Thursday 12 August 2010

"Welsh" Party websites.

I have been looking at the main Party websites and to found some interesting issues. Use the link to form your own opinion.

Plaid Cymru:
Completely bilingual as you would expect up to date (last release 11th August). Should have a list of assembly candidates up by now though. 8/10

"Welsh” Labour:
Doesn’t seem to be Bilingual there is a site Llafur Cymru which allows you to relocate to the English version but not Vice-versa. The Welsh Language site seems to have not been updated since the General election and the English Language one has no recent news, also they seem to have dropped Welsh Labour from their masthead . Very Poor. 3/10

“Welsh” Conservatives:
Seems to be purely in English only. If there is a Cymraeg button. I couldn’t find it. Up to date and does concentrates on Welsh issues. 4/10

"Welsh" Liberal Democrats:
At first glance Bilingual but on hitting the Welsh Language Button  a Draig Goch  the English language one is the Union flag (I kid you not)  you find mostly the same information in English only with the words “No Translation available”. Seems to be pure tokenism. Up to date but there seem to be more press releases put out 0n Subordinate Central(Why?) 5/10.

The main disappointment with the sites are the lack of (except Plaid’s) easy access to Welsh Language facilities. It is 2010 for god sake every Party must have access to someone who could translate their information and it would be a simple task for their webmaster to paste



How can these Parties argue for a new Welsh language act when their own Website and as I pointed out during the last election their election literature are not fully bilingual.

Perhaps a new Welsh Language Act should enclose a clause compelling political Parties campaigning in Wales to implement a bilingual policy.

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