There are so many things happening right now, that it’s difficult to know where to start!
So I’ll start with the latest, and work back.
Facebook is a great networking tool, and thanks to a friend on facebook I came across an article by Rod Liddle, some-time journalist some-time trouble-maker, ‘discussing’ Osborne’s announcement that S4C was to be taken under the wing of Aunty (more of which in another post).
In it he attackes S4C as pointless and says it should be binned. He obviously hasn’t carried out any research into the history of the channel, it’s many successes, and its vital importance to the arts and the economy in Wales. Again I’ll discuss the S4C in greater depth in another post.
But of even greater concern is his racist attack on the people of Wales. The term racism has lost some of its meaning over the years, having been overused on occassions when race has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject in hand, the use of the Welsh language being a case in point. But while Liddle is obviously a xenophobe, a chauvinist, and a biggot, the bile produced by Liddle in this article is racism.
“What an epic waste of money just to assuage the sensibilities of some of those miserable, seaweed munching, sheep-bothering pinch-faced hill tribes who are perpetually bitter about having England as a next door neighbour. S4C has become a state funded sinecure for the utterly talentless, the dregs who cannot even get a job at HTV (Cymru);”
Finishing with “Bin it, Johnny Bach. Bin it.”
He’s talking about me, my family, my friends, and some if not most of you reading this article. He’s talking about every Welsh person, using the most negative stereotypes, and inciting racial hatred.
He might argue that he’s just referring to ‘language fanatics’ as he might call us who support the channel and watch it, therefore it isn’t racism as it doesn’t refer to a determining trait of the Welsh. But to call us all talentless and dregs suggests that it is his belief that these are Welsh traits, and is therefore out and out racism. After all people of all backgrounds, religions, and languages appear on S4C. He can’t claim defence that he wasn’t to know – do your research. Ignorance is no defence.
I know and understand that he is a spitefull character, and that he’s just looking for publicity. I also appreciate that by writing about hime, reacting to him, and anything else will only fuel his narcissistic behaviour. But it’s gone on too long now. I’m entirely fed-up with constanct snide remarks about us and what it’s like to be Welsh. Enough is enough.
I have therefore reported him to North Wales Police. A copper is coming over before long to take a statement. We’ll see what comes of it.
Mabon ap Gwynfor 
Mabon,
Normally, I choose to ignore individuals like this but in this particular case, we are talking about a highly respected journalist and former BBC employee who has significant influence. When taking into account that his former employer now runs S4C, I think that in this case you are absolutely right to take this guy on. His comments are about as racist as you can get , deeply offensive and ignorant. I wish you the very best of luck with your case and hope that North Wales Police take such issues seriously. They are afterall falling under the description he gave.
Mabon, I totally agree with Ian on this issue, we are talking about a highly respected journalist who makes use of the media to create friction and hate.
Da iawn Mabon. Pob lwc, best of luck with it.
ARDDERCHOG MABON! pob lwc iti 🙂 diawl powld!
Diolch. Mae angen gweithredu yn erbyn sothach o’r fath, gwell fyth yw cwyn gan enw cyfarwydd!
Mabon,
Gobeithio’n wir bydd yr heddlu yn cymryd dy gyhuddiad di o ddifri. Ar ol darllen ac ail-ddarllen y darn gan Rod Liddle, fedrai ddim credu ei fod wedi cyhoeddi’r fath eiriau ar safle we’r Spectator. Nawr, dwi’n euog o feirniadu’r sianel, ac yn gweld lle i wella arno, ond fedrai ddim credu’r fath eithafon mae’r twlsyn yma wedi ei ddilyn yn ei flog ef. Pe bai e wedi sgwennu’r fath beth am y gymuned croenddu, neu gymuned asiaidd, neu’r gymuned hoyw, mi fydde hwn ar y newyddion cenedlaethol, ond, unwaith eto, mae’n gwbl iawn cael go ar y Cymry.
Rwy’n siwr y cei di gefnogaeth gryf iawn, a rho wybod os allwn ni fel unigolion dy gefnogi.
Pob lwc.
Cytuno’n llwyr gyda Rhydian. Nes i orfod darllen y peth ddwywaith i weld os oedden i’n darllen yn iawn. Os oedd hwn wedi bod yn erthygl am unrhyw grwp o bobl arall, bydde’r wasg ar y peth yn syth! A wedyn pan fo’ pobl yn cwyno am hyn, dy’n ni jest yn bod yn “or-sensitif”. Cawn weld beth ddigwyddiff…
Keep us posted on the situation on the blog Mabon!
Hi Mabon
I gave a statement to the police in Cardiff last night about the same thing. Good luck
Madoc
No, absolutely not. For me, freedom of speech is pretty much absolute. I have hated Liddle for many years and the article is pathetic and crap, but it should absolutely not be a matter for the police. Britain’s hate speech laws are a travesty and should be repealed. Please do not report the article to the police.
I’ve blogged about this on Most Peculiar People – like I say there, although I understand the angry reaction, I don’t think that the police are going to be able to do anything about it. Having said that, I don’t agree with those who say we should just ignore abuse like this, or that by driving traffic to The Spectator’s website we are helping them selling more advertisements, and thus playing into their hands. Their advertisers also have email addresses, and PR departments, and they want to sell stuff to Welsh people, presumably.
I’m currently waiting for a response to emails to Ford and British Airways, two companies which help pay Rod Liddle’s wages.
Thanks for the response. Since this is on the English article i’ll respond in English. I’ll give a Welsh response to the Welsh article.
To be honest I’ve felt uneasy with people reporting ‘racist’ slurs in the past, and have on some occasions argued that we shouldn’t be so thin skinned, and that action like this will only ‘feed the monkeys’.
But this time it was different. I had no doubts and no second thoughts.
These xenophobic slurs have increased over the last ten years. The only reason that we hear them and read them more often in the media is because it is acceptable ‘banter’ in ‘British’ Society.
I’m no Uncle Tom.
The language is under greater threat today than it has been in years, with the Tories and Lib Dems showing complete distain towards our culture in Wales. This is then exaserbated by ill-informed and openly xenophobic attacks such as Liddle’s.
I agree that it is vitally important to uphold the right to freedom of speech but Liddle’s comments might be called the straw that broke the camels back! I am comfortable in justifying this juxtaposition because it is quite clear that education (not the formal state funded type) is failing and polite society continues to allow highly regarded and influential members to belittle, insult, abuse and spit on those that it deems to be below them. It’s downrite contemptible.
I accept that it is a matter of education, and the educating process is long and arduous. The journey of leigislating in favour of the Welsh language is testament to that! but part of the education process for any child is to learn its boundaries. When missbehaving – calling names, stealing toys, etc – children are (normally) told to stand in the naughty corner, to appologise, and not to do it again, or something to that effect. It’s part and parcel of the process of learning. The beauty with the animal kingdom (and nature in general), and more especially homo-sapiens is our ability to learn. In this repect Rod Liddle has either (a) not learnt yet (b) not been told where the boundaries lie or (c) is not a member of the animal kingdom. As much as I’d like it to be (c), which would explain so many other things about this hugely unlikelable blob, it is more than likely a combination of (a) and (b) with the greater part being (b). This is because society has allowed this sort of behaviour to continue.
If we don’t stand up to this continuous bullying then what we are saying is that society has made the right choice, and that our educating proccesses are not in need of fixing.
But society has made another judgment, one that says that racial attacks and slurs, what are termed as ‘hate crimes’ are not acceptable, and if someone was to overtsep this line that society has drawn then they should be, for want of a better word, punished.
It is now society’s choice as to whether or not Liddle’s comment falls into that category. While you and others might be of the opinion that it is a hate crime but that you would rather take another course of action, namely to ignore Liddle and try and convince polite society to please respect us, I thought that it was best let the guardians of society’s social boundaries, the police, to make that decision.
I agree that it isn’t ‘racism’ in as much as the Welsh are not a race. But it is racism as defined by the law. Incidentally the Police are investigating it as a ‘hate crime’, and it’s ben transferred to the Met in London.
Holy smholy – since when are the police the “guardians of society’s social boundaries”? We’re in deep trouble if that’s the case.
This article illustrates perfectly why Wales needs independence. S4C, as Rod rightly points out, would not survive in a ‘free market’, but it’s not supposed to. The free market creates an economic surplus that we, as a people, decide how to allocate. We are allowing another people to prioritise the spending of our economic surplus, and therefore to decide what is important, and what is good, for us as a people. The free market would not pay for England’s wars, but it is their culture. That is why the MoD faces such significantly smaller cuts than other govt departments. What is our culture, and where our economic surplus should be spent should be our decision.