Huw goes on to explain the way that Labour in Wales can adapt the pamphlets' message to its own campaigns. As part of his explanation he says:
As the Democrats made a mockery of the “un-American” taunts of the right, so Labour should make a mockery of the “anti-Welsh” taunts of the cultural right here at home.
Unfortunately Huw Lewis fails to see the irony that it is statements like this that make many feel that the Labour party is institutionally anti Welsh.
The use of the word cultural in the quote here is clearly meant to be disparaging. It is part of an insult. Huw is using peoples' support for Welsh culture as a way of insulting them.
Huw's suggestion by coupling the word cultural with the word right is that all supporters of Welsh culture are also right wing in their politics. Some of us are but many are not. Huw's use of the term cultural right suggests that he dosn't belive that there is a cultural left, or if he does, that the cultured left could possibly accuse Labour of being "anti-Welsh". Now we all know that Huw doesn't like what he perceives to be the right, by coupling the world cultural with the word right he is telling us that he doesn't like the supporters of Welsh culture either.
So in his attempt to change the perception that Labour is anti Welsh, poor Huw is actually making the case.
Spot on MOF, the mask has fallen of Huw's face once again to reveal his disdain for Welsh culture. Funny how Huw bach didn't give us any names isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love to see Lewis skewered, your point here is wide of the mark. You don't land punches on people by putting words into their mouths and meanings into their words, MOF.
ReplyDeleteMOF is right. Huw Lewis implies that to support 'culture' is by definiation right wing ... or is just supporting Welsh language culture right wing ... and by defenition, are Welsh-speakers right wing (i.e. reactionary in Huw's view).
ReplyDeleteOr, are 'left wing' people uncultured. I've always thought there's a strong Philistine streak to Welsh Labour. Not that these people are necessarily Philistine but so as to avoid supporting Welsh culture and engaging in Welsh issues or history, they bring out the lowest common denominator argument 'what does the man in the street care for plays or art or Eisteddfod, they'd rather go to the funfair/watch rugby/spend money on schoolsandhospitals'. By claiming they speak for this lowers common denominator they close down a debate on WAles and paint those who with to support 'Welsh culture' or bring a Welsh perspective to culture as 'snobs' etc.
Huw may not have realised but a lot of his people who disagree with him are on the 'cultural left' i.e. Leanne Wood. And despite being non-Welsh speaking Leanne has been consistangly supportive of the Welsh language (and Welsh expression in English, if I can use such a clumsy term) and sees no conflict.
Huw's Wales seems awful - grey, proletarian, no culture for fear of being called snobs and any culture based on some socialist realism or murals by kids to prove we're socially inclusive.
Huw doesn't get it. Wales has moved on since 1950 and most Welsh people want a more culturally different Welsh identity.
MOF is right, but the real issue is that Lewis has been at the forefront of attacking the so-called Welsh cultural right, whatever that means (usually for people like him it just means you speak Welsh), while himself supporting the economic right.
ReplyDeleteThere is in any case more than one cultural right. The other cultural right are the welsh haters in his own party who 'hate welsh speakers', accuse welsh medium schools of ethnic cleansing, and generally attack the language and culture. Lewis speaks in cliches and is trying to promote his own leadership campaign. Simple as that.
The term anti-Welsh is a perfectly good one. Im amazed he claims to be cleaning up political discourse with his own history of invective and personal attacks on individual politicians. remember all those 'antiEnglish welsh speakers' Lewis and his ilk went on about when he was cosying up to Paul Starling and his anti Welsh crusade?
We do.
Huw Lewis writes article about Obama, campaigning and a shift in political discourse.
ReplyDeleteCommentators on Nationalist blogs start fight about language and Welshness.
Go figure.
No Tim - Huw raised the anti-Welsh issue himself
ReplyDeleteLewis is hoping for a short election campaign so that he has less time to make playschool blunders and reveal his true agendas.
ReplyDeleteHe IS Anti Welsh, Hates Plaid with an almost Hitleresque fashion and would pull labour out of power and in to minority forever.
The longer the campaign the more times his mask will slip. As if his greedy expenses racket and abandoning his constituents were not bad enough.
Shame on him and his smear puppy staff.
But you've just totally ignored what he said. You've said "cultural right" = "Welsh culture" which may be your understanding, but it is self-evidently not the opinion being expressed by Huw Lewis. Clearly anyone who goes around thinking they have a mandate to say "Due to possessing a range of beliefs I and my like minded friends and political allies agree upon, I'm more Welsh than you and that makes me good and you bad and anti-Welsh", is a cultural conservative (and a moron).
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said... As much as I love to see Lewis skewered, your point here is wide of the mark. You don't land punches on people by putting words into their mouths and meanings into their words, MOF.I didn't put the words into his mouth - he put the words into his blog post. And I haven't misinterpreted the meaning that Huw intended. The context shows unequivacolly that Huw intended the term to be interpreted as an insult rather than a term of endearment.
ReplyDeleteJoanna said... But you've just totally ignored what he said. You've said "cultural right" = "Welsh culture" which may be your understanding, but it is self-evidently not the opinion being expressed by Huw LewisWhat an incredible attempt at spin. Are we really to believe that Huw Lewis is berating a "cultural right" which has no interest in Welsh culture whatsoever going around accusing the Labour Party of being anti-Welsh?
ReplyDeleteOf course "cultural right" is an insult from someone on the left, ie someone sensible ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat you have done however, is to make the assumption that cultural right means the same as "Welsh culture". That is either disingenuous or stupid. There are many different cultures in Wales, people on the left think they all have a place and should all be celebrated equally. People on the right think there is one correct homogeneous version of what it is to be Welsh, and claim that anyone who doesn't match up to their view is somehow anti-Welsh. That is very clearly the point Huw Lewis is making.
You talk of irony in your post, what you fail to understand is how ironic (and moronic) this "anti-Welsh" bandwagon is. You can't on one hand celebrate Wales as a bastion of radical thought, then denigrate someone who disagrees with your views as being a traitor!
Joanna
ReplyDeleteI didn't accuse Huw of being a traitor. You are the only person who has suggested that he might be. You are, of course, entitled to believe that Huw is a traitor if you wish, but please don't claim that I share your vile view.
You are digging yourself into a hole with this wriggling and spinning. Read Huws sentence. He concludes that it is the cultural right at home (ie in Wales) who accuse Labour of being Anti Welsh. If this doesn't equate to WELSH culture then either Huw believes that there are people from a non Welsh cultural background who accuse Labour of being anti-Welsh or that he believes that it is alright for the cultural left to accuse Labour of being anti Welsh.
Alwyn I think that you hjave misunderstood the point that Joanna is making.
ReplyDeleteWhat she says is
Clearly anyone who goes around thinking they have a mandate to say "Due to possessing a range of beliefs I and my like minded friends and political allies agree upon, I'm more Welsh than you and that makes me good and you bad and anti-Welsh", is a cultural conservative (and a moron).
In other words anybody who believes that Labour is anti Welsh belongs to the cultural right, which is basically what Hugh was saying.
Anybody who doesn't like Labour is a Moron, and only labour party butt lickers are Sensible. Typical Labour party arrogance.