Where do you get the name from Willy?
The much-repeated narrative about the collective hysteria we are being forced to live through is that this ‘national moment’ is inevitably forging a new ‘United Kingdom’ as the ‘whole country’ experiences collective grief and a unifying process that will slay any movements of self-determination in Scotland, Ireland or Wales.
But as I have said elsewhere the British establishment is completely mis-stepping in its heraldic glee, and no better example of this could be found than today in Cardiff where the new King was booed and met with protest. The reason? For whatever reason, ignorance or symbolism they chose Owain Glyndŵr Day to come to the capital.
[Owain ap Gruffydd (c. 1359 – c. 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (pronounced [ˈoʊain ɡlɨ̞nˈduːr], anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader who led a long-running war of independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wales during the Late Middle Ages. He formed the first Welsh Parliament (Welsh: Senedd Cymru), and he was the last native-born Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. … On 16 September 1400, Owain Glyndŵr instigated a 15-year Welsh Revolt against the rule of King Henry IV of England.[5][6] With the use of guerilla tactics, the Welsh troops managed to inflict a series of defeats on the English forces and captured key castles across Wales, rapidly gaining control of most of the country. News of the rebellion’s success spread internationally across Europe and Glyndwr began receiving naval support from Scotland and Brittany}
The result was dissent and protest as seen here …
BREAKING: King Charles met by BOOS and JEERS as he arrives at Cardiff Castle in Wales with Camilla. It was his first tour as monarch. #Wales #QueenElizabeth #kingcharles #QueenElizabethII #Cardiff pic.twitter.com/ob0uXvMyg5
— Urban Pictures (@Urban_Pictures) September 16, 2022
Michael Sheen explains the context to this here, and the question remains – was this deliberate and knowing or ignorant after however many years Charles has been ‘Prince of Wales’?
A beautiful day in Wales #OG pic.twitter.com/MSxjjte928
— michael sheen 💙 (@michaelsheen) September 16, 2022
Despite the media gloss, despite the outpouring of inchoate sentiment, this is not a unifying experience. Britain’s funeral is on Monday.
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I did not set out on the road to independence as a republican, but I think as we suffer the last few days of enforced mourning, enforced by the media, both visual and written, I have finally set my tent in the camp of republicanism.
I guess like a few others I held no grudge against the old Queen but I owe no loyalty to the new King. The final nail for me was the speed that the royal household moved in concert with both Houses of Parliament and the privy council to secure the most privileged position of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, sorry House of Windsor, making sure it was continued. This done when all other political and governmental business was suspended. We have had the re-emergence of Andrew, paraded in full view in what I can only guess would be to the humiliation of all victims of grooming, all victims of predators. Yet there he is hopeful that we plebs would forget about the accusations, the car crash of an interview and the other 12 million or so reasons not to want to see him on our screens again.
This “top family” were rumoured to be modernizing the set-up, yet in the first few weeks of Charles III they seem to be taking huge leaps backwards, back to their untouchable days.
My statement will, of course, have certain unionists frothing at the mouth, the breaking of my military oath, my military pension and of course my medals will all be mentioned. So let us take them one by one;
1, the oath I took did not bind me for all time. It was part of my contract and as such once the contract was over at my 24-year point so was the oath.
2, my pension is as a result of me fulfilling my part of the contract. As such has nothing to do with any Royal but everything to do with the MOD who my contract was with. Remember, contracts are two-way streets.
3, my continued use of my medals, well, I earned them, they are mine, and I shall do with them as I please. Just because they have the Queen’s head on most of them (UN and NATO do not) does not mean I will not wear them as I see fit. You may as well argue I cannot use money or stamps because it is equally as stupid a standpoint.
So there we have it, I now make ready to receive the usual amount of derisory, unsubstantiated and inaccurate comments from the rancid few.
Our future is bright, Independence is right.
G’wan yersel. I agree with everything you’ve said.
Although the Union of the Welsh and English crowns was in 1284, Henry VII of England was Welsh, born in Pembroke and he ruled England ‘by right of conquest’.
Henry VII’s son Henry VIII passed Wales’s Act of Union with England in 1536 which gave the Welsh representation in the English Parliament and also set up the devolved Council of Wales and the Marches, which continued until the 17th c). He also had himself declared King of Ireland.
Henry VII’s daughter Margaret married James IV, who incorporated the Kingdom (Lordship) of the Isles into Scotland . James’s great grandson James VI became James I of England and never came back.
I reckon Scotland has had quite enough KIngs and Queens. And far too much centralised government too. Charles has also passed on the title Lord of the Isles to William. If the Hebrides get a visit I might just hold up a placard calling for a republic of the Isles.
leading to James VI becoming James I of England in 1603.
Sorry delete the words ‘leading to James VI becoming James I of England in 1603.’ which should have been edited out of my post
The third possibility is he (they) knew but the schedule was the schedule (and all is pretty tight time-wise) rather than it being ‘deliberate and knowing’. There are those who have said Charles should have ended the Prince of Wales role / given it over to a Welsh person and this has a lot of credence. But he didn’t. Interestingly, he did reference Llywelyn ap Gruffydd one of the last Welsh Prince’s of an independent Wales (c.1258) in his speech at the Senedd and spoke a fair bit in Welsh.
there was no real need for such a punishing schedule, unless to ensure support for the new monarch. Charles III could well have visited parts of his Kingdom a week or two after the Funeral.
Some thoughts on the monarchy set-up in the UK, Realms and Commonwealth
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2022/09/16/now-that-shes-not-here/
Just the establishment doing what it does best, continuing what it holds to be the”British”way of doing things and keeping the great un-washed in their proper place.
How supposedly sane men and women can fall willingly for this nonsense is beyond me.
Charles 3rd, modernise the monarchy?
Don’t think so! For the Windsor’s it’s business as usual, Good grief he’s even bringing back his disgraced wee brother, even his late mother could see he was a wrong ‘un!
Someone has telt Charlie to start as he means to go on, it doesn’t look good does it!
Voltaire “It is difficult to free the fools from the chains they Revere”.
Diderot: ‘Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.’
The thoughtful response of Wales’ First Minister to these events underlines once again the contrast between Scottish and Welsh Labour.
14th Century mumbo-jumbo better than 21st Century mumbo-jumbo?
In the 14th century it wasn’t mumbo jumbo.
No not at all – just countering the fictional narrative that this process is a great unifying one. It’s really not.