The Celtic League 50 years on

THE LEAGUE NEEDS YOU

The Celtic League Director of Information (DoI) has said that theLeague faces difficult decisions in the years ahead if it is to adapt its role to meet the needs of the Celtic countries today.

Speaking on the 'Talking Heads' programme on Manx Radio this week Bernard Moffatt said the political and cultural landscape in the Celtic countries today is markedly changed from that almost fifty years ago when the Celtic League was founded.

Politically there has been major change in several Celtic countries with a parliament in Scotland an Assembly in Wales and new political movement in the North of Ireland. However, he said that the objectives of the Celtic League, to promote a formal association between (at least two of) the Celtic countries, are still far from being achieved. Ireland is still only partially independent and despite the devolution moves in Wales and Scotland full independence was still an aspiration. Speaking as a life long Manx nationalist he said it was sad that Scotland would probably eclipse Mannin in achieving full independence and criticised the Manx governments satisfaction with its dependency status.

Culturally moves, particularly in relation to the Celtic languages, had also been more positive in recent years. However, he singled out the French governments negative attitude towards the Breton language saying it was part of a generally hostile stance by the centralised French State to any minorities in its borders.

One of the key features of the Celtic League contribution over the years has been the continued production of the journal Carn with its regular article in each Celtic language. The DoI said that advances in communication not least via the Internet and the wide range of available material on both cultural and political life in the Celtic countries had led the League to seriously consider the future of Carn. The journal is continuing in the short term but its future is under review.

Reviewing the campaigns the League have engaged in over the years the DoI said that some people in Mannin often assumed it was a 'Manx based organisation' and this misconception was not helped by the significant numbers of senior positions in the League held by Manx people in times past. However he said that in recent years the 'officers' of the League are drawn more widely from the Celtic countries and our campaigning record, particularly as recorded on the Internet news groups (see below), shows a broad range of issues being pursued involving all the Celtic countries.

Looking ahead the DoI said that the future in many of the Celtic countries was brighter than at any time in the recent past. However he singled out Kernow and Breizh as being two countries where the picture was not so positive. He said Kernow deserved the same devolved status as other Celtic countries in the United Kingdom. He also criticised recent police harassment of Celtic League members their.

In respect of Breizh the Director of Information reiterated that the main stumbling block was the stifling attitude of the centralised French State to Breton linguistic and political aspirations. He said that French hostility to Breton nationalism was from another era that most other Celtic countries had now left behind. He said the French were also hostile to the inter-celtic solidarity demonstrated by groups such as the Celtic League towards Brittany, an illustration of this was surreptitious police harassment at the Leagues last AGM in Brittany.

Finally, the DoI said the Celtic League was coordinated and directed by its Annual General (and Council) Meetings and had achieved an ambitious programme of work over fifty years. It had accomplished this solely from membership contributions and unlike many organisations received no stipend of financial support from any other source.

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on abroad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues.

Internet site at: http://celticleague.net/

KERNOW - RACIST ATTACKS ON COMMUNITY CENTRE CONDEMNED

The General Secretary (GS) has written to Cornwall Council Leader David Whalley in an attempt to urge the Council to do more to promote relations between ethnic groups in Cornwall. The call comes shortly after a spate of racist graffiti attacks against a former Methodist chapel near Truro that is currently being converted into an Asian community centre.

The full text of the GS letter, which has been copied to the Muslim Council of Britain and Chief Constable Stephen Otter (who is also the spokesperson for the Association of Chief Police Officers on Race and Diversity), can be found below:


"Dear Councillor
Racist attacks on Methodist Chapel, Quenchwell

I am writing to you following repeated graffiti attacks on the old Methodist chapel at Quenchwell, near Carnon Down in recent weeks.

The Celtic League outrightly condemns any racist attack against members of other ethnic communities in Cornwall and elsewhere, even if they are only, for the moment, in the form of graffiti. Even though it was probably only a small number of people who were responsible for dubbing the graffiti and that the vast majority of people in Cornwall would equally condemn the attacks, it may nevertheless be prudent for Cornwall Council, along with members of the Devon and Cornwall Police Constabulary and other public bodies, to begin a campaign or series of events to encourage members of Cornwall's public to engage in intercultural dialogue.

As you may be aware, 2008 is the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue and is also an area that the European Union has been promoting for many years within Europe and beyond. The aim of the project is to forge and develop good relations between members of different cultural groups. (More information, including some ideas, can be found at the link below). Relating to the Year for Intercultural Dialogue events could be organised between members of different ethnic groups throughout Cornwall, in an attempt to promote cultural dialogue and understanding. In the other Celtic countries, where such programmes have been implemented, the results have been very encouraging.

We are aware of some small scale programmes in Cornwall that aim to promote intercultural understanding e.g. Redruth Polish Society, but the Celtic League believes that a Cornwall wide approach is needed to overcome the bigotry and prejudice among some people that has manifested itself in the graffiti at Quenchwell.

We look forward to hear your views on this matter.

Yours sincerely


The Celtic League is committed to combating racism and in 2001 at its AGM in Cymru endorsed the aims and objectives of the (United Nations) 'World Conference Against Racism'.

See links at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/475
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/478
http://celticleague.net
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/