Empires come and empires go; they rise and then they fall. Unfortunately, their damaging effects are with us long after their disappearance. Two current news stories reflect some of the effects of the British Empire – one very close to home, the second on the other side of the world.

The future of S4C

On Saturday morning a crowd of some 1,500 people gathered in central Cardiff to protest about the British government’s plans for S4C – the Welsh language television channel. Currently the channel is directly funded by the government but as part of the debt crisis it is to be funded by the BBC, which itself is facing a freeze on its licence for six years. The BBC’s World Service – funded in the past by the Foreign Office – is also being transferred to the corporation. So, on a real-terms reduced budget the BBC is expected to run two additional services plus everything else it does. No wonder people are worried about the future of Welsh language broadcasting. While no one is claiming that the language is directly under threat because of this decision, there is little doubt that the existence of S4C has strengthened it and that losing the channel would remove an important supporting pillar.

Aborigine rights in Australia

Meanwhile in Australia, the government – led by former Barry resident, Julia Gillard – is calling for a national referendum on the question whether the country’s constitution should be changed in order to acknowledge the contribution of the Aborigines as first nation people. This would seem to be the next step undertaken by Australia following the apology given in 2007 by the then prime minister for the injustices suffered by the Aborigines in the 200 years since British colonisation.

With Britain now having to share aircraft carriers with the French one could hardly claim that the empire is still alive and kicking. Yet its effects – in terms of weakened cultures – are very real and current issues.