The betting's on Betsi
It's the sort of story that you hope is true.
There's a rumour around that the Health Minister, Edwina Hart, wants to name the new North Wales Health Board after Betsi Cadwaladr, a contemporary of Florence Nightingale. Betsi, or Elizabeth Davies, was a Methodist preacher's daughter who grew up on a farm near Bala, before escaping through her bedroom window one night and heading off to Liverpool to look for adventure. She eventually went to London to train as a nurse.
Perhaps the Minister, whose plans to revamp the structure of the health service in Wales were recently said to have "more than a whiff of Stalinism" about them, should read this description of Betsi before making her recommendation:
"After reading about the plight of British soldiers in the Crimean War, who were dying of typhoid and wound infections, Betsy decided to join the military nursing service to take care of them. She worked alongside Florence Nightingale for a time, but did not like her imperious discipline.
Betsy moved to serve on the Balaclavan front, where she was famous for her disregard of red tape to ensure that supplies reached the wounded".
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~21~RS~)
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A few points here.
We need reminding how Welsh history has been eclipsed by 'British' (euphemism for 'English) history in the schools of Wales. Very little Welsh history is taught in the schools of England, in the national curriculum. Nightingale became the archetypal nursing heroine.
In 1854 Wales was recovering from the slanderous attack made by three English upper class Anglican commissioners on the state of education and morality in our country in the 'Treachery of the Blue Books' of 1847. Elizabeth Davies had to overcome a raft of prejudices against her language and her nonconformist faith in her nursing career. She had to leave Wales to get her nursing training at Guy's.
Nothing much has changed since the time of the Crimean War. Britain is still engaged in military and imperialistic wars, even though they are mainly in support of US imperialism nowadays. Its the thousands of innocent victims of British and US bombing in Afghanistan who need medical and nursing care today. The UK is not providing adequate finance, equipment or personnel to provide it.
As for naming a Health Board after a Welsh nurse. Big deal and about time!
We have a Prince Philip hospital (Llanelli), a Princess of Wales hospital (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) and a Prince Charles hospital (Merthyr Tudful). Not one of these people is/was Welsh or has done much for Wales, except remind us that we were conquered 700 years ago and have a head of state who is queen of England.
The only people born in Wales (apart from Dewi Sant) to be so honoured are H. M. Stanley and George Thomas - and if the latter's the best Wales can come up with, then pity help us. Imo George did much more harm than good for his native country.
Finally, I can't help sympathising with Richard Vize's opinion of Edwina Hart's management of the health service in Wales. Micro-management has always been a socialist tendency. McBroon was noted for it at the Treasury, and look where it got us. He couldn't see the wood for the trees.
Wales' future is indeed bleak, when the best that Harry Corbett and Sooty (aka Broon and his Darling) can come up with is for the Assembly to spend the 140 million capital budget a year or two sooner. What difference will that make? Its forty-six pounds per head of Wales' population.
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Oh, Ms Powys, you are teasing us with these Betsy / Betsi dilemmas...
Rather like IDS and 'Betsygate'..
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brynt41 ...
'Reports of the commissioners of enquiry into the state of education in Wales',
your
'Treachery of the Blue Books'
The result of this dreadful report, the beginnings of good education in Wales.
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Are you sure this "Betsi" was a woman?
Just as I was thinking 'she' looked like Tony Bennett, in walked Mrs. Sembly who announced it was Des O'Conner in drag.
You say she was a nurse ?
Well I wouldn't fancy a 'bed-bath' from 'her' but then again, I'm not from Llandewi Brevi.
Such irreverence......
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#3 TheStonemason wrote:
"The result of this dreadful report, the beginnings of good education in Wales."
In fact, standards of literacy in Wales were higher than in England, but the population was literate in their own language. It was an example of pure prejudice, and ignorance. That prejudice still exists in the very statement you make, quoted above. 'Good' education equals anglicised education. It denies the validity of our existence as a people with our own distinct culture and language.
Its true, there was a reaction in Wales, to the insults heaped on our nation, its people, their language and nonconformist faith. Ordinary folk, 'y werin', farm workers, slate quarrymen, coal miners contributed in pennies, all they could afford to fund a college which would provide education of university standard in Wales. It resulted in what is Aberystwyth University. Shortly afterwards the university colleges were established at Cardiff and Bangor, which were able to award degrees of the University of Wales. Pressure was brought on politicians from Wales to establish 'intermediate' schools to provide a high standard of secondary education.
The report of 1847 was damning, it accused the Welsh people of ignorance, laziness and immorality. It was based largely on the prejudices of Anglican clergymen and landowners who were unsympathetic towards the Language and Nonconfomity.
What was precious was trampled underfoot, and treated as valueless.
It made the people of Wales feel inadequate and second class. A feeling that hasn't entirely been eradicated after a century and a half.
Another outcome was the development of a movement in Wales towards self-government, crystallising in 'Cymru Fydd' under the leadership of Tom Ellis and others. It was a forerunner to PC.
Wales had been neglected after its annexation, in every respect, except its exploitation. That has continued to the present day - just examine the poor state that Wales is in relative to the rest of western Europe.
I believe that its not possible for the people of a nation which is dominated or controlled by another to ever have self-respect and dignity. I agree with Saunders Lewis that 1847 was pivotal in teaching us that lesson.
Occasionally we witness something which shows us how we are still treated with utter contempt. That clip of John Redwood, the Tory Secretary of State for Wales, trying to mouth the Welsh national anthem, was so telling - it spoke volumes - echoes of 1847. Many thanks to the perceptive camerman for spotting his quandary and for zooming in on it.
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And we must continue with this xenophobia because of something that happened over 150 years ago.
I don't believe it, it is irrational, illogical, myopic.
So sad, that your hatred of all things British would ............
Nose and face springs to mind.
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And I'd only just gotten used to revering Mary Seacole over and above Florence Nightingale..
Noah - Surely you mean 'Llanddewi Brefi' ?
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#6
I don't agree with your use of the word xenophobia, as it implies fear and hatred. Neither of which holds for me. There's abundant historical evidence that Wales has been badly treated right down to the present.
Its true that I don't think that Britain has much going for it, and I'd like my country to not be part of it. I'm not proud of it as an entity, or to belong to it. Its not just history either, I believe that Wales and its people would have a better, brighter, more prosperous, secure, stable and dignified future as a sovereign state.
None of that amounts to xenophobia. Where's the irrationality, illogicality and myopia in wanting the people of my country to elect their own government? Most of the world's people already do that, why should Wales be different?
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brynt- a couple of things..
You say that the teaching of Welsh history is poor.. I think the teaching of history in our schools is rubbish full stop. All I learned about were the Romans [fair enough] 'pobl y bicer' [The Beaker People] and the Welsh princes.
Possibly not in that order. Nothing about the American Civil War. India - not a sausage. Nowt about the First World War. Zilch about the 'Holocaust'.
I found out more about the first world war through the diaries of a great uncle who, along with my tadcu, fought in France.
Strangely enough, they were fighting under the Union Jack for King and Country against the Germans. They don't recall whether they also asked for a 'Welsh Flag' or indeed whether they requested special treatment by getting their orders in Welsh...
I'm all for avoiding the anglocentric partial view of history peddled in many textbooks.
But the fact remains that 'History is written by the victors'. You should be glad that the wars didn't result in the language problem being solved by us all speaking in German.
Or, as my woeful attempt to rectify my appalling level of historical knowledge by reading '1066 and all that' and O'Farrell's recent light-hearted British history tome recall, us all speaking in French...
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"Wales has been badly treated right down to the present.."
But it is also true that, for example, Yorkshire has been shafted on many, many occasions - their mining and fishing industries for a start have seen intransigent Government decisions affect whole communities.
But I don't see any attempt to portray this as some form of 'nationalist prejudice' or indeed any proposal that the solution for this is to abolish rule from Whitehall in favour of local 'regional assemblies'.
Indeed when Prescott proposed such an idea for another part of the country, it was voted down. I don't have a problem with people wanting more decision making powers locally - but again, it would be great to hear this from people wanting to repatriate some powers back from Brussels to Westminster.
In the interests of consistency, if nothing else..
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#9 lBG wrote:
"Strangely enough, they were fighting under the Union Jack for King and Country against the Germans. They don't recall whether they also asked for a 'Welsh Flag' or indeed whether they requested special treatment by getting their orders in Welsh..."
Firstly, most of the troops which fought in the Great War were conscripted and had no choice about it. Its arguable that they fought for 'King and Country', that was only the patriotic call to arms.... "Your country needs you!" In fact, they were fighting to protect Britain's share of world trade and its empire, few of the benefits of either filtered down to the troops and their families, or places like Wales. You forget the class-riven age they lived in. No consideration whatsoever would have been given by either the political leaders or the General Staff, who had been born with silver spoons in their mouths, sent to public schools, before a final polishing at Sandhurst, for the many men from Wales who were Welsh-speaking, some monoglot, even. They were simply cannon fodder. All that mattered was that England's empire and trade was maintained so that this upper class of people could retain their wealth and privilege. The Great War was a travesty.
"You should be glad that the wars didn't result in the language problem being solved by us all speaking in German."
WWII arose from the treatment which the victors of the Great War meted out to Germany, and the poverty and humiliation inflicted on the German people at Versailles. Its unlikely that Hitler and the Nazis would have gained power in the democratic Weimar Republic had not that happened. So the threat of being invaded and conquered was partly created by Britain itself, with a lot of assistance from President Wilson.
Btw, most Germans (and Americans for that matter) think of us all as English.
I don't think that anyone can deny that Britain has a long military and imperial history. In my opinion its nothing to be proud of. Large parts of the world are in a mess today because of it. Africa, the Middle East, and much of the New World, where native peoples were annihilated.
"But it is also true that, for example, Yorkshire has been shafted on many, many occasions.."
Two wrongs don't make a right. The people of Yorkshire can speak for themselves, but they are English, live in England, and have a government and parliament which is overwhelmingly English. We are in a perpetual tiny minority, a completely different state of affairs. You should compare like with like. Scotland makes a better comparison. Talk to them. See what they have to say, many of them want independence outright, and soon.
"..it would be great to hear this from people wanting to repatriate some powers back from Brussels to Westminster."
Here we have it. You've fallen for all the anti-EU propaganda dolled out by the classes who control the press, and who want to retain their wealth and influence. An element of sovereignty was democratically ceded to the EU by the UK Parliament. Wales hasn't had any sovereignty to cede to anyone.
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Dear me. Is there any other nation on earth where an interesting aside about a long-ago nurse could produce such vitriol ?
I agree with Brynt41, incidentally, but why do'nt you all take a long,long holiday from
preaching to either the coverted or unconvertible.
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brynt41, your .....
"In fact, they were fighting to protect Britain's share of world trade and its empire"
There was little choice Britain had to go to war in 1914. If France had been defeated, Britain would have been faced with the nightmare "the continent dominated by a single, aggressive state". This nightmare started during the Tudor dynasty.
Your interpretation of WWI is, I believe, very left of centre politics.
I cannot speak for the soldiers of 1914-18, but the modern soldier will fight for the other members of his unit, mutual support, not for politicians, they are sent to war by politicians, but that is part of the job, just like selling sugar, just a job.
How do I know ?
I took the Queens shilling, early 1974 when the left wing miners were screwing Britain in a way that would have made Stalin proud.
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In reply to message 12. Hogygog.
You come on here and rather piously chide posters for splashing the old vitriol about the place. Though in your very next sentence you announce your agreement with Brynt41 who is plainly guilty of being by far the most prolific vitriol sprinkler of the entire topic.
It ill behoves someone to come on here, feebly attempting to come across as the voice of calm and reasonableness.
Especially Hogygog, as they admit to being a lifelong Plaid Cymru supporter, and a BRANCH OFFICER.
I would defy anyone in such a position to have the nerve to deny that they spend most of their daylight hours "preaching to either the cov(n)erted (sic) or unconvertable."
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#14 Noah wrote:
"Brynt41... is plainly guilty of being by far the most prolific vitriol sprinkler of the entire topic."
Fame at last!
I also provided some history lessons to a few people here who needed them. Nothing like a few acidic comments to bring the past to life. It is, after all, the key to the present.
As for poor old Stonemason and his queen's shilling (The Brits don't pay much to those who do their dirty work). Historians are agreed that the causes of the Second war lay in the unsatisfactory peace settlement of the First. Its not a political interpretation of the facts, its based on incontrovertible evidence.
I must admit I'd never heard of Elizabeth Davies. As I understand it, but for one particular person with an interest, she may well have remained in virtual obscurity. It does illustrate, which was my main point, how our people and culture, in our own country, have been sidelined by being part of the UK.
Anyway, let it rest there... on my part... until the next time.. hehe.
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I don't think brynt41 actually reads what others write, waste of time really.
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"the continent dominated by a single, aggressive state" - other than England was completely unacceptable!
And since when has Llanddewi Brefi been spelt with a 'v'?! That is a sickening example of anglicisation.
And at least UK sovereignty was democratically transferred to Europe, Wales' sovereignty was taken by force.
"So sad, that your hatred of all things British would ............"
British could easily be replaced by Welsh.
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#16 TheStonemason
I do read comments.
I didn't really want to get into a discussion about the causes of the Great War - German unification and industrialisation, competing empire building in SW Africa, and competition for world markets, particularly in chemicals and engineering, and the arms race, which threatened Britain's supremacy. Its all in the history books. The events which sparked it off were largely incidental.
The essence, the basic cause, was greed. Its the basic cause of a lot of wars, Bush and Iraq, for example.
The biggest part which Wales played in the whole sad story was the exploitation of its steam coal reserves to bolster British imperialism and trade in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It made a lot of people extremely wealthy. Very few of whom were Welsh, in fact, only one or two. The rest of our ancestors lived in dire rural or industrial poverty and squalor, until it became time to defend the wealth and power of those mainly English upper classes which controlled Britain's worldwide empire. Then it took our forefathers' lives too.
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The 'Queens shilling' is a symbolic commitment to support the state, British of course.
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OK back to the topic, Welsh history is ignored - certainly in England and in much of Wales. If the North Wales Health Authority is going to be named after a local pioneer nurse then all to the good. Far better than yet another Countess of Wessex or Prince Charles or some other person with no local connection.
Fortunately I went to school (primary) in Merthyr where our teacher and headmaster were keen local historians, so my education at that level was much more than the "for Wales see England" approach many of us had.
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#19 TheStonemason wrote:
"The 'Queens shilling' is a symbolic commitment to support the state, British of course."
I was referring to how badly paid, equipped, and housed, Britain's armed services have been and are, down the years. 'Snatch' Land Rovers are a good example. If you served, you will know that only too well. Those currently serving are no different, and even their commanding officers have been complaining about it.
Wales provides the British army with a disproportionate number of its recruits, and has done for decades. They sign up, not because they want to, but because of poor job prospects and inadequate education.
Read "Informed Choice? Armed forces recruitment practice in the United Kingdom", a 160-page report by David Gee (funded by the Rowntree Trust). Its an indictment of how the forces, especially the Army, targets schools in deprived areas, fails to involve parents of young recruits, and fails to inform them of the implications of signing up. The minimum standard is a reading age of seven at age 16, yet a recruit signs a 4-page, small print, legal document which he sees at the last minute.
The British state, as you put it, has a poor record of how it treats its military forces which perform its dirty work from time to time. (That is not to say that the forces don't have necessary and useful functions).
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brynt41 has posted so many excellent points, and I agree with all of them in this thread.
The fact is, the 'For Wales See England' mentality is still with us today, as demonstrated by some posters here.
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I think it was a great blog....Betsan.!!!
~Dennis Junior~
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