Leighton Andrews

Mudiadau Dathlu’r Gymraeg Conference

My speech at the Mudiadau Dathlu’r Gymraeg Conference is now available on the Welsh Government website.  You can read it online here.

Bangor's Danny Boyle

I haven’t seen Danny Boyle since 1978, though I’ve obviously followed his career from afar with great interest. His take on Britishness in the Olympic opening ceremony was extraordinary and magical - a people's history laid out with passion, drama, honesty and self-deprecating humour. Danny's introduction to the event is well worth reading, and I like what Anthony Painter says about it here.

Danny was a contemporary of mine at Bangor. I studied English and History, and he was studying English and Drama along with well-known actress Fran Barber, then known as Frances Brookes, and we would see each other regularly in lectures and so on. The drama crowd were a special group, quite close knit, obviously working together intensely in workshops and on productions. That meant we didn’t see a lot of them in student union activities, though I think Danny probably attended one or two of the large mass meetings held in the run-up to the November 1976 events I described here and Andy Chandler gives more detail on here. I remember seeing Danny in the performance of Edward Bond’s play Saved referred to here by Prof Tony Brown and I seem to remember also a production of Wedekind’s Spring Awakening. I also remember towards the end of our first year a student studying English with me calling Danny ‘the bloke who looks like a rockstar’. Well, he did then look one of the coolest guys in the college and after Friday, rock-star seems to fit! 

St David's Day and other things

The Presiding Officer held a reception to celebrate Welsh food at the Senedd. Meanwhile we launched the Welsh language strategy at the WRU Centre of Excellence with Rhys Priestland, Robin McBryde and pupils from Ysgol Melin Griffith.

Language Game

Here's a game for Welsh Learners from the Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University:

Education Questions

I can't seem to get the link embedded, but you can see last week's Education Questions here.

National Eisteddfod - Cymdeithas Cledwyn speech

 
A few weeks ago I posted a short blog about my visit to the Eisteddfod, referring specifically to my speech at the Cymdeithas Cledwyn fringe meeting. During this speech I set out the steps we are taking in Government to develop the language, building on the work started by the One Wales Government and Labour’s manifesto. I also discussed the approach I feel Welsh Labour should take towards Welsh language issues.

The text is now online and can be viewed in Welsh or in English.

 

National Eisteddfod 2011

 
I enjoyed my visit to the Eisteddfod, where I spoke at the Cymdeithas Cledwyn fringe meeting, outlining the steps we have taken as a Government to swiftly implement the Welsh Language measure and advertise the post of Welsh Language Commissioner. I also articulated the need to maintain a consensus on the language and set out Labour's agenda for this issue. The meeting was chaired by Eleri Edwards, a long-time Labour campaigner for devolution and the language, who is pictured with me in the photo above.

I also spoke at the Trade and Industry reception, re-launched Sgiliaith for Coleg Llandrillo, and celebrated further steps that have been taken by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. It was good to see some of my fellow ‘Yes for Wales’ campaigners like Gwenllian Lansdown, whom I hadn't seen since the referendum victory. Congratulations also to Susan Elan Jones MP, who launched a new campaign about online banking in Welsh.

 

Media coverage:

Strategy to boost use of welsh in everyday life

Angen cadw’r consensws, meddai’r Gweinidog Iaith

National Eisteddfod: Future events must prove their worth to get funding, says minister

Eisteddfod must show positive results to get more Government cash Minister says

 

Minister for Education and Skills

I am thrilled to have retained responsibility for Education and to have been given the responsibility for the Welsh Language following the appointment of Carwyn's Cabinet.

Dwi'n falch iawn i ddechrau cyfrifoldeb newydd ar gyfer yr Iaith Gymraeg yn y Llywodraeth.

Tonypandy in the media

There are a number of programmes to mark the centenary of the riots. The programme made by Green Bay (John Geraint from Penygraig and Phil George from Treorchy) goes out on the BBC on Sunday evening, and there is also a Radio Wales programme.

The Radio Cymru programme is available on the BBC website here. It is fascinating, not only for the story of the strike but also as a reminder of the provenance of the Welsh Language in the Rhondda at the time, with archive interviews in Welsh with the former Rhondda MP the late W.H. Mainwaring.

Education Questions November 3rd