Welsh Army

Readers of this 'Boutique Blog' can decide for themselves whether this particular post is a spoof or whether the Shark Fisherman of Wales does seriously believe in what he propounds here.

Yesterday as I travelled from Manchester into North Wales I couldn't tell where England stopped and Wales began. I missed the sign that told me and other pilgrims, that we were moving at speed from one country to another. I did notice a Welsh Dragon on a bridge and presumed that this was the border. It appears to be one land mass, Deeside fuses into Merseyside.  I had an idea, an idea that had its formation in my own life experience. I passed my old school yesterday. I looked over at the building and institution which oppressed me as a teenager. It was here every Wednesday afternoon that we would march up and down as members of the CCF. The Clwyd Cadet Force. We were required to bull our boots and have our Green uniform in impeccable order. Sometimes we would go on manoeuvers to Kinmel Camp near Bodelwyddan or to Sealand Ranges to fire guns, Lee Enfield 202s and SLR Machine Guns. I fired both these weapons as a 15 year old. I don't look back fondly on these experiences and as an adult I am very anti-military perhaps because of these experiences. I am anti-the British Army but in this post I will propound the argument for a 'Welsh Army'. If Scotland votes Yes on September 18th it will have a Scottish Army. In Wales, Independence is a far off, unrealistic, romantic dream but if a Welsh Army was created, then this utopia might become a reality. There are many thousands of 16-19 year olds out of work. Recruit them into the 'Welsh Army' for 3 years National Service. Now this would be a Welsh Army as opposed to a Regiment of the British Army. So it would be a Homeland Army and it would not get sucked into the Wars of Westminster. The sons and daughters of the geographical area known as Wales would not get involved in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Falklands. Their primary duty would be to March up and down similar to the French Foreign Legion above, singing songs in Welsh rather than French. We would then have a critical mass of young people who at least could sing in Welsh. Apparently you can brainwash people between the ages of 16 and 19, they will accept orders and if the orders are barked in Welsh rather than English there might be a chance that they will take the mantle and the social ownership and responsibility of the language once their period of National Service is over. Another major responsibility would be to attend the sentry boxes which will be sited on every single entry road into Wales. Travellers and tourists into Wales will be required to show their Passports. This act alone will remind people that they are travelling into an ancient and different culture to their own and they might have a little bit more respect for the areas that they drop their litter in, both literal and metaphorical. English is the language of the towns and cities in Wales. It is the language of commerce and capitalism, Welsh survives in the rural and country areas protected by hill, forest and woodland. If a critical mass of young people have been alienated by the language in school by not seeing the point in it, then 3 years of National Service where the language of Military Service will be Welsh, might just ease them into a different mind-set when they come to leave the 'Welsh Army' and enter the world of unemployment and badly paid work.