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Telegraph columnist calls Wales a ‘vowel-hungry principality’ with ‘horrors of local lingo’

15 Aug 2021 2 minute read
Daily Telegraph. Inset: Kathy Lette column

Daily Telegraph columnist Kathy Lette has described Wales as a ‘vowel hungry principality’ that acts as a ‘wind buffer’ between England and the Atlantic.

The Australian-born writer makes the comments in a column in which she describes a trip to Wales as a replacement for a hoped return to the New South Wales where she was brought up.

She describes her reaction when her editor tasks her with taking a holiday in Pembrokeshire.

She says: “Pembrokeshire? In Wales? That vowel-hungry principality, which acts as a wind buffer between the Atlantic and England? I cackled like a kookaburra.”

She adds, “But my editor would not be deterred; nor would my Celtic boyfriend, who had nothing but praise for the wonders of Wales, despite the horrors of the local lingo.”

‘Miserable’

She describes packing balaclavas and thermals because ‘a holiday in Wales is going to be wet, cold and miserable’.

The column goes on to describe her experiences during a tour around Pembrokeshire, including a stay at the Elm Grove hotel in St Florence.

She tries surfing at Newgale Beach, goes coasteering at Abereiddy Beach and visits a number of eateries, finishing off with a meal at the Grove Hotel in Narberth.

Despite her initial comments, she describes having positive experiences throughout the stay and by the end of the holiday says she has had a ‘Welsh conversion’.

She says: “Two of my favourite Aussie pals, Kylie Minogue and Julia Gillard, are both of Welsh extraction, so I was obviously going to get along with the locals, despite their vowel-transplant.”

Kathy Lette is a novelist and writer who was brought up in Sydney, New South Wales before moving to the UK in 1988 and taking full British citizenship in 2011.

She was one of the celebrities who signed a joint letter in 2014 that urged people in Scotland to vote against independence.


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Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago

Katy Lette has always been professionally obnoxious. She models herself as a cross between Germaine Greer and Ruby Wax, but has the intellect and wit of neither. More, she comes across as the funniest racist in Wetherspoons.
The Torygraph “readers” will lap it up, but we should just ignore it. She even uses the “but I have black friends” gambit, by pointing out that her “Celtic” boyfriend loves Wales.
Yeah, cheers Kathy. Glad you enjoyed your visit to a place you insulted. Don’t rush back.

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

Skank. Never come to Wales ever again.

Aled Rees
Aled Rees
2 years ago

Not much to say really,just p**s off back to oz you sad sack

J. W. S. Jones
2 years ago

Not much to say, Katy, eh? Perhaps you can advise us on which fish to wrap in your column.

Sally-ann Dwyer
Sally-ann Dwyer
2 years ago

She’s too lazy and stupid to even come up with an original insult.

owain glyndwr
owain glyndwr
2 years ago

quite right.just too lazy to do any research so goes with a cheap insult instead.

Dai Rob
Dai Rob
2 years ago

Does anyone still read the Telegraph?
No matter, keep these senseless attacks coming….they will rile our people up, Welsh speakers & non-Welsh speakers alike, and help our push to FREEDOM!!!

Mark
Mark
2 years ago

Typical racist rubbish that we’ve come to expect from inglish right wing media outlets, why couldn’t she just stay in Australia, where they have sensible place names like c**k Wash, Manangatang, Yackandandah Wonglepong,

Chris
Chris
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Of which many are indigenous language place names, not English. Uluru in place of Ayers Rock got example. So what was your point again?

Hannergylch
Hannergylch
2 years ago

K, Q, V, X and Z are vowels?

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  Hannergylch

I’m not sure what your point is. By the way those letters aren’t even used in Welsh.

tired of this
tired of this
2 years ago

It really is extraordinary how baffled and offended English-speakers become when confronted by Welsh. Quite apart from anything else it shows thir near complete innocence of other languages – which I suppose is somehow typical and symptomatic of their insular attitude. How on earth might they cope with Finnish or Hungarian, to name just two European languages which have little in common with the German-Norse-French roots of English. Too MANY vowels, perhaps? And surely some of these people have seen Polish? Or is that hopeless because of so many ‘z’. And we won;t even get on to the hundreds of… Read more »

David Smith
David Smith
2 years ago
Reply to  tired of this

It was a refreshing and cutting-edge, avant-garde take. The standard ‘bit’ is to make reference to the lack of vowels!

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

If Wales is a principality, Australia is an English prison colony.

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Mmm….. English, even Aussie English, no longer exists. It is merely a dialect of American. In all seriousness do we give a damn what this woman has to say?

tired of this
tired of this
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

Well, no. I understand the point you are trying to make, and I am sure you mean well, but this simply is not true and actually tends to fall into a very Anglocentric trap of homogenisation. When you consider it for a moment, just which ‘English’ are you using as your baseline? Not even all the people in the USA speak like television actors. PS – if Kathy Lette puts off Telegraph readers – the worst of the worst – from coming to Pembrokeshire that’s OK with me, and I’m native Harfat born.

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  tired of this

Agreed, we should be attracting a better class of clientele. Preferably from a better class of country.

O Rob
O Rob
2 years ago

This creature has no idea who or what it is and has no sense of identity or belonging. Therefore it feels the need to lash out in a jealous fit at a nation and country whose land and people are spiritually and physically intertwined and identity secure

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  O Rob

You could be right, but then again she could be just another stupid tory bigot trying to cobble together a third rate article that appeals to the stupid tory bigots who read the Torygraph.

Carol Loughlin
Carol Loughlin
2 years ago

We only have to look at the Australian colonists’ treatment of their indigenous population to see why this guest on our islands thinks it’s OK to disrespect her hosts.

Huw Davies
Huw Davies
2 years ago

My initial reaction to the headline was ‘that weird Australian woman who always flirted ridiculously with Bill Turnbull on breakfast tv’. Who cares what she thinks. However, I eventually read the whole piece, including “Despite her initial comments, she describes having positive experiences throughout the stay and by the end of the holiday says she has had a ‘Welsh conversion’.. She says: “Two of my favourite Aussie pals, Kylie Minogue and Julia Gillard, are both of Welsh extraction, so I was obviously going to get along with the locals, despite their vowel-transplant.” This all sounds a bit tongue in cheek… Read more »

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago
Reply to  Huw Davies

Nah. From start to finish she was obnoxious the “some of my best friends are black” fallacy was deployed to justify her dumping on Cymru as just “banter”. A pompous offensive bigot may have been “charmed” by what Cymru had to offer. Does this mean she is no longer a pompous offensive bigot? Or is she just a pompous offensive bigot who had a nice day out? Me? I don’t care to “welcome” her back. But then I don’t believe we are the “most fragile offended people on earth”. I have never had that inferiority complex. But let’s be honest,… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Cynan
Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago

Just ignorant.

CJPh
CJPh
2 years ago

This is getting tiresome – I know this is not the aim, but is it conceivable that this new push for ‘muscular unionism’ includes the post-Tudor era minimisation, marginalisation and effete mockery of Welsh culture in order to shame the populace into adopting an invented Britishness? This is the internet age, we’re all connected, this won’t work. In fact, the opposite seems to happen – our own national identity, one whose roots reach far deeper, is bolstered and fortified by this sort of thing. That’s why I think it’s improbable – those we often cast as ‘enemy’ are anything but… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by CJPh
j humphrys
j humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  CJPh

Yes. Until a couple of years ago the EU attracted the bulk of their attention, acting as a sort of lightning rod for us. No longer. Looking forward to them leaving their own union.

David Smith
David Smith
2 years ago

The SJWs would howl with indignation were she to write a comparable article ridden with passive-aggressive, thinly-veiled bigotry about some African or Asian country.

Celticman
Celticman
2 years ago

Awful writer for an awful neo fascist rag winds up insular poor little me Welsh.

#1Chris
#1Chris
2 years ago
Reply to  Celticman

You’re a bit of a 🛎 🔚 eh?

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago
Reply to  Celticman

So you’re Lette’s “Celtic” boyfriend come to defend her honour? Which part of Celtia do you hail from?

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago
Reply to  Celticman

No? Just a b1tch and run?

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

Thanks Ms.Lette, you are pushing us ever closer to independence with your obnoxious articles. Keep it up!

Rhisiart
Rhisiart
2 years ago

As she does understanding the crimes against the Aboriginal population back in the stone age of her mind. Her bowels are in her vowells1

Lyn
Lyn
2 years ago

Presumably these supremacist monoglot English-speakers have a nervous breakdown when they encounter words like “why” and “fly”

Dyfi Dreamer
Dyfi Dreamer
2 years ago

Every week, some moron writes some Welsh-baiting b*llocks in the Telegraph. And every week, we seem to fall for it…

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

It is the Torygraph. No rational being should give a damn what they say.

Llinos
2 years ago

tydy erthyglau fel hwn ddim yn werthu gwastraffu amser yn ymateb iddynt. Anwybyddwch yr hulpan. Trueni nad oes dim yn ei phen – ond yn acel ei thalu am ysgrifennu sothach….

Rob
Rob
2 years ago

It had its cultural beauties once, but that was a long time ago. Society has moved on, and the expense of maintaining it is unjustified. For pity’s sake, let The Telegraph die.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

The myth that Welsh (Cymraeg) has no vowels is perpetuated by the ignorant monoglot like Australian Katy Lett, whoever this cultureless nobody is. She’s fortunate. If the same comments were made about Hebrew & Israel, would be hounded out of existence, lose her job, then be called an Anti-Semite. But hey, it’s only Welsh & Wales, we’re an easy target. And this from someone who wants to keep this false British Union together having urged Scotland to reject independence in 2014. What a clown. She can only drive the wedge in further. Lett, like many who put caveats into their… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro

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