Debating the name

The Western Mail today carries my letter in response to some of the letters which have appeared on the 'Senedd' issue. The online version manages to mis-spell Glyndwr and also Ty (twice). Here it is, anyway:

SIR - I would have preferred the name of the new Assembly Building to be in both languages, in line with our bilingual policy in the Assembly.

However, as a Welsh-learner who at least tries to speak Welsh every day, I could have lived with a Welsh-only name - provided the people of Wales or their elected representatives had been given a proper say.

My objection is to a decision taken behind closed doors to impose the name Senedd, which means Parliament or Senate, on the Assembly, when the name Senedd has been rejected overwhelmingly by Parliament, and also rejected by the Assembly's own Committee looking at the Government of Wales Bill.

Since we now know that the correct Welsh for a building rather than an institution should be Senedd-dy, as with Owain Glyndwr's Parliament House in Machynlleth, it has become even more apparent that this was a deliberate decision imposed by a minority who would not have been able to carry a vote in the Assembly itself.

There should, in fact, have been a great debate across Wales about the name of the new building. Why not Ty Cynull (Assembly House) or Ty Cwrdd (Meeting House), for example. The sensible thing would have been for the Assembly to engage the people of Wales in a debate, and for the Assembly then to vote on its own choice of name.

At least we can all agree that the new building itself is a stunning home for our new Welsh democracy - whatever we call it.

LEIGHTON ANDREWS AM

Labour, Rhondda