Press Release Thursday 22 July 2010

Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg) welcomes committee's recommendations for proposed Welsh Language Measure

Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg) has welcomed the report published today by an Assembly Legislation Committee which includes a number of recommendations to strengthen the proposed Welsh Language Measure.

The recommendations in particular encompass recent demands made by Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg) which includes the need for a clear and unambiguous statement establishing official status for the Welsh language, increasing and empowering the role of the individual within the Measure and ensuring more independence for the Language Commissioner.

The report also supports another demand made by Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg) and recommends the inclusion of a clear statement defining the Commissioner's aim and ojectives in line with that of the Children's Commissioner and Commissioner for Older People.

Said Alun Owens on behalf of Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg), "We welcome much of the report's content and wish to thank the committee's members for taking our arguments on board. Today is a significant milestone as these recommendations highlight a cross-party consensus calling for the need to strengthen the Measure in its present form. We are extremely glad that all parties within the Assembly, through this report, now support the need for a clear statement in relation to the establishment of official status for the Welsh language as well as empowering the individual to increase the use of the language."

Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg) also campaigns for statutory rights for the people of Wales to use the Welsh language in all aspects of life, said Alun Owens:

"If realised, these recommendations would from our point of view as organisations have a far reaching effect on the confidence of our members when using the Welsh language in their everyday lives, thus leading to the normalisation of the Welsh language across Wales. In this context we welcome the fact that telecommunication companies have been included in the scope of the Measure and commend the Heritage Minister and the One Wales Government for this important development. It is a clear example of how one facet of the Measure can really transform people's ability to see, hear and use the Welsh language in a practical and very real way."
Said Ceri Owen on behalf of Celebrating Our Language ( Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg), "We therefore call upon the Minister to accept and adopt the recommendations which we have been actively campaigning for, and which have been reiterated in the report published today, ensuring that the Measure in its entirety makes a real difference to the lives of, not only our members, but to the lives of everyone living in Wales. We wish to remind the Minister of the promise he gave when he first introduced the Measure, which was to listen to the people of Wales during the consultation process. This is a golden opportunity for the Heritage Minister to do just that and for the One Wales Government to deliver on their commitment toward the Welsh Language. On behalf of all members represented by Celebrating Our Language (Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg) we call upon him to take full responsibility of this duty."

Groups call for government to change Language Law – open letter

Fourteen major language groups have made a written plea for changes to the Assembly Government's Welsh language law plans.

In an open letter to the Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones, the organisations and individuals – including teaching union UCAC, Friends of the Earth Cymru and language specialist Professor Colin Williams – argue:

“The language is facing threats from many directions: cuts in S4C's budget, the Assembly scrapping its bilingual record of proceedings, and the future of Welsh-medium education in the capital city. The lack of linguistic rights to, and official status for, Welsh, are central to these challenges.

“We welcome the Government's efforts to develop legislation to affirm the Welsh language's situation. However, since the publication of the draft Welsh Language Measure organisations, lawyers and specialists have been unanimous in their view that the Measure in its present form does not fulfil the Government’s promises.

“....we want to see an unambiguous statement that the Welsh language is an official language in Wales, a statement never before included in previous legislation. Now is the time to take that step.”

“The evidence shows that linguistic rights, official status and an independent Commissioner would improve services through the medium of Welsh for our members across Wales. These are the amendments that we would like you, as Minister, to table to the Welsh Language Measure.”

Speaking about the letter, Tegwen Morris, National Director of women’s voluntary group Merched y Wawr commented:

"Now is a very important time for the language, and this letter is a sign of the fact that the Welsh Government could do more to strengthen their draft law for the benefit of everyone in Wales. This letter will add to the pressure on them to fulfil their promises. We will have to wait to see if the administration has the political will to strengthen it or not."

Author and language campaigner Catrin Dafydd added:

“I welcome this letter because it adds to the calls from solicitors and barristers of high regard in Wales who are in favour of strengthening the measure substantially. This is now a consensus amongst organisations, language and legal experts that the Measure, in its present form, doesn’t deliver the Government’s promises.”

"It’s extremely significant that so many organisations, as well as specialists in the legal field, are raising the question of the lack of an unambiguous statement which gives official status to the Welsh language. It’s also clear that the proposed law doesn’t establish rights to Welsh for individuals either.”"

09/06/2010

New Welsh Language Measure Welcomed

Members of ‘Celebrating Our Language’ welcomes the publication of the proposed Welsh Language Measure.  We feel that it is very important for the measure to become law within this Assembly Session.  We will respond in further detail to the content of the proposed measure when we have had more time to consider its implications.

‘Celebrating Our Language’ is a network of people in Welsh who enjoy doing things through the medium of Welsh, and its aims include calling for:

1. Official status for the Welsh language
2. Statutory rights for people in Wales to use the Welsh language in every aspect of their lives.
3. Protecting the Welsh language as a community language.
4. Establishing a strong Welsh Language Commissioner to protect those rights.

Members of ‘Celebrating Our Language’ include: Cyfeillion y Ddaear (Friends of the Earth), Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin, Cymdeithas y Cymod, Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru (The Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters), CYDAG, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, Cymuned, Yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol (The National Eisteddfod), Mentrau Iaith Cymru, Merched y Wawr, Mudiad Ffermwyr Ifanc Cymru (Young Farmers Club Wales), RHAG, UCAC, UMCA, UMCB, Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru (Farmers' Union Wales), Urdd Gobaith Cymru.  “

04/03/2010

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Representatives of Mudiadau Dathlu'r Gymraeg met Peter Hain, Welsh Secretary, on 8 February 2010. Here is his press statement:-

Subject: PETER HAIN MEETS WELSH LANGUAGE GROUP MUDIADAU
Monday 8 February 2010
PETER HAIN MEETS WELSH LANGUAGE GROUP MUDIADAU
Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain today [Monday 8 February] met Welsh language group Mudiadau 'Dathlu'r Gymraeg' to discuss progress with the Welsh Language Legislative Competence Order (LCO) after it is considered at Privy Council this week. Speaking following the constructive meeting, Mr Hain said: "This is the first time I have met with Mudiadau and I welcomed the opportunity to hear their views on the Welsh Language LCO and its next steps. We had a very warm discussion. "The Order is important to all people in Wales, Welsh speaking and non-Welsh speaking, businesses, employees and the voluntary sector.

The Order will be considered at the Privy Council meeting on Wednesday, and once it is made the Welsh Assembly Government will then have the tools to introduce its Measure shortly. "I will continue to work with the Welsh Assembly Government on consent they require from the UK Government for proposals which impact on Minister of the Crown consent. We all play an important role in ensuring that our contribution on the development of Welsh language services continues". Mudiadau 'Dathlu'r Gymraeg' represents 17 organisations and societies in Wales, including the Urdd, Mentrau Iaith Cymru, the Welsh Folk Song Society and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.

Gwion Lewis Seminar – New Welsh Language Law, the opportunities

 

At a seminar in cardiff on 8 February 2010 the barrister Gwion Lewis outlined the opportunities presented by the new Welsh language law.

Also BBC Welsh Affairs Editor Vaughan Roderick chaired a cross-party discussion following the presentation.

Further information about Gwion Lewis

 

 

Celebrating Our Language calls for support for the Welsh Language LCO

The 17 bodies that are members of the umbrella group Celebrating Our Language welcome substantial parts of the Legislative Competence Order for the Welsh Language that has been published today. The group is calling for nation wide support to the Order, and warns that any attempts to weaken its content will jeopardise the Welsh Language.

Catrin Dafydd, on behalf of Celebrating Our Language said,
"Celebrating Our Language represents seventeen bodies in Wales. The content of the Language Order as it stands will make it possible for robust measures to be created. Measures that will make it possible for our members to use the Welsh Language as a part of their daily lives. It is possible to contend that the Order could be made wider again, however there is no doubt that what already exists within the LCO should not be weakened. It is the responsibility of our Assembly Members here in Wales to defend the present content of the Order and to push for more." 

Catrin Dafydd added,
"To weaken and reduce the span of the Order would infringe upon the future linguistic rights of our members, whether they are Welsh Language speakers or not. There is a duty upon Assembly Members and Members of Parliament alike to ensure that they defend the content of the Order. These are rights intended to make it easier for the people of Wales to access the Welsh Language. Whitehall should not retain the power to refuse these rights. Furthermore, it is worrying to hear that some influential bodies and individuals in Wales are lobbying to weaken the content of the Order in Whitehall."

For further information, contact:

Alun Owens: 02920 635671 or Tegwen Morris: 07980 504374 

gwybodaethmdg@gmail.com

Members of Celebrating Our Language include: Cyfeillion y Ddaear (Friends of the Earth), Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin, Cymdeithas y Cymod, Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru (The Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters), CYDAG, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, Cymuned, Yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol (The National Eisteddfod), Mentrau Iaith Cymru, Merched y Wawr, Mudiad Ffermwyr Ifanc Cymru (Young Farmers Club Wales), RHAG, UCAC, UMCA, UMCB, Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru (Farmers' Union Wales), Urdd Gobaith Cymru.

 

 

 

 

Support the Language Order!

 

On-line Form

We have created an online form in order for you to contact your MP and AM to support the principle of transferring the rights to legislate for the Welsh language from Whitehall to the Assembly.

Press here to fill the online form. Add your name, your email address, your address and choose your Constituency, and we will send your message straight to your MP and AMs. An example of a letter has been prepared, but a personal letter or a revised version would be more effective.

Pob Hwyl!

 

On-line Form

 

 

 

Celebrating Our Language Conference

 

Journey of the Language:

What next?

Alun Ffred Jones AC, Emyr Lewis, Menna Machreth, Elin Haf Gruffudd Jones, Meri Huws, Gwion Lewis, Kate Crockett a Catrin Dafydd

 

 

Tuesday 13 October 2009

 

Urdd Centre, Wales Milennium Centre,
Plas Bute, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5AL

 

 

Conference Programme > Programme

 

Booking Form > Form