Ceri Evans

[International Socialist Group internal discussion document]

The Welsh language faces a possibly terminal crisis, brought on by a worsening of the economic conditions which have underscored its decline for many years. Thatcherism has resulted in a further impoverishment of the Welsh speaking areas, forcing migration or acceptance of desperately low paid jobs. The boom in house prices has also been particularly severe in these areas, which coupled with the shrinkage in public sector housing has created a chronic homelessness problem. Conversely Thatcherism has created an affluent, largely English, middle class eager to acquire ‘bargain’ homes for holiday or even permanent use often buying a small business for the price of an inner London flat.

More (html, 17 KB): A Bydded i’r Hen Iaith Barhau? The Crisis of the Welsh Language and Our Work in the Language Movement