The following resolutions were adopted at the Annual General Meeting in Plomeur, Brittany on August 10th 1996. Due to the number of motions proposed, not all were considered in the allotted time those still outstanding will be referred to the General Council of the League to determine what action should be taken.
Breizh No 1 resolution.
This lengthy resolution referred to the destruction by fire of the historic Breton Parliament building. Protesting fishermen, who had let off distress flares as part of their protest, were blamed for the fire. The Breton branch of the Celtic League believes that the burning was a opportunist act of sabotage, with the fishermen being “set-up” to take the blame:
The fire did not start until several hours after the protest. Pyrotechnic experts do not believe that the type of flares used would be capable of starting a fire of this nature immediately, let alone some hours later (they would have had to burn their way through a slate roof!). The building had also been thoroughly checked by security staff after the protest. Conveniently, documents that could have proved serious corruption in high places were destroyed by the fire. The thrust of the resolution (written in French, a full translation to be available later) was to express the dissatisfaction of the Breton Branch and the many Breton people who feel that the whole episode is a “cover-up”.
Cymru No 1 resolution (Composite with a Breton branch resolution)
This AGM – Protests against the repressive measures taken against those Breton people who provided humanitarian assistance and support to Basque refugees who had sought refuge from Spanish oppression.
Believes this action, directed at the national aspirations of the Breton people as much as against the Basques, contravenes International conventions on the treatment of victims of oppression.
This conference totally condemns the harassment of Bretons by the French and calls for an investigation into the methods used.
Éire No 1 resolution
This AGM – Condemns the policies of the Irish Minister of Education, Niamh Breathnach, and the Department of Education in Ireland which have resulted in the refusal of recognition to six gaelscoilleana without any forewarning, just weeks before the beginning of the school term.
We urge immediate recognition be granted to these schools and, furthermore that the Minister, as part of the introduction of Education Boards establish a separate board for Irish Medium and gaeltacht schools.
Kernow No 1 resolution
This AGM – calls upon the UK government to recognise Cornwall’s right to independence as a Celtic Nation in any moves to return independent powers to Wales and Scotland. Cornwall should not be joined in a region including parts of South West England.
Mannin No 1 resolution
This AGM – Whilst welcoming the steps taken to consolidate the teaching of Manx in schools,
Calls upon the General Council of the Celtic League to seek further action from the Manx government to enhance the opportunities for the teaching of Gaelic in Manx schools and also to provide support for the Gaelic Medium Education.
England No 1 resolution
This Ard-Fheis states that it shall be a general policy of the League to use the term “English” rather than “British” to refer to the occupation of Six Counties (present) and of Ireland (in the past).
General Council No 1 resolution
This AGM – Recognising the devastation being wrought upon City and rural areas of the Celtic countries by drug related crime calls for action to investigate the illegal laundering of drug related profits of narco-terrorism via off-shore finance centres in Dublin, the Isle of Man and the Channel Isles.
Calls for European cooperation to establish a Police Task Force to investigate laundering in all European financial services centres including the City of London.
International No 1 resolution
This AGM – Urges the EU to press for the adoption of a stringent policy binding on all States to ensure conservation of fish and whale stocks;
Calls on the Irish government to strive to bring about a review of the Common Fisheries Policy during the Irish EU Presidency so as to enable Ireland and the other Celtic countries, disadvantaged as they are on account of their peripheral situation, to develop or build their fishing industry, in particular calls upon the European Union to apply subsidiarity, in the Common Fishing Policy (CFP), to the Celtic countries to control their own fish stocks.
Expresses satisfaction at the Irish government’s support for the UK government in its opposition to the practice of ‘flagships’ using other EU member-states registers to catch fish.
Breizh No 2 resolution
This AGM – noting with keen interest the declaration by President Jacques Chirac that he is, in principle, favourable to the signing by France of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.
Asks the President to use his supreme authority so as to ensure that the French government signs the Charter without delay, thus fulfilling the wishes of the peoples concerned.
Cymru No 2 resolution
This AGM – Whilst accepting English and French as necessary means of common expression, ask for every effort to be made to promote the Celtic languages visually as powerful symbols of nationality.
Recommendations:
(a) As the CL has several gifted linguists, they should be given responsibility as translators to the National Executive to ensure each branch produces membership forms, renewal forms and information sheets in its language.
(b) Each branch should critically look at its literature apropos positively promoting the national language.
This should long term ensure that each branch is totally bilingual and the executive conferences multi-lingual.
Please note that the General Council has actively encouraged all Branches to produce bi-lingual material where possible, even offering type-setting and printing for such. This resolution has transformed this encouragement into a directive.
Éire No 2 resolution
This AGM – deplores the tactics of the Westminster government during the Peace Process, which led to the the loss of a unique window of opportunity.
We call on them to remedy this by admitting Sinn Fein to the All Party Talks and to relinquish their demands for the decommissioning of arms which can only be realistically attained when a full settlement is negotiated.
Mannin No 2 resolution
This AGM – Condemns without reservation the Isle of Man government for operating a Prison regime and system which holds persons in squalid, overcrowded, inhumane and degrading circumstances.
Calls for a report on the situation to be prepared by the Celtic League General Council and forwarded to the United Nations Human rights agency in Geneva.
England No 2 resolution
This Ard-Fheis believes that it is unsatisfactory to refer to as “Roman Britain” what in reality was Celtic Britain.
International No 2 resolution
This AGM – alarmed by the repetition of catastrophic oil-spills from tankers which have caused widespread destruction of marine life and so severely affected the economic life of coastal areas of at least five of the six Celtic countries in the past twenty years:
Urges the governments responsible for the protection of the environment in these countries as well as the European Union to adopt strictly binding measures to avoid such accidents, in particular enforcing double hulling for all tankers, prohibiting them from sailing through narrow sea channels or within given distances from shore, use of pilots familiar with the approaches to storage facilities.
General Council No 2 resolution.
This AGM – rejects as ineffectual the recently announced enquiry into the use by the RUC and British Army of plastic baton rounds during riots sparked by the British governments decision to allow Orange marches, previously banned, to be routed via Nationalist areas.
Noting, that the use of plastic baton rounds and rubber bullets have to date been the cause of 17 deaths (eight children and nine adults) in N. Ireland when used by the security forces, calls for an end to the deployment of these weapons.
The Following Officers were elected to the General Council.
Convenor: Cathal Ó Luain
General Secretary & PRO: Bernard Moffatt
Assistant General Secretary: Mark Kermode
Editor: Patricia Bridson
Treasurer: Paul Kelly.