Elitist, wow. As opposed to their pillaging state coffers?
I despair, I wouldn’t wipe my ass with this.
Particularly liked this passage
"There is disturbing pattern here. National Parks all too often become vehicles for bureaucrats to reject the cultural heritage and customs of the rural population and impose politically correct dogma."
Takes some balls to be that far up your own arse that you ignore a local language and culture for your own which you believe should exist there.
Fuck me.
its locked for me, what is the summary?
Welsh government have decided to rename the Breon Beacons by their original and current Welsh name, y Bannau Brycheiniog. This follows Snowdon being recognised as Y Wyddfa (which is what we call it here) and Snowdonia as Eryri.
Basically, all the original Welsh names, not the English ones that were put in place by English people.
It hasn’t gone down well with the colonials still living on the 1800’s writing for the Telegraph.
G eorge Orwell was right: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.”
The latest manifestation of modern-day progressivism foreseen by the author is in the Brecon Beacons National Park, shortly to be known as Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
This name change will no doubt be cheered on by some divisive Welsh nationalists. It pushes Anglopohobic buttons by following in the tradition of spurious celticisation of signage – always leaving the original English as well so that the 82 per cent of the Welsh population who don’t speak Welsh don’t get lost. It stirs atavistic yearnings for nationhood by renaming it after the 5th century Celtic King Brychan Brycheiniog (Bryan from Brecon), ironically an Irishman by birth, who demonstrated outward looking tendencies by marrying a Saxon princess then a Scottish one, and whose descendants are mostly thought to live in Cornwall.
Most of all, in this coronation year it severs the link with the British practice of celebrating royal and national occasions with hilltop bonfires from Land’s End to John O’ Groats, after which the Brecon Beacons are named. With unintended Orwellian humour the chief executive, Catherine Mealing-Jones, said that it won’t be compulsory for local residents to refer to the park by its new name.
Marxist theory calls for the use of specious argument to break down the status quo. Climate change all too often provides the ammunition. Apparently the old name was associated with the burning of carbon and therefore “not a good look”. Will the park authority now discourage landowners from lighting celebratory bonfires in May, and perhaps burn more carbon themselves to power electric illuminations on landmarks? It will be interesting to see whether the authority calculates and publishes the carbon cost of the re-branding exercise, particularly the new signs that will be required, as well as the burden on the taxpayer.
There is disturbing pattern here. National Parks all too often become vehicles for bureaucrats to reject the cultural heritage and customs of the rural population and impose politically correct dogma. Local landowners and farmers are often too busy maintaining the fabric of the landscape to attend meetings and disproportionate influence is gained by retired incomers, who can be all too keen to exploit the control over planning given to park authorities. This latest insanity in Brecon follows moves by the Lake District National Park to ban trail hunting in the land of John Peel. Sheep farming, so central to the creation of our upland landscapes for centuries, is also under threat from authoritarianism. Rural people are increasingly asking whether park status is a boon or a burden.
Jamie Blackett farms in Dumfriesshire and is the author of ‘Red Rag to a Bull’ and ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ (Quiller)
Thanks for posting that. It reminded me why I cancelled my subscription to the Torygraph.
Out of interest. how many Welsh people walk up Snowdon? When we did it, it was purely English. I understand the theory but re-naming a massively famous tourist destination to something that in fairness isn’t exactly easy on the tongue isn’t the best idea.
Politics aside, it was just plain twaddle.
It completely lost any sense after the 4th paragraph.
Isn’t this similar to now calling the world famous landmark in Australia Uluro rather than Ayers rock.
Possibly but I can pronounce both of those. Paris or paree? Rome or Roma? Wales or Cymru?
The same happened with the county of Cardigan in the 90s. When dyfed was dissolved the official name for the county in both welsh and English became the old Welsh name of Ceredigion. I dont remember a fuss being made about that.
As a funny aside that I dont know if you remember, the initial plans was to make the official name of the new county Sir Abertifi, and the Welsh people pointed out there was already a perfectly good welsh name for the county that had been used for millennia and they didnt need to invent a new one.
A lttle bit of practice and you’ll be fine
Bannau Brycheiniog – ban-aye bruch-ay-nee-og , with the ch making the same sound as in loch
My attempt was
Ban,eye bruk,a,knee,og
None. The Welsh people walk up Y Wyddfa. 
Quite a few but from my experience locals tend to go really early or really late or out of season. Yes it is predominantly a “tourist” thing or the more serious hiker etc. picking off Crib Goch. We don’t bother because of the crowds to be honest. It’s horrible.
Being easy on the tongue doesn’t matter. With regard to Wyddfa (with va) Vs Snowdon there’s naff all difference imo. Personally I’d prefer someone making an effort, and not quite getting it to someone transplanting something else to suit others. Welsh place names are often descriptive or have meaning. Abertawe means mouth of the River Tawe but it became Swansea.
35 years ago those remarks were often seen as a joke.
Yems real crime is not to have recognised when it was no longer acceptable for most and stop making them.
Problem is, they were wrong 35 years ago as much as they are wrong today.
People need to stop hiding behind that as an excuse.
No they were not IMO, it was a joke and to me it stil is.