Comment DBCC-8233

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to ask if the commission would reconsider enforcing a welsh name for our constituency currently known as The Vale of Glamorgan. As a retired General Medical Practitioner I spent 30 years in the community, having moved from a small town in the Swansea valley and spending 12 years living in Bridgend before taking up post in Llantwit Major. I am therefore well placed to comment on the “welshness” of the communities in which I have lived and served. Although I have always been aware of strong patriotism amongst my friends, relatives and patients, I have not experienced much Nationalism and I feel that the imposition of a welsh name smacks of the latter and would disenfranchise many. In Bridgend and The Vale, the number of welsh speakers is very small (I count myself amongst them) and I would suggest that if the option to change the constituency name were put to a democratic vote, the Commission's preferred option would NOT be chosen.

Another issue has caused me some concern. There is strong support for the Conservative Party in The Vale of Glamorgan but stronger support for the Labour Party in Bridgend (the old chestnut of “put a donkey to stand for labour in Bridgend and it would still win” is still popular). One might perceive the amalgamation as an attempt by a Labour Government to preserve the predominance of its ministers. This would not feel as if the move promotes the democratic process.

Thank you for listening,

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