Identity crisis

By

TWM Thomas Stanley Whitfield

What national identity should be given to the Welsh? Are they British or Welsh? By definition, they are both. Maybe some decision should be made on the issue, to decide one way or another, but why should it? Is it an issue?

Certainly it is an issue, and for the Welsh people at least, it has been an issue for some time. Take the history of Wales for instance. The Welsh people, from the earliest of times, have always seen themselves within a British context. After all, they were among the ancient Britons. But now the notion of Britain and Britishness is becoming slightly confused. Every national minority that makes up the UK are experiencing an identity crisis. This includes the English. It is in my opinion that they have identified Britishness too much with themselves.

This can be seen in the case of sport. In this years' rugby match between Wales and England, the English supporters were flying the Union Jack and shouting for England. This is a common occurrence. This is also true in athletics when the UK compete on an international level. I have heard commentators, if a well known English athlete wins a medal, comment on "England's" win. When a well known Welsh or Scottish athlete wins a medal, I have heard the same commentator speaks of a "British" win.

It seems "Britishness" is not a strong enough national identity to accommodate all the national minorities in the UK. People still feel Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Cornish, Manx and English. Maybe the question of nationality shouldn't be an issue. Maybe I should just say that I am a national minority living in Britain. Other national minorities living in Europe don't seem to make it an issue. The South Tyrolians for example, seem to feel comfortable about calling themselves Italian and German at the same time.

But in my experience from reading newspapers, journals and books written on the subject in recent years, the issue of nationality keeps on repeating itself. The same questions continue to be raised by normal people time and time again, all over the UK: What is Britain and Britishness? and What is my nationality?

I will attempt to illustrate this by writing the following viewpoints of how different people feel about the question of nationality in Wales. Each perspective is perfectly valid. I have encountered each point of view myself, through talking to people living in Wales.

The doubting citizen - this is probably the majority view

"In legal terms my nationality can be Welsh or British, because I belong to the state of the United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. When I travel abroad, I travel under the official capacity of a British citizen. At least, that's what it says on my passport.

In fact, I can say that I am a citizen of England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, The Isle of Mann and Cornwall, even though I cannot technically say that any one particular country, apart for Wales, is my country. I could say however that my country is all of these other countries combined. This is probably a unique situation in Europe. This is all very well, but of course it leads to a great deal of confusion. Maybe it could be said that I am just splitting hairs or that this is a privileged problem. But I am confused and I do have a crisis of identity. It is my opinion, that this confusion leads to a slow but sure assimilation of Welsh identity into a combined British one. Maybe this is a good thing."

The traditional British view point

"Wales is a national minority living among other national minorities in a united kingdom of different countries. Each national minority satisfies all of the conditions set down by Brubaker in 1995 in his definition of a national minority. No one country is politically dominant. Each national minority sends democratically elected representatives to the state parliament (House of Commons). Here, decisions are made as a result of discussion and debate. Each member of the parliament (MP) has a right to express their own opinions and concerns about any motion brought forward by other members of the parliament. The members are free to bring up any issue that they wish and to propose bills of law. This includes any bills of law proposing devolution. The British government is one of the oldest democracies in the world.

The different countries or regions that make up the UK have a common history and culture. The vast majority of the population speak a common language. It is distinctly British in its outlook. Britain is viewed on the world stage as being one country. The Act of Unions that joined Wales to England was a "marriage" between the country of England and the Principality of Wales. This marriage was a legal technicality, since Wales has always been a part of England. Wales has never been a country in its own right. It cannot say that it has a separate nationality from the rest of the UK. It does have its own cultural and linguistic identity. But this has become so marginalized that the British culture and language is dominant."

The Welsh national point of view

"A nation is an entity of people who share common life, culture, and infrastructure. A nation, to be a nation, should have national emblems, language, history, economy and government. However, any definition of a nation can not be universally agreed upon. For me a nation encompasses the description of a psychology that has evolved over time, a suitable conscious representation of an assemblage of people with similar thoughts and feelings.

My nation is Cymru some people know it as Wales but for me it is Cymru. I am Welsh not British, I struggle to have affiliation with the British identity, I speak my own language, understand my national emblums, history and culture. My country has a new form of government and an economy which admittedly is influenced by Britain, but is any economy in the world not influenced by another? Cymru to me is viable, and is a misrepresented entity. I believe that independence would be constructive as long as we maintain the privileged international relations we enjoy today.

But is my Nation really a Nation? To glance at Cymru` s bitter history of oppression and defeat one wonders of what I am speaking. What nation would accept an act of Union (1536-1702) that incorporated it as a part of England? What nation is it that abandons its mother tongue in preference of the language of convenience (English)? Do we really believe in who we are or do we need someone else to tell us, now that we are so weak under the weight of our oppression?

"Cymru is always today", a nation of the imagination. The almost Latin spirit of romanticism remains from old Cymru. The stubbornness of our people not to completely yield our language, considering that England are just next door, is a sign of strength manifested in literature, worthy of any nation. We have been strong with arms but now we are strong with words and in our minds.

Recent devolution of power into Cymru for the first time in it's history reflects the intellectual revolution of a people, ready to take life into their own hands?

The National Assembly for Wales/Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru came into being after the vote of May 6th 1999. It was the first ever democratically elected body to sit on our soil and is the most important nation building event in Cymru´s history. Cymru is my home and I want it to be strong. This forum for our own ideas will lead to the answer whether Cymru is Cymru any more.

Cymru, this is our time