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Andrew RT Davies vents frustration over Brecon Beacons National Park Welsh name

17 Apr 2023 4 minute read
Andrew RT Davies vented his frustrations on Twitter

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies has vented his frustrations over plans for Brecon Beacons National Park to use only its Welsh name in the future.

From Monday – the 66th anniversary of the park’s national designation – Brecon Beacons National Park will drop the English version of the name and will only use ‘Bannau Brycheiniog’, pronounced Ban-eye Bruck-ein-iog – or the Bannau for short.

The park’s CEO yesterday announced the switch was a direct response to the climate and ecological crisis and would promotes the areas culture and heritage.

But the Welsh Tory leader has said the renaming of the park, known for its stunning Welsh hills and mountains, should not be a priority and suggested altering then name could confuse visitors from other parts of the UK.

In a Tweet posted online on today, RT Davies said: “It’s just a hunch, but I sense the Welsh people won’t think renaming the Brecon Beacons should be a priority.

“The Beacons are as recognisable outside of Wales are they are here. Why undermine that?”

The Welsh Tory leader also included a Welsh and British flag emoji in the Tweet.

One Twitter user asked RT Davies: “Why do you hate Welsh people having our own language and identity.”

To which the Tory leader replied: “I do not.”

“Anti-Welsh”

The use of the Welsh name is part of efforts to overhaul the park’s management as it seeks to restore tree cover, wetlands, hedgerows, peaty bogs and wildflowers as well as introducing localised renewable energy sources like small wind turbines.

Welsh speakers have argued the name hasn’t been “changed” as to many its always been known as Bannau Brycheiniog – but rather the English translation is being dropped due to the fact the park is in Wales.

RT Davies was accused by Twitter users as being “anti-Welsh” with one person posting: “Why am I not surprised to see you against something positive for Wales.

Welcome

The Chairman for the North Wales Conservatives, Bernard Gentry, seemingly agreed with the Welsh Tory leader’s opinion and posted: “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

Twitter users hit back at Mr Gentry with some arguing that ‘Bannau Brycheiniog’ was the area’s original name and that reinstating it was the actual “fix”.

One person posted: “It was broke, now it’s on its way to being fixed.”

Catherine Mealing-Jones, the park’s CEO, said the reason behind the name change – which has been welcomed by many people in Wales –  is because the park had been shaped by Welsh people and Welsh culture.

The CEO said: “The translation Brecon Beacons doesn’t really mean anything in Welsh. We’d always had the name Bannau Brycheiniog as the Welsh translation and we just felt we needed to put that front and centre as an expression about the new way we wanted to be celebrating Welsh people, Welsh culture, Welsh food, Welsh farming – all of the things that need to come with us as we go through this change in the management plan.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for the Welsh Language, Heledd Fychan MS said: “From Garn Goch and Carreg Cennen in the west, to the peaks of Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Corn Du – the Welsh language is already central to the Bannau Brycheiniog.

“Plaid Cymru has consistently called on the government to protect Welsh place names in law, and this decision by the National Park is a positive step in normalising the use of Welsh.

“That’s because, in reclaiming our original Welsh names, we can reclaim our heritage, which is vital if we want our language to continue to play a role in Wales’ future.”


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Frank
Frank
1 year ago

One would not expect Davies to support anything Welsh related. I am just waiting for the opinion of that other turncoat to**er the Welsh Secretary.

Tomi Benn
Tomi Benn
1 year ago

I get more common sense tweets from the birds in our garden than from heartless RT. I think he’s angling to have Rt Hon BEFORE his name too. Typical lavaTORY.

Lazar Ionescu
Lazar Ionescu
1 year ago

He fits to the idiom I learnt over the weekend “Dic Siôn Dafydd”. Grow a pair, man, seriously. Stand up for your country and your people.

Mole
Mole
1 year ago
Reply to  Lazar Ionescu

He never does.

Cawr
Cawr
1 year ago

If the national park were to use only the English name, RT would welcome it. The backwards colonialist.

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

Ah, did Fay beat him and vent her fury first ? That must cheese him off more than the use of a Welsh name.

Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago

Cant wait to showcase his ignorance in all its glory can he. The park is not being “renamed” Mr A R Twp Davies, the English version of the name is being discarded. Don’t recall you getting upset when India, Australia and New Zealand did the same.

Benjiman Angwin
Benjiman Angwin
1 year ago

Im dissapointed in you Mr. Davies. Welsh Conservatives should be fighting Leftists to conserve Cymraeg, heritage and our Welsh tradition born out of fusing our love for Rome’s imperial glory with Britain’s landscape.

David Zenati-Parsons
David Zenati-Parsons
1 year ago

Fair point lol shall we call it Bannau Garthmadrun instead?

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago

We must thank Andrew RT Davies for all he is doing for the cause of Welsh independence 😉

Keith Gogarth
Keith Gogarth
1 year ago

Why doesn’t this unctuous, uncle tom ply his trade over the border but of course over there he will be regarded as just another sheep shagging, taffy oik. Which of course he is.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
1 year ago
Reply to  Keith Gogarth

They wouldn’t take him seriously in England because he is Welsh

Rob
Rob
1 year ago

Quote “It’s just a hunch, but I sense the Welsh people won’t think renaming the Brecon Beacons should be a priority.”

Is this the same RT Davies who believed that Rhondda voters were concerned with stopping the boats than anything else?

I wonder does he think Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal should adopt an Anglicised name to target British tourists?

Your supposed to be the leader of the opposition in the Senedd. For God Sake grow up, that’s coming from an English speaker.

Last edited 1 year ago by Rob
Dai Ponty
Dai Ponty
1 year ago

R T Davies is a member of the Welsh Quisling club

Rhufawn Jones
Rhufawn Jones
1 year ago
Reply to  Dai Ponty

Its president, more like. Cymdeithas Cwislingiaid Cymru.

Aled Rees
Aled Rees
1 year ago

who cares what fatty arbucle think’s.

Nobby Tart
Nobby Tart
1 year ago

He should organise one of his ‘pint and politics’ sessions in Brecon ASAP. Then he’ll really find out what the locals think, rather than assuming.

Steve A Duggan
Steve A Duggan
1 year ago

And you wonder why the ‘Welsh’ Conservatives are doing so badly in the polls ………

Andy Williams
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve A Duggan

May it long continue.

Andy Williams
1 year ago

He’s so interested in sticking his head up the backside of who ever, occupies Number 10, he forgets he’s from Wales. Bless him.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
1 year ago

Just a hunch but I don’t think the Welsh people thought it was a priority to rename the Severn Bridge

Mark Hoffer
Mark Hoffer
1 year ago

Who is he ?
Not even the tories in westminster know

Mole
Mole
1 year ago

He is the same man that told people to back Boris. Says it all.

Che Guevara's Fist
Che Guevara's Fist
1 year ago

Real Ting is typically exemplifying a commonly known aspect of those with a colonised mindset in helping the foreign colonisers continue in their work in destroying anything native of a conquered country in order to continue their imperialism. All the while they can’t or won’t see how wrong they are in helping the enemy while being awarded their pitiful 30 pieces of silver.

Quisling springs to mind. Something else does as well but I can’t very well type it.

Eric Hall
1 year ago

He’s going to have heart failure when his friends at Conservative Party Central Office find out about the origins of the name of the river that runs through Stratford on Avon and a couple of mountains in the Lake District LOL

Ddysgwr cachu pants
Ddysgwr cachu pants
1 year ago

Gammon acts like gammon.

I think this might not be newsworthy.

Gwion
Gwion
1 year ago

Y Bannau has claimed its 1st victim. Hill walker Mrs K T Hopkins went to the local hospital suffering from dizziness & confusion after reading some strange road signs. Unfortunately whilst in the 3 day queue at A&E she passed away. Local Medic Dr Brycheiniog said that the waiting times were longer than usual because of a significant amount of tourists crashing their cars as they approached the National Park. Some visitors have contacted our news room here at GBB News and said that when they eventually got to see the doctors & nurses, all the hospital staff …who were… Read more »

Godfried
Godfried
1 year ago

We dont need a new name for the
BRECON BEACONS we need a clear out of the woke people running these welsh organisations and stop listening to the minority welsh speakers who keep banging on about there ability to speak one of the least used languages in the World.

Iantoglantawe
Iantoglantawe
1 year ago

The Welsh name Is “Bannau Brycheiniog” or “Y Bannau” but not “Y Bannau Brycheiniog”. So the mock-up sign should read “Croeso i Fannau Brycheiniog”. Or else “Croeso i’r Bannau” (Welcome to the Beacons”). A dyna ddiwedd y wers Gymraeg am heddiw.

John Howard Edwards
John Howard Edwards
1 year ago

Typical of the Tories to object to anything in Cymraeg. They just don’t like Cymru asserting itself against the continuing threat of the linguistic grey squirrel.

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