Wales vs Cymru split on northsouth lines

TWO petitions with opposing stances on the name for Wales have both attracted large followings.

Responses to the opposing petitions have revealed a geographical split. Those favouring “Cymru” are skewed towards the north and west of the country, while those wanting to retain “Wales” tend to be from the south.

The first petition, launched by Arfon Jones of pro-independence group Yes Cymru, has collected 11,879 signatures and so will be considered for debate at the Senedd.

A counter-petition was created by Michael John Hampshire from the Vale of Glamorgan, who dismissed the original as being engineered by “Yes Cymru bedwetters”.

So far this has 5,230 signatures and so will be discussed at a lower level by the Senedd’s petitions committee. It was one of three counter petitions demanding “Wales” be retained, two of which were rejected.

For his petition, Mr Hampshire wrote: “We are proud of our Welsh roots but this would be a pointless waste of taxpayers’ money. Cymru OR Wales - let people refer to God’s country however they want and not impose an ideology on anyone. Let the silent majority be heard!”

Naming issues in Wales have been put under the spotlight in recent years. In November 2022, “Snowdon” and “Snowdonia” were replaced by their Welsh names “Yr Wyddfa” and “Eryri”. This was followed last year by a switch from “Brecon Beacons” to “Bannau Brycheiniog”.

For his petition, Arfon Jones argued the use of “Wales” as the country’s name diminished wider recognition of its unique language and culture. “Wales is a name imposed on Cymru and is essentially not a Welsh word at all,” he said. “The world knows about Wales because of its English connection since 1282.”

This campaign has attracted much wider international support. Signatures have come from no fewer than 49 countries, including the likes of Iraq, Lebanon, Comoros (Africa) and the Philippines. By far the biggest contribution is from England, with 1,209 supporters, followed by Scotland (186) and the US (184).

In contrast, the keep “Wales” campaign has solicited little interest outside the country. People from just six nations bothered to vote, led by England (85). Perhaps this is because the petition merely called for a retention of the status quo.

The name “Wales” stems from invading Anglo Saxons who described native Britons as “Wealas” (others), meaning “foreigners”. In time, the last refuge of the ancient Britons became Wealas, or Wales. In contrast, Cymru derives from a Brythonic word meaning “fellow countrymen”.