domhnall-na-feannaig:

Just saw a reply to a post I replied to a while ago that was anti minority language (and specifically used ‘Gaelic’ (turns out it was Irish the OP was referring to)) to illustrate their point that minority languages should just die.  So, in light of being an angry Gael and the current #ismisegaidhlig trend on Twitter…

Firstly I’d disagree with you on nationalists being an automatically bad thing, I certainly wouldn’t wish for any nation that has achieved independence from the British Empire not to have done so.  However I would agree that the blood and soil lot are 100% an ugly lot that shouldn’t be supported.  I’d also disagree that ‘more than a small minority’ of those who champion Celtic languages are nationalists.  

Firstly, as a Labour supporter you should know that it was the Labour – Lib Dem coalition government that passed the major 2005 Gaelic language act that all aspects that are seen as ‘SNP vanity project’ stem from.  Road signs, railway signs and Gaelic signage on Police, etc. were all a Labour party’s doing.  The SNP has actually been very timid when it comes to Gaelic partly, I suspect, due to either ambivalence or hostility to the language (plenty indy folk are anti-Gaelic.  Wings over Scotland is very much against Gaelic) or worried about being painted as ‘blood and soil’ by the likes of yourself simply for supporting a linguistic minority.  Many Gaels weren’t happy at the lack of a bilingual indy ref 2014 ballot paper.

More so the Tory party has a better track record of supporting Gaelic at a political level than the SNP.  I do concede though that at the general level nationalists are more likely to be in favour of minority languages but I feel that’s a sad reflection on the nature of the British state and its inherent imperialism, sense of exceptionalism and how ‘British is better’.  Look at Wales, look at Northern Ireland.  Even a simple Irish language act shows the bile that ultra-unionists have towards anything not British (as in stemming from Anglo culture).  Donald Cameron, a Tory MSP recently wrote a piece in the Herald calling on ‘ultra-unionists’ to stop spouting their bile at Gaelic.

Also, whilst there’s no actual data for this, I’d imagine that Gaels are split along the yes/no camp just as much as the population at large.  With religion playing a bigger part in some communities decision than their language.  (The top, and most populated, half of the Outer Hebrides was very much a No voting region)

Finally…. Its just tiring.  I’m tired.  Tired of having my language and culture apparently up for debate.  Even from people who view themselves as progressive, people who vote Labour and wouldn’t dream of bashing any other minority, feel its ok to do so when it comes to indigenous, minority groups within the UK.  Even a native speaker defending their language and its existence is labelled as ‘the annoying’ for standing against those who just wish their language would die.

(btw, it actually means ‘of the crow / belong to the crow’ due to my great grandfather’s nickname)

If people who self-label as being left-wing are extremely selective when it comes to defending minority groups maybe the left-wing isn’t actually for you. 

“If people who self-label as being left-wing are extremely selective when it comes to defending minority groups maybe the left-wing isn’t actually for you.”

Yeah and that especially applies to the OP since, besides your post, my association with them has been that they’re one of the few goyim who talks about antisemitism in the Labour Party. I thought they’d be better than that. 😣