Basque militants attack holiday homes

[makfai]

Just read this in the DT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/25/wbasque125.xml

[PaulT]

It is a shame that some of these groups do not look at the whole picture.

Many years ago I was touring in North Wales, we walked in to a pub where they were speaking English, switched to Welsh and feigned that they could not speak English.

I have never been back to N Wales. A large part of the income is from tourists. For instance, Chinese slate is far cheaper than Welsh slate so sales have gone and the slate quarries are now tourist attractions. Without tourists and people bringing money in to the area it will die.

I fully support keeping a culture going but isolationism is not the way to prosper.

Paul

[jxedwards]

Paul,

I agree with your comments

As a South Walian I can only apologise for the ignorance of my Northern counterparts.

It is something I am due to ‘experience’ in 3 weeks when myself and OH visit Snowdonia for a weekend. I will report.

North Walians generally look down on us ‘southerners’ as being less Welsh as the majority of us do not speak Welsh, or if we do it is not as a 2^nd language. The historical facts behind this are well documented, therefore these reasons should be understood.

It is a difficult situation as it was for North Wales in the early/mid 80’s with ‘rich & affluent’ people inflating the price of property behind the means of local people. This of course has possibly been repeated in areas of France.

Now in Carmathenshire (West Wales) the county council will only permit new housing developments if a certain percentage of the housing is kept low cost for purchase by young local people. I do not know the details but in principal seems a sensible route to take.

 

John

[Hoddy]

"It is a difficult situation as it was for North Wales in the early/mid

80’s with ‘rich & affluent’ people inflating the price of property

behind the means of local people. This of course has possibly been

repeated in areas of France."

I've always thought it a pity that the rural Welsh problem became one of nationalism, when in fact other areas of the UK were just as badly affected. When I was first married we couldn't afford to live in the Derbyshire village where I grew up and had to move into town. Many other rural areas of the UK are still affected in this way. The Basque area of France is not the only one where property prices have risen because of rich outsiders. I'm not sure what the answer is, or even if there is one, but I'm pretty sure that setting fire to other people's property is basically a problem of envy and spite.

Hoddy

[Frederick]

I should think they have already shot themselves in the foot ....after reading the newspaper article those who were about to buy in the area I should think are now considering pulling out and looking elsewhere ..and ..once again I see  Ryan Air gets the blame for making an area popular....

[chris pp]

""I should think they have already shot themselves in the foot""

I think you may have missed the point, they don't even want French people there who come from outside the region, never mind foreigners.

Chris 

[Frederick]

What I mean Chris is ....they want to see the area developed and tourists cash in their acccounts and  local unemployment reduced ...but ....they dont want outsiders live among them ...and ....are prepered  to drive them out   .......Who is going want to even go on holiday to such a place  ? What tourists they have had and enjoyed the income from in their hotels  I should expect will not return when they read of their antics .. I would not want  stop and park up even for lunch in such an area if they are going to target for damage your car to make their point.... if they want the place to themselves they can have it