Should we move Deeside into England?
Post categories: Buckley, Connah's Quay, Flint, Flintshire, History & Memories, Holywell, Hot Topics, Mold, Shotton
| 09:10 UK time, Monday, 21 July 2008
So says contributor Nathan who posts his plea in our Deeside guide this morning arguing: "Deeside would benefit from leaving Wales. The area we live is so close to the border that being in Wales we miss out."
You may remember recently that Audlem in Cheshire wanted to move out of England because of Welsh health service benefits and before that there was Berwick upon Tweed announcing it wanted to join Scotland because it better identified with the nation.
So, should a campaign be started to get Deeside out of Wales?
Says Nathan: "Even though Deeside is in north Wales I don't even think that the people of Deeside class themselves as living in north Wales. I most certainly don't! I think that Deeside would benefit from leaving Wales and becoming England. The area we live is so close to the border that being in Wales we miss out. The closest main hospital to us is the Countess of Chester - in England. This causes problems for the people of the area for operations etc because of the postcode lottery.
"It's not as if we are distinctively Welsh, we don't have a Welsh accent but more of a Chester/Cheshire one and the closest main shopping centre to us is Chester. The council must waste so much money on the signposts in the area, they have the English and then the Welsh. Why is the Welsh needed? I doubt that many in the area could pronounce it never mind understand it!
"School children in the area are also at a disadvantage. They are forced to learn the 'dying language' (Welsh) when they could be focusing on more important subjects. They even have to sit the same GCSE examination as other schools in 'Welshy' Wales. So, in conclusion MAKE DEESIDE ENGLAND."
Well, that's what Nathan thinks. What about you?
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I've spent quite a bit of time in Deeside and it has always felt like Wales to me. Yes, the accents sound similar to Cheshire and Merseyside accents (although I doubt people from Cheshire and Merseyside would say that) and the percentage of Welsh speakers there is one of the lowest in Wales... but it's still Welsh and not certainly not a part of Cheshire.
It doesn't matter how close Deeside is to England, it's even closer to Wales - it's actually IN Wales! Would the likes of Nathan want the whole of Flintshire to become part of England as well? And then once Flintshire is part of England, should Denbighshire be next because lots of people have non-Welsh accents there too, and they also shop in Chester? It's nonsense.
Incidentally, Welsh isn't a 'dying' language. The percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales is increasing - particularly in areas like north east Wales.
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Why would be want to make Deeside England? I'm unsure where any of the proposals above make any sense. Surely if Deeside was moved into England the 'postcode lottery' would mean that people there were no longer entitled to free prescriptions.
Relating to signposting, if Welsh signs should be taken down where low population speaks Welsh. Would this cost saving idea for Councils carry on into England in areas where English is a minority language to certain areas? Not sure if this would go down too well with a lot of people.
It has also been proven that bilingual children have an ability to learn many other languages far quicker than children who can only speak one language. This means that children being taught in 'Welshy Wales' have a far better understanding of language and the makeup of languages. Therefore would be far better prepared for learning. So, in conclusion it may be far simpler if Nathan just moved himself to England and let us be.
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What a lod of rubbish!! Doesn't Nathan realise that there MUST be a border somewhere? What better border than the river Dee? Perhaps he would like the whole of north east Wales to join the English! Over my dead body!! I am Welsh and proud of it, accent and all. I have been accused of being a geordie, a scouser etc BUT, I am Welsh. If he doesn't like living in Deeside, move to the Wirral and see if he can afford to live there.
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Well Nathan instead of moving a whole county into a different, country the answer is simple if you don't like it move! you don't speak for the people of Deeside. We are Welsh!!
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