Marinas: Revenue at any cost

“North Wales is missing out on millions of pounds of inward investment because our marinas can’t keep up with demand from boat owners”, reports Hywel Trewyn in today’s Daily Post.

Oh, so a few hundred people (mostly) from Manchester, Liverpool and Cheshire are missing out on the chance to move here to enjoy their summer holidays, not learn the language and raise house prices? Big deal.

It’s laughable that Dr Jones-Evans, who wrote an economic report for Gwynedd Council on the feasibility of extending Hafan Pwllheli, believes that “200 people moving to live in Pwllheli would not be catastrophic and that they would learn Welsh”. Yes, a small percentage probably would, but most wouldn‘t, if past experience is anything to go by.

Dafydd Sam Jones thinks that “expansion of marinas should not be detrimental to the Welsh language”. But he would say wouldn‘t he; he’s part of the Anglesey Port Company!

He continues, “If you don’t have work, there will be no language. What we want is to keep people here on Anglesey and create well-paid jobs for our young people”.

Hold on, let’s get this in perspective. How would a few well-paid jobs - and it would only be a few - help the Welsh language when you consider the fact that a few hundred non-Welsh speakers would be moving into the area?

I do agree that expanding the marinas would probably inject some much-needed revenue to an impoverished area - but at what cost to Welsh culture?

Go back to the drawing-board lads, surely you can think of other ways of creating employment and revenue. Short-term financial gain at the detriment of our language and culture is not the answer.