Dragwyddol (Eternal)

Alun Smith

There was a beautiful moment at the Cardiff press conference today when interested journalists questioned the four leaders of the burgeoning Celtic Alliance (not an official name as far as I’m aware…not yet anyway…).

Rhun ap Iorwerth (PC), John Swinney (SNP), Michelle O’Neill (SF-NI) and Mary Lou McDonald (SF-RoI) met in Wales’ capital to sign a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between the nations they represent.

The moment came when a question addressed to Rhun ap Iorwerth was asked in Cymraeg. His response, also in Welsh, facilitated a reaction from his three contemporaries which can fairly be described as awe.

I urge those of you who haven’t watched the conference to do so. Yes, so that you can be in no doubt about the magnitude of today’s events, but, if nothing else, to revel in the earthly starlight of this moment in time.

Given what the meeting represents and given the enormous strides the three nations represented have made, the fact that one of Rhun’s responses should engender such love and respect from the other three on the panel was nothing short of magical.

Rhun has always been much happier speaking in his native tongue anyway, although he is, in fairness, quite the orator in English too.

But this was a moment like no other. It was as if a voice from a misted and mystical past had intervened in proceedings and reminded the room, the UK and perhaps the world, what we’re really talking about here.

What Wales is and what it means to be a son or a daughter of Wales. What it means to be Irish or Scottish. Gaelic is not widely spoken in Ireland or Scotland although both languages remain and are growing.

It is to the eternal credit of the Welsh speakers and learners that our tongue is still very much alive and is still capable of creating moments like the one that unfolded today. It felt like Y Ddraig Goch himself had put a wing over the four of them, and us, and said: “The past, the present and the future are one.” “Mae’r gorffennol, y presennol a’r dyfodol yn un.” Eternal.

I’m hoping my wonderful and wonderfully fluent Welsh-speaking friends will make a better job of translating my words than Mr Google has done there.

According to GOV.UK, a ‘memorandum of understanding’ is not legally binding. Who cares? As far as Wales, Ireland and Scotland are concerned it’s ‘morally binding’, and I would argue that that carries much more weight, given both the individual and shared histories of our respective nations and the friendships and loves that happily bind us.

Put on notice

The UK Government in Westminster has been put on notice today. You can dance around it, you can ignore it, you can offer up hubris and platitudinal hollowness, you can rage and rant, shout and scream but no difference will it make.

Constitutional change is coming. You can work with us or you can undermine us but it’s going to happen. The Celtic nations are moving at a different pace but they are moving in the same direction.

I suspect that within 20 years referendums will be held in all three nations, and given the direction of travel, I suspect all three will opt out of the union with England.

And that’s not a bad thing and that’s not anything to be afraid of, not for the Celts nor for the English. It won’t be painless and there will assuredly be resistance, heartache and tears along the way, but ultimately, the Welsh, Scottish and Irish have the right of self-determination and anyone, anyone who argues against that is merely delaying the inevitable course of human nature and the immutable right of a people to be free.

On a lighter note, don’t worry about the unionist apoplexy over this. After all, you can merely inform them that we “want are cuntry back”. (sic).

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