Today, I attended a graduation ceremony in North Wales to support my sister in law who has just successfully completed a degree in education. The event took place in the seaside town of Llandudno to a packed auditorium and the special guest was Lord Ellis Thomas, the incumbent speaker of the recently formed Welsh Assembly.

The Welsh Assembly came into being with a majority so slender that Rizla ought to have sponsored it. However, a majority is a majority irrespective of its magnitude and as such deserves respect. One of the corner stones of its legislative intent has been the promotion of the Welsh language. This is a situation riddled with anomalies. The proportion of the current Welsh population who speak Welsh to any degree is approximately 20%. Of these, roughly half are deemed fluent. All schools in Wales are now required by legislation to teach Welsh to at least a basic level with the hope that all children brought up in Wales will have had at least some exposure to the indigenous language. More than any country in the Union, Wales is easily the most reliant on the Public Sector for its employment. Given that the Public Sector is about to be slashed in the years to come, Wales is about to lose its largest employer by some distance. It has been in this workplace that the edict "Ability to speak Welsh essential" has been most prevalent. However, the same edict can't as easily be applied in the private sector. Since we are told that the private sector must grow to sustain our economy, ability to speak Welsh is likely to hold less value in the years ahead.

The graduation ceremony today took place to the backdrop of an audience wearing earphones so that the speeches in Welsh could be understood. In my youth, I attended a Welsh primary school and I can assure you that no such earphones were provided. Thus, I learned the little Welsh I have by just listening to people speaking the language. As far as I know, this is the way most languages are learned. The point I make here is that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. So for all the efforts to give Welsh precedence in its own country, it will not alter the natural tide of its slow regression. Events such as today are therefore puzzling to me. The majority of the audience were denied access to much of what was said because they didn't particularly want to don earphones in their own country. I do have sympathy for those whose efforts attempt to keep their language alive and imagine it must be a frustrating process to see their language being slowly eroded.

On the same day, a test match series in cricket commenced at Lords in London between Pakistan and Australia. It is the first time since 1912 that a test match has taken place in England between two foreign countries. On this occasion, Pakistan are the home side on account of security in that country being considered too risky. In 1912, the British Empire was at its zenith and England, Australia and South Africa contested a triangular tournament in the mother country. Now, ninety-eight years later, much has changed and the Empire is but a distant memory. It is now only a matter of time before Australia seeks and attains independence. However, Pakistan being the home side in London is not as daft as it sounds. One legacy of the Empire is the proliferation of immigrants to Great Britain from the former colonies - many of whom still claim membership of the Commonwealth. Mnay of our towns and cities have substantial populations of Pakistani origin and it is only natural that those with such roots should support their mother country. Thus, it seems that culturally, relationships have been turned on their head in the last hundred years. While the support for the Pakistani national side is fervent and passionate, it is not motivated by the effects of alcohol - it does not need to be. The national pride is genuine and does not require a belly full of beer to stir the emotions. Players representing Pakistan must also be aware of how privileged they are compared to many of their fellow countrymen many of whom live in abject poverty. I don't think England players have quite the same feelings of privilege and humility!

I spent many years in sales career surrounded by people who swore that money and wealth was their biggest motivator. I remain amused by this facile belief. Neither has ever motivated me. Personal pride, targets and sheer challenge have always been my best motivators - oh and anybody daring to suggest that I can't! Never fails. Although Australia will be the favourites to beat Pakistan, home advantage for the Pakistanis may hold the key and I wish them well.