Blogs

Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has secured a debate in Parliament on the case for recognition of Cornish national identity in the 2021 census.

Coming up on Monday 11 June, the Adjournment Debate will look at Cornwall’s unique identity and the case for a tick box for people to identify as being ‘Cornish’ in the next national census.

Commenting, Steve said:

“I am absolutely delighted to have secured an Adjournment Debate on the Cornish national identity and the 2021 census.”

Thousands of people gathering last month at Herri Urrats (The People's Steps), the festival which Basque schools (Ikastolas) holds in the northern Basque Country every year. The Seaska ikastola federation's is urging the French government to provide more teachers for Basque schools and the mobilisation of the campaign was very much the main subject of conversation at this years event.

There is a report here from the ‘Argia’ website:

One of the great advantages of being in the Celtic equivalent of the waiting room for ‘Tír na nÓg’ is that media focus tends to drift away. Indeed the only query from Manx Radio of late was Howard Caine ringing up to ask if ‘I really had gone’!

Cooperation between (South) Australia and Brittany is the area of education, culture and economic matters is likely to be the result of a lengthy contract by the Royal Australian Navy to purchase up to 12 submarines from Breton based shipbuilder DCNS.

A delegation from Brittany has already travelled to (Adelaide) Australia to cement links as this report in 7 seizh indicates:

http://7seizh.info/2018/05/29/bretagne-australie-meridionale-la-region-d...

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE:

Spanish politics have featured a lot on the Celtic League Mannin Branch Facebook pages because there are a number of peoples in Spain with aspirations for independence, just like we in the Celtic nations ourselves. At the forefront of the nations aspiring for independence are the Catalans and the Basques.

‘CULTURAL ACTIVIST’: ALL COUNTRIES LARGE AND SMALL SHOULD SPEAK OUT - WILL THEY?

In the Isle of Man we live in a world where ‘cultural activism’ can it seems be divorced from politics but for some the reality is more harsh

Tashi Wangchuk a Tibetan activist who wants to promote his countries language has recently been sentenced to five years in prison - he could yet face harsher penalty.

The issue of so called ‘legacy killings’ is once again on the agenda in N Ireland as two soldiers - members of the parachute regiment - have been committed for trial over the death of Joe McCann in April 1972 (link):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-44334966

McCann was unarmed when he was killed and a large number of security forces shell cases were found close to his body.

I understand that Spain currently has extradition requests before the French Courts in relation to a number of members of the ETA nationalist movement however it is unclear at this stage if they will be implemented.

The French courts on the basis of the last account I read were uneasy about the treatment that the detainees would receive if returned to Spain.

One of the detainees Iratxe Sorzabal has already been subject to torture when she was held by the Spanish almost two decades ago.

It’s no wonder the Russians are ‘tetchy’! Looking South and West they see nothing but military alliances. There is NATO of course and then the various EU institutions including the Partnership for Peace. The UK and Ireland recently signed a military accord over training which was denounced by the Celtic League and then Britain and France old historical enemies signed some years ago their own Entente Cordiale.

I mentioned the IOM TT Race yesterday and as usual - that being my predilection - I was critical. Of course immediately there were cries of ‘he’s at in again whinging year after year’. But when I thought about it I’ve actually been ‘singing this tune’ for decades as I realised when I stumbled on an old recording I made over twenty years ago with Channel 5. Indeed I’ve probably been a critic since some of my critics were crawling around in nappies!