First Blog

This is hard work. As I see it , blogging involves writing a series of letters to an anonymous and possibly non-existent audience. I haven't written anyone a letter for ten years or more. Of course, theres a good chance that no one will ever read what I write. That fact comforts me enormously.

If someone should stumble upon these idle musings and post a comment, please be kind. My ego is already sufficiently battered and bruised.

Anyway....to business! I am a Welsh ex-pat currently living in Portland, Oregon. I have been living in the USA for 3 years and while I am more than happy to continue to do so I occasionally suffer from "hiraeth" (homesickness). Hence...this blog!

The blog will be used to post links to sites and articles concerned with Welsh issues and of course, my thoughts concerning those issues.

I hope it will be of interest to someone. Wales did not have a 'potato famine' or a 'highland clearance' to promote, or rather, compel, emigration to the 'America's'. Instead Wales experienced overall population growth during the 19th century as a consequence of the inward migration occasioned by the'coal rush'. But still, I seem to recall that in the last census two million and twenty thousand Americans claimed to be of Welsh origin. Maybe some of them will read this blog.

Anyway I promised some links. Wales is regarded as something of a political backwater in the UK . In fact the Welsh Nationalist Party (Plaid Cymru) has only just got around to declaring its support for national independence!

Welsh nationalists announce support for Independence

The burning political issue of the day in North East Wales seems to be whether or not school children have the right to wear shorts to school. Riots have occurred!

Rhyl Shorts Riot

Plaid Cymru has not yet declared its position on the 'shorts' issue. I will continue to reference these and other burning political issues in forthcoming blogs.