Since the 1940s when the fascist government based in southern France partitioned Brittany into two separate administrative regions with the objective of countering Breton resistance to the Vichy regime the Celtic nation has been fighting to reunite its two halves. Now the crisis-ridden French president, François Hollande, has announced new plans which will further cement that division spawned by the Nazi-collaborators of l’État français. From France 24:
“Many Bretons, who dream of a reunified “Great Brittany”, are furious that a planned redrawing of France’s regional borders does not include the restoration of the Loire Atlantique department.
In 1941, the Loire Atlantique department (administrative sub-region) was separated from Brittany and attached to the neighbouring Loire region.
The decision to sever the department, approved by wartime collaborationist leader Philippe Pétain in 1941, is still seen by many as grossly unfair.
And now that a redrawing of France’s regional map is back on the table, some Bretons are rolling up their sleeves in their enthusiasm to get the territory back.
On Monday, President François Hollande outlined his plan to reduce the number of French regions to save costs and streamline regional government.
This will include merging Champagne and Ardenne, as well as Alsace and Lorraine. But Brittany and Pays de la Loire will not change their borders.
Brittany has a strong regional identity and a number of powerful movements battling for its linguistic and territorial integrity. Mainstream politicians and social movements alike have called for the restoration of the Loire Atlantique department.
Former Socialist Prime Minister Marc Ayrault, who was also a popular mayor of Nantes, historically Brittany’s most important port, tweeted that it was “in the interest of the people” to merge the department back into Brittany.
His successor at Nantes city hall, Johanna Rolland, also took to the social networking site: “For the future of our territories and the people living in them, let’s fight for a merger of Pays de la Loire and Bretagne” she tweeted.
Marc le Fur, a member of parliament for the opposition conservative UMP party, accused Hollande of “upholding Vichy [the wartime French state]” on his personal blog.
“He hasn’t listened to his Breton ministers, or the Breton members of parliament, or to local businesses, or to cultural leaders. He is deaf. He won’t listen to anyone.”
The organisation 44=BZH, which fights for “reunification” of Brittany, accused the government of only listening to the Loire Atlantique’s political leaders, who are desperate not to lose their jobs, while ignoring the wishes of the Breton masses.
Another group, the “Red Bonnets” protest movement which forced the government to backtrack on a planned new road tax in 2013, said the decision to ignore Brittany’s wish to restore Loire Atlantique and Nantes was “revolting”.
Protests calling for the return of the lost territory are expected to go ahead on Tuesday evening in the four departments that make up Brittany, as well as in Nantes.”
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
Athbhlagáladh é seo ar Bampots Utd.
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Briotáinis, Briotáinis
Bhriotáin ag gabháil i gcogadh san iomlán. Ar an gcaoi chéanna, is é an cheist an Chogaidh Iomlán dúshlán iomlán. Shárú tá gach rud a shábháil. Succumb é, gach rud a chailleadh …
Ba mhaith liom buíochas a athrá anseo na cúiseanna againn troid lá atá inniu ann.
Tá i bhfad, tá Bhriotáin cuireadh síos air mar an mháthair na n-ealaíon, airm agus dlíthe.
Ealaíona, ach riamh i stair tá ár náisiúin a bhí mar sin réidh a chailleadh a anam agus a gcultúr.
Airm, ach ní ar an cinniúint na tíre a bhí mar sin contrártha dó.
Dlíthe, ach ní raibh sé é féin os comhair doubted ag an bpointe seo.
Is ea uaisle, Amhras, amhras a mbeidh gach polaiteoirí na Fraince tar leabaithe i ár n-intinn, anois go amhras, a athnuachan, a neartú ag an defeat na ár n-airm, tháinig amhras mar gheall ar an greatness ár dtír.
Is ea, ní mór dúinn doubted! Agus fiú sa lá, roinnt de dúinn leanúint ar aghaidh a bheith in amhras!
Mar sin féin, uaisle, amhras againn go, a bhfuil muid a dare a bheith in amhras?
Cé go bhfuil muid anseo agus go bhfuil an chuid is mó d’ár dtíre atá ag fulaingt faoi na Fraince, sa lá atá inniu go bhfuil muid ar an chaomhnóirí amháin de na daoine Briotáinise dóchas. Toisc go bhfuil muid ar an ionadaithe tofa na Diúcacht na Briotáine, agus mar sin, tá sé de dhualgas ar gach duine againn a fhógairt ar an domhan go bhfuil muid ar an Ríocht Aontaithe, an Bhreatain ina bríomhar a dhiúltaigh defeat agus a thabhairt suas, ar Bhreatain go troideanna ar Ríocht síoraí, in ainneoin na trialacha agus fhulaingt thosaigh chun ardaitheoir a cheann.
Tá muid anseo le dul i ngleic ár naimhde agus troid go dtí bua, is cuma cad an praghas toisc nach féidir an praghas a bheith níos airde ná sin ar éirí as oifig a defeat. Tá sé fíor, Bhriotáin chaill cathanna móra agus tá a chríoch ionradh, ach bhí sí in ann freagairt agus fraternally aontaithe leis a chairde a bheidh, ar ais chuig an chonair na bua.
Ach an troid in áirithe freisin ar an ithir ar ár n-institiúidí. Tá muid anseo chun athchóiriú agus thosaigh muid. Tá an Rialtas cruthúnas soiléir.
Tá roinnt Britons am chun an milleán a gceannairí as a n-éagumas chun rialú na tíre go héifeachtach agus roinnt a bhí éadóchasach go leor chun a lorg ar bhealach chun tosaigh ar shiúl ó daonlathas agus ár n-institiúidí. Sin é an fáth, in ainneoin na ndeacrachtaí a bhaineann leis an ngairm ar ár chríoch, agus na riachtanais na cogaíochta, a bhí againn agus anois táimid ag sheoladh teachtaireacht shoiléir do na Fraince agus ár gcairde agus allies : Tá Bhriotáin a bhfuil a n-institiúidí cobhsaí féin chun tacú lena máirseáil chun bua, ach, arís mé anseo go sollúnta, ní bheidh Bhriotáin succumb chun an lure na extremism, Bhriotáin fós féin, tá sé ie náisiún bródúil as a daonlathas crua-bhuaigh agus a chaomhnú ag an fhuil a leanaí!
Ní mór dúinn athmhúscailt na Diúcacht iomlán na Briotáine agus beidh sé clár seo reachtas neamhghnách. Cúthail Creidim tasc seo as aimsiú, ach táim muiníneach go mbeimis in a thabhairt ar ais go dtí an Bhreatain agus na m-Breathnach a chaill an dá iad: comhfhís ár dtodhchaí!
Britons Metropole, daoine príosúnach! Britons de gach cúlra agus gach tuairimí! Geallaim duit, tá ár n-iarrachtaí go léir ach amháin críche sin, go leanfaimid ar aghaidh go dtí deireadh beag beann ar na deacrachtaí go lá amháin go luath gach m-Breathnach saor in aisce agus go arís go spontáineach i gcomhréir leis an mionn glactha ag ár saighdiúirí go léir, Gwen Ha Du Du Kroez agus snámh ar na cathracha sa Bhreatain!
Daoine na Breataine, tá a fhios agat ní bheidh, dearmad cad a owes sé ar a bhráithre, agus go háirithe a chuid deartháireacha in airm.
Anseo, Medames Bretons agus uaisle, an Geallta le haghaidh laethanta, seachtainí agus míonna atá le teacht agus cad atá ar intinn agam a shaorann an Bhreatain agus a bhrionnú mar aon le agus do gach m-Breathnach, ar dtús leis an arm bua, ansin todhchaí choiteann.
Vive la Bretagne saor in aisce!
Marc Le Bayon
Seansailéir
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