The Celtic League main pages carry a link today to an article in the Irish Mirror ostensibly speculating about a Celtic Union of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This scenario seems prompted by the tensions caused by Brexit and the increasingly erratic behaviour of the British (Johnson) government in London.
It’s an attractive notion and various combinations are being advocated by a variety of pundits. Scotland and Wales which already cooperate via their Parliament and Assembly is another oft touted ‘Union’.
The Mirror article though also advances ideas I find disturbing. The idea of an independent six county statlet in the north of Ireland (we’ve been here before). Also Ireland (the 26 county one) amending its state symbols, flag etc and rejoining the Commonwealth (back to the future again).
Articles like that in the Irish Mirror may fill a hole in the late summer news copy but should they be taken seriously – I think the answer is no!
The Celtic League advances an argument which is more coherent and workable. Its been set down for any years and you will find it on our main site – briefly:
“The fundamental aim of the League is to support through peaceful means the struggle of the Celtic Nations, Alba, Breizh, Cymru, Éire, Kernow and Mannin to win or to secure the political, cultural, social and economic freedom they need for their survival and development as independent nations.”
I believe germane to this concept are the words ‘independent nations’. In other words each of the Celtic countries needs to achieve the goal of FULL independence and get that under their belt before they rush towards hastily conceived ‘Unions’.
I’m always aware of the example of the UAR (United Arab Republics) and later the Federation of Arab States conceived at the time that Pan Arab Nationalism was to the fore. The concept was a brilliant one and what a different Middle East there would be today had it succeeded. However it failed in part because some of the states that joined had not long become independent let alone functioned as working democracies.
Despite the ideas trailed in the likes of the Irish Mirror and elsewhere for all manner of swift aggregations and Unions on ‘the Atlantic Arc’ I personally will stick with the Celtic League concept where we work to achieve full national independence in each of the Celtic countries (i.e. those that have extant Celtic languages) and campaign:
“for a formal association of Celtic nations to take place once two or more of them have achieved self-government.”
Image: The full extent of Pan Arab unity – but the consituent parts that for a time also included Yemen was always loose and destined to be a bright concept but born in haste – Inset: Gamal Abdel Nasser – a great nationalist.
Link: Celtic League ‘Aims and Objectives’ and ‘Constitution’ at this link:
Bernard Moffatt
Assistant General Secretary Celtic League (11th September 2020)
