I am really pleased to see the Galician Forum active again. We seem to go through a period of hibernation and then suddenly it is all activity again. As we are in a period of activity, I thought I would share a thought with you:

The other day I was reading the newspaper and I was not surprised to read that Don Manuel will be standing for a fifth period in office. This got me thinking: What does a fifth term mean for Galicia? A lot of commentators are all too willing to consider this question in etrms of the economy, employment or stability, but I noticed that no-one seemed to consider the question of the Galician language.

The Xunta has cut back on Galician centres abroad during the past few years. It is taking a lot of effort to keep the ones in Birmingham and Oxford open and no-one is sure if these will continue once derek Flitter and John Rutherford have thrown in the towel. So, with this kind of attitude to Galego, what would a fifth term of Fraga mean? This is not meant as a political commentary; would it be healthier for a different person from the PP to head the Xunta? Or would a complete overhaul be better? Or even, is the current situation the best one for Galician? Fraga seems to relish "defending" galicia´s interests but can we forget that he was also a member of a government that frowned upon galego and other "minority languages"? Or perhaps we should simply forgive and forget that stage of his life?

I am sure what I have just written will provide more questions than answers, but I hope it will also liven up our discussion group.

saúdos

Miguel