by Julian Ruck
I have been wrong.
And never let it be said that I will not listen to a fair and reasonable argument, albeit that I may well disagree with part of it.
On 21.8.13 I interviewed Tony Schiavone, a representative of the Welsh Language Society and I must say I was impressed. Indeed, the Society is to be commended for entering into a dialogue with me in the first place, which is more than can be said for Dyfodol, another Welsh language pressure group, but then they are associated with the taxpayer subsidised Welsh publisher Y Lolfa, so say no more.
The thrust of the interview concentrated on the WLS’s views on planning policy in Wales in respect of its impact on the development and preservation of the Welsh language eg how far should a 62% Welsh speaking community be considered when planners examine housing needs, be it private or public sector?
Would not an influx of non-Welsh speakers result in the possible denigration of the language?
As you can imagine, my immediate response to this was one of “hold on, this stinks of minority protectionism on a grand scale?”
Not so, as was duly pointed out by Mr Schavione. He made it clear that the Society’s view was one of “consideration” not enforcement and he gave me no reason to doubt his sincerity in this. I must also stress that not once during the interview did I feel I was dealing with a gentleman of extreme and unrealistic inclination.
