We didn't think we'd spend this Tuesday pondering Welsh nationalism, but thanks to the randomness of the internet and the oratory of Michael Sheen, we're thinking about a camper van holiday in Snowdonia this summer.
For most of us outside of Wales, Michael Sheen is best known for his incredible chameleon-like performances, playing everyone from Chris Tarrant to Tony Blair to David Frost with a frightening level of accuracy.
Yet many are today learning that Sheen - who is from Newport in south Wales - is one of the most interesting and articulate speakers on the subject of Welsh nationalism.
A snippet of a bleach-blonde Sheen delivering the 2017 Raymond Williams Lecture has gone viral in the past 24 hours. In the video, Sheen makes a soaring and inspired case for the cause of Wales and why the country should separate itself from the UK. It's a powerful speech and the fact that it comes from one of the great comedic actors of our time makes it even better.
Michael Sheen for President of The Republic of Wales 🏴 pic.twitter.com/dTL823UNuH
— Owen Williams 🏴🇺🇦 (@OwsWills) April 26, 2021
Sheen paints a picture of a Wales that's had its core identity ripped away out of it. It's when he talks of the red dragon on the Welsh flag that Sheen hits oratorical heights we haven't seen since Barack Obama in 2007.
There is a reason we have a dragon on our flag. Dragons soar aloft on the magic and mystery of the past. They terrify with their ferocious power and the savagery of their fiery wrath. But most importantly, they only exist in our minds and in our hearts. Never in the real world.
He goes onto list various wrongs committed on the Welsh people by the British government before saying:
If we want to stay British we have to forget, or act like it doesn't matter. So don't teach it in schools. Don't talk about it in public. Don't connect. Pull down the newspapers. Keep the television quiet. Hollow out the language. Make us a theme park. Make us a gift shop. Accommodate. Accommodate. Accommodate.
It's wonderful to learn that Sheen has backed up his talk with funds, having pledged £50,000 to the 'Michael Sheen Fund' for Welsh students at Oxford.
The entire speech is available to watch on Youtube. Sheen tells the story of Wales, and anyone with an interest in the complicated relationship that England has with the other countries in these islands will learn a lot. We implore you to watch the whole thing.
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