Speech delivered in the stone circle at the 2009 Open Gorsedd

Right Honourable delegates from Wales, from Cornwall, Brothers and sisters, dear friends,

Hundred ten years have gone by us since the first Bretons were received in Cardiff by Hwfa Môn, archdruid of the Welsh Gorsedd. When I say received I mean received as brothers as members of the Gorsedd, the one of Wales at that time, before becoming members of the Breton Gorsedd when Bretons decided to constitute a Gorsedd on the Welsh pattern on this side of the sea.

They were walking in the footsteps of Kervarker (La Villemarqué) at Abergafenny e 1838, they wanted to bring the Bretons together on each side of the sea, they wanted to unite the fragments of the sword broken by the vagaries of History.

What a long way has been done since by our Gorseddau ! They celebrated the eighty years of the Gorsedd in Cornwall last year. The symbolic rite of the “united Sword” will be henceforth a central rite within our Gorseddau when they do it for the first time in Cornwall in next September.

We're saying “Thank you to Welsh people and to Hwfa Môn, “the Prince of archdruids of the past, present and future” as he was called by Charles Le Goffic at that time. Thank you for recognition. « Diolch i chi, Brodyr o Gymru, am eich nawddogaeth » “Mur ras dheugh-why, Breder Kernow, rak agas fydhians”

We're celebrating this year too the bicentenary of Thomas Paine's death. He was a friend of Iolo Morganwg, the genial founder and creator of the Gorsedd. Thomas Paine was born at Thetford in England in 1737. He went to America where he got involved in the independence and liberty of this country which he named for the first time “the United States of America”. His pamphlet “Common sense” published a few months before the Declaration of Independence in 1776, was a tremendous success and had a deep impact on George Washington and John Adams.

Coming back to England, he welcomed the French Revolution. He wrote “the Rights of Man” in 1792. Those rights applied for him to women as well. He was made a French citizen and elected MP but he refused to vote the King's death. Therefore he was sent in jail under the “Terreur” because of his English birth and of his close friendship with the “Girondins”.

In his book “The Age of Reason” he criticised the Christian religion and the terrible stories told in the Bible, an example unable to make love to rule among human beings. He respected people's creeds however. He called for a reduction of permanent armies up to ninety percents to allow the world to live in peace. He fought against slavery, offending rich proprietors. This is why he was scorned by the Conservatives who were frightened by his opinions. He nearly faded from the people's memory.

He was brought back to their mind by Thomas Edison, the great scientist. First because he was himself an inventor: he invented the hollow candle and conceived and designed the iron bridge.

But Thomas Edison also considered Paine United States' greatest political thinker.

Barack Obama in his inaugural speech mentioned Paine. May he then be brought back to memory !

In a little book published three years after his death, Thomas Paine dealt with the “Origin of Freemasonry” which was in his opinion connected with Druidism, a religion of the Sun and of the Times without limits. Thomas Paine could of course talk about Druidism as he was a friend of Iolo Morganwg, the founder of the Gorsedd.

French often make up a beautiful story, telling they've invented everything before the other peoples of the world. Since their Revolution that happened thirteen years after the one in the United States, they are pretentious enough to lecture the whole world about Human Rights !

Their republican creeds are supposed to be universal, and so should their language also be ! Absolutely crazy when you know that they sent people like Paine in jail ! When they pursued the “Girondins” who were saluting the Revolution in Brittany and really wearing oak leaved crowns on their heads in remembrance of the old Druids !

Iolo Morganwg was also in favour of the revolutionary opinions. He believed they could be a step forward for mankind.

The French republican opinions never were universal at the beginning.

Slavery has not been abolished before 1848 ! The right to vote has not been granted to women before 1944 !

And showers of republican gurus still try to preach to minority peoples of France and they let women at the entrance porch of their temples !

Brothers and sisters, we don't need a lecture about morality from such people. We don't have to be lectured by those who put Black people on the seat of an obscure State Secretary as an excuse to demonstrate their open-mindedness. Charity and contempt ! Lingering stench of colonialism !

As in the States this year we elected in Brittany some years ago a Black man. We didn't elect him because he was Black but because he was competent !

Let's hold the course. We're on the way to join all the peoples in the world, big or small ! We don't have to put an end to Revolution as long as someone has the right to dominate their neighbours by means of colour or language !