RALI CILMERI - IN THE BEGINING: The Road To Adfywiad Gwladgarol'69 begins in 1964/5.

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In 1964 a small progressive Patriotic group within Plaid Cymru, made up of, for the most part of ''Old Brigade'' Radical Republicans as Harri Web and more contemporary Left Wing Nationalists as Emrys Roberts held a ceremony at the Cilmeri Cenotaph. The purpose of the ceremony was in main simply to launch themselves publicly as the NEW NATION group, a ginger group within Plaid Cymru largely made up of English Speakers, the ceremony also had the intention of launching their NN Journal 'Cilmeri Centrepoint'. Given the political persuasion of those who established the NN group and their rather left wing progressive purpose, the fact that the Cilmeri Cenotaph was chosen for the launch was rather odd to say the least, but then this is the overall long term problem facing Progressive Political Radical Nationalism, it cannot quite escape Cultural Nationalist History.

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Whatever, in the following year of 1965, the newly formed Radical Nationalist Organisation the NATIONAL PATRIOTIC FRONT (with members of the Young Nationalist Association and Celtic League backing up) launched what would become the most significant annual Nationalist event in modern Welsh History. I have dealt with this elsewhere in greater detail, so suffice to summerise here, between 1965 to 1969, the stewardship of Rali Cilmeri remained with the Patriotic Front and it's associate bodies as the Llywelyn Society and Anti - Investiture Campaign Committee. For much of the seventies into the mid eighties Rali Cilmeri reached its most successful years under the stewardship of COFIWN, and in 1982 a massive commemoration took place, of 1000's of Patriots attending the annual commemoration to mark 700th anniversary of the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1282.
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As from the mid Eighties to 1989 Rali Cilmeri became what Patriot ''Garibaldian'' Republican Gareth ap Sion has called an ''Athenian Democracy'', then from 1989 to 1996 Rali Cilmeri came under stewardship of Cymdeithas Cyfamodwyr but with their demise Rali Cilmeri came under the stewardship of the Abaty Cwm Hir Trust. In year 2000, a militant faction calling itself by many names, as Cymru 1400, Red Dragon Movement and Balchder Cymru (aka Mudiad Rhyddhad Cymru) decided to organise a separate event, complaining about the moderate ACHT position at Cilmeri. All this led to the two factions claiming in 2004 the stewardship of Rali Cilmeri which resulted in some bother at the 2004 commemoration (see previous posts in this and other blogs).

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However, in following year a meeting of various factions representatives med in private to deirmine on some unity, it seems as if this then put the ACHT back in the saddle but with Balchder Cymru backing up at the rear with their own more political platform following on the Rememberance Ceremonies. This has it seems led to peace & harmony to break out at the annual Rali Cilmeri, thus we come to the Rali Cilmeri Commemoration 2008, possibly it will be more moderate than the one held at Cilmeri 1968 which became a major platform for Anti - Investiture 1969 Campaigning calls to action and later that day, during the evening led to the so called ''Battle of Builth''. For further information on this episode, see previous post in November of this year, and also see the book TO DREAM OF FREEDOM by Roy Clews and published by Gwasg Lolfa.

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I am I admit as much a victim of this ''Patriotic Political Confusion'' has was Welsh Remembrancer Harri Webb and later, for the most part ''Garibaldian' Welsh Republicans be they ''Romantics'' or as of late 'Retros'' as example of WRM I, II & III, WAWR to a small extent, down to present day Cymru Rydd (now demised) and BALCHDER CYMRU. The latter organisation boasting itself to be a ''Republican'' Think Tank and News Service much given to FWA fascination and wearing of various coloured shirts and being prominent at events associated with our demised Native Aristocracy. But then, I have these problems too but I am slowly weaning myself out of ''Welsh Medievalism'', more and more in favour of 1831 being our ''Year Zero''.
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On the whole, I have for a number of years considered Rali Cilmeri to have ''Reached its Sell by Date", the truth of that may be made more evident this year. If it fails in its purpose as a Patriotic Platform to call for campaigning against another Investiture in the not too distant future, now a major issue in 2008 as was the pending 1969 Investiture at Rali Cilmeri 1968. Failiure to my mind will mean that the annual Rali Cilmeri has become a predictable dead end, fin! We shall see, dare we hold our breath. In 1968, I made speech at the Cilmeri Cenotaph that was a call to action against the Investiture of the following year, I left no one in any doubt that I was serious about opposing and attempting the stopping of this 1969 Investiture at all costs. I guess that may have contributed to the reason why I was arrested within a few months into the new year, put on trial and locked up for nine months, until Carlo had been crowned the 21st English Prince of Wales. Thus, this was our road to Adfywiad Gwladgarol'69 via the annual Cilmeri Rallies 1965 - 1969, those were the days my Friend, and I would not change the times, my times but then we must remember the cost to many patriots, not least Mertheyron Abergele, let us not forget their sacrifice. Yes! indeed who fears to speak of '69? Why! of course none but the Quislings and Traitors plus not least ''Y Crachach'', all of the Welsh Colonial Establishment and their Fellow Travellers and Running Dogs as ''Devolution Dillettantes'' et al.

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Hwyl.
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Gethin.