Cymdeithas Yr Iaith

Campaigners take S4C fight in EU

Welsh language campaigners are taking their battle against cuts to S4C's budget to Europe.

Members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) will meet the European culture commissioner in Strasbourg later.

They will ask the EU to act on claims the UK government has broken a key commitment to the language.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it is "committed" to an independent service.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg said the cuts would see a sharp drop in the Welsh language TV service compared to 1998 when the UK signed a charter.

"Under European rules there's a duty on the UK government to protect the future of S4C, the world's only Welsh language TV channel," said chair Bethan Williams.

"[UK Culture Secretary] Jeremy Hunt's proposed legislative changes threat the channel's future; they give ministers carte blanche to end the service by starving it of money.

"That's completely unacceptable. People in Wales have rights to TV and radio services though this treaty and the government in London must stick to its promises."

"A minority group needs a guarantee that they will have the right to the same quality of media as people in other languages.

"But, that European guarantee risks being removed by the [Public Bodies] Bill: a minister can cut the channel's funding at will and destroy its independence with a BBC takeover."

In 1992, the UK Government ratified the Council of Europe Charter for regional or minority languages.

S4C currently receives most of its funding from a government grant, worth about £100m in 2009/10.

But it faces a 25% budget cut by 2015 as part of last autumn's Spending Review by Chancellor George Osborne.

And from 2013, most of S4C's funding will come from the BBC licence fee with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport reducing its grant by 94% over the next five years.

Campaigners will meet European culture commissioner Androulla Vasilliou on Tuesday and European charter secretariat Alexey Kozhemyakov on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: "The government remains committed to a strong and independent Welsh language TV service, but has concluded that the S4C model is not sustainable in its present form.

PATRIOTIC INTELLIGENCE SECURITY SERVICE OFFice!: WECTU FEATURE ...

Carrying Out Exactly What the Blog Title States but this Is Not so Concerned with Attacking the English, English Rule. Nor our Conquest and Colonisation by English Imperialism. No! This Blog Deals with the Enemy Within, their Centuries of Betrayal and Treachey, that as Sold Out our SOVERIEGNTY, allowing for continued Oppression and Exploitation and keeps us in THRALLDOM. The Aim also being to Expose Traitors, Dilettantes and Fence Sitting Fools ever distractors of radical Causes and Struggle. AVOID NASH NONSENSE, KEEP TOUNGE BEHIND TEETH, DO NOT GOSSIP and do not SPREAD MALICIOUS LIES as some are doing about me, oh yes am well aware of such. The Prats involved, not least he who said 'I am Not To Be trusted', you have been grassed up mush! Am just now putting PISSoff to work gathering info on you for, if possible a mention along with 'John Robert's et al in my book WELSH REMEMBRANCERS or otherwise a record left to history as another 'Judus' and one of the circle of MI5/WECTU's, often lower level operatives placed with in the National Movement to spread rumours to undermine Patriot Activistsm, Cause, Campaigns and Struggle.  Such 'Dirty Tricks' are used to divert protest and campaigns, to otherwise undermine the struggle. Think Now! Think Hard! Obvious to me, why not to other Nationalists, not least 'Alternative Nationalists' amazes me but then, far too many of they love Romanticism and of course the Booze gets the Bozos and they do not see further than the bottem their Pint Glass do they! A Warning from History Lord Butes informers in the 1830's spying on the Scotch Cattle and Chartists were usually 'Piss Heads' who informed for the price of the beer. Unfortunatly whilst Scotch Cattle and Chartist 'Hard Liners' as their post conquest medieval ancestors met in secluded weeds, Mountain tops and Caves, there were those on the fringe who spent most of their time down the boozer, getting pissed and blabbing away to anyone who cared to listen (see in archive The Bute Papers), still do and as often as not Tafarn Cilmeri must be best 'Jam Pot/Listening Post' in Cymu/Wales. NOW TAKE CARE OUT THERE - THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP AND AS OFTEN AS NOT KEEP YOUR TOUNGE BEHIND YOUR TEETH AND DO NOT TALK POLITICS IN PUBS AS THEY BECOME USEFUL 'JAM POTS' AKA 'LISTENING POSTS' AS NO DOUBT TAFARN LLYWELYN, CILMERI. PLUS 'ESCAPE CAMPS' ALL TOO EASY FOR WECTU AGENTS AND INFORMERS TO GET INTO.

Bibliotheca celtica

The Celtic Languages

Celtic culture, a historical encyclopedia

Blerwytirhwng?, the place of Welsh pop music

Encyclopedia of British and Irish political organizations, parties, groups and movements of the 20th century