Ignored Identity

As it usually happens with an occupied nation, the identity of Wales has been overlooked by a travel guide and bunched together with the English identity, this article regarding the issue comes our way thanks to Wales Online:

Welsh castle is moved into England!

by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

A FULL-PAGE picture of Cardiff Castle appears in First Great Western’s on-board magazine for rail passengers – to advertise walks in England!

Last night the train firm apologised for the gaffe, which appears in the latest edition of Go to ... magazine, read by thousands of travellers between London and South Wales.

Beneath a colour picture of the castle’s medieval keep – and with the Red Dragon flag limp and barely visible against its pole – a caption reads: “Walks of life – Seeing England by foot is the best way to sample other people’s experiences of life. We set the pace with five of the best themed walks.”

The first of the walks, featured on the opposite page, is a stroll around the parks and gardens of Cardiff – without once mentioning Wales or that Cardiff is its capital city.

Plaid Cymru councillor Neil McEvoy, the Deputy Leader of Cardiff County Council, said: “It’s good that they are giving Cardiff’s parks and gardens publicity, but ridiculous that they’ve put us in the wrong country.

“It says quite a lot about the mindset of those who put this magazine together. Too many people classify Wales as being part of England. If you go to the Continent – unless it’s places like Brittany and the Basque Country, where they know better – people usually assume when you say you’re from Wales that you’re actually from England.

“It’s very important that we have our distinctive identity as a nation, and that the message is got across that we are a different country from England.

“I’ll be writing to the magazine to point out their mistake.”

Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn, a frequent traveller on First Great Western’s trains between his constituency and London, said: “We’re used to this crass kind of mistake, but that doesn’t make it excusable. One would have thought the penny might have dropped by now.

“A little while ago someone told me he had met a lady visiting from California. She asked him three questions: Is it true that people set fire to your home if you don’t speak Welsh? Is it true all the pubs and clubs are shut on Sundays? Is it true that everyone works in coal mines or steelworks?

“He asked her whether that’s what people in California thought Wales was like. She said no – that’s what they had told her about Wales in London.

“They either ignore Wales or resort to old stereotypes.”

'Errors may occur'

A First Great Western spokesman said: “We attempt to check the accuracy of the information contained in our on-board magazine Go To but, in some instances, errors may occur for which we apologise.

“We have a rigorous copy checking procedure internally and externally with our agencies and partners, but sometimes things may slip through the net. We promote our products, services and fares in campaigns all over Wales and the West Country. The fact we gave precedence to Cardiff Castle in the feature with a full-page image is testament to this.

“First Great Western is fully committed to its role in Wales where we are a significant employer. This commitment to Wales and the language is further strengthened through our deep support of the National Eisteddfod.”

Ignoring Wales

* The index of the original 1768 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica states in its index: “For Wales see England”.

* Wales is not represented on the Union Jack.

* Unlike the other UK nations, Wales is not represented on a new set of coins issued by the Royal Mint – at Llantrisant – last year.

* President Nicolas Sarkozy of France omitted to mention Welsh combatants who died in two World Wars at a commemorative battlefield event last November.

At least the editor apologized for the so called gaffe, in the case of Euskal Herria, Catalunya, Galiza and the Canary Islands it is the Spanish government the one that orders media outlets to divest those nations from their identity and insist that they are portrayed as Spanish.

.... ... .