Border tensions between England and Wales increase
5 May 2007 by Tomas. M.
Border tensions between England and Wales have increased after Welsh farmers seized 15 English ramblers accused of trespassing on their pastures. The Ramblers' Association rubbished the claims, saying that the elderly walkers were on a recognised public footpath. The farmers paraded the ramblers at a village fete where one of the captives confessed whilst being was forced to present the raffle to straying from the path to look at a butterfly. Another hostage was seen spinning the tombola in the background, surrounded by burly shepherds.
The farmers later released the only woman hostage, Mrs Faye Wiggins, who spoke to the press about her fear in the hands of her captors: "I was kept separate from the others and then the farmers told me that the men had been let go." She broke down in tears as she talked about her humiliation when made to judge a cake competition at the fete, during which she was forced to admit that Welsh cakes tasted better than English cakes. As she was sampling the cakes under the watchful glare of members of the village's elite Women's Institute, she could hear other local women talking about "stodgy" English muffins behind her.
Mrs Wiggins sold her story to the Monmouth Gazette for a rumoured two figure sum.
The incident has been regarded by some as a deliberate attempt by the Welsh to divert attention away from their ongoing cultural enrichment process, and specifically the development of their own language capability. However, UN observers have reported that the Welsh are "a very long way off" having a credible, coherent language of their own and that such propaganda, like their rugby team, should not be taken seriously.
