As one comment on Syniadau'r blog put it, it seems the Catalans will have to start killing people if they want their cause to be covered by the BBC or the 'Welsh' press.

Many of you may know that because the Spanish Constitution (which can't be changed because it was given by God on Mount Sinai) doesn't allow a democratic referendum on independence for Catalonia or the Basque Country. The Catalans have side-stepped the band and are holding a series of referenda on 13 December on the subject in some 150 local councils.

This is big news. But, not big enough for the BBC or the Western Mail. Vaughan Roderick gave is a quick mensh a few weeks ago and there was a piece in Golwg360 as Jill Evans Plaid MEP will be in Catalonia as an observer. Other news which is covered in BBC Europe online include a hunger strike by a Western Saraha dissident (another Spanish colony) and conseiderations by Turkey to ban the pro-Kurdish DTP party . So, the subject of minority righst, or independence movements isn't a problem for the press, it's just that, well, by not killing people or threatening to kill people or not being attacked by tanks or water canons, the Catalan cause isn't deemed newsworthy.

However the big story is that Spain, unlike the UK, which, would in theory at least, allow a referendum on independence for Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales won't allow a similar democratic vote for the constituent nations of their state. The Catalans, like the Basques and Galicians, predate the Spanish state. Catalonia is only a part of Spain because they lost a war of independence in the early 18C - a cause which Westminster supported.

Spain isn't Turkey, but denying a referendum on independence for a European nation within the EU, a nation which has not used violence or intimination is news. Is Spain the kind of EU member state we want to have?

http://syniadau--buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/12/life-on-receiving-end_09.html
http://cataloniathenextstate.blogspot.com/
http://www.cataloniadirect.info/2009/11/welsh-party-plaid-cymru-questions-europarliament-catalan-referendum/

Lots of talk been on Celtic nationalist blogs about the Labour hold at the Glasgow North East even on the Welsh blogger site, Grangetown Jack.

It's a terrible indictment that after 75 years of holding the seat, 12 years of power in Westminster (and several other stints) and 8 years in power in Holyrood - Labour blame the SNP (who've been in power at Edinburgh for 18 months) for Glasgow North East's ills! Yes, you couldn't make it up.

That the SNP failed to take the seat is also an indictment.

The best analysis I've read is in The Times. It'd be worth Plaid supporters, policy makers and politicians taking time to read it too.

Being an internationalist movement, the Welsh national movement has close links and affinity with other state-less nations. One of the most successful in terms of political power and language regeneration (not to talk of economy - and yes, there is a link) is Catalonia. And it seems the affinity is reciprocated.

For all those Catalan-speakers, there's a new site about Wales and the other Celtic nations. La Llengua de drac - the dragon's language, surely - is a great addition to the Welsh and Catalan blogesphere. (If, like me, you don't speak Catalan, you can use googletranslate).

There's also an article in the Catalan daily, El Punt about Rhodri Morgan. In it Rhodri tries to outline Wales's insulting and confusing constitional mess to the Catalans - the mess his party got us into to keep happy it's Brit Nat section!

Surprised (am I really?!) that none of the 'Welsh' media ran this story. Arenys de Munt, a small town mid-way between Barcelona and Girona in Catalonia, voted for independence from Spain.

The town's mayor held the election.... even though (or because of rather) the fact that Spain won't allow Catalonia to hold such a vote. The Spanish state declares that a vote on independence in 'unconstitutional' - the word 'unconstitutional' is used of course to give their colonial prejudice some semblance of intelligence and legality.

Much the same way as divorce was once 'unconstitutional' or gay rights was 'unconstitutional' or breaking apartheid laws were 'unconstitutional'. Put it in UK terms, under Spain's 'constitution' the Irish (and the Good Friday Agreement) would not be allowed nor would the Scots or us be allowed to hold a referendum on independence! It's all nonsense really.

The Catalans, like the Basques and Galicians, predate the Spanish state and so have a right to leave that state. In fact, had luck (and France) been on their side in the 18th century Catalonia would now be independent like Portugal are.

In any case, a campaign is gathering apace in Catalonia for the right of the Catalan nation to decide its own destiny within or without the Spanish state. Some time the Spanish conquistadors will have to give into democracy in Catalonia like the Basque Country and Galicia.

Follow us here - http://twitter.com/britnatwatch

Interesting article in The Times by Rachel Sylvester on 1 September. Now that Britain is just a medium-sized state why stick with it? What ever your view on the Lockerby Bomber decision it's interesting to note two facts. It took a Scottish Parliament Minister to stand up to the Americans in a way the 'Brits' never would, what Blair called the 'Love Actually moment' and related to that, the general increasing irrelevance of, or irritation with, Britain which the US feels.

Now that Britain can't offer the glory which always attracts a type of person who just like to be on the winning side, then what does Britain offer? Unlike a Welsh or Irish or Estonian state which are there to foster and promote weaker cultures and languages, the most appealing parts of British identity - comedy and popular music are independent of needing a state. After all, would the independence of four Britannic nations undermine 'British' comedy or pop music? Hardly ... it would probably strengthen it if anything. So, why stick with Britain?

Basically, there's nothing a British state can do which a Welsh or Scottish one can't do just as well or better. Now that the glory and prestige once attached to it is fading it will lose the affection of those fickle people who want to associate themselves with it. There is no point to Britain!

At last, after years of waiting, suffering the Brit natfest (or even worse, English nat in Wales fest) which was the Ashes (haven't they bloody finished yet!) we get an item on Welsh news about one of closest things to an indigenous Welsh sport - Baseball.

Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia is making history. Not only taking control of the country's natural wealth which goes down well with the Brit left wing, but is also proving that the battle for economic control is the same as the one for dignity of marginalised languages and cultures... something some of our British nationalist friends in the Labour party conveniently forget.

Hat tip to Scottish side, 1820, for this. Of course substitute Wales for Scotland ... Chinese probably use same arguments in East Turkmenistan; Danes re Greenland; George III re the 13 colonies ... you get the gist!

BTW doesn't know enough about Cornish politics - why didn't the Welsh media give it some space, not even the eclectic Vaughan Roderick. But in any case, with a blue tide washing across the UK (it would include Wales were there local elections here - don't fool yourself) Mebyon Kernow got three of its members elected.

Change is afoot in Greenland. In a national election held to elect a government as it enters a new enhanced form of self-government within Denmark on 21 June, the voters have gone for a left-of-centre nationalist party Inuit Ataqatigiit, a sort of Greenlandic Plaid Cymru .

This is good news. The voters in Greenland have seen that after 30 years of rule by the more cautious devolution party, they want a new party for a new constitutional set-up... will the same be true of Wales? Lets hope so.

BNW is all for independence for Greenland but as we've written before, we believe that the Danish connection is an important one as trilingualism - Greenlandic, Danish and English is better for a small linguistic community like Greenlandic than bilingualism where the second language, English, is such a strong and potentially fatal one for the smaller language. From the Greenlandic point of view, keeping Danish as a second language would enhance Greenland's independence not undermine it. The lesson from Nunavut, the semi-autonomous Inuit Canadian province next door confirms this. For small linguistic communities like Greenlandic or Welsh isn't that speaking another language is a threat but that speaking only one other language is a threat - it's best for us to be trilingual not bilingual.

It seems, that now the Greenlandic language and community is the dominant one in terms of number and confidence that Danish is no longer a threat. There's a lot to be said then for keeping the Danish connection therefore... a connection which stretches back centuries and is a window on a wider (and quite appealing) Scandinavian culture.

Maybe Greenland could have independence within a Danish commonwealth along with the Faroe Islands - another nation, were it governed by a more powerful linguistic community, English in Scotland or the UK for instance, would have seen it's language lost and economy weaker - see the Shetland islands as a comparison.

In any case - Greenland leads the way where Wales will follow!

The French Cup Final on Saturday 9 May was anything but French! The two teams in the Final were both Breton; Gwengamp (a small town) and the capital of Brittany, Roazon (Rennes). The euphoria surrounding the event it seems to me will renew Breton confidence and politics for a generation to come. http://cymru-llydaw.blogspot.com/

Not only did the French press make much of the event - the sports daily Equipe gave a Breton make over but the Bretons made most of the day.

The nationalist Parti Breton asked for the Breton national anthem, Bro Goz ma Zadou (Hen Wlad fy Nhadau - literally the same title and same tune as ours) to be sung before the final a la Cardiff City at Wembley last year. Of course, the French wouldn't allow that, but they did allow the Bretons to sing their anthem before the game (that's big of them!) ... and tens of thousands did.

A huge Breton flag the Gwenn ha Du (yes, gwyn a du - white and black) covered a good part of one of the stands and thousands of Breton flags were flown with pride. To tell the truth, I'd be damned if I could see any French tricoleurs being flown by the fans at all.

This is incredible. After two hundred years of the awful French republic which has tried its best to kill off any significant sign of Breton language and culture beyond the folkloric, the events on Saturday prove that the Bretons are a nation reborn. Their flag is the Gwenn ha Du, their anthem is being confirmed as Bro Goz ma Zadou and they're not a cowered and beaten nation which the French have come to expect. That Breton, the nation like Kurdish, so long humiliated by the French like the Kurds by the Turks, is still fighting is proof that the French state has not won.

The Breton, for so long humiliated by the French and the French state (and it is a French state) have turned a corner. There's no turning back. I don't expect Brittany to become independent any time soon, but with this historic football event, the ongoing campaign for the reunification of Naoned (Nantes) with Brittany and the continuing call for Breton status, Brittany is on the march. President Sarkozy stayed away - a quite incredible decision for a head of state. Maybe after implying he'd support reunification of Nantes he didn't want 80,000 booing him and making him keep to his word.

All in all, a historic day for Brittany. A Nation Awakes. Good news for the Breton language and culture and all who believe that the beauty of Europe is the plurality of her languages and her peoples.

Had a quick look at the Western Mail phone around asking the AMs for their view of the Assembly's achievements over the last 10 years.

Wasn't much to say really - Labour spend the first 8 doing as little as possible so as not to upset London. A lot of stuff about the Children's Commissioner - who's done sod all to change the life of any kid in Wales as far as I can see. Some stuff about 'free' (working people pay for it) transport and 'free' prescriptions, and erm, that's it. Not much to boast about. Some of the answers (if important in their own way) were very parochial for a Q&A in national, as opposed to, local paper.

The much-respected John Griffiths, Newport spoke some sense (he usually does) but my hat is donned to Jenny Randerson, Alun Ffred and Leanne Wood for actually saying that one of the achievements of the National Assembly was to do something about one of the biggest things that makes us special and unique as a nation. Not just hospitals, buses nor parking, but the Welsh language. Good on them.

However, one hopes to God that in 10 years time, the Assembly Members will have much more to boast about.

So, has Kinnock admitted that a large section of traditional Labour voters are racists when he says the BNP can attract votes from his party?

Is the former Labour leader dog whistling to appeal to the less attractive side of Welsh Labour voters? Can one imagine were Ieuan Wyn Jones to say 'Plaid needs to do something in case our traditional voters go over to the BNP?' Hmm, you can hear the Labour attack dogs barking at the press straight away!

So, how do Labour apologists and members think this sounds to Welsh nationalists (and Tories for that matter)? Years of inane comparisons between Welsh nationalism and racism/Nazism endless quoting of a couple of sentences by Saunders Lewis or misquotes of Dafydd Iwan or Simon Glyn or Dafydd Glyn Jones or any one else who raises any issue other than schoolsandhospitals? It really does grate.

Are most Labour supporters racist? No, I don't think (though a fair number have hostile views towards Welsh medium education). But no, they are not! Are the BNP a threat? Yes. Do I like the BNP? No. Trouble is, after years of having Labour accuse good people who are Welsh nationalists of being xenophobic or racist, I've started thinking to myself, 'hmm, aybe Labour are just calling wolf here too? If they were wrong with Plaid/Cymdeithas/Cymuned over the years, what's to say they're not wrong with the BNP?'

And you know what, it seems to me that a good part of the traditional (read 'white' English-speaking Britishers) of the Welsh Labour party have maybe come, independently and from a different position, to the same conclusion. Labour are to blame for the rise in the BNP. Difference is, I won't be voting for the BNP in June but it seems a lot of Labour people will.

Take time out, do yourself a favour, read Adam Price's speech at this year's Plaid Cymru Spring Conference.

How hollow the charges of 'narrow minded' flung towards Welsh nationalists by British nationalists; how Philistine their appreciation of the world's complexity and subtly of language and culture; how ignorant their knowledge of countries, economies and peoples except the Big Boy Nationalists of their own ilk; how Darwinian, wrong-footed, flat-footed, genocidal their actions. How stuck in the past the British nationalists are.

Price puts it better than I ever could. Wales is the future. The politics of the future is the politics of Welsh nationalism. We have much to learn from the world and I say it humbly, maybe some have things to learn from us.

Viva the Welsh nation-state, independent with the Kurds, Tibetans, Greenlanders, Sarahawi, West Papuans, Bretons ... and yes, English, Germans, Russians and Castillians.

This is really obscure I know, but taking a look at the www.nationalia.cat website I found the Plaid Cymru and the SNP's grouping in the European parliament, the EFA (which also includes the Greens) has extended it's membership. Among the new members are the Sued Tiroler Freiheit (South Tirol Freedom). South Tirol, of course was cut off for some reason from north Tirol following the First World War as a way of rewarding the Italians for coming in against Austria-Hungary.

The region has more power than our poxy Assembly does (and will for a while unless the leaders of Plaid and Labour get their act together and start campaigning for a Yes vote in the referendum). But people are keen for more power. My German isn't good enough to work out if the STF want actual independence, union with Austria or just more autonomy (grateful for any clarification by German speakers).

In any case, one thing struck me about their website and especially the YouTube video on the right hand side, 'Marsch gegen Faschismus' (March against Fascism). It's obvious that a monument built by Mussolini is upsetting people and they've organised what looks like a very effective rally against the Faschis Denkmal (Fascist Monument). Contrary also to Welsh Labour prejudice (and also some left wingers in Plaid) the traditional costume usually associated with being reactionary and fascistic by some has become a badge of anti-fascism, democracy and rights by the Southern Tirolers. Maybe we Welsh should worry less our Labourist hang-ups (the successful St David's Day parade being a case in point) and confirm our traditional costume a badge of identity and anti-fascism and like in the Tirolean case a badge of anti centralised British/Italian nation statism.

Freiheit fuer Sued Tirol!

The green, blue and yellow are the colours of the Berber flag. There's also a song by Lounes Matoub, the Berber 'Dafydd Iwan'.

I'm aware that quite a lot of the visitors to this site come from outside Wales.

The last posting showed the little-known ideological roots of the contempt of the 'big nation' left-wing chauvinism of people like Eric Hobsbawm and numerous communist and socialist politicians and writers towards the many Bretons, Basques and Gaels (and Welsh) who visit this site (see video clip in previous posting).

For those of you outside Wales it's worth you also seeing how low the British nationalist left wing in Wales - the 'Welsh' Labour party - have stooped. This time, it's not so much ideological as erm, well, embarrassing. The noise you can hear in the background is the 'Welsh' Labour party digging its own grave!

As one person said; they've discarded their ideology, they are bereft of ideas, they have no vision and they're left with being a tribal, childish, spiteful party which would rather hamper self-government for Wales and so be ruled by the Westminster Tories whom they claim to hate so much. Compare this childish website and video (if you can bare to watch it all - I couldn't! - just too embarrassing) with Plaid Cymru's intelligent www.WalesCan.com laying the argument for Wales to become a normal independent nation state.

I really think that this is the beginning of the end of British nationalist project which was Welsh Labour. It's not over yet. But when a once mighty political party has this to offer, and when Peter Hain thinks that this is "Obama moment for Welsh Labour" you know they're on their last legs. A party can't last for too long without some intellectual belief and project.

Needless to say, this video has clogged the bloggersphere and websites in Wales. Here are some of the latest links:

http://owainbevan.blogspot.com/
http://annoyinglypoor.blogspot.com/
http://welshnoted.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-aneurin-glyndwr.html
http://heleddfychan.blogspot.com/2009/03/aneurin-glyndwr.html
http://oclmenai.blogspot.com/2009/03/croeso-aneurin-glyndwr_27.html
http://www.anenglishmanscastle.com/archives/007194.html
http://maes-e.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&p=376665
http://wrecsamplaid.blogspot.com/2009/03/welsh-poverty-labour-success-story.html
http://borthlas.blogspot.com/2009/03/its-debate-but-not-as-we-know-it.html
http://guerrilla-welsh-fare.blogspot.com/2009/03/ag-western-mail-reaction.html
http://guerrilla-welsh-fare.blogspot.com/2009/03/things-can-only-get-better.html
http://guerrilla-welsh-fare.blogspot.com/2009/03/from-bad-to-worse.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/betsanpowys/2009/03/labour_versus_the_rest_mark_2.html
http://andrewnutt.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-anuerin-glyndwr-web-site-closet.html
http://thecynicaldragon.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-friends.html
http://thecynicaldragon.blogspot.com/2009/03/quote-of-day_27.html
http://freedom-central.blogspot.com/2009/03/aneu-for-aneurin-and-soon-we-shall-all.html
http://merchmerthyr.blogspot.com/2009/03/peter-hain-and-co-have-lost-it.html
http://glyndaviesam.blogspot.com/2009/03/labour-party-making-idiots-of.html
http://welshramblings.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-has-labour-been-this-stupid.html
http://peterblack.blogspot.com/2009/03/things-that-they-say.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/vaughanroderick/2009/03/owainbevan.html
http://devilskitchen.me.uk/2009/03/hain-and-welsh-labours-obama-moment.html
http://cambriapolitico.com/2009/03/piggys-in-the-sht-again/

And here are a few quotes:

"Check it out, if only for a laugh. It's cringeworthy. It's so obvious that they're angry with Plaid for coming up with the idea of Walescan and feel threatened by it. Everything about it is wrong." - Heledd Fychan

"Aneurin Glyndwr - not even funny. What a complete joke. Not worth a meagre link even." - Rhodri ap Dyfrig
"If Aneurin Glyndwr is the best Labour can offer in terms of modern campaigning in Wales then bring on the General Election." - Geraint Day

"Still can't quite believe that 'Aneurin Glyndwr' is an official Labour site. It's a set up job surely?" - Cynical Dragon

"At the moment aneuringlyndwr.com is the internet equivalent of watching your dad dance at a disco." - Peter Black

"Peter Hain said it was Welsh Labour's 'Obama moment'. I think he meant 'Dubya Bush moment'." - Rhydian Fôn

"Anuerin Glyndwr - the new web site - its supposed to be satirical. It's pathetic." - Valleys Mam

And the 'student' behind this project? None other than Leighton Andrews' researcher, and Welsh Assembly pin-up David Taylor. According to Martin Shipron of the Western Mail, he is "feared for his skills on the internet, being seen as one of the most talented disciples of Adrian McMenamin". Internet Skills? Talented? If this is the best Labour have to offer, God help them!

We have blooged about David before, back in 2005. View posts below:

• Cheers Blair Watch.
• Brit Nat AM's Researcher - David Taylor - orders the removal of Walter Wolfgang
• Who are you calling extremists Mr Taylor?

Well done Sara Medi Jones. It must be quite intimidating asking a question to Hillary Clinton especially among all the smug Euro and US press corp, but she made Wales proud (view video below).



She could have chickened out with some question about GM, Gaza, nuclear weapons or another safe 'radical' agenda which Plaid sometimes promote to the detriment of Welsh self-government as they try and prove that they're part of a broader movement. Nothing wrong with that, but if Plaid Cymru won't raise the issue of Welsh independence or language rights - then who will? Her simple forthright question - a lesson to some Plaid AMs and MPs - made the news in Catalonia... but not the useless BBC Wales (must be some cat stuck up a tree).

So, Sara goes up to the mark and asks the world's most important woman, what her views are on independence for nations like Wales, Scotland and Catalonia? Of course some members of the press corp snigger - you know, Wales, Wales for heaven's sake, having ideas above their station? What, more food Oliver, more?! No doubt, the same kind of attitude which fills the ranks of Brit Nat Welsh and Scottish Labour MEP's. But Sara stood her ground.

Clinton wasn't supportive - but then George Bush Snr famously told the Lithuanians and Ukrainians to stay part of the USSR but had to eat humble pie a few months later. But she's not against the idea either. We're not going to get independence any day soon but the principle has been made. The USA see it as an internal matter for the 'nation states'. If the UK or Spain can sort it out then they won't oppose.

The Brit and Spanish Nats will talk of constitutions (even though the UK hasn't really got one!). But constitutions can change. Would the Labour Brit Nats stop campaigning for a woman's right to an abortion, or gay marriage rights, or for segregation or women's vote ... because it's in the constitution?! Or is independence for Wales, Scotland, Catalonia etc the only part of a constitution they wouldn't change?

In any case. Three cheers for Sara Medi for retaining Wales' honour - unlike our First Minister who managed to embarrass his American hosts this week. And three cheers for Hillary Clinton for not being a patsy to British and Spanish nationalist agendas. Clinton supports democracy after all.