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The Celtic League's General Secretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot travelled to Palma de Mallorca last weekend, in his role as the President of the European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy).
He was invited to address a conference of young people from the political youth movement Joves d'Esquerra Nacionalista ( www.jen.cat) were interested to hear more about the work of the EFAy and also how nationalist youth groups work together at a European level.
(Rhisiart is also the youth leader of Kernow X, the youth group of Mebyon Kernow - the Party for Cornwall, who he represents on the EFAy.)
An edited version of his speech can be found below:
"…Through our contact with the EFAy, Kernow X has built up a large network of youth organisations throughout Europe, some bigger and some smaller. We have used this network for a variety of purposes such as developing our political ideas, joint campaigning work and even for moral support. By working with these other organisations and our friends throughout Europe, Kernow X has become a more powerful voice. If we have an issue we would like the EFAy to get involved in, we can draw on their support, even at a local level. It is my firm belief that it is human nature to overcome, only if we work together…
This is also absolutely necessary in a European wide context. According to the Living Diversity website ( (voir le site) - a common initiative by the Federal Union of European Nationalities and the Youth of European Nationalities) every 7 th citizen belongs to a minority group in Europe. There are 337 ethnic and national minorities, with almost 105 million members, who live in the 45 European states.
In addition, there are 90 languages spoken in Europe, of which 37 are considered national languages and 53 are considered "stateless languages" (like Catalan or Cornish). According to official records of the EU, 40 million citizens of the expanded Union speak a regional - or minority language. This amounts to almost ten percent of the citizens of the Union.
As the EU expands, this figure is due to increase. Many of these peoples have no or very little voice at a European level… This is not democracy.
This democratic deficit is all too evident at a state level. State Governments often believe that they are in the best position to solve democratic crises within their state territories. This can be seen in recent weeks in the Basque Country with the Basque President, Juan José Ibarretxe, facing charges of disobedience for meeting with the outlawed Batasuna political party, in his quest for peace for his country. As President Ibarretxe made clear after the judgment was passed, the future of the Basque Country cannot be decided in Madrid, and that if peace is to be made it can only be achieved by the political parties and organizations that operate within Basque Country…
In Northern Ireland, peace was only achieved once all political parties in the six counties were brought into the dialogue… Also, even though many of the peoples in the state of France like the Breton, Corsicans and Occitan's see the state of Spain as a model of regional Government, it is Madrid who has the final say over whether these territories can call themselves a nation or a country… In the UK it is generally accepted that Scotland and Wales are countries and nations in their own right, but their level of autonomy is less than some regions of Belgium. It is state capitals where many of the decisions are made that affect the future of our regions and nations and this, in our belief, should not be the case.
This is one of the reasons why the EFAy believes that the EU of today needs to be reformed. We are opposed to the idea of a Europe of the states, which is the present European model. Saying that however, we do support the European project, but our vision is of a Europe that upholds and celebrates national diversity against State assimilation and uniformity.
In other words we are in favour of a 'Europe of the Peoples'; a Europe that respects and protects its different national minorities and identities(languages and cultures). We believe in a Europe that upholds the principle of subsidiarity, supports and encourages self-determination, campaigns effectively for social justice and environmental protection and pursues progressive democracy and recognizes diversity…
The politics of the EFAy is not about isolation or separation. We are part of Europe and want to remain so, but not in a Europe based on this current model. As the President of the EFA says in the Preface of the book 'European Free Alliance: Voice of the Peoples of Europe'
"A European Union that merely recognizes the rights of states cannot lead to true democracy and lasting peace. The denial of the rights of peoples and regions of their language and culture and of their right to self determination remains a source of frustration and dispute in many European states and abroad."
We want to make a difference to the way that our nations/regions are governed…
…The SNP for example is one political party that has taken full advantage of its European contacts to push the party's agenda forward. Speaking at the EFA 25 th anniversary celebrations in the European Parliament in May 2006, the Leader of the SNP, Alex Salmond, said:
"The SNP has a proud history of engagement with Europe…It is my determination to build on this tradition, so Scotland not only wins friends across the European Union, but begins to enjoy the full benefits offered by this great partnership of nations."
However it is not Salmond's vision for Scotland to be a back seat driver in a vehicle driven by a British Prime Minister, but rather an equal partner in a union of nations.
Europe does offer a unique opportunity for our nations and regions, but not as the mouth piece of states… This brings me on to the right to self determination. The only way that our nations and regions can have the opportunity of working in a fair and equal partnership with each other is for the right of self determination to be given to the people, so that they are able to decide what they want to do with their futures.
Charles Stewart Parnell, the Irish political activist of the nineteenth century argued that:
No man has a right to fix the boundary of the march of a nation; no man has a right to say to his country, "Thus far shalt thou go and no further".
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891)
Parnell's words have set the agenda for the SNP's vision for Scotland. This is also the EFAy's vision. If a people want independence then they should be free to pursue it. No one has the right to stop this 'march', least of all individuals, other nations or state Governments.
The EFAy is important, because it gives young people a channel in which to express themselves politically. There are of course other European organizations that also work to give young people a political voice, but the EFAy is unique in its membership composition, aims and mission. The right to self determination is denied to many of the peoples of Europe. The EFAy, as a political community of young Europeans, aims to represent the interests of those who believe that the 'march of a nation' towards greater autonomy, self government or even independence should not have its boundaries. EFAy members represent the future of Europe and one day I hope that we will look back and not only feel proud of what has been achieved, but that we were also part of it. "
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
19/11/07
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