Councillor ‘concerned’ at eradication of English place names in Newtown
A town councillor in Newtown says she is concerned at the eradication of English place names in the town.
Jackie Molloy Davies, a councillor on Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council, made the comments despite backing plans for a new development in the town, which is is part-funded by the Welsh Government, to have a Welsh-only name.
Ms Molloy Davies, the independent councillor for the town’s South Ward, also said she is worried that Welsh only place names could present problems for refugees coming to live in Newtown.
The town council has welcomed suggestions from Powys County Council to name the former Travis Perkins yard Millers Place as Plas Melinydd.
“I’ve got no problems at all because I went to a Welsh school myself but what I am concerned is we are having a lot of refugees coming here and they’re just learning English and I feel for them that the pronunciation of Welsh can be difficult.
“I do like the idea it is actually Plas which is good,” councillor Molloy Davies told the Powys County Times.
“I am slightly concerned we are eradicating English out of the name places and these people are coming here to learn English before learning Welsh and if they are housed in any of these properties it will be difficult for them.
“I’m worried about that aspect to be honest with you,” she added
Councillors on the Economy and Environment committee supported a proposal to name the site in New Road as Plas Melinydd at a meeting held last Tuesday (January 3).
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I think the refugees will cope, it’s the migrants from nearer home that seem to struggle!
wHAT AN UTTERLY RIDICULOUS THING TO SAY! tHE rIGHT wING lOONS WILL BE LOVING THIS! ffs.
This councillor is looking down the wrong end of the telescope. Refugees already have another language so are more capable of absorbing them and they will come to appreciate that they are in Cymru, a country with its’ own language. It’s likely they already have a grasp of English. Her suggestion will simply push Cymraeg into non use as usual.
P.S. To turn the headline around, ‘Welsh people concerned at eradication of their identity’. Much more relevant.
Imagine having such a paternalistic, infantilising view of refugees and migrants? Well, now you don’t have to! Does she think that a doctor from Aleppo or a Physicist from Kherson or an engineer from South Sudan is going to be dumbfounded into total inaction when reading a plaque that reads “Ty Newydd”? Both Right and Left sides of UK-centric politics have a real problem with dehumanising, head patting, reductive racism/xenophobia right now. Can we get back to an MLK view of people outside our group, please? Equality, not equity or supremacy – No matter how well meaning the sentiment may… Read more »
Two short planks.
Sometimes, less is more and your three little words say it all. Great job!
Ditto
Poor old dopey! She really has a serious problem understanding that most ethnicities have remarkable capacity for adjusting to new cultures and languages. It’s only those dummies from beyond Y Clawdd that seem to have dumped it and some of them have recovered the ability when common sense has clicked back into gear.
She means refugees from Birmingham and Liverpool.
Get a life Ms Davies for goodness sake. Refugees can manage to travel half way across the globe to come here so I am sure Welsh
place names won’t be a problem for them. Get on with something more constructive ffs to justify your salary!!
Yes great point. How did they manage whilst travelling through all those countries with awkward pesky languages they enjoy the freedom to speak, write and display? It won’t be lost on them that they have arrived in a country where some think that freedom is somehow negotiable.
I really admire Jackie Molloy Davies for her intellectual acrobatics.
Had a discussion on New Year’s Eve with a recently arrived retiree from the English Midlands who told me that he thought Welsh place names and Welsh medium education were woke, political correctness. You can guess my response.
One can only wonder why an English migrant would come to Wales at all if he had such a view of Cymraig and place names in the local language. Speaking as one who is Welsh by marriage but born in England, my particular problem in this context is getting organisations to actually use the Welsh names. I had a long chat with my bank complaining that they would not use the Welsh Street name, which I could see on the sign from my window during the conversation, but oh no, the Bank will only use ‘Official’ street names as provided… Read more »
Refugees are no issue, the moaning neighbours are.
We just don’t need outside opponents of Welsh anymore – we can do the job nicely ourselves thanks
Mae yn haws ynganu geiriau Cymraeg na Saesneg Mrs Davies. DYdach chi ddim yn cofio eich gwersi yn “ddy Welsh sgwl”?
What a load of nonsense. God help Newtown if that’s the standard of councillors they have.