After what can only be described as a catastrophic UK General Election which left the Conservatives without a single MP in the country, it could be expected that the mood inside the Senedd group and wider party in Wales would be sombre. However, due to the new UK Labour Government's surprisingly troubled first 100 days and the drama and trauma surrounding the Welsh Labour Government so far this year, the Conservatives see plenty for potential to rebuild. To discuss the state of the party in Wales, reflect on the UK election result, the current leadership contest, the rise of Reform UK, and the prospects for the next Senedd election, we are joined by James Evans MS, Member of the Senedd for Brecon and Radnorshire. You can find James on X/Twitter here: https://x.com/JamesEvansMS As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

It is the end of an era in Wales. Arguably the world's first industrial nation, we are now on the cusp of being largely de-industrialised as 300 years of melting iron comes to an end with the extinguished blast furnaces in Port Talbot. We discuss the politics of this extraordinary national moment as well as a round up of the political party conferences this Autumn, the Labour Party's expenses criticism, the Conservative Party's leadership election, and the rise of Reform UK as they turn their eyes to national elections in Wales and Scotland in 2026. We also make some bold predictions, some criticism of sitting MSs, and discuss the looming issues on the political horizon in Wales. You can find your hosts here: Matthew Hexter: https://x.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://www.instagram.com/ceriscastles/ Richard Martin: https://bsky.app/profile/mimosacymru.bsky.social The ITV Wales education story: https://www.itv.com/news/2024-10-03/welsh-government-accepts-need-to-improve-guidance-on-teaching-reading As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

18 months after his election as leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth has seen the party through some difficult times (such as the revelations of poor conduct inside the party that led to the Prosiect Pawb report and recommendations) and some celebratory ones (such as the party's success in both Caerfyrddin and Ynys Môn in the UK-wide general election in 2024). As the party resets in the the Senedd following their early termination of the Cooperation Agreement with Welsh Labour and turns its attention towards the campaign for the next national election in 2026 and its new voting system and constituencies, what are the top priorities for 'the party of Wales'? We discuss all this and more with Rhun, who you can follow on Twitter/X and all the other socials: https://x.com/RhunapIorwerth As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The 'England and Wales' justice system has already been in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2024. Many years of underfunding and uneven and unsuccessful policy have left it creaking. Against a backdrop of underfunding, crumbling court estate, and widening legal deserts, the new UK Government's first major act in the sector has been to engage in widespread early release in prisons to manage capacity. It is a sector on the brink of crisis. Of course here at the Hiraeth Pod we call it the 'Wales and England' justice system and in the latest of our pods examining the reality in Wales, we're delighted to be joined by The Law Society to discuss their latest report 'From Caernarfon to Caerdydd: Re-imagining Justice in Wales 2030' that takes a Wales-centric view of these issues. We discuss the fundamental issues here, ongoing debates about devolution to bring Wales into line with Scotland and Northern Ireland, the total absence of separate data for Wales's justice sector, the legal aid crisis, and the barriers to entering the profession for poorer students. You can find a copy of the report on the Law Society's website: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/about-us/law-society-wales/reimagining-justice-2030The Law Society Wales: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/about-us/law-society-wales/And on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-law-society-wales-cymdeithas-y-cyfreithwyr/ Previous podcasts about the justice system in Wales:The Welsh Criminal Justice System, on the Jagged Edge: https://youtu.be/wNBjmkh8NFEJustice and Youth Justice for Wales: https://youtu.be/RyLbtSjclcM As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

We kick off September in the same way that political parties and campaigners all across Wales are doing, with eyes on the new proposals for Senedd 'super constituencies' that will be contested in the 2026 Welsh general election. The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru's remit from the Senedd has been to find a robust way to pair off our 32 UK Parliament constituencies and create 16 'super constituencies', from which six Senedd Members will be elected on a PR list system, similar to our current regional list system. But this is not an easy task, and the timeline is extremely tight for this kind of work. So we're delighted to be joined by BDCC CEO Shereen Williams to introduce the proposals and discuss the details of the project. - Find the proposals here: https://www.dbcc.gov.wales/ - Follow the DBCC on socials: https://linktr.ee/democracycymru - And Shereen is here: https://x.com/ShereenWilliams As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

It will have escaped nobody's notice that the UK Government is 'under new management' and has indeed changed, following the UK General Election in July. One of the most Wales-facing roles is, of course, the Secretary of State for Wales. A role whose value has been questioned in recent times and was certainly used by the former administration to provide a vector for attack on the Welsh Government and the Welsh Labour Party. However, now that it is a Labour-led government in Westminster, it means that for the first time since 2010 the role is held by a politician looking for partnership with party colleagues in government in Cardiff. So it is time for a reset. Leading that reset and fronting much of the UK Government's operations in Wales is Cardiff East MP Jo Stevens and in this interview we discuss many of the pressing issues in Wales. We discuss the economic situation, the looming impact of the changes planned by Tata Steel for its Port Talbot plant, the return of structural funds to Welsh Government, and the ongoing intra- and extra- party debates about the future of devolution. You can find out more about Jo's work as Secretary of State here: https://x.com/WalesOffice And as Cardiff East MP here: https://x.com/JoStevensLabour As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

We are one month (or in Welsh units, two First Ministers) on from the 2024 General Election, and finishing our mini-series of analyses into the results in each of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom with a look to the North to try and understand more about the people and priorities of Scotland. For well over a decade the central debate has revolved around the country's constitution future inside or outside both the British and European Unions. However, the emergence of a successful UK Labour Party in England has been mirrored by a resurgence of the Scottish Party, while myriad forced and unforced errors have weakened the once all-powerful SNP. So how did Labour make such a comeback, where next for the SNP, how will the Scottish Tories build on their remaining support, and what future the Greens, Lib Dems, and Reform? And at the heart of it, what are the Scottish people looking for in their national and union leadership? To discuss we are joined by Dr Fraser McMillan of Edinburgh University and the Scottish Election Study. You can find out more from Fraser here: https://x.com/frasmcm As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

In the aftermath of the 2024 General Election, we are taking deep dives into the results in each of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom to try and understand more about the peoples and priorities of each part of the union. England, of course, barely featured in the campaigns, the manifestos, or indeed in the statements and portfolios from its new government. With Britain and England being largely synonymous for many political parties and campaigners, its presence is mostly implied with or inferred from euphemisms such as 'the country' even when specific policies being discussed are decided by the Westminster Parliament for England alone. The only real mention came thanks to a successful run to the Euro 2024 Final (Rishi Sunak take note!). So to take a look at the way England voted, how its new government plans to respond to its challenges, and to discuss the patchwork of regional devolution that now defines England differently to the other home nations is John Denham, Professorial Fellow on English Identity and Politics at Southampton University, Director of the English Labour Network, and former Minister in the last Labour UK Government. - John can be found here: https://twitter.com/JYDenham - The Centre for English Identity and Politics: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/research/institutes-centres/centre-for-english-identity-politics - His blog is here: https://www.theoptimisticpatriot.co.uk/ As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Following the 2024 UK General Election, many Labour MPs are grappling for the first time with the challenge of becoming a government minister. Of the 111 appointments made by the new Prime Minister, only 18 have held ministerial roles before and only 4 are returning to the roles they previously held. Of course our own national government in Wales is currently poised to begin its third (and hopefully final) iteration of 2024 as the "Labour’s first female head of state in the UK” will reshuffle the government once she is confirmed as new First Minister. With some new members of the government such as Sarah Murphy and Jack Sargeant barely months into their roles, they too will be trying to learn quickly. So what does it take to become a good minister, whether at national or union level? Well, thankfully Prof Leighton Andrews has just written a book on this very subject and we are delighted to be joined by him to discuss not only this subject but also the recent events in Cardiff Bay that ultimately led to the resignation of former First Minister Vaughan Gething. We recorded this in the period overlapping the embattled end to Mr Gething’s tenure and ahead of the commencement of Eluned Morgan’s so Leighton has kindly recorded an updated final segment to reflect this. Leighton can be found here: https://x.com/LeightonAndrews Leighton’s Substack is here: https://t.co/AplBOByve3 And his book can be found here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-50008-4 We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK General Election results across Great Britain have been pored over by almost every media outlet on this island. However, there has been an air of the inevitable that the results for Northern Ireland have been largely ignored despite its recent cohorts of MPs having played a crucial role in the twists and turns of the UK's seperation from the European Union since 2016. Due to the enormous majority of the new UK Labour Parliamentary Group, the 18 seats from the 'nation' / 'province' / 'region' (delete as preferred) of the UK across the water, were never likely to be pivotal for the government of Britain. But for the people, parties, and governeance of Northern Ireland, these small number of individuals could be very influential. So here at the Hiraeth Pod, we take a deep look at the results and what we have learned from them. To guide us, we are joined by two great friends of the pod, who last joined us to discuss their book "A Troubled Constitutional Future: Northern Ireland After Brexit". Mary C Murphy in a Professor of Politics, formerly based at University College Cork and mid-transfer across the Atlantic to become Director of the Irish Institute at Boston College - https://x.com/MaryCMurphy Dr Jonathan Evershed completed his PhD Queens University Belfast and has since moved to Wales to become a policy and research advisor to the Plaid Cymru Senedd Group - https://x.com/jevershed01 Mary & Jonathan's book is available here: https://www.agendapub.com/page/detail/a-troubled-constitutional-future/?k=9781788214117 And our podcast about it is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/15G4Zp0ihshXS5SNUCjC9g?si=FrXcmCHVRMmjaNopChrByA As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Another momentous day in Welsh politics, and another bonus pod from us. After much speculation and division, Vaughan Gething has announced his intention to resign as First Minister and Welsh Labour Leader. Dogged by issues surrounding campaign donations, and the sacking of Hannah Blythyn from government, Vaughan has found the one way, and often brutal direction of political gravity too much as he has finally succumb to pressure from the Labour Senedd group to resign, following the resignation of four of his most senior cabinet colleagues this morning. So in this bonus pod, Hiraeth's own Matt Hexter talks us through the events that led us to this day, as well as details of the cabinet resignations that led to Vaughan's announcement this morning. He also focuses on the process to become the next leader for Welsh Labour as well as who is in the discussion for Wales's top job. The Welsh Government written statements about the now infamous iMessage group can be found here: https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-statement-first-minister-1 You can find out more from Matt here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

2024 was a truly catastrophic election campaign in Wales for the Conservative (& Unionist) Party, where it lost all its MPs for the Westminster Parliament. To happen once would be a short term blip for the party, for it to happen three times inside 25 years is a sign of far deeper issues. Thankfully the historian and author Dr Sam Blaxland has recently published the most significant work on the history of the party in Wales (link below) and joins us on this pod to discuss the complicated relationship the party has had with Wales since the Second World War and into the era of national devolution to Wales. Sam can be found online here: https://twitter.com/SamBlaxland  Sam's excellent book can be found here: https://www.uwp.co.uk/book/the-conservative-party-in-wales-1945-1997/ And finally, Sam delivered a presentation on his book hosted by Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre, which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/-1_CsvIUyXc As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Change has arrived in the UK in the shape of an incoming UK Labour UK Government. However, the picture in Wales is one of both change in terms of our relationship with the wider union but also continuity in that Welsh Labour have extended their run as the democratic world's most successful election-winning machine. However, this election has brought electoral firsts for Labour, another voter-imposed blanket ban on Conservative MPs in Wales, a strong showing for Plaid Cymru, an unrewarded stronger showing for Reform UK, an improved performance for the Greens, and a foothold once more for the Welsh Liberal Democrats. So to review the results and their impact on the Welsh political landscape, we're joined by: Matthew Hexter, Podcaster and Political Commentator: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Keira Marshall: Senior Research and Plaid Cymru Candidate for Cardiff West: https://twitter.com/Kiera_Plaid Alex Williams:  former Wales Office special advisor to Sir Robert Buckland and advisor at Edelman Global Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-w-b38604140/ Thanks for your support and engagement over the election period. We've tried to add an independent voice to the coverage in Wales. If you have feedback on our coverage, please be in touch! As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This is it! Our final Hiraeth Pod before the UK General Election is here. As it would appear that taking a wager is the main theme of the election, we have gathered with some friends to chew over what uncertainties remain in Wales in terms of constituencies up for grabs and if and where a Welsh Portillo (pronounced with a double 'l' of course) may happen. We also discuss the campaigns, their strengths and weaknesses and evaluate who has performed well and conversely who has done poorly over the last six weeks. Matt and Rich are joined by:Shaun Bendle, keeper of the Thats Devolved flame: https://twitter.com/ThatsDevolvedand Stephanie Whitehead of Public Affairs Cymru: https://twitter.com/PACymru Our prediction maps are available to view here: https://x.com/HiraethPod/status/1808075992331587752 Thanks for your supoort and engagement over the election period. We've tried to add an independent voice to the coverage in Wales. If you have feedback on our coverage, please be in touch! As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK general election is now in its final stages and while the union-wide result hardly seems in doubt, each constituency and candidate has a story to tell. Here at the Hiraeth Pod we are recording a series of short interviews with new candidates who are contesting constituencies across Wales. These are new faces on the national scene and will no doubt feature in the 2026 Senedd campaign even if unsuccessful this time around. We plan to speak to each of the main parties in Wales, which we consider to be the ones standing in every constituency at the start of the campaign (though since then some have fallen away, as you are no doubt aware). So we will be sharing interviews with Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Green, Reform, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates as we try to uphold the values of public service broadcasting in the digital age. In this pod we speak with former Senedd Member William (Bill) Powell, who is representing the Liberal Democrats in the Conservative-dominated seat of Monmouthshire. A long time councillor and respected parliamentarian in his own right, Bill is facing an uphill task to win the seat as Labour's Catherine Fookes is in pole position but, as ever, Bill is seeking to represent the best of big and small 'L' liberalism in this key border territory. You can find Bill on Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/WmPowell2021 The candidates in Monmouthshire are: Conservative and Unionist Party: David TC Davies England and Wales Green Party: Ian Chandler Heritage Party: Emma Meredith Independent: Owen Lewis Liberal Democrats: Bill Powell Plaid Cymru: Ioan Bellin Reform UK: Max Windsor-Peplow True & Fair Party: June Davies UK Labour: Catherine Fookes As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK general election is now in its final stages and while the union-wide result hardly seems in doubt, each constituency and candidate has a story to tell. Here at the Hiraeth Pod we are recording a series of short interviews with new candidates who are contesting constituencies across Wales. These are new faces on the national scene and will no doubt feature in the 2026 Senedd campaign even if unsuccessful this time around. We plan to speak to each of the main parties in Wales, which we consider to be the ones standing in every constituency at the start of the campaign (though since then some have fallen away, as you are no doubt aware). So we will be sharing interviews with Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Green, Reform, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates as we try to uphold the values of public service broadcasting in the digital age. In this pod we speak with Cllr Catherine Fookes, who is standing for the Labour Party and seeking to replace David TC Davies as MP in a seat that has a long track record of returning Conservatives. Unseating a Secretary of State would be a significant accomplishment for Labour and the polls indicate that this is a distinct possibility but it is clear that Catherine and the campaign team are taking nothing for granted. You can find Catherine on Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/CatherineFookes The candidates in Monmouthshire are: Conservative and Unionist Party: David TC Davies England and Wales Green Party: Ian Chandler Heritage Party: Emma Meredith Independent: Owen Lewis Liberal Democrats: Bill Powell Plaid Cymru: Ioan Bellin Reform UK: Max Windsor-Peplow True & Fair Party: June Davies UK Labour: Catherine Fookes As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK general election is now in its final stages and while the union-wide result hardly seems in doubt, each constituency and candidate has a story to tell. Here at the Hiraeth Pod we are recording a series of short interviews with new candidates who are contesting constituencies across Wales. These are new faces on the national scene and will no doubt feature in the 2026 Senedd campaign even if unsuccessful this time around. We plan to speak to each of the main parties in Wales, which we consider to be the ones standing in every constituency at the start of the campaign (though since then some have fallen away, as you are no doubt aware). So we will be sharing interviews with Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Green, Reform, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates as we try to uphold the values of public service broadcasting in the digital age. In this pod we speak with Oliver Lewis, spokesperson for Reform UK in Wales and candidate for the new Montgomeryshire & Glyndŵr Constituency. With the incumbent Conservative MP Craig Williams embroiled in a betting scandal mid-campaign, the sense is that this formerly safe Conservative seat might be ripe for change and Oliver is drawing on political history to position Reform as that change. You can find Oliver on X/Twitter here: https://twitter.com/policy_uk And Montgomeryshire Reform UK here: https://twitter.com/reformMaldwyn The candidates in Montgomeryshire & Glyndŵr are: England and Wales Green Party: Jeremy Brignell-Thorp  Reform UK:  Oliver Lewis Liberal Democrats: Glyn Preston Plaid Cymru: Elwyn Vaughan Conservative & Unionist Party: Craig Williams UK Labour: Steve Witherden As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK general election is now in its final stages and while the union-wide result hardly seems in doubt, each constituency and candidate has a story to tell. Here at the Hiraeth Pod we are recording a series of short interviews with new candidates who are contesting constituencies across Wales. These are new faces on the national scene and will no doubt feature in the 2026 Senedd campaign even if unsuccessful this time around. We plan to speak to each of the main parties in Wales, which we consider to be the ones standing in every constituency at the start of the campaign (though since then some have fallen away, as you are no doubt aware). So we will be sharing interviews with Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Green, Reform, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates as we try to uphold the values of public service broadcasting in the digital age. In this pod we speak to Cllr Martyn Hogg, who is standing for the Greens in Clwyd North. A new constituency created out of the two Conservative strongholds of Clwyd West and Value of Clwyd that stretches toward the Clwydian Range to the north coast and includes the cathedral city of St Asaph, Denbigh, Rhyl and Colwyn. You can find the North West Greens on X/Twitter here: https://twitter.com/NWWGreenParty The candidates in Clwyd North are: Conservative and Unionist Party: Darren Millar MS England and Wales Green Party: Martyn James Hogg Liberal Democrats: David Wilkins Plaid Cymru: Paul Rowlinson Reform UK: Jamie Orange UK Labour: Gill German As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK general election is now in its final stages and while the union-wide result hardly seems in doubt, each constituency and candidate has a story to tell. Here at the Hiraeth Pod we are recording a series of short interviews with new candidates who are contesting constituencies across Wales. These are new faces on the national scene and will no doubt feature in the 2026 Senedd campaign even if unsuccessful this time around. We plan to speak to each of the main parties in Wales, which we consider to be the ones standing in every constituency at the start of the campaign (though since then some have fallen away, as you are no doubt aware). So we will be sharing interviews with Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Green, Reform, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates as we try to uphold the values of public service broadcasting in the digital age. In this pod we speak with Cllr Llinos Medi who is standing for Plaid Cymru on Ynys Môn, the only constituency unchanged from the boundary review. As leader of Ynys Môn council, Llinos is fronting a local campaign in one of Wales's most independently-minded localities, along with the island's Senedd member, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth. You can find Llinos here: https://twitter.com/llinos_medi The candidates in Ynys Môn are: Conservative and Unionist Party: Virginia Crosbie England and Wales Green Party: Martin Schwaller Liberal Democrats: Leena Sarah Farhat Plaid Cymru: Llinos Medi Reform UK: Emmett Jenner UK Labour: Ieuan Môn Williams The Official Monster Raving Loony Party: Sir Grumpus L Shorticus Libertarian Party: Sam Andrew Wood As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK general election is now in its final stages and while the union-wide result hardly seems in doubt, each constituency and candidate has a story to tell. Here at the Hiraeth Pod we are recording a series of short interviews with new candidates who are contesting constituencies across Wales. These are new faces on the national scene and will no doubt feature in the 2026 Senedd campaign even if unsuccessful this time around. We plan to speak to each of the main parties in Wales, which we consider to be the ones standing in every constituency at the start of the campaign (though since then some have fallen away, as you are no doubt aware). So we will be sharing interviews with Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Green, Reform, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates as we try to uphold the values of public service broadcasting in the digital age. In this pod we speak with Cllr Aled Thomas who is standing for the Conservatives - specifically the Welsh Conservatives - in Ceredigion Preseli. Familiar to viewers/listeners of Welsh language current affairs coverage, Aled comes from an agricultural background and is bringing a distinctly Welsh flavour to his campaign. You can find Aled here: https://twitter.com/CllrAledT The candidates in Ceredigion Preseli are: Conservative and Unionist Party: Aled Thomas England and Wales Green Party: Tomos Barlow Liberal Democrats: Mark Williams Plaid Cymru: Ben Lake Reform UK: Karl Robert Pollard UK Labour: Jackie Jones Workers Party of Britain: Taghrid Al-Mawed As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

With all of the manifestos now published and it being written in black and white what the parties are pledging to deliver if elected to government in May, are electors excited about the prospects on offer? In short, not particularly. With Labour clearly on course for a massive victory in May, even their manifesto is surprisingly safe, with the emphasis on reducing electoral risk over inspiring the masses. So what should we think of the manifestos on offer? Is there any innovative thinking behind any of them? Should we expect them to address the cost of living difficulties facing citizens across the UK in 2024 or the local or global economic and environmental crises that risk wellbeing for us all? To discuss, we have a tremendous panel of guests: - Meg Thomas - Policy and Research Officer at Disability Wales - https://twitter.com/meganniathomas - Lowri Jackson - DeputyDirector for Communications for the Royal College of Physicians - https://twitter.com/LowriRhiannon - Libby Davies - Account Manager at Grayling, and former Senedd and Parliamentary Affairs Officer at the Farmers’ Union of Wales - https://twitter.comLibbyDavies_ - Matthew Denney - is a barrister and Chartered tax advisor at Bevan Buckland LLP - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-denney-aa074729/ As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

As listeners of the pod will know, during major events on Britain we like to fire up the Blanchsignal and invite New Hampshire's & Wales's very own Professor Danny Blanchflower to join us to chew over the latest news. And with the UK General Election now in full swing and the UK economy still largely swinging downwards, we have plenty to talk about. We discuss the party manifestos, the leadership of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, Wales Plc, steel-making in Port Talbot and The Former Guy who used to be the President of the United States. You can find Danny, once again, on Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/D_Blanchflower And the tweet he mentions in the pod here: https://x.com/D_Blanchflower/status/1799934040142713199 As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The UK General Election is full swing and promises are being made by politicians and parties right, left, and centre. However, what really matters in government is delivery, especially for those who need it most. So as we head into Carer's week, we take a look at the policy landscape and lived reality of carers in Wales with our special guests: Jo Phillips - https://twitter.com/SwanseaPCForgJo is a full time unpaid carer for her adult son. She is also the Vice Chair for the West Glamorgan carers partnership board and is one of the carers rep on the West Glamorgan Regional Partnership Board. She is also a volunteer trustee for Swansea parent carer forum.  Dr Catrin Mair Edwards - https://twitter.com/CarersTrustWalCatrin is Head of External Affairs at Carers Trust Wales, where she leads on policy, research, involvement and social impact, and is Chair of Mudiad Meithrin, the Welsh language early years and childcare provider. She’s a ‘mam’ to three and lives in Cardiff with her family.  Rob Simkins - https://twitter.com/CarersWalesRob is the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers Wales, the national campaigning charity for unpaid carers. He is responsible for ensuring the voices of unpaid carers are heard at the highest level of policymaking in Wales and across the UK.

Another week, another bonus pod from us. All because this - to coin a phrase - is not normal. Welsh Labour, the democratic world's most successful election-winning machine, has relied on party discipline and a phenomenal campaign machine to win every general election for a century. Its ability to close ranks is legendary, especially during contested elections.So how does the Welsh Labour leader and First Minister of Wales end up losing a vote of no confidence in the Siambr, in the middle of a UK-wide general election? To explain this and the other highlights and lowlights of the first two weeks of the election period, the Hiraeth team are back behind the mics. The team:Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/cerithevikingRichard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

In one of the most emotive podcasts we have recorded - its central subject has touched all our lives - we are taking a break from covering the politics and campaigning that is taking place all around us during the UK general election, to take time to listen to one of the of the most prominent health campaigns in Wales at the moment. Claire O'Shea is a familiar face for many in Welsh politics and third sector, having been an active campaigner for many causes, not least Welsh links with Africa in recent years. Since her late cancer diagnosis in 2022 she has turned her campaigning skills to the area of womens' health. Along with Tenovus Cancer Care she has launched Claire's Campaign to highlight some of the significant and systematic issues in the Welsh NHS, to push the Welsh Government into action, and - importantly - to make sure that womens' voices are heard in the process. We're lucky to be joined by Claire and Judi Rhys and Lowri Griffiths of Tenovus to explore the clinical and governance issues that are reducing the opportunities for positive outcomes for women with gynaecological cancer. Our guests: Claire O'Shea (Claire's Campaign): https://twitter.com/clairecampaign Judi Rhys: https://twitter.com/judirhys Lowri Griffith: https://twitter.com/lowriellisgriff And important links: The Senedd Inquiry into gynaecological cancers - https://business.senedd.wales/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=40279 Tenovus launch of Claire's Campaign - https://www.tenovuscancercare.org.uk/news-and-views-listings/launching-claires-campaign Senedd Report: All things begin equal - https://braintumourresearch.org/en-us/blogs/latest-news/cross-party-group-publishes-cancer-inequalities-report Sue Vincent Jones: https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/24335430.former-b-d-editor-mrs-svj-blogger-tragically-dies/ As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

50 years ago, the newly-formed Wales TUC under the stewardship of Dai Francis called for the creation of a Welsh Assembly with approximately 100 members based on multi-member constituencies. In a case of exquisite timing, this is exactly what our own parliament has recently resolved to create. What other issues has the TUC faced in this time, what areas of work is it currently looking at and what are the current challenges for working people that will be on the agenda as it gathers for its 50th anniversary conference this week? We speak with General Secretary Shavanah Taj and Policy Officer Nisreen Mansour to find out. We also took the opportunity to ask Shav and Nisreen about the recent controversy around the framing of Prif Weinidog Vaughan Gething's coverage in the media and whether it is indicative of racism, structural or individual. As two people with greater direct understanding of these than many in Wales, as well as the Labour Party itself, it was very illuminating to have their thoughts on what it quite a difficult subject to explore. Our guests: Shavanah Taj - https://x.com/shavtaj Nisreen Mansour - https://x.com/NisreenAnnaWales TUC Cymru - https://x.com/walestuc As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Now, it's not often that you can say that there has been too much news in Welsh politics, but this week there has been. Ongoing concerns about the financial donations to the First Minister's leadership campaign, leaks hinting at deletion of messages, his sudden sacking of a member of the Welsh Government, their replacement being appointed, the end of the Co-operation Agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru and the extraordinary news that there is an active investigation into potential falsified expenses claims by a Senedd member. And most of that took place within 24 hours. So in this bonus episode, Hiraeth's own Matthew Hexter talks through the week's events and tries to put them into context, asking what they mean for Wales, our polity, our First Minister and the future of the Welsh Government. As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

You will no doubt have heard that there was a nationwide election in Wales recently for us to elect our Police and Crime Commissioners for our four police forces. If you don't know who they are or what they do, you are not alone. Over 80% of registered voters declined to express a preference so, not for the first time, people are asking about the value, validity, and futures of these elected roles. We discuss the PCC elections, results, and future here as well as a round up of the English local elections, the latest about Senedd expansion and reform, and the travails of the Scottish Gov as John Swinney takes up the role of Scottish First Minister.To discuss, we are joined by:Lila Haines, independent researcher, author and Senedd Staffer in the first Assembly in 1999: https://twitter.com/LilaEilisCllr Joseph Carter, Welsh Liberal Democrat councillor for Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn in Cardiff: https://twitter.com/joseph_carterUK A reminder that you can buy Lila's excellent book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radicals-Realists-Political-Parties-Ireland/dp/1860571514And listen to our conversation on the pod about it with her here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/62t9I2FursCq6gSzSXa5bz?si=MxzadEVKRYujOLdE3DttHw As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

With opinion still divided about what the upsides of Brexit have been (if any), one thing is clearly the case, Wales and the other British countries are all having to review, rebuild, and re-imagine links with EU countries and the rest of the world. One EU network where Wales not only participated in greatly but also had a founding link to its creation - via Hywel Ceri Jones - was Erasmus+, the European Union's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. With the UK Government blocking Welsh and Scottish ongoing participation in Erasmus+, the Welsh Government decided it would create its own successor scheme, prioritising its own policy programme including the ongoing influence of the Future Generations Act. And so Taith ['journey'/'tour'] was created and we are delighted to be joined by former Welsh Government Education Minister, founder, and current chair of the programme Kirsty Williams, and Sharon Thomas and Lyndsey Thomas from GISDA (a charity supporting homeless and vulnerable young people in Gwynedd) and Reece, a Taith participant supported by GISDA, to discuss the scheme's merits, challenges, and future. Taith: https://www.taith.wales/ GISDA: https://twitter.com/Gisdacyf Kirsty Williams: https://twitter.com/Kirsty_Williams As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

'Assembly' elections may well be a thing of the past in Wales, but they're front and centre of daily life in the UK's capital city this week. The London Assembly itself struggles to gain the same level of visibility as its Mayor so we're using the opportunity to shine a light on one of the biggest electoral events in the UK and find out more about the campaigns trying to oust Sadiq Khan. With its budget exceeding £20 billion, the mayoralty has powers over housing, transportation, public safety, and economic prosperity and the challenges in many of these areas will be familiar to Welsh listeners, not least the touch point of 20mph zones and other traffic management measures. Joining us in this episode are: Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon: https://twitter.com/CarolinePidgeonGreen Party of England & Wales Assembly Member Caroline Russell: https://twitter.com/CarolineRussellGareth Morgan, MD of Cavendish Consulting: https://twitter.com/MogsyMorg As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

We clearly have issues in our construction industry in Wales. There are horror stories of all kinds across the country with regards to the quality, location, and design of new homes and other buildings. The regulatory landscape is mixed with enforcement regimes largely soft-touch and increasingly stretched local and national government budgets in Wales are rarely able to intervene - not to mention the powerful building lobby appear to have prevented any significant interventions by Welsh Government. Meanwhile, across the border, the UK Government (as the government of England) are grappling with the legacy of the Grenfell Tower disaster in relation to tower block safety and cladding in a way that campaigners in Wales wish the government here was matching. Compounding things, we have homeowners battling with the ongoing existence of leasehold - Wales and England being the only two countries in the Western world where it persists - and finding themselves exposed to unexpected liabilities in the context of rising, occasionally exploitatively so, ground rents. With Welsh Government still unable to act in relation to property law (unlike Scotland, NI, and indeed England), leaseholders are at the mercy once more of the Westminster parliament and its own exposure to hard lobbying by freeholders. And all of this is affecting a small country with some of the oldest and poorest-quality housing in Western Europe. So is the situation as bad as it seems and, if so, what can be done about it? We speak to two guests to find out: - Sam Rees is Head of Policy and Public Affairs for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Wales: https://twitter.com/RICSWales - Mark Thomas is Chair of Celestia Housing Company Limited (Check) and spokesperson for the Welsh Cladiators campaign group: https://twitter.com/WelshCladiators Piece from friend of the pod Prof Calvin Jones ' Your Retrofit Alone is Not Enough': https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/retrofit-pointless-calvin-jones-vimhe As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

In politics, as in all aspects of 21st century life in Wales, social media continues to play an ever-growing role, for good or ill. It has undeniable positive benefits such as tackling loneliness, allowing people and ideas to communicate and connect across the planet, and providing a platform for individuals and groups to platform issues or causes they are passionate or concerned about. However, it also comes with notable concerns about mental health, distribution of dis-and mis-information, and creation of avenues for toxicity and hate to reach right into people's homes. It has delivered many positives, transcending geographical boundaries, allowing people to communicate and connect with others worldwide. Empowering individuals by educating them, raising awareness, and providing a platform for voices and in many cases successful business developments.  With governments across the union currently trying to legislate to address some of the negative concerns about social media, we are joined by two experts to discuss the world of social media. Our guests:Jessica Davies is a TV and radio presenter and well-known campaigner and advocate for online safety: https://twitter.com/_JessicaDaviesProfessor Matthew Williams is Director of Cardiff University's HateLab, author of the Science of Hate, and a Professor of Criminology at the university: https://hatelab.net/Buy Matt's Book! : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Hate-prejudice-becomes-hate/dp/0571357075 As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Wales has a rubbish problem - a big one. We have issues throughout the country with litter, fly-tipping, and pollution and social media is awash with stories of local environment being spoiled or ruined by wilful or careless decisions to make it worse for citizens and nature. So what can be done? Is legislation the answer, are voluntary groups the key resource to be harnessed? How can we maximise community wellbeing, physical and mental health, community wellbeing, and the aesthetics of our villages, towns, and cities? We speak to two experts in the field shortly after the national clean-up campaign Spring Clean Cymru and publication of the Keep Wales Tidy Street Clean Report for 2023-24. Jemma Bere is Keep Wales Tidy Policy Manager: https://twitter.com/KWT_Policy David King is co-founder of Cardiff Rivers Group and all around volunteer champion: https://twitter.com/DaveCRG As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

With the Easter break coming to an end and a new parliamentary term about to start, it will be the first session for the new national government in Wales, with the new First Minister and his new cabinet beginning the daunting task of addressing a huge number of difficult policy and funding challenges, as well as ongoing expectation/threat (delete as appropriate!) of a union-wide general election being called at short notice. We recently hosted a live Twitter/X Space with a fantastic mix of policy and politics guests to discuss not only the election of Vaughan Gething as Welsh Labour leader, but also his new cabinet, and some of the big portfolio challenges ahead of them - specifically health, education, and agriculture. Here we present our event in edited form, with our guests: -Sarah Murphy MS (Welsh Labour, Bridgend): @Sarah4Bridgend - Tom Hoyles (Wales & West of England Policy Officer, GMB Union): @thoyles - Terry Mackie (Educator and Author): @TerryMac51 - Lowri Jackson (Health Policy and Communications): @LowriRhiannon - Geraint Davies (Farmer, NRW & FWAG Wales): @Fedwarian And your hosts: Matthew Hexter: @Hexter101 Ceri Davies: @CeriTheViking As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod

Happy Easter to you all / Pasg Hapus i chi gyd. We are marking a bit of a milestone this week as we approach the fourth birthday of the podcast - our 200th episode. We've taken the chance to look back at our work over the last few years and realised that we've never really introduced ourselves, what we do, or why we do it. So for this big number pod, we thought we would share our thoughts about the politics, policy, and media landscape in Wales, why we think Hiraeth and platforms like it are essential, and why we emblazon our motto on all our merch: "An informed public makes better decisions and can hold their representatives to account” We're delighted to be joined by copywriter, content producer, and former BBC Senior Reporter Kate Rimmington in the chair. You can find us all here:Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/cerithevikingRichard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru And guest host Kate: https://kate-content.com/ As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod

While the election of new Labour leader has dominated the headlines, this last week has been a significant week for both outgoing and incoming First Ministers and indeed for all citizens of Wales as the UK Government's Covid Inquiry concluded its first Wales evidence sessions. We are joined by Welsh Affairs Editor at WalesOnline, eponymous author of the Will Hayward Newsletter, and 'serious journalist' Will Hayward. Not only was Will one of the journalists who most closely covered the national & union governments' approach to the pandemic but he also iiterally wrote the book on it in the form of 'Lockdown Wales'.We talk about the key points covered by the inquiry, the points a union-wide inquiry will be unlikely to cover at all, and what the testimony reveals about how the government acted in face of an unprecedented crisis. We also pick up in brief - ahead of our live Twitter/X Space event on 25th March - the Labour leadership contest and result. Will on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/WillHayCardiffWill's Newsletter: https://walesonline.substack.com/Lockdown Wales book: https://www.serenbooks.com/book/lockdown-wales-how-covid-19-tested-wales/A link to our live Twitter/X Space on Labour's new leadership on 25 March at 20.00: https://x.com/HiraethPod/status/1769297107909820495?s=20 As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

All Welsh politics watchers will have seen and heard much from the Labour Party's two leadership candidates and their teams in the race to succeed Mark Drakeford as leader and First Minister. So here at Hiraeth this week, we're taking a look at the race through the eyes of other parties in Wales. Our all-female panel to comment on this all-male election features guest host Sarah Rees, leader of the Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS, and former Plaid Cymru MS Bethan Sayed. We discuss the race between Jeremy Miles and Vaughan Gething, their manifestos, the perception of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and the likely effect on future government in the Senedd. Our guests: Jane Dodds MS: https://twitter.com/DoddsJane Bethan Sayed: https://twitter.com/bethanmsayed As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This week we speak with Carmen Ria Smith - or should that be Baroness Smith of Llanfaes, the United Kingdom's youngest ever appointment to the House of Lords? Carmen is a former Chief of Staff for Plaid Cymru and was lead female nominee in the latest selection process for Plaid Cymru nominations, which has seen her nominated by the party to the union parliament's second chamber. We speak with Carmen about her political history and ambitions for representing Wales in an institution she, herself, opposes. You can find Carmen on Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/CarmenRiaSmith And you can read more about her appointment here: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/16/carmen-smith-house-of-lords-plaid-cymru-change-wales As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

After the report of Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales restated the case for devolution of justice and policing to Wales, as in Scotland and Northern Ireland (indeed, arguably England, too), it has since become part of the discourse in the Welsh Labour leadership contest. It has also revealed tensions between the UK and Welsh Labour parties as both the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens and even the Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour Carolyn Harris have publicly expressed opposition to further devolution of justice and policing, while both Welsh Labour leadership candidates Vaughan Gething and Jeremy Miles have restated their commitment to the full devolution of justice and policing, if elected and leading the future Welsh Government. Why have proponents been persuaded so convincingly to pursue the creation of a Welsh justice system and legal jurisdiction and why are opponents so unwilling to contemplate it? Why did former Prime Minister Gordon Brown recommend piecemeal devolution of youth justice and probation only? We go deep into the arguments with our guests: Professor Emyr Lewis - https://twitter.com/EmyrLewis4 Head of the Department of Law and Criminology, Aberystwyth University Dr Kathy Hampson - https://twitter.com/DrKathyHampson Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Aberystwyth University The Thomas Commission Report, 'Justice for Wales, for the People of Wales': https://www.gov.wales/commission-justice-wales-report?_ga=2.14919669.274951169.1708250131-1462820122.1708250131 Emyr's blog about the Rwanda Bill: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wales/location-of-aberystwyth-on-the-moon-bill/ Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales: https://www.useyourvoice.wales/final-report Gordon Brown's Report for UK Labour: https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Commission-on-the-UKs-Future.pdf As always, you can find the latest from us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Completing our mini-series looking at the cases for and against the development of new nuclear power generation facilities in Wales, we are joined in this podcast by Mabon ap Gwynfor, Member of the Senedd for Dwyfor Meirionnydd and author of new book 'Going Nuclear'. Mabon is a Plaid Cymru MS for a constituency that has a history of nuclear power, with the legendary Trawsfynydd site in its footprint, not a huge distance away from Wales's other legacy nuclear site in Wylfa, represented in the Senedd by Mabon's party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth. In researching nuclear power at length after being extensively lobbied on the subject, Mabon has come firmly to the conclusion that on all levels new nuclear developments are unnecessary, unjust, and a huge pollution risk for current and future generations. In this podcast he argues passionately against the introduction of new nuclear power generators in Wales. You can buy Mabon's book here: https://goingnuclear.net/en/home/ And find him on X/Twitter here: https://twitter.com/mabonapgwynfor You can still find all the most up-to-date information from the Hiraeth team here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The Hiraeth team gather for our regular round up of the most interesting stories in Wales and Welsh politics. This month, the Welsh Labour leadership campaign continues to dominate discussions in Wales but we discuss whether there is much to learn from events so far. We touch on the distressing news from Port Talbot about the future of steelmaking in the town, the imperfections of the Welsh Government's new child poverty strategy, and the grand reopening of a Welsh railway line. With the Six Nations upon us, we have a bit of fun discussing the state of rugby while Ospreys of a different kind have caused a headache (or a cynic might say, a greenwash) for Welsh Government's questionable investment decisions. Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru Matt's great Welsh Labour leadership contest explainer on WalesCast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h8g8v3 As always, you can follow the latest from us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This is the first of a two-part series looking at the cases for and against the development of new nuclear power generators in Wales. We are joined to discuss this question by Monmouthshire County Councillor Rachel Garrick, who has worked in the nuclear and electrical distribution industries for 25 years. In this first pod, we discuss the merits of new nuclear generation in Wales, the economic and enivronmental benefits, and the opportunities for workers, We also discuss options for different types of nuclear generation, the long-term problem of poor UK strategic planning, and the hindrance of Welsh powers over key infrastructure such as the electrical grid. You can more from Rachel here: https://twitter.com/RC_Garrioch Or contact her at Monmouthshire Council: https://democracy.monmouthshire.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=775 As always, you can follow the latest from us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

At the Newport Rising Festival this year, we were inspired by the story of the Chartist march on Newport in 1839 and their six-point People's Charter to think about the reforms being made to our national democracy in 2024 via the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill. Steered by our own Matthew Hexter, our guests discuss the proposed reforms to parliament framed through the six points of the People's Charter and consider whether a modern day Chartist would approve of the recommendations. We recorded this podcast in front of a live audience at The Place, Newport as part of the 2023 Newport Rising Festival. A video version of this podcast is available here: https://youtu.be/80v0CNnR1BA Our guests Chris Haines: https://twitter.com/talesforwales ICNN Senedd Reporter based at Caerphilly Observer Tom Hoyles: https://twitter.com/thoyles Wales and South West England Political Officer, GMB Union Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Newport Rising: https://www.newportrising.co.uk Chartism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism The Place, Newport: https://www.theplacenewport.com You can continue to find out all latest from us here at the pod via our Twitter/X profile: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

It has been an eventful year in Wales, the UK, and further afield and we all rely on journalists, newsgathering teams, and publishers to create and share news with us. But how healthy is the industry? Are commercial and public service news teams serving up the news in the right way to reach audiences across the nation? Are the business models behind news desks sustainable in their current form? And are regulators and governments doing everything that they can to ensure the public interest is served? To discuss this, and much more, we are joined by two experts in the field: Gwenfair Griffith is a journalist, documentary maker, lecturer, and author of Fy Stori Fawr - A book discussing the challenges and triumphs of Wales' leading journalists when reporting on major stories: https://twitter.com/gwenfair_ Shirish Kulkarni is journalist, researcher, community organiser, News Innovation Research Fellow at Media Cymru and founder of Inclusive Journalism Cymru: https://shirishkulkarni.co.uk Fy Stori Fawr is available to buy here: https://www.serenbooks.com/book/cymru-i/ Cymru and I is available to buy here: https://cantamil.com/products/fy-stori-fawr-profiadau-dirdynnol-12-o-newyddiadurwyr-gol-gwenfair-griffith You can continue to find out all latest from us here at the pod via our Twitter/X profile: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Celebrating its tenth year of work in the field of Welsh policy development this year is the Welsh Centre for Public Policy, a Cardiff-based research centre set up to provide independent advice and high quality evidence to policy-makers and government at every level. Primarily focussed on three key research strands (Tackling Inequalities, Environment and net zero, and Community Wellbeing), and is committed to maximising the benefit to Welsh public services by bringing robust evidence and strong evaluation criteria to the policy development process. As the centre marks its tenth anniversary, we speak to: Prof Steve Markin, Director WCfPP Dan Bristow, Director of Policy and Practice: https://twitter.com/DWBristow Amanda Hill-Dixon, Senior Research Fellow you can find our more about WCfPP here: https://www.wcpp.org.uk And about the Centre's 10th birthday here: https://www.wcpp.org.uk/news-and-media/news-article/wcpp-confirms-commitment-to-tackling-key-policy-challenges-facing-wales/ We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. You can always find the latest from us @hiraethpod on X/Twitter. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience things. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Despite ongoing and deepening issues in public services in Wales, there is only one big story in Welsh politics this week, that being the surprise (or not, discuss...) announcement of Prif Weinidog Mark Drakeford's intention to stand down as Welsh Labour leader and leader of the Welsh Government in March next year. We bring together our top Welsh Labour whisperers to discuss Prof. Drakeford's political achievements and impact, as well as the broader discussion about past, present, and future of Welsh Labour. Our guests: Political Commentator Liz Silversmith: https://twitter.com/lizsilversmith Our very own Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 For fun, the memes: Regular, Reliable, Rhythm: https://x.com/WelshGuv/status/1261350948078792704?s=20 Cheese: https://x.com/WelshGuv/status/1280789399513554945?s=20 Also, if you're still looking for Christmas gifts, Clear Red Water: https://www.walespolitics.com/hiraethshop/p/welsh-first-minister-rhodri-morgan-clear-red-water-wall-print Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod *Mark Drakeford gun barrel image (C) Welsh Government 2019

The last month has been a very difficult one for politics and policy optimists, with an apparently unrelenting series of bad news stories at local, national, and union level. Your Hiraeth hosts try and navigate the news and pick out some of the most interesting stories from a Welsh perspective. Among other things we cover: Simmering tensions behind the scenes as Welsh Labour gear up for a union-wide General Election: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/discontent-grows-towards-mark-drakeford-28157637 Ongoing pushback on Senedd reform: https://nation.cymru/opinion/is-there-any-point-in-having-more-senedd-members-if-were-lumbered-with-the-closed-list-voting-system Autumn Statement: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-63662266 Daran Millar MS to stand for Westminster seat: https://nation.cymru/news/darren-millar-selected-as-tory-general-election-candidate-for-clwyd-north/ Further nudges in the area of devolving media regulation to Wales: https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-government-urged-to-set-up-shadow-broadcasting-authority/ And in an attempt to lighten the tone, we finish with another of our infamous wagers, please let us know who you think is right and who is wide of the mark! Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru At present, we're running an Advent calendar of our pods over on our Ex-Twitter page, there are some great ones popping up in the feed, check it out: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www..patreon.com/hiraethpod

Barely a week has passed in 2023 without a bad news story about water. Whether it has been flooding, leakage, company debt, failing infrastructure, pollution at sea, or pollution in rivers, it's basically been bad news the whole way. With all that in mind, a deep dive into Welsh water might not seem like the most appealing prospect but that's exactly what we are going to do with this podcast. Our expert panel discuss the news stories and the industrial reality of the trials and tribulations of operating in this challenging sector and how the balance of regulation, public opinion, and financing operations interact. Our Panel: Harriet Alvis: https://twitter.com/harrietalvis Chief Executive Officer, West Wales Rivers Trust: https://twitter.com/WestWalesRT Prof. Steve Ormerod: https://twitter.com/SteveOrmerod Professor of Ecology at Cardiff University and Deputy Chairman of Natural Resources Wales Lorna Davis: https://twitter.com/waterbore1 Co founder and Director of SUDSPlanter Ltd: https://twitter.com/SuDSPlanter As always, follow us on our X-Twitter page for all the latest: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

There is something different about this week's pod. We're delighted to hand over the reigns to a guest panel to mark the recent women's takeover of the Senedd, organised by the Women's Equality Network Wales. So this week we discuss that women's takeover of the national parliament and many of the issues raised, including questions of access, representation, and the sad passing of Prof. Terry Rees, who did so much to advance the position of women in education and leadership. We also cover some of the recent news from a Welsh perspective, including ongoing public finance difficulties, the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, Sir Keir Starmer's visit to a Cardiff Mosque, the ongoing tragedies in Israel & Gaza, and more. You can find our panel on X/Twitter here: Sarah Rees, Head of Oxfam Cymru: https://twitter.com/sarahrees500 Evelyn James of WEN (Women's Equality Network) Wales: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-james-legaladviser/ Liz Silversmith, political commentator: https://twitter.com/lizsilversmith Obituary for Prof. Terry Rees: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/oct/25/dame-teresa-rees-obituary WEN Wales: https://wenwales.org.uk You can find us @HiraethPod on most social networks and find the latest on our X-Twitter page: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

As one of the new intake of Welsh parliamentarians who were elected in the 2021 election, Sam Rowlands MS represents a new generation of Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd and combines his role as regional MS for North Wales with a shadow ministerial brief of local government and the role of policy director for the party. In our first interview with Sam, we discuss everything from the importance of local government, Senedd reform and regional representation, trying to enact members’ bills in the Senedd, and the consequences of nearly 25 years of continuous Labour-led governments. Given Sam’s remit representing a sprawling constituency stretching from the broder to the sea in the North, we also discuss the ongoing issues at the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board which appears to be struggling with strategy, delivery, and culture that has led it to be in Special Measures again. You can find Sam on X/Twitter here: https://twitter.com/SamRowlands_ You can find us @HiraethPod on most social networks and find the latest on our X-Twitter page: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

For some it’s a sign of Wales leading the way on the international stage, making us the first country in the world to legislate to consider the wellbeing of future generations at all tiers of government. For others it can be seen as a well-intentioned idea that has yet to really deliver or challenge the status quo. As the term of first incumbent of the role, Sophie Howe, has finished and her successor appointed, the office Future Generations Commissioner is starting a new era. Is this a difficult second album or is it an opportunity to take the delivery and implementation of this innovative legislation to a new level? We discuss with our guests: Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner 2.0: https://twitter.com/derekwalker_https://twitter.com/derekwalker_ Arpana Chunilal, member of the Future Generations Academy and forestry advisor at Natural Resources Wales: https://twitter.com/Arpana_Lili The Office of the Future Generations Commissioner: https://twitter.com/futuregencymru You can find us @HiraethPod on most social networks and find the latest on our X-Twitter page: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

We are a month into a new political season like no other. There has been an enormously popular petition against legislation that previously appeared to have wide cross-party support, and resultantly Wales may now be more visible than ever in the next UK-wide election. It has also challenged the concept of democratic legitimacy in our representative democracy as the minister responsible found himself in the unusual position of facing a vote of no confidence because he *had* delivered on a manifesto commitment. The launchpads for that very election are the party conferences, which are up and running while the union parliament is in recess. What will this mean for Wales? We discuss this and much more with our special guests, the current and former heads of Oxfam Cymru, Sarah Rees and Stephen Brooks. Our guests: Sarah Rees, Head of Oxfam Cymru https://twitter.com/OxfamCymru Stephen Brooks, policy, strategy, and communications consultant https://twitter.com/stephenbrooksUK You can find us @HiraethPod on most social networks and find the latest on our X-Twitter page: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Recorded during Adult Learners’ Week, the campaign that seeks to promote learning opportunities for everyone post-compulsory education, we take a deep dive into the state of life-long learning in Wales. We discuss the Welsh Government's recent 'Tertiary Education and Research Act' and the impact it will have on the tertiary education sector. We also discuss the role and priorities for skills training across the country and the reality of university funding for both full-time and part-time students. Our guests: Joshua Miles - Director for Wales at the Learning and Work Institute Learninng and Work Institute Wales: https://twitter.com/LearnWorkCymru Michelle Matheron, Assistant Director for External Affairs at The Open University in Wales The Open University Cymru: https://twitter.com/OUCymru You can find us @HiraethPod on most social networks and find the latest on our X-Twitter page: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

As the new parliamentary term begins, we sit down with leader of the Plaid Cymru group in Westminster, Liz Saville Roberts MP to discuss the realities of operating in Westminster as one of the smaller parties, cross-party working, and how well scrutiny of law and government affecting Wales can (or can’t) be done in the union parliament. We also cover the new political map of Wales, the priorities for Plaid Cymru in the coming year, and the experience of being elected to represent Dwyfor Meirionydd in the era of Brexit, the subsequent Brexit Wars in UK Parliament, the chaos of Johnson and Truss Governments, and the current cost of living crisis. You can find & follow Liz on the platform formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/LSRPlaid Despite everything, we are also still there with our latest updates: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you are enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app or on YouTube. If you are able to do so, please also consider supporting us on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Dyma ein podlediad Cymraeg cyntaf erioed, recordiwyd yn fyw ar faes yr Eisteddfod ym Moduan. This is our first ever Welsh language podcast, recorded live at the National Eisteddfod in Boduan. Ysbrydolwyd gan y cerdd ‘Hon’ gan T H Parry Williams ac y llinell enwog ‘Beth yw ots gennyf i am Gymru?’ rydyn ni’n gofyn - ar ôl bron chwarter canrif o ddatganoli a 99 mlynedd o’i bodolaeth - beth yw ots gennyf i am Blaid Cymru? Beth yw rôl y blaid yng gwleidyddiaeth Cymru, pa fath o blaid yw e, a beth yw’r dyhead y blaid ar gyfer yr etholiadau i ddod? Inspired by the poem ‘Hon’ by T H Parry Williams and its famous first line ‘What do I care for Wales?’, we ask - after nearly a quarter century of devolution and after 99 years of its existence - what do I care for the Party of Wales?. What is the role of the party in Welsh politics, what sort of party is it, and what are its aspirations for the coming elections? Ein Panel / Our panel: Sioned Williams AS - Aelod Plaid Cymru dros Gorllewin De Cymru / Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West Yr Athro Richard Wyn Jones - Cyfarwyddwr, Canolfan Llywodraethiant Cymru / Director, Wales Governance Centre Diolch yn fawr i Brifysgol Caerdydd am cynnal y digwyddiad / Thanks to Cardiff University for hosting the event. Os ti'n joia'r pod yma, tanysgrifiwch yn dy hoff app podlediadau neu YouTube i derbyn y pods i ddod yn awtomatig.

Recorded live at the 2023 Royal Welsh Show, in partnership with the Farmers' Union of Wales, this podcast takes a look at the challenges facing Wales's agricultural communities. We discuss the UK Government's handling of Brexit, the first tranche of trade deals it signed (in haste) with New Zealand and Australia, the voice of Wales in negotiations, the Welsh Government's farming support scheme (including its 10% tree target), and ongoing animal health measures. Our Partners, the FUW: https://twitter.com/FUWpress Guto Bebb: https://twitter.com/GutoAberconwy Former Member of the UK Parliament for Aberconwy and UK Government Minister Samuel Kurtz: https://twitter.com/SKurtzCWSP Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Caryl Hughes: A fifth generation farmer from just outside Llangollen and current Regional Vice-Chair of the National Sheep Association A video version of this podcast will soon be available on our YouTube Channel. We can be found @HiraethPod on most social platforms and would love to hear from you, including over Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider joining our Patreon from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Recorded live from the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) and sponsored by Mark Drakeford MS in the week that the NHSs of the UK celebrate their 75th anniversary, we partnered with Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre to organise a live event to mark the publication of Dr Nye Davies’s new book ‘This is My Truth: Aneurin Bevan in Tribune’, which collates the various contributions this totemic figure of Welsh and Labour politics made in Tribune. Our panel includes Nye himself (Davies, that is), Shavanah Taj (General Secretary of the Wales TUC), and Beth Winter (Member of the UK Parliament for Cynon Valley) and we reflect on Bevans writings on diverse subjects such as the relationship between UK Labour and trade unions, the status of Wales and devolution, the ongoing pragmatism debate in Labour Party policy and how Bevan himself would (or wouldn’t) fit into Keir Starmer’s party in 2023. We hope you enjoy this live event podcast, a video is also available on our YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/9fsSYnlMwsM We are also hosting two further live events this summer. Firstly at the Farmers Union of Wales stand at the Royal Welsh Show (1100-1200 on 27 July 2023) and 1200-1245 at the Cardiff University stand at the National Eisteddfod (in Welsh only, 11 August). Please join us if you can. Our guests: Dr Nye Davies: https://twitter.com/Nye_Davies Shavanah Taj: https://twitter.com/shavtaj Beth Winter MP: https://twitter.com/BethWinterMP You can buy Nye’s book here (please do!): https://www.uwp.co.uk/book/this-is-my-truth/ And our event partners the Wales Governance Centre are here: https://twitter.com/WalesGovernance We can be found @HiraethPod on most social platforms and would love to hear from you, including over Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider joining our Patreon from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Just a couple of months ago it looked like the Senedd Member for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth, could be leaving the Welsh Parliament and seeking to dislodge Virginia Crosbie to be the island’s MP in the union parliament in Westminster in 2024. However, in light of the revelations disclosed in Plaid Cymru’s ‘Prosiect Pawb’ report into allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, and misogyny, a vacancy arose at the top of the party and Rhun was elected leader, unopposed. So what does a change in leader mean for Plaid Cymru, its ‘Cooperation Agreement’ with the Welsh Government, the independence movement, and much more? We find out! You can find Rhun on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/RhunapIorwerth A video version of this interview can be found on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HiraethWelshPolitics And all the latest from Hiraeth on most social platforms @hiraethpod , including Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider joining our Patreon from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

As you will have likely heard, the NHS in Wales (and elsewhere across the union) is celebrating its 75th birthday this week. For all the phenomenal work its staff have done over the years and the challenges it has faced, there are those beginning to question whether it's time to retire this institution and consider replacing it with a different model. Others continue to champion its foundational principles as the best way to deliver health and other care across the spectrum of the population. In this pod our great panel of guests triage the patient and suggest whether it needs social prescribing or emergency surgery. We are joined by: Will Hayward - Award winning journalist for Wales online Jen Rankin - a practicing GP in Cardiff Gemma Roberts - Public affairs professional with the British Heart Foundation You can find Will on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillHayCardiff We can be found @HiraethPod on most social platforms and would love to hear from you, including over Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider joining our Patreon from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

One of our favourite guests return for this podcast where we review the gloomy economic news about inflation and interest rate rises in the UK. Professor Danny Blanchflower is a familiar name to many in economics and to many in Wales in particular, with his longstanding connections to Cardiff. As well as his role at Dartmouth College, he is also known for his time on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), a body within which he was frequently known as a dissenting voice that challenged much of the groupthink on the committee. These days he continues to be a loud and critical voice that challenges conventional thinking and that's exactly why we were keen to speak to him about the latest gloomy news about the UK economy, as well as the performance of the current MPC, the inglorious reign of Liz Truss as Prime Minister and the performance of the current UK Government. As we mention in the pod, Danny is no longer available on Twitter but his blog can be found here: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/blanchflower/2023/06/25/its-brexit-wot-dunnit-and-they-still-want-to-blame-ordinary-people-for-their-failings/ Or drop us a line at the pod account: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We can be found @HiraethPod on most social platforms and would love to hear from you. If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider joining our Patreon from just £3/month.

After a short break, we are back to catch up on the latest political news from Wales and the UK. There has been a lot! We cover the Plaid Cymru leadership non-election, the fallout of the Westminster chaos of the last few weeks, the suggestions of a 'purge of the left' in UK Labour and the Welsh Liberal Democrat prospects in the borderlands of Powys. We also touch on some of the cultural news of the last few weeks including the debate about bilingualism on the Eisteddfod maes and finish with a post-mortem of a bleak weekend for Welsh sport, excepting darts of course. We are also beginning our 4th year (!) of the Hiraeth Pod and will be taking the opportunity to review all aspects of our podcast, our Patreon, and other activities such as live events and newsletters. If you have any thoughts or feedback for us, please let us know. As always you can find the team on Twitter here: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru Or drop us a line at the pod account: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod We can be found @HiraethPod on most social platforms and would love to hear from you. If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider joining our Patreon from just £3/month.

Elected as Plaid Cymru’s youngest ever MP, Ben Lake has represented the seat of Ceredigion in the Westminster parliament since 2017. Despite his relatively short career, he has quickly established himself as a respected spokesperson on a number of key issues such as rural affairs, education, and the constitution against the background of the ‘Brexit Wars’ and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview we catch up with Ben to discuss the difficult recent period in Plaid Cymru’s history, the upcoming leadership election, the challenges of representing the issues of rural Wales in the union parliament, Brexit, electoral reform in Wales, and the effects of the upcoming new electoral constituencies for representatives and citizens. You can find Ben on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/BenMLake This pod brings to an end the third year of Hiraeth, we hope you have enjoyed the podcast and the live events, if you have attended any of them. We’re going to be taking a couple of weeks off now while we plan for the year to come. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please be in touch with us. You can find Hiraeth on most social platforms @HiraethPod, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you are enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

On the pod, we’ve often lamented the lack of coverage of the politics and peoples of the North-East or the border communities in our national media and public discourse. Thankfully the same thing can’t be said for the literary community, where poets and authors are drawn to, and from, these places on the edge, in between, and overlapping the places where Wales and England meet. As perhaps our most famous border event kicks off in Hay, home of Hiraeth member Ceri, we are joined to talk about our borderlands  by: - Mike Parker: https://twitter.com/mikeparkerwales Former Plaid Cymru candidate and author of ‘The Greasy Pole’, “On the Red Hill” and “All the Wide Border” - Dr Sara Louise Wheeler: https://twitter.com/SerenSiwenna Poet, littérateur, and artist from the borderlands of North East Wales; she writes the column ‘O’r Gororau’ for Barddas Welsh poetry magazine.and co-host of ‘Doctoriaid Cymraeg’ podcast Buy All the Wide Border: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/all-the-wide-border-wales-england-and-the-places-in-between-mike-parker/7011781?ean=9780008499181 Buy Trawiad-Seizure: https://www.siopcwlwm.co.uk/cy/products/trawiad-seizure-pamffled-o-gerddi-a-poetry-pamphlet Doctoriaid Cymraeg: https://doctorcymraeg.wales/podlediaid-doctoriaid-cymraeg/ As always you can find the latest from Hiraeth on most social platforms @HiraethPod, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod You can find our shop and Welsh Politics 101 here: http://www.walespolitics.com And if you are enjoying the pod, please subscribe and leave a rating on your podcast app of choice or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider suppporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Town Centre regeneration has been a major part of the Welsh Government remit throughout devolution, a seemingly never ending cycle of policies, action plans and strategies. While there have been some successes and some highlights, the overall picture continues to be one of ongoing gradual decline. Wales is not alone in this challenge but with our long history of regeneration projects, do we have the answers we need or are we still not asking the right questions? We discuss this tricky subject and the Welsh Government's latest report on the subject to find out. Our guests: Owen Davies - @itsowendavies Regeneration Consultant, Founder of Owen Davies Consulting and Abergavenny Co-working site Gwagle Victoria Mann - @Mann_About CEO at NearMeNow, and a Business Council Member at Cardiff Capital Region. You can find us @HiraethPod on the socials, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod Please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

A simple introduction on Plaid Cymru's website reads: "In December 2022, Plaid Cymru’s National Executive Committee asked Nerys Evans to chair a working group whose remit it was to understand the culture within the party and issue recommendations on how to lead change." The Prosiect Pawb report, as it has since been named, has been completed and a full summary published. Its conclusions were were described as "damning" by WalesOnline's Will Hayward and contained no fewer than 82 recommendations to address deficiencies in the party's culture and governance. Some of these issues had existed for many years but it also included complaints of sexual harassment and bullying of staff in the period since 2018 and has ultimately led to the party's leader, Adam Price, stepping down. We discuss the context and timeline of these events and how the party might respond and attempt to rebuild trust with its staff and supporters. The Prosiect Pawb Report: https://www.partyof.wales/prosiect_pawb Support is available if you need it: https://www.acas.org.uk/discrimination-bullying-and-harassment The 2023 Plaid Cymru Leadership Election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Plaid_Cymru_leadership_election Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru You can find us @HiraethPod on the socials, including Twitter: Please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Although the social security system is not formally devolved to Wales as it is in Northern Ireland, or even partially devolved as it is in Scotland, the Welsh Government and Welsh local authorities are responsible for a huge range of benefits that are delivered locally or where policy is decided nationally in the Senedd. Can the systems and benefits be improved in Wales? Can the complexity of applying to the same authority for multiple benefits be streamlined? Should the Welsh Government be able to do more in this area to support individuals and families in greatest need? All great questions addressed in a recent report co-authored by the Bevan Foundation and Policy in Practice, who join us to discuss the Welsh Benefits System. Our guests: Dr Steffan Evans: https://twitter.com/SteffHEvans Head of Policy (Poverty) at the Bevan Foundation Zoe Charlesworth: https://twitter.com/ZoeCharleswort1 Benefits Research & Policy Consultant at Policy in Practice Jack Rowlands: https://twitter.com/jackrowh Analyst, Policy in Practice Bevan Foundation: https://twitter.com/BevanFoundation Policy in Practice: https://twitter.com/policy_practice A Common Approach to the Welsh benefits system report: https://www.bevanfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Final-A-data-view-of-a-common-approach-to-Welsh-benefits-Bevan.pdf If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

With the party conference beginning this weekend at the ICC in Newport, discussions about the party's Welsh wing and the relationship between the Senedd group and the UK Parliamentary group are bound to be top of the agenda, an agenda which is pretty full of other big items like the looming UK general election, local elections in England and Northern Ireland, and ongoing turbulence in the UK Government after another high-profile ministerial departure. In Wales recent polling has suggested that the Welsh Conservatives are still struggling to come close to competing with Labour in the Senedd, despite a new tone of campaigning from Andrew RT Davies and popular policy shifts such as aligning themselves with other Welsh parties with regards HS2. Our two guests grapple with some of these issues and much more: Ant Pickles: https://twitter.com/antpickles former Chief of Staff of the Welsh Conservatives & Abigail Mainon: https://twitter.com/AbigailMainon Chair of the Conservative Women’s Organisation Wales and a former Senedd Candidate in Alyn and Deeside As always, you can follow us @hiraethpod on the socials for all the latest from the pod, including on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you are enjoying the pod, please rate and review us in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us on Patreon from £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Sarah Dickins and Mark Hutchings are well known faces and voices in households in Wales and across the union after their decades of reporting on economics and Welsh affairs for the BBC. Both have recently put their BBC staff cards away for one last time and are pursuing both old and new interests in the fields of journalism, economics, and sustainability. We speak to Sarah and Mark about the changing face of Wales and the Welsh economy during their careers and the ways the business of news is evolving both inside and outside of the BBC You can find our guests on Twitter: Sarah: https://twitter.com/Sarah_Dickins Mark: https://twitter.com/markhutchings1 And follow us on Twitter for all the latest from the team: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Wales's transport infrastructure and services are rarely (if ever) renowned for their world-leading design or operation but even by historical standards, the last few years have been notably challenging. However, with a new and energetic deputy minister holding the brief and the pandemic receding into history, is the Welsh Government starting to turn the corner or are the people of Wales condemned to spend another decade in the slow lane? Our panel of experts discuss the recent announcement and criticism of the Welsh Government's roads review, the huge jump in South Wales Metro costs, bus service funding and franchising, and the ongoing travails of publicly-owned Cardiff Airport. We also discuss the UK Government's increasingly bizarre classification of multi-billion-pound English rail projects (HS2, TransPennine Route Upgrades) as 'England and Wales' projects and consider what Wales could do if it received the same Barnett Formula consequentials as Scotland or Northern Ireland from the projects. Our guests: Ed Evans, Director, Civil Engineering Contractors Association Wales: https://twitter.com/ceca_wales Aaron Hill, Wales Director for the Confederation of Passenger Transport: https://twitter.com/TweetsByAHill Paula Renzel, Transport Action Network Cymru: https://twitter.com/TANCymru And for all the latest from the Hiraeth team you can find us @hiraethpod on most social networks, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a review or rating in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, support us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The Hiraeth team catch up on a busy March, including discussion of the SNP Leadership result and what it means for the unionist and independence campaigns. We also cover the highlights of the Welsh party conference season, including Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru, and Welsh Lib Dems and discuss whether the cooperation agreement is in trouble. UK Government has delivered both a budget and a Welsh freeports deal so we look at knock-on effects for Wales and return to discussion of the troubled Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board and the recent sacking of the Betsi board members and non-sacking of the Health Minister. To close, we dip into Welsh rugby and Welsh football and the great start to the qualifying campaign for Euro 2026. Your hosts: Matthew Hexter - https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies - https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin - https://twitter.com/mimosacymru And for all the latest from the team, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please consider leaving us a rating in your favourite podcast app and, if you are able to do so, support us from just £3/month at http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Recorded live at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, in this podcast we are joined by screenwriter Roger Williams, actor Dewi Rhys Williams, and former Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Bethan Sayed, to discuss the new film Y Sŵn and the future of broadcasting in Wales more widely. Y Sŵn (trailer here: https://youtu.be/iKgexU9mtgw ) tells the story of the political battle between Welsh language campaigners and the Conservative UK Government under Margaret Thatcher to establish a Welsh language television service. Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the story follows the defeat of the devolution referendum of 1979 and frustration of Welsh campaigners that they have no way to stop a UK Government u-turn on their promises. Many themes from those times remain resonant in Wales today with ongoing debates about the devolution of broadcasting, media, and communication powers to Wales and as S4C celebrates its 40th birthday, an entirely new media landscape to which Welsh storytellers and producers need to respond. We pick up some of these questions with our panel and answer some audience questions. You can find out more about Y Sŵn here: https://yswn.cymru You can follow Roger here: https://twitter.com/rogwilliams And Bethan here: https://twitter.com/bethanjenkins And for all the latest from Hiraeth, please follow us @HiraethPod on the socials, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your player app of choice and, if you can do so, please consider supporting us on Patreon from just £3/month: https://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod

2007 was the year that everything changed for the governments of the UK. In England, Tony Blair stepped down as Prime Minister after an unprecedented series of electoral wins for Labour, in Scotland the SNP were forming their first government as a minority in Holyrood, in Northern Ireland the institutional 'moderate' unionists were being supplanted by the DUP, and in Wales the traditions of nationalism and socialism were about to combine to form the 'One Wales' government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru. For Plaid Cymru, the opportunity to go into government for the first time was a relatively easy decision but for Labour, the very idea of going into a coalition with the 'nats' exposed deep divisions between the party's British, Welsh, 'materialist', 'devolutionist', and traditionalist wings. Public and private battles were fought over the proposal and it can be argued that the resulting stable government between the two parties changed Welsh politics forever. In this episode, recorded between Plaid Cymru & Welsh Labour Spring Conferences 2023 and as the parties again are in a governing agreement together in the Senedd, we speak with Dr Dai Moon who has written about the now infamous 2007 Labour Conference and its legacy on Welsh Labour and Welsh politics more broadly. You can find Dai on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/David_S_Moon And you can read one of Dai's papers on the 2007 conference here: https://purehost.bath.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/134634001/Internationalists_not_Nationalists_CBH.F.pdf You can find us on most social platforms @HiraethPod, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you are enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

As one of the new Welsh Conservative Senedd Members following the 2021 election, Tom Giffard has quickly established himself as an effective parliamentarian and scrutineer and is currently Shadow Minister for Culture, Tourism & Sport as well as a member of the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee. We speak to Tom about the ongoing catastrophe that is the Welsh Rugby Union, Conservative opposition to the Welsh Government's Tourism Levy, thoughts on the recent Roads Review, and the general state of unionism, Welsh Conservatism, and the independence debate in Wales. You can find Tom on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TomGiffard And for all the latest from Hiraeth, you can find us @hiraethpod on most social platforms, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

There is no city on earth outside of Wales with such a longstanding, influential, and thriving Welsh community as London. Alongside the well known religious, academic, and sporting footprints, there is a vibrant community built around government, the professions, culture, and business. Each year, around St David's Day, Wales Week London acts as a focal point to platform talent, make connections, and build up Wales's soft power as the biggest event in a global network of Wales Week centres. Joining us to discuss the soft power of the London Welsh, the potential for Welsh businesses, and the perceived problem of 'brain drain' the union's capital city, are: Dan Langford, Founder of Wales Week London: https://twitter.com/DanJLangford Ceri Wyn Griffith, Chief Executive of the London Welsh Centre: https://twitter.com/ceri_wyn Ann Ellis, Chief Executive of the Mauve Group of Companies: https://twitter.com/annmauve For all the latest from Wales Week, visit: https://walesweek.london And visit the London Welsh Centre: https://londonwelsh.org To stay in touch with us at the pod, follow us @HiraethPod on most platforms, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating in your favourite podcast app and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us on Patreon from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This week we speak to Dr Dan Evans, a researcher at the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) and a prominent and critical voice of political culture in Wales and the UK through his writing and popular podcast Desolation Radio. Dan's recently published book "A Nation of Shopkeepers: The Unstoppable Rise of the Petty Bourgeoisie" brings a fresh approach to thinking about social class in the UK, specifically the group sometimes known as 'ordinary working people' or 'Mondeo Man' that are often invoked by politicians but rarely specifically analysed. Who are the new petty bourgeoisie, are they left-wing or right wing, and how influential are they in Wales and the UK? We discuss this and more. You can find Dan on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/dai_alectic And you can buy the book here: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/a-nation-of-shopkeepers/ For all the latest from the Hiraeth team, follow us @HiraethPod on most social platforms, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you are enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your player app of choice and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Continuing our series of interviews with politicians from Wales and beyond, this time we travel to Gwent to speak to Member of the Senedd for Newport East, John Griffiths. As one of the original ‘Class of 1999’, John has represented the constituency for Welsh Labour for nearly 25 years and we catch up with him just after his completion of his 150th ParkRun at Newport Parkrun on alongside the River Usk. As a long-serving Senedd member and former Deputy Minister in Welsh Government, John speaks with us about the changing face of Newport, the benefits of social prescribing, Wales’s role in the world and the future of devolution. You can find John on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/JGriffithsLab And you can follow us for all the latest news from the team @HiraethPod on most social platforms, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And a video version of this tour of Newport is available here: https://youtu.be/EiThYWf1Tfg If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice and, if you're able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This live recording of the Hiraeth podcast with Wales TUC's Shavanah Taj and Welsh Labour's Sarah Murphy (Member of the Senedd for Bridgend) followed our event with Mick Lynch of the RMT Union, interviewed by Siriol Griffiths (Wales Editor, The Conversation UK), which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/DB-phtcvv5A This panel discuss industrial action, public services in Wales, the relationship between political parties and trade unions and, of course, the relationship between Welsh and UK Labour - a recurring theme of late! Our guests: Sarah Murphy MS: https://twitter.com/sarah4bridgend Shavanah Taj: https://twitter.com/shavtaj Wales TUC Cymru: https://twitter.com/walestuc And for all the latest from Hiraeth about podcasts, videos, and live events, follow us on the socials @hiraethpod, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod You can also find our website at http://www.walespolitics.com And, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us on Patreon from just £3/month

This recording of our live event, hosted at Little Man Coffee, Cardiff in conjunction with the Wales Trades Union Congress, features RMT Union General Secretary Mick Lynch and Siriol Griffiths (Wales Editor, The Conversation UK) guest hosting from the chair. We discuss public services, trade unions, and the UK and Welsh Labour Parties, as well as taking some questions from our audience. Follow us on most social platforms to hear about future live events from the Hiraeth team: Hiraeth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod

We're all aware of the need to de-carbonise energy production across the planet and it is a priority for the Welsh Government and the other governments on Britain. So how can we do it? How quickly can we do it? And what technologies are crucial to getting there? We speak to two experts in the field of renewable energy generation to discuss. Our guests: Sarah Merrick: https://twitter.com/SpeakSarahSpeak of Ripple Energy: https://twitter.com/RippleEnergy and George Hall of Conrad Energy: https://conradenergy.co.uk For the latest from Hiraeth, follow us on most social platforms @HiraethPod, such as Twitter: You can also find more information about the podcast at our website: http://www.walespolitics.com And, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us on Patreon from just £3/month at http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

In this podcast, the Hiraeth team (Matthew Hexter, Ceri Davies, and Richard Martin) recap the highlights and lowlights of 2022 and look forward to the issues that are on the horizon in Wales and elsewhere across Britain and Northern Ireland in 2023. Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru Hiraeth Podcast can be found @Hiraethpod on most social media, also Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And finally, you can find out more about the pod at: http://www.walespolitics.com

In this pod, our first live podcast recording, we discuss the state of the relationships between UK and Welsh/Scottish governments and the effect Brexit and the personalities of successive UK administrations has had on the effectiveness of government. We hosted this live event on the week that Gordon Brown produced his proposals for reforming the governance of the UK, so we discuss those proposals and how the Welsh dimension is addressed (or not). We also discuss the interim report from the Welsh Government’s Independent Commission of the Constitutional Future of Wales and its decision to focus on three alternative visions for Wales: entrenched devolution, federalism, and independence. Ceri and Matt are joined by Prof Richard Wyn Jones of Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre to discuss and answer questions from the audience, as well as reflect on our previous podcast on the Welsh and Scottish independence campaigns with Gerry Hassan, Will Hayward, and Jess Blair. Our pod on the Welsh/Scottish Independence Campaigns: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-independence-debate-what-is-happening-in-scotland/id1515800534?i=1000591625130 The Gordon Brown Report: https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Commission-on-the-UKs-Future.pdf The Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales interim report: https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2022-12/independent-commission-the-constitutional-future-of-wales-interim-report-december-2022.pdf The Welsh Budget Outlook from the Wales Governance Centre: https://youtu.be/3fxye_kun08 Our guest, Prof Richard Wyn Jones: https://twitter.com/RWynJones This episode is also available as a video here: https://youtu.be/9U4nF364uKc And follow us on your platform of choice for the latest news: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If enjoy this podcast please subscribe, rate, and review in your podcast app of choice. If you are able to do so, please also consider joining our Patreon, from just £3/month.

From time to time we run live events to debate important aspects of politics, policy, or current affairs from a Welsh perspective. This podcast is a recording of an event co-hosted with our friends at the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, discussing the independence campaigns both north and west of the border with England, with Jess Blair of the Electoral Reform Society Cymru in the Chair. A video version of this podcast is also available: https://youtu.be/hI5HHCk0gv8 Our panellists are: Will Hayward: https://twitter.com/WillHayCardiff WalesOnline’s Welsh Affairs Editor and author of ‘Independent Nation: Should Wales Leave the UK?’, available here: https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/independent-nation & Gerry Hassan: https://twitter.com/GerryHassan Writer, Commentator and Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University and author of ‘Scotland Rising: The Case for Independence’, available here: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745347264/scotland-rising/ For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod You can find out more about the pod at www.walespolitics.com and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us from just £3/month at www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Wales has the highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe for men and the third highest for women but until recently we simply didn't know about it. Unlike Northern Ireland and Scotland, Wales doesn't have control over its own justice and policing system and instead it is part of the 'England and Wales' system. Many would argue that this is de facto an 'England, including Wales' system as Wales is a relatively small part of the system and largely an afterthought and until very recently there simply wasn't any Wales-specific data published by the UK Government. Thanks to years of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and other new research Dr Rob Jones and Prof. Richard Wyn Jones have been able to produce a groundbreaking book exploring the state of the Welsh criminal justice system and the problems caused by trying to maintain a Westminster-centric system in the age of devolution. In this recording, Richard and Rob discuss the challenges facing these core public services as they try to serve two different masters of two very different political persuasions in London and Cardiff. Recorded live at Storyville Books, Pontypridd and with kind permission of University of Wales Press and also available as a video: https://youtu.be/wNBjmkh8NFE Storyville Books: https://www.storyvillebooks.co.uk Buy The Welsh Criminal Justice System: On the Jagged Edge from UWP: https://www.uwp.co.uk/book/the-welsh-criminal-justice-system/ You can find the latest from Hiraeth on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod Our website is here: www.walespolitics.com And, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting us on Patreon from just £3/month: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

From joining the Conservative Party in Wales in the 1980s, winning his first local government election in Llanelli in 1993 to holding some of the highest offices of state in the UK Government in the cabinets of PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, Sir Robert Buckland's political career has spanned some extraordinary political times and subverts a number of stereotypes about Welsh politicians. Sir Robert joins us to discuss this journey, his time as Secretary of State for Justice, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Wales and the extraordinarily turbulent times in government post-EU Referendum, during the Covid pandemic, and the extraordinary circumstances of 2022 at the top of government in Westminster. You can follow Robert on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/RobertBuckland And find all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting the podcast from just £3/month: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Vaughan Gething is one of the most well-known faces in Welsh Government, not least due to his role as Minister for Health during the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the profile of the Welsh Government and devolution itself thrust into the public consciousness as the four nations of the UK each defined their own response to the crisis. Now Minister for the Economy, Vaughan is once more dealing with a crisis, as the cost of living skyrockets and inflation is at its highest for a generation. We discuss the journey from a newspaper round in Dorset to a leading role in government, Brexit, devolution, and what a future Labour-led UK Government would mean for Wales. You can find Vaughan on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/vaughangething And if you don't already, we are @HiraethPod on most social networks, including Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast please leave us a review in your podcast app and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting the podcast from just £3/month at: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Considering how close links are between Wales and Ireland in terms of history, trade, and culture, the low levels of knowledge about our respective political parties and their traditions is, perhaps, surprising. In this episode we speak with Cardiff-based researcher and journalist Lila Haines about her new book 'Radicals and Realists: Political Parties in Ireland' and try to explore the similarities and differences between the national politics on each side of the Celtic sea. You can find Lila on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/LilaEilis And you can buy Lila's excellent book here: https://welsh-academic-press.shopfactory.com/contents/en-uk/p128_Political-Parties-of-Ireland.html For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

For some time there have been discussions about what would happen in the event of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with regards the role of the Prince of Wales. Would it automatically pass to Prince William? Would he, like Charles before him, participate in an extravagant & controversial Investiture ceremony? How would the modern cultural landscape and civic institutions across the country respond to his appointment? Within a few short weeks, we have seen answers to these questions. We have a new Prince, as confirmed within 24 hours of the accession of King Charles III. The pomp and ceremony have been discarded, the relationship is businesslike and there will be no grand investiture. The new Prince comes into the role a grown man and has his own interests, especially sporting ones that have ruffled more than just the three feathers, as he publicly backed England for the FIFA World Cup 2022 apparently over Wales. So, what future for the role? To discuss we are joined by political commentator Theo Davies-Lewis, who has recently delivered a lecture in Llanelli called 'William, the last Prince of Wales' and Welsh historian Dr Marion Loeffler from Cardiff University. You can find our guests on Twitter here (for now!): Theo: https://twitter.com/TDaviesLewis Marion: https://twitter.com/LoefflerMarion If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod please consider leaving us a rating and review in your podcast app and, if you are able to, support us from just £3/month on Patreon

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, we discuss the huge cultural and political (with a small 'p') power of football with Noel Mooney, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Wales. We discuss Qatar, the relationship with Welsh Government, the domestic game, *that* World Cup song & video, the women's and girls game, and relations between Ireland and Wales. You can find Noel on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/NoelMooney13 And, of course, the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice and, if you can, consider supporting us on Patreon from £3/month: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod #ArBenYByd #TogetherStronger

As one of the most senior members of the Welsh Government after just 6 years in the Senedd, Jeremy Miles now holds one of the toughest ministerial briefs as the recovery from the twin crises of Covid-19 and subsequent economic turmoil leave the education sector battling for resources while trying to recover from the impact of the pandemic on learners across the country. We speak with Jeremy about his early career and rise to ministerial office, the responsibilities and challenges of the education portfolio, Brexit, the UK Government meltdowns of the last 12 months, and many other challenges facing Welsh Government in the fields of justice, finance and the union. You can follow Jeremy on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Jeremy_Miles And, of course, Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice and, if you're able to, please consider supporting us from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

The long-running boundary review for UK Parliament constituencies has reached another milestone as the Boundary Commission for Wales has published its proposals for its final round of consultation. Famously, this will see the number of UK Parliament MPs elected from Wales reduced to 32 from the current 40, based on the rules set by the UK Government. This means that there are no easy decisions (except the protected seat of Ynys Môn) and we thought it would be great to catch up with one of our favourite guests Shereen Williams (CEO Local Democracy Boundary Commission for Wales & Secretary, Boundary Commission for Wales) to discuss the proposals. You can find Shereen on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ShereenWilliams Boundary Commission for Wales here: https://twitter.com/BCommWales Local Democracy Boundary Commission for Wales here: https://twitter.com/LDBCW And for all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app and, if you are able to do so, consider supporting us from just £3/month: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Recorded on Halloween and haunted by the spectres of UK Governments past, we review the events of October 2022 from a Welsh perspective with long time friend of the pod, Plaid Cymru councillor and project lead for Banc Cambria, Mark Hooper. We also look forward to the upcoming events in November and what they have in store for Wales and Welsh Politics. You can hear more from Mark on his Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/markjhooper Matthew is here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Richard is here: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru and for all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please do give us a rating and review in your podcast app and - if you are able to do so - please consider supporting our work from just £3/month at www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

Few members of the Senedd are near-universally respected by those of all political persuasions (and none) in the way that Kirsty Williams is. From being an enthusiastic campaigner for devolution in the 1990s, Kirsty became a much-admired constituency AM/MS for 22 years representing Brecon and Radnor including a spell leading the Welsh Liberal Democrats and finishing her Senedd career with a term as Education Minister in the Welsh Government 2016-2021. In the course of her time in frontline politics, Kirsty was also in pivotal roles during key moments in recent democratic history. She was one of the Liberal Democrat opponents to the proposed Plaid Cymru-Conservative-Liberal Democrat 'Rainbow Coalition' in 2007 and she was leader of the party as, across the border, Nick Clegg led the Lib Dems into a coalition with David Cameron's Conservatives. Kirsty was also the pivotal vote back in 2016 that re-nominated Carwyn Jones as First Minister after dramatic scenes where the Conservatives and UKIP (!) backed Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood to take the role. So, who better to reflect on 25 years since Wales voted for devolution, the present political climate and, in her capacity as member of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, ambitions for the future of Welsh politics? You can follow Kirsty on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Kirsty_Williams And, of course, follow us on Twitter here for all the latest: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod The artwork for the pod comes from the wonderful collection of Welsh politics pop art images created by Louis Mertens: https://twitter.com/LouisPMertens If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to, please consider becoming a Patreon from just £3/month: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

While Westminster continues to swirl in chaos and the UK Government flails in search of stability and policy, politics in Wales carries on its largely stable path, stable in no small part to the Cooperation Agreement between the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru that has paved the way for key policy developments such as free school meals for an increasing number of children in Wales. We speak with one of the key figures in making that Cooperation Agreement work, Cefin Campbell, MS for Mid and West Wales. As one of two Plaid Cymru 'Designated Members', Cefin has first-hand experience of working with Welsh Government in over 40 policy areas. We discuss this and, of course, the tumult at the far end of the M4, the challenges of working across parties in the Senedd and the future for Plaid Cymru. You can find Cefin on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/cefincampbell And all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please consider leaving a review or rating in your podcast app of choice and, if you are able to do so, you can further support the pod from just £3/month at our Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This week, we take a look at the reasons behind the limited use and limited nature of the tax powers that the Welsh Government has, why this affects delivery of policies supported by the electorate and what - if anything - can be done about it. We are joined by representatives of two of Wales's leading think tanks to discuss: Dr Victoria Winckler is Director of the Bevan Foundation: https://twitter.com/BevanFoundation Harry Thompson is Economic Policy Lead at the Institute of Welsh Affairs: https://twitter.com/HMorganThompson Harry's report 'Wales's Fiscal Firepower' can be found here: https://www.iwa.wales/our-work/work/fiscal-firepower/ For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you're able to do so, please consider supporting our Patreon here: http://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod If you are enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

The British union is under a lot of strain thanks to the tension between growing independence movements in Wales and Scotland and the post-2016 UK Government's brand of muscular unionism which offers a rigid and inflexible vision of centralised authority in the UK. Adding to these pressures are the implications of Brexit, specifically with regards Northern Ireland and its relationship with both Ireland and the UK. For those who want to see the union persist and thrive, structural reform is one of the best hopes for the future. As we await the publication of Gordon Brown's long-expected proposals for the UK Labour Party to adopt and the report of the Welsh Government's own commission led by Laura McAllister and Rowan Williams, others, including our guests, are making their own proposals. Joining us to discuss their slightly differing visions of a confederal British union are: - Professor Jim Gallagher: https://twitter.com/ProfJimG Honorary professor at Glasgow University and the University of St. Andrew’s and a former senior civil servant in UK and Scottish Governments, including a period in the No 10 Policy Unit advising on devolution under prime minister Gordon Brown 2007-2010 - Glyndwr Cennydd Jones: https://twitter.com/GlyndwrCJ Fellow of the Institute for Welsh Affairs and longstanding advocate for greater cross-party consensus in Wales and for a UK-wide constitutional convention For all the latest from the Hiraeth team, you can follow us here: And if you're enjoying the podcast, please share a rating and subscribe in your podcast app of choice. If you're able to spare a few pounds to support the production of the podcast, please hear to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod

All across the UK and much of the wider world, health services are struggling to address a backlog of medical referrals and treatments that built up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these services were themselves not operating optimally before the pandemic, which has compounded existing problems. Wales is no exception. The NHS here is under considerable strain and despite the efforts of the Welsh Government to address these issues, the recent announcement that 1 in 4 people in Wales are on a waiting list suggests that the scale of the problem is going to take some significant work to address. To discuss this in detail we are joined by: Professor Jon Barry - https://twitter.com/jonbarry24 Consultant general surgeon specialising in metabolic surgery at the Welsh Institute of Metabolic and Obesity Surgery in Morriston Hospital, Swansea. Currently Clinical Director of the Integrated Surgical Services Group. Director in Wales of the Royal College of Surgeons. and Lowri Jackson - https://twitter.com/LowriRhiannon Head of policy and campaigns for the Royal College of Physicians in Wales, leading the college’s communications work across Wales and Northern Ireland. For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us: And if you're enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app of choice and/or supporting us via Patreon from as little as £3/month: https://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod

When Liz Truss became Prime Minister, her 'first 100 days' grid probably didn't look like this. It has been an extraordinary time in the United Kingdom over the week and our planned schedule for season three of Hiraeth has been thrown off course, of course! So before we resume our normal schedule of bringing you the best weekly pods on politics and policy in Wales, the Hiraeth team take a look at the Welsh response to the events of the last few weeks and look ahead to the coming Senedd term. Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru For all the latest from Hiraeth, you can follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app of choice and if you are able to do, please consider supporting the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod

With Liz Truss now confirmed as UK Prime Minister replacing Boris Johnson, and her cabinet and government taking shape, what should we expect with regards to impact on Wales and Welsh politics? This podcast features a number of our guests speaking at our live Twitter Space as the announcements of UK Government appointments were incoming. We hear their initial thoughts and answer a handful of audience questions. Our Guests: Anthony Pickles: https://twitter.com/antpickles Jonathan Williams: https://twitter.com/JRWill26 Professor Calvin Jones: https://twitter.com/WelshEcon Owen Williams: https://twitter.com/OwsWills For all the latest, please follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please consider supporting our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod And leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

As Cardiff, Wales welcomes World Wrestling Entertainment's 'Clash at the Castle' live event to the city this weekend, we speak to Dr David (Dai) Moon, Senior Lecture at the University of Bath, about Welsh Government's involvement in the event and his longstanding interest in professional wrestling and how it crosses over into the world of politics and political theory. You can follow Dai on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/David_S_Moon Or contact him at the University of Bath here: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/david-moon If you know nothing about Clash at the Castle but would like to: https://www.wwe.com/shows/clash-at-the-castle/2022 And, as always, follow us @HiraethPod for the latest news and updates: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod and value our contribution to the public sphere, please support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod And please do leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

Following his previous book ‘Lockdown Wales’, Will Hayward (Welsh Affairs Editor, WalesOnline) has taken on the challenge of writing about one of the most contested and salient topics that came to the fore just before and during the Covid pandemic - Welsh independence. Long considered a minority interest commanding only 10-15% support, with even only ⅔ of Plaid Cymru supporters showing support for independence, the topic burst onto wider public discussion after a series of well attended rallies across Wales in 2019. Combined with an increasingly fractious relationship between a unionist Welsh Government and a UK Government intent on re-centralising power post-Brexit, support for Welsh independence gained a surprising amount of support from within the ranks of Welsh Labour and became the official policy of the Green Party. But as with all constitutional questions, for each strongly held opinion, there are a whole raft of complicated, unsexy questions that rarely get the scrutiny or depth of discussion that they deserve. In his book, Will asks the difficult questions of those on all sides of the argument while carefully laying out the facts and the quandaries of those people whose opinions are not so entrenched. You can buy the book here: https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/independent-nation And find Will on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WillHayCardiff For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us on the socials @HiraethPod and if you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review on your podcast app of choice.

Under a blazing sun and record temperatures, the Royal Welsh Show reasserted its status as the premier event in the annual agricultural calendar this year, holding its first full in-person show since the Covid-19 pandemic. With evident impact of climate change creating new conditions for farming across the country and the national and UK governments pursuing different post-Brexit agendas for agriculture and the environment, it is an interesting time for the sector. We speak with Emma Rees of the Brecknock & Wales Young Farmers Club and Alexander Phillips of WWF Cymru to find out what progress the sector is making and where the challenges and opportunities lie for the future. You find our guests on Twitter here: Young Farmers Brecknock: https://twitter.com/Brecknockyfc Young Farmers Wales: https://twitter.com/WalesYFC Alexander Phillips: https://twitter.com/AlexLeoPhillips And, of course, you can find the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you are enjoying the pod, please give us a rating and review on your podcast app of choice. Diolch

In this show we speak to renowned economist Prof. Danny Blanchflower. Danny's links to Wales go back a long way, including school days at Cardiff's Cantonian High School, a postdoctorate from the University of Wales and even a time teaching at University of Wales College, Cardiff. We cover a range of topics in this discussion including a look at the current UK economy, Brexit, guessonomics, the state of British Conservative and Labour Parties, and the economics of independence for emerging small countries like Scotland and Wales. If you enjoy what Danny has to say, you can find him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/D_Blanchflower And for all the latest from Hiraeth, you can find us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and review us in your podcast app of choice. Diolch.

As the Senedd heads towards recess, we sit down with Luke Fletcher, Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West, to discuss his party's proposal for Wales to rejoin the the EU single market and customs union. We also discuss the Welsh Government/Plaid Cymru cooperation agreement, responses to the cost of living crisis and free school meals. You can follow Luke on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FletcherPlaid And find out the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice. Diolch!

With change in the air in the Senedd as the Welsh Labour green light is given for expansion and introduction of proportional list systems, we speak here with Hefin David MS (Caerphilly) on matters of electoral reform in Wales and on Britain more widely. As one of the long-term champions of proportional representation and a confederal future for Britain, Hefin discusses the evolution of the Senedd, the prospect of coalitions in Westminster and Labour's constitutional review under Gordon Brown. He also, if you didn't know already, hates referendums. You can, and should, follow Hefin on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hef4caerphilly And you can find the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

It's been an eventful week in the world of politics on Britain. While the UK Government has spent the week self-immolating, work in the Senedd has been carrying on as normal and the work of legislating for creating a larger parliament with more members has begun. This, of course, follows a decision at Labour conference that was hard won by the First Minister in the face of opposition from some MPs, unions, and constituency parties. We thought it would interesting to take a long look not just at the decision itself but at the complex way that it had to be made in line with the Labour Party's web of rules. To help explain and share some insight from the conference floor, we are joined by: Cllr Jennifer Burke-Davies: https://twitter.com/jenb_davies Tom Hoyles of GMB Wales & West: https://twitter.com/thoyles As always, do follow us on Twitter for the latest news: https://twitter.com/hiraethpod If you're enjoying the pod, please do leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice. Diolch!

We've heard much recently about the Welsh Government's 'social partnership approach' that avoided strike action in Wales while rail disputes between the UK Government, operating companies, and unions brought many services to a standstill. But what does is mean to work in 'social partnership' and what is included in the Welsh Government's Social Partnership and Public Procurement Bill? Our guests from the Trades Union Congress Wales explain and also address some of the questions that have arisen after the UK Government re-stated its intention to legislate to abolish Wales's Trade Union Act 2017. Our guests: Joe Allen: https://twitter.com/Joe___Allen Nisreen Mansour: https://twitter.com/NisreenAnna TUC Wales: https://twitter.com/walestuc As always, you can find the latest from Hiraeth by following us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice. Diolch!

In our wrap up of the last month of political events affecting Wales, we explore the impact of the latest Westminster by-election results, Labour's public disagreements about Senedd reform, the recent industrial action by the RMT & barristers and finally look at Brexit and a few other Welsh Government announcements. Please listen to a message at the end from friend of the pod Shaun Bendle of 'That's Devolved!' and the Equal Power, Equal Voice Mentoring Programme. He is hopping on the pod to share details of the EPEV programme and why it wants to increase diversity in Welsh public life. There is a deadline of 10 July to apply, so we encourage our listeners to check it out! Find out more here: https://epev.cymru As always, you can follow the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod

How can rail services in Wales be so powerfully impacted by the RMT's recent industrial action when, as we have been reminded by a succession of MPs on broadcast rounds, "there are no strikes in Wales"? In this pod we take a deep dive into the state of rail in Wales, explore how and why parts of the network now fall completely under the control of the Welsh Gov & Parliament, what the plans and opportunities are for future development and how well-developed policies are to coordinate infrastructure and services across the various modes of transport (train, bus, tram, bicycle) in the future. And we do all this without mentioning the phrase 'Barnett Consequential'! Joining Ceri on the pod are our guests: Gemma Southgate: https://twitter.com/Gemma_DS Executive Committee Member for the TSSA union, Chair of Women in Rail Wales and railway industry professional for 8 years. Professor Stuart Cole: https://www.cymmrodorion.org/the-society/whos-who/council-members/professor-stuart-cole/ Emeritus Professor of Transport at the University of South Wales For all the latest from the pod, we recommend you follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod Do be in touch with any thoughts and feedback and if you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

With the plans now given the Senedd's stamp of approval, we speak with an expert in the form of Jess Blair, Director of the Electoral Reform Society Cymru, in detail about the Labour/Plaid Cymru agreement on Senedd reform and expansion. Is this a genuine step forward for Welsh democracy and are the accusations of the larger parties working in their own interests fair? We address these questions and more. You can find Jess on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/JessBlair7 And ERS Cymru here: https://twitter.com/ERScymru For the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And finally, if you're enjoying the pod, please leave a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

This week we are turning our gaze towards the Welsh Conservatives to discuss their recent conference, the identity of the party in modern Wales and inevitably (& with apologies) Partygate. Joining us is former Parliamentary and PCC Welsh Conservative candidate, and community councillor Hannah Jarvis. We also pick up the discussion about Senedd reform and the implications of the new proposal for an expanded national parliament for Wales elected via closed-list proportional representation with mandatory gender quotas. You can find Hannah on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hannahhjjarvis And for all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

Across Britain, the discussion of imperialism and colonialism has become increasingly salient as recent royal trips to distant commonwealth lands have seemed jarring in the modern world, historical revisionism underpinned much of pre- and post-Brexit campaigning and new attitudes to public statues have become a central pillar (or should that be 'plinth') of the UK Government's culture war. We are joined by two academics, Lucy Taylor of Aberystwyth University and Rhys Owens of Swansea University, to discuss Wales's relationship with empire and colonialism and the oft-invoked concept of whether the Welsh were a better kind of imperialist. You can find our guests on Twitter... Dr Lucy Taylor: https://twitter.com/LucyTaylor_aber Rhys Owens: https://twitter.com/RhysOwens92 For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

In this episode we are joined by Bronwen Weatherby, who has recently been appointed as Wales Correspondent for global news agency The Press Association. We ask Bronwen what it is like to report on events in Wales for audiences elsewhere on Britain and beyond, what impression Mark Drakeford has made beyond our borders and we look back at the results of the local elections now that the dust has begun to settle. You can follow Bronwen on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/BronWeatherby And get all the latest updates from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice to help others discover Hiraeth.

In the week that a commemorative bust of Jim Griffiths MP goes on display in the Senedd, we speak to biographer D. Ben Rees and political commentator Theo Davies-Lewis about his life and the battles he fought within and without the Labour Party to create the role of Secretary of State for Wales inside the UK Government cabinet. We also look to the future of the role to debate whether it could or should have a future in the era of Welsh self-government and a significantly more powerful and empowered First Minister. You can find the biographies of Jim written by Ben here... Fersiwn Cymraeg: https://www.ylolfa.com/products/9781847719010 English version: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Jim-The-Life-and-Work-of-the-Rt-Hon-James-Griffiths-by-D-Ben-Rees/9781999689858 And you can follow Theo for his latest in The National and elsewhere here: https://twitter.com/TDaviesLewis Be first to hear the latest from Hiraeth by following us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And finally, if you're enjoying the podcast please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

As the Senedd returns from recess and Westminster returns to being Pestminster, we discuss the latest news from the local government campaign trail, the Northern Ireland election and other updates on legislation from both ends of the M4 during April 2022. Joining us to discuss these topics and more is Shaun Bendle from That's Devolved. You can find Shaun here: https://twitter.com/smbendle And That's Devolved here: https://twitter.com/ThatsDevolved You can find out all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

With just days until France goes to the polls and either re-elects 'extreme centrist' Emmanuel Macron for another term or chooses to elect the controversial far right leader Marine Le Pen at the third time of asking, we discuss the issues behind the election with our guests Florent Jarry and Professor Nick Parsons. We look at the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, the electoral death of mainstream left/right parties, the future of Jean-Luc Mélenchon and, of course, Brexit. For all the latest from Hiraeth, visit us at www.walespolitics.com or follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And finally, if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

In this episode we speak with the authors of 'Northern Ireland & Brexit: A Troubled Constitutional Future' Dr Jonathan Evershed (University College Dublin) and Dr Mary C. Murphy (University College Cork) ahead of Northern Ireland's 2022 elections. We discuss their new book and its analysis of the political and constitutional forces unleashed onto Northern Ireland by an apparently unprepared UK Government following the 2016 EU Referendum. We also look at the effect on party politics and voting patterns ahead of May's election. Our guests: Dr Mary C. Murphy (Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration at University College Cork): https://twitter.com/MaryCMurphy Dr Jonathan Evershed (Newman Fellow in Constitutional Futures, University College Dublin): https://twitter.com/jevershed01 You can buy the book here: https://www.agendapub.com/books/160/a-troubled-constitutional-future For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review and rating in your podcast player of choice. Diolch.

Continuing our series looking at local government across the country ahead of May's elections, we speak with Richard John, the leader of Monmouthshire County Council about his experience of leading one of the most distinct local authorities in Wales. We touch on the Shared Prosperity Fund, devolution within Wales and why Monmouthshire is the only local authority in the country to own and run a Post Office. You can find Richard on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/RichardJohnRJ You can also find out the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you are enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

At the start of Spring, the two biggest parties of local government, Labour and Plaid Cymru, held their conferences. We catch up with attendees Megan Nia Thomas (Labour) and Radha Nair-Roberts (Plaid Cymru) to discuss the mood in both parties. Afterwards, the Hiraeth team chew the fat on various subjects that arose over March and early April, including the cooperation agreement, buses, the Welsh Government's response to the UK Government's Jubilee book for schools, NHS black incidents and Non-domestic rates reform, which Matt guarantees is more interesting than it sounds - you decide! Our guests: Megan Thomas: https://twitter.com/meganniathomas Radha Nair-Roberts: https://twitter.com/bratdha Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri 'The Viking' Davies: https://twitter.com/ceri4cathays Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru You can find all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice

Former First Minister Carwyn Jones believes that Wales has yet to be polarised on the basis of nationalism and unionism as in Scotland and that there is still time for a reformed British Union to offer Welsh citizens greater autonomy for their country while retaining beneficial elements of the United Kingdom. This short episode features a clip of a speech given by the former leader of Welsh Labour at University College Dublin. We're curious to know what you think about this vision about the future constitution of Wales and the UK. And while you're thinking about our national future... we'd like to encourage all of our listeners to engage with the Welsh Government's Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. You can use the short feedback form below to do so: Feedback form: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/22MWBF/ Full consultation: https://gov.wales/have-your-say-the-constitutional-future-of-wales The Constitution Reform Group on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActofUnionBill The Constitution Reform Group: https://www.constitutionreformgroup.co.uk A League-Union of the Isles: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2022/03/a-strategic-compromise/ Jonathan Evershed on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jevershed01 Link to the full University College Dublin event: https://youtu.be/N9HVH3t_1L4 If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review and rating in your podcast app of choice.

With the cost of living crisis becoming ever more apparent, The Bevan Foundation have just published a new report focussing on the problems people on low incomes face finding a home to rent. TLDR: It's not good but to expand on that we are joined by two of the report's authors: Hugh Kocan: https://twitter.com/HughKocan Steff Evans: https://twitter.com/SteffHEvans You can read the report here: https://www.bevanfoundation.org/current-projects/preventing-homelessness-through-improving-the-local-housing-allowance/ and follow The Bevan Foundation here: https://twitter.com/BevanFoundation If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice and follow us for all the latest pods, videos, and live events: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod

In this episode, we speak to three of the authors of Welsh [Plural]: Essays on the Future of Wales, a new book that offers some imaginative, radical perspectives that goes beyond the clichés and binaries that so often shape thinking about Wales and Welshness. Our guests: Darren Chetty: https://twitter.com/rapclassroom Rabab Ghazoul: https://twitter.com/gentle_hq Martin Johnes: https://twitter.com/martinjohnes You can buy Welsh [Plural] here: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/welsh-plural-essays-on-the-future-of-wales/ And you can find out all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

Continuing our season of local government podcasts ahead of the May 2022 elections, we speak to one of the most colourful council leaders of recent times - Jeffrey Jones, former leader of Bridgend County Borough Council and former education lead at the Welsh Local Government Association. We discuss a wide range of subjects from local democracy, levelling up, and a federal Wales and Jeff also brings in some anecdotes from his experience on the front line of local politics. You can find Jeff on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Jeffrey62093861 And you can find the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please consider supporting our Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

With March 2022 holding February 2022's beer, we take the opportunity to look back on the news from domestic politics in Wales and, of course, touch on the terrible events in Eastern Europe as Russia invades Ukraine. We are joined by Jonathan Williams of UBI Lab Wales and The National to discuss the new not-quite-a-UBI Basic Income pilot for care leavers and the imminent demise of the 'reasonable chastisement' defence, commonly known as the 'smacking ban'. You can find Jonathan here: https://twitter.com/JRWill26 His piece for The National on the smacking ban here: https://www.thenational.wales/news/19941756.solicitor-jonathan-williams-explains-wales-smacking-ban/ And a story from the BBC about the Basic Income for Care Leavers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-60391462 For all the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And do consider leaving us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice.

Why is Welsh local government such a complicated mess? Why have so many attempts to reform it failed and why politicians keep saying that they'll try to reform it? It's complicated! Thankfully we have a great guest to discuss this with Ceri and Matt, Steve Thomas CBE who was chair of the Welsh Local Government Association for 15 years and has... thoughts. You can find Steve on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/stevethomas100 His article about local government and the constitution here: https://nation.cymru/opinion/what-role-for-local-government-in-the-debate-on-waless-constitutional-future/ One of a long list of failed reform attempts: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-34454113 Four Combined Authorities for Wales proposal: https://cdn.ps.emap.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/Discussion-paper-on-four-combined-authorities-for-wales.pdf You can find Matt on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri here: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking And the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please rate, review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

To start our series of podcasts looking at the local government elections that will be taking place across Wales this year, we speak to Cardiff Council Leader Huw Thomas about local government, levelling up and the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal. You can find Huw on Twitter here: And of course you can find all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please do rate & review us on your podcast app of choice and consider becoming a Patron: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This is a short interview with Jacob Morris, the journalist at Golwg whose interview with new No. 10 Director of Communications Guto Harri made the headlines in the English & international press last week. We had plans to include it in a larger pod which never quite came together but we wanted to share it with our listeners. You can find Jacob here: https://twitter.com/jacobm_morris Jacob's interview with Guto is here: https://golwg.360.cymru/newyddion/gwleidyddiaeth/2087256-boris-johnson-cymryd-glin-chanu-will-survive-wrth If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice and follow us for all the latest updates: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod

With the Six Nations in full swing (which is more than can be said for the sweet chariots), the eternal debates about the future, past, and identity of Welsh rugby are topping the agenda once more. We speak to rugby writer James Stafford and Lewis Eldred, whose thesis on sport and national identity was recently discussed on Podcast Pêl-Droed, about the state of the game both on and off the pitch and the role it plays in Welsh life. Our guests: James Stafford: @JPStafford Lewis Eldred Davies: @LewisEldred You can find all the latest from Hiraeth @HiraethPod or at www.WalesPolitics.com

In our customary end of month review of the month, we talk Sue Gray, Johnson's woes, Ramsay to Rangers, the 90s Sleaze Revival and the cost of living crisis. You can follow Hiraeth for all the latest news, pods and videos here: http://www.twitter.com/HiraethPod or at http://www.walespolitics.com If you're enjoying the pod, please consider becoming a Patron: http://www.patreon.com/HiraethPod

Hiraeth is an independent Welsh podcast focussing on politics, policy and current affairs within Wales and looks at events beyond our borders from a Welsh perspective. Podlediad Cymraeg annibynnol yw Hiraeth, sy’n canolbwyntio ar wleidyddiaeth, polisi a materion cyfoes yng Nghymru ac yn edrych ar ddigwyddiadau y tu hwnt i’n ffiniau o safbwynt Cymreig.

Welcome to Byraeth, our short(ish) form analysis pods for each of the Hiraeth podcasts on our main podcast feed. This week we’re taking a look at broadcasting, specifically public service broadcasting, in the UK and the potential impact of changes proposed via unconsulted-upon tweet by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, Nadine Dorries. For Hiraeth we spoke to former Chair of the Senedd’s Culture committee Bethan Sayed and Tim Hartley, former Head of Corporate Affairs at S4C. The pod is available in all podcast apps or on this link: https://soundcloud.com/hiraethpod/will-public-service-broadcasting-survive-in-wales?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing The Hiraeth Team can be found here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod Partly here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 also here: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking and here: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru If you're enjoying the pods, please leave a review in your podcast app of choice.

Following the UK Government's tweeted announcements about the end of the BBC's Licence Fee funding model, we speak to two experts (Bethan Sayed, formerly Chair of the Senedd Culture Committee & Tim Hartley, former Head of Corporate Affairs at S4C) about the impact this could have on broadcasting and media here in Wales. Our guests: Bethan Sayed: https://twitter.com/bethanjenkins Tim Hartley: https://twitter.com/timhhartley And you can hear about all the latest pods, videos, events and news from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

With a major election on the horizon and the UK Government still at odds with the European Union and many citizens on Ireland with regards to the now infamous Northern Ireland Protocol, we speak to SDLP Member for South Belfast in the Northern Ireland Assembly Matthew O'Toole about the state of Northern Irish politics. Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewOToole2 The SDLP: https://twitter.com/SDLPlive For the latest from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And do remember to leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

However you define it, infrastructure plays an essential role in the lived experience of citizens, success of the economy and health of the environment. Following the announcements of the creation of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) and the Infrastructure Investment Strategy from the Welsh Government, we speak with a panel of experts to discuss whether the government is (ahem) on the right track. Our guests: David Clubb: Chair of NICW: https://toot.wales/@davidoclubb Fran Rolfe of Natural Resources Wales: https://twitter.com/frolfey Catherin Wenger of ARUP: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-wenger-a5a0291b/ You can find all the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethPod And do please leave us a rating or review in your preferred podcast app if you have enjoyed listening.

We are starting to see greater divergence in the political cultures of Wales and the UK in many ways but one of the most visible is the different directions of travel with regards to elections and voting. Wales (similarly to Scotland) is following a path to greater inclusivity and proportionality while lowering the minimum voting age to 16 while the UK Government is pushing voting restrictions, more 'first past the post' and maintaining votes at 18. We discuss electoral reform in Wales and the UK Government's new Elections Bill with: Jess Blair of the Electoral Reform Society Cymru: https://twitter.com/JessBlair7 (ERS Cymru: https://twitter.com/ERScymru ) and Maddy Dhesi of the 3 Million / Hands Off Our Vote: https://twitter.com/maddydhesi Maddy's campaign to the Scottish Government to oppose Voter ID: https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE1921?s=09 For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

In our last of pod of 2021, we take a look at questions and observations from guests, listeners and the wider Twittersphere about the events of the year and what to expect (or not to expect) for 2022. Strong analysis, weak puns and another dangerous wager... enjoy! Your hosts: Matthew Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri "The Viking" Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru For the latest blogs, pods and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog Finally, a massive thanks to all our listeners, guests, contributors and supporters who make this whole pod possible. It's been another long year that has been a tough one for many. Take care of your family and friends, be generous, patient and kind and remember to get your boosters. Nadolig Llawen pawb. (Mari Llwyd original image used under Creative Commons licence from R. Fiend - CC BY-SA 3.0 and adapted for use here by Richard Martin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ )

Nearly four in ten Welsh households struggling to make ends meet as we head into the second Covid Christmas. The Bevan Foundation's recent 'Snapshot of Poverty in Wales in Winter 2021' report illustrates the scale of the problem of poverty and how the pandemic has made the situation worse. We speak to the report's author, Dr Steffan Evans. You can find Steff on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/SteffHEvans The Bevan Foundation report here: https://www.bevanfoundation.org/resources/poverty-in-winter-2021/ Ceri's 'Viable and Vibrant Places' report here: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2019-01/vibrant-and-viable-places-framework.pdf And for the latest blogs, pods and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog Don't forget to leave us a review and rating in your podcast app of choice.

With the sustainability of our domestic economy coming under more and more scrutiny and the climate crisis an ever-looming concern, the concept of circular economies is gaining traction among policymakers and campaigners. We speak to three of the leading experts in this field in Wales about what steps we would need to take to make our economy more successful and sustainable and whether Christmas as we know it has to change: Ella Smillie (Co-founder, Benthyg Cymru): https://twitter.com/benthyg Dr Gary Walpole (Director, Circular Economy Innovation Community at Swansea/Cardiff Metropolitan Universities): https://twitter.com/CeicWales Eifion Williams (CEO Circular Economy Wales CIC): https://twitter.com/CircularCymru For all the latest blogs, pods & videos, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And do leave us a rating and review if you are enjoying the pod

After his second reshuffle of 2021, Keir Starmer now has a new-look shadow cabinet mixing new and familiar faces. Our resident Labour expert runs the rule over Starmer's decisions and their merits/demerits for the prospects of a revival of support in England, the waning fortunes of the Welsh PLP and the left/soft-left factions and the seemingly broken relationship between Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner. Jo Stevens is 'Demoted to Wales': https://twitter.com/patrickkmaguire/status/1465310740651335688?s=20 You can find Matt on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 And for all the latest blogs, pods, and videos you can follow Hiraeth here:https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast app of choice.

In this pod, former Scottish Labour parliamentary candidate Keiran O'Neill speaks to us about the state of Scottish politics and specifically the Scottish Labour Party, gridlocked between the dominant pro-independence politics of the SNP and the Boris-backing British nationalism of the Conservative and Unionist Party. Find Keiran on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/KeiranON And for the latest blogs, pods, and videos from Hiraeth, please follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And if you are enjoying the pod, please leave us a review and rating in your podcast app of choice.

Six months after a disappointing election result for Plaid Cymru, Adam Price has reached agreement with the Welsh Government to deliver a number of key policies for the party. Was it a deal worth the price? In this pod, we discuss the deal and the role of Plaid Cymru in Wales with The National's Chief Political Commentator Theo Davies-Lewis. You can find Theo's interview with Adam Price here: https://www.thenational.wales/news/19745041.theo-davies-lewis-interviews-plaid-cymru-leader-adam-price/ Theo on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TDaviesLewis The National here: https://twitter.com/nationalwales And for the latest blogs, pods and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, why not join us for our Big Xmas Quiz on the 13 December 2021? Ticket details available on all our social channels.

Following the announcement of the Welsh Labour-Plaid Cymru Cooperation Agreement, we discuss the potential and potential pitfalls of the agreement with Victoria Winckler of the Bevan Foundation and Mark Hooper of Banc Cambria, IndyCube and #WelshTwitter. You can find our guests online: Vicoria Winckler: https://twitter.com/vwinckler The Bevan Foundation: https://twitter.com/BevanFoundation Mark Hooper: https://twitter.com/markjhooper Banc Cambria: https://twitter.com/banccambria 4-Day Week Cymru: https://twitter.com/4DayWeekCymru Also, you can find Adam Price's Interview with Rob Osborne of ITV Wales here: https://twitter.com/i/status/1462780366704492553 And finally, for all the latest pods, blogs and videos follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, why not join us for our Big Xmas Quiz on the 13 December 2021? Ticket details available on all our social channels.

We take a look at the UK Government's plans for 'Levelling Up' and try to get to the bottom of how to define it and whether it is a genuine attempt to raise the standard of living across the union or whether it is simply a political slogan. Joining us are: Professor Nick Clifton of Cardiff Metropolitan University - https://twitter.com/FrannysTash and Kellie Beirne, Chief Executive of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal - https://twitter.com/kelliebeirne For all the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

Following the UK Government's 2021 Spending Review announcement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak, we speak to to Dr Ed Poole and Guto Ifan of the Wales Fiscal Analysis team at Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre to find out whether it is good or bad news for Wales. You can find out more from our guests on Twitter: Dr Ed Poole: https://twitter.com/EdGarethPoole Guto Ifan: https://twitter.com/Guto_Ifan The Wales Governance Centre: https://twitter.com/WalesGovernance For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And do please leave us a review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

The future of work has become one of the most pressing policy concerns in the wake of global health crisis caused by COVID-19. Is greater home- or remote-working a desirable economic or social goal and what, if anything, can the Welsh Government do in this regard? We speak to Sarah Williamson and Nicolas Webb of the newly-formed Constructive Policy Centre about their first paper 'Remotely Desirable?' that discusses this very issue and also universal basic income. You can read 'Remotely Desirable?' here: https://www.constructivepolicy.com/2021/10/remotely-desirable-sustainability-of.html?m=1 And find our guests on Twitter here: Nicolas Webb - https://twitter.com/ndwebb Sarah Williamson - https://twitter.com/SarahWill2410 The Constructive Policy Centre - https://twitter.com/ConstructivePol For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And do leave us a review on your podcast app of choice.

With Scotland imminently hosting the global climate summit COP26, we speak to a panel of experts to discuss the expectations we should have of the national government in Cardiff and the union government in Westminster and what success for the summit might look like. Our guests: Kate Evans - Energy & Construction Lawyer at Capital Law, Green energy and sustainability enthusiast and Cynnal Cymru Trustee: https://twitter.com/KateEFEvans Mark Lynas - Environmental writer and author of 'Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency' out now and CVF/Science Ally fellow: https://twitter.com/mark_lynas Andy MIddleton - noted voice on the environment and climate in Wales and Chief Exploration Officer TYF Adventure: https://twitter.com/gringreen Follow us on Twitter for the latest pods, blogs and videos: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a rating and review in your app of choice.

Following the announcement that all school children in Wales will be taught about racism and the contributions of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities as part the new curriculum, we speak to Prof. Charlotte Williams OBE who led a working group set up by the Welsh government to look at how BAME contributions through history could be taught in schools. You can find Charlotte on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/charwilliamsOBE And read more about the Welsh Government's announcement here: https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021-10-01/wales-to-become-first-uk-nation-to-make-bame-history-in-schools-mandatory If you're enjoying the podcast, do follow us on Twitter for the latest blogs, pods and videos: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

With party conference season in the rear view mirror and the parliaments of Britain resuming business once more, we are joined by Theo Davies-Lewis of The National to discuss the UK Conservative and Unionist Party Conference, the Welsh Conservatives and Gareth Davies's Zoom no-show on the crucial Senedd vote on Covid Passes. You can follow Theo here: https://twitter.com/TDaviesLewis And read his columns in The National here: https://www.thenational.wales/author/profile/296769.Theo_Davies-Lewis/ For the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And if you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice.

We speak to Will Hayward, Welsh Affairs Editor at WalesOnline and author of Lockdown Wales: How COVID-19 Tested Wales and an upcoming book exploring the debates, rationales and real-world implications of independence for Wales. You can find Will on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WillHayCardiff And read him at WalesOnline here: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/authors/will-hayward/ His first book, published by Seren is available here: https://www.serenbooks.com/productdisplay/lockdown-wales You can find all the latest blogs, pods and videos from Hiraeth by following us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And if you're enjoying the pod, please do leave us a review in your podcast player of choice.

Following an eventful UK Labour Party Conference in Brighton, we are joined by Rebecca Wilks of The National to discuss the highlights and lowlights of the event, Keir Starmer's essay 'The Road Ahead', Brexit, and the ongoing negotiations between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru in the Senedd. You can find Rebecca on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WilksBecca And read her in The National here: https://www.thenational.wales/author/profile/297026.Rebecca_Wilks/ If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, follow us on Twitter for the latest blogs, pods, and videos: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And finally, if you like the pod please rate and review us in your podcast app of choice. Good reviews helped us break into the top 50 politics podcasts in the UK and is much appreciated by the whole team.

Following the announcement that the Wales Green Party and Plaid Cymru are going to stand on a joint platform in the 2022 local government elections in Cardiff, we speak to Rhys ab Owen MS of Plaid Cymru and Wales Green Party Leader Anthony Slaughter to discuss how the agreement came to be, what their ambitions are for the project and whether it has scope elsewhere in the country. Our guests: Rhys ab Owen MS: https://twitter.com/RhysOwenThomas Anthony Slaughter: https://twitter.com/as_penarth & Ceri's blog about Plaid Cymru/Green cooperation: https://hiraethblogcymru.medium.com/back-to-the-future-a-return-to-ceredigion-and-pembroke-north-ceri-davies-132dbef48989 If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and review in your podcast app of choice and follow us on Twitter for the latest pods, blogs and videos: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

In this episode we speak to editors and contributors to 'The Welsh Way: Essays on Neoliberalism and Devolution', a new book from Parthian that challenges the concept of Wales as a left-leaning and radical political nation and offers suggestions for new approaches that go beyond 'clear red water'. You can buy 'The Welsh Way' here: https://www.parthianbooks.com/products/the-welsh-way-essays-on-neoliberalism-and-devolution Our guests: Dr Huw Williams Dr Keiron Smith: https://twitter.com/Kieron_d_smith Mabli Siriol Jones: https://twitter.com/mablisiriol For all the latest blogs, pods and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog ...and do remember to leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice.

Once Britain's most powerful industry, coal mining has left its mark on the geographies and communities in two particular places, the South of Wales and North-East of England, areas now strongly associated with support for Brexit. They are the subject of a new book, The Shadow of the Mine, by Professors Emeritus Ray Hudson and Huw Beynon of Durham and Cardiff Universities respectively and in this pod we discuss the political and cultural similarities and differences of these two post-industrial heartlands and their connection with the Labour Party. The Shadow of the Mine: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667406/the-shadow-of-the-mine-by-huw-beynon-and-ray-hudson/ Huw Beynon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/profhuwbeynon And for all the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog Do leave us a rating and review if you are enjoying the podacst.

Following the Boundary Commission announcement of their proposals for the new UK Parliamentary map of Wales, we speak to Shereen Williams, Secretary of the Boundary Commission for Wales to learn more about the process of drawing up the new map. Afterwards Matt, Ceri & Rich mull the political impact of the proposed changes. You can find the Boundary Commission here: https://twitter.com/BCommWales and Shereen here: https://twitter.com/ShereenWilliams For the latest blogs, pods, and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And finally, if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

We are joined by Catrin Glyn, co-host of Cardiff University's Golau Podcast and LLM Student Governance and Devolution to discuss the extraordinary series of long form interviews with prominent current and ex-politicians produced by the WalesCast team at BBC Wales. What did we learn from the four long-form interviews and what conclusions can we draw about what to expect from the big four parties in the Senedd term to come? You can find Catrin on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/catrin_glyn Golau Podcast here: https://twitter.com/golau_podcast Matt here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Richard here: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru and for all the latest Hiraeth pods, blogs and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please do leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

It's just over 100 days since the Senedd election and early analysis of the data is starting to be published. Here we speak to PhD student James Griffiths of Manchester University who has published some analysis of support for different governments on Britain in relation to Covid response and for which parties independence-supporting Welsh voters cast their ballots. You can find James on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/JamesDavidGriff His blog here: https://welshelectionstudycymru.wordpress.com/2021/08/19/sleepwalking-to-independence-changing-attitudes-to-welsh-independence-in-the-wake-of-brexit/ And a write-up of the analysis on Nation.Cymru: https://nation.cymru/news/almost-half-of-converts-to-welsh-independence-voted-labour-in-senedd-constituencies-research-shows/ For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow us here: And do leave us a review in your podcast app of choice if you're enjoying the pod.

Wales is infamous for its domestic news and media deficit and in this pod we speak to one of the individuals committed to changing things for the better. We discuss our national media landscape with Huw Marhsall, founder of the The National. Find Huw on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marshallmedia Follow The National: https://twitter.com/nationalwales And for all the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review and subscribe to receive future episodes automatically.

When tweets from the Rt Rev Joanna Penberthy recently resurfaced, including phrases such as 'never, never, never trust a Tory', a light was shone on the role of one of Wales's most defined - and Wales defining - institutions, the Church in Wales. It seemed to come as a surprise to many in Westminster that for the Church in Wales, you should not see the Church of England. We discuss this incident and more as we explore the role of religion in Welsh politics with our guests: Rev. Aled Edwards (Chief Executive of Cytûn, which brings different church traditions together in Wales): https://twitter.com/alededwardscym Theo Davies-Lewis (Chief Political Commentator at The National and good friend of the pod): https://twitter.com/TDaviesLewis For all the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And do subscribe and leave us a rating or review in your podcast app of choice.

With the Royal Welsh Show cancelled for a second straight year, Welsh rural life has again lost one of its main opportunities to raise issues affecting its communities and workers. In this pod we look at this important area of welsh life as it arguably faces one of the most difficult periods in its history and are joined by: Alex Heffron, a farmer in Pembrokeshire, West Wales focusing on Agro-ecology and Regenerative Agriculture. Geraint Davies, a Bala upland hill farmer and Natural Resources Wales Board Member Katie Davies, the current Chair of that bastion of the rural and agriculture communities The Welsh Young Farmers Club. Katie: https://twitter.com/KatieDave21 and https://twitter.com/Chair_WalesYFC Young Farmers' Club Wales: https://twitter.com/WalesYFC also https://twitter.com/CFfICymru Geraint: https://twitter.com/fedwarian Alex: https://twitter.com/AlexHeffron20 For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and review us in your podcast app of choice.

With parliaments heading into recess we dip into the Hiraeth mailbag to discuss some listener questions, including the state of British governments, Keir Starmer, Plaid Cymru, revelations from 1997, monarchy and, briefly, flags (but not the ones you're expecting). As mentioned in the episode, this is a link to the episode of Martin Shipton Meets...Elystan Morgan: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elystan-morgan/id1336948481?i=1000416963672 You can find us on Twitter: Matt - https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri - https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard - https://twitter.com/mimosacymru For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

With Northern Ireland still feeling the effects of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal more keenly than elsewhere in the union, we discuss the challenges for the unionist and nationalist communities and the province's future status with Dr Thomas Leahy of Cardiff University. Thomas can be found on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/thomasdmleahy For all the latest blogs, pods, and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And do subscribe to our feed in your preferred podcast app to receive new episodes automatically.

The new (ish) Welsh Government has published its Programme for Government, legislative programme, and updated roadmap for the future of the United Kingdom in the space of just over a week. To discuss their plans for reforming the UK and governing Wales, we are joined by Gareth Axenderrie of The National. You can find Gareth here: https://twitter.com/gaxenderrie The National here (do subscribe): https://twitter.com/nationalwales And, team Hiraeth here... Matt: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru For all the latest pods, blogs, and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And don't forget to subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive future episodes automatically.

One of the biggest changes in the new government is the Ministry of Climate Change, including transport and housing. After twenty years of devolution is this a moment to cheer for environmental campaigners or will the scope of the portfolio exceed the capacity of the government to deliver on its objectives? Indeed, is the government focussed enough on delivery? To discuss, we are joined by: Jess McQuade (WWF Wales): https://twitter.com/McQuadeJess Jemma Bere (Keep Wales Tidy): https://twitter.com/JemmaBere Neil Lewis (TrydaNi / Ynni Sir Gar): https://twitter.com/lowcarbonLewis For the latest pods, blogs and videos, follow Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And if you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice.

In this mini-series marking five years since the UK's referendum on EU membership and Wales's surprising vote to join England in voting 'Leave', we speak to three voices with different experiences of that day and the subsequent period of reflection. In this episode we speak to Robert Griffiths, Chair of the 2016 Lexit Campaign and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain to discuss Lexit, Jeremy Corbyn and the effect of Brexit on the union, from a left perspective. You can following the Communist Party in Wales here: https://twitter.com/WelshCommunists And for the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please do leave us a review and subscribe to receive future episodes automatically.

In this mini-series marking five years since the UK's referendum on EU membership and Wales's surprising vote to join England in voting 'Leave', we speak to three voices with different experiences of that day and the subsequent period of reflection. In this episode we speak with Rachel Trezise, author of 'Easy Meat', a novel set in the Rhondda that takes place on the 23rd June 2016 - the EU referendum day itself. Rachel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelTrezise Easy Meat from Parthian: https://www.parthianbooks.com/products/easy-meat For all the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, do leave us a review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

In this mini-series marking five years since the UK's referendum on EU membership and Wales's surprising vote to join England in voting 'Leave', we speak to three voices with different experiences of that day and the subsequent period of reflection. This episode features Siôn Tomos Owen, presenter of BBC Radio Cymru's 'Beth yw'r ots gennyf i am Brexit?' Siôn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sionmun Siôn's documentary on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w353/episodes/guide For all the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, do leave us a review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

One of the most notable new members of the Senedd following the 2021 election is Sam Kurtz, who represents Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire as a distinctly 'Welsh' Conservative. We speak to Sam about his background, the relationship between Wales and the UK and his new brief as spokesperson for rural affairs and the Welsh language. You can find Sam on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/SKurtzCWSP To stay up to date with the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, do give us a review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive future pods automatically.

In this episode we catch up with The National’s Chief Political Commentator and good friend of the pod Theo Davies-Lewis to discuss his recent interview with the First Minister and Welsh Labour’s construction of ‘Fortress Wales’. Theo’s Spectator piece: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/king-of-fortress-wales-an-interview-with-mark-drakeford/ Theo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tdavieslewis For the latest pods, blogs, and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/hiraethblog If you’re enjoying the pod, please subscribe, rate and review in your podcast app of choice.

Wales's footballing profile was sent to new heights during the European Championships in 2016 and, on the cusp of our first appearance at Euro2020, we speak to our guests about the people, politics and culture of the national team. Martin Johnes (Historian and Author of among many other books ‘A history of sport in Wales’): https://twitter.com/martinjohnes Richard Roberts - (Novelist, author of Hello Friend We Missed You and co-host of Podcast Pêl Droed): https://twitter.com/PodcastPeldroed Megan Feringa (Writer focusing on Welsh Football): https://twitter.com/megan_feringa For all the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog #TogetherStronger #GorauChwaraeCydChwarae

As one of the new Senedd Members who were elected in May, Mabon ap Gwynfor has already begun to make numerous 'ones to watch' lists for exciting and talented parliamentarians. We caught up with him to discuss the experience of becoming an MS, his thoughts on the election and, after being named as Plaid Cymru's spokesperson for Housing, what the key issues are in the rural housing crisis sweeping across Wales. You can find Mabon on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/mabonapgwynfor If you're enjoying the pod, please subscribe and rate in your podcast app of choice and follow us on Twitter for the latest pod, blog and video updates from the team at Hiraeth: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

The Welsh Government's announcement of its intentions to run a Universal Basic Income trial has raised Wales's profile around the world with UBI enthusiasts and raised a fair few eyebrows domestically as we try to understand what form it will take, how the Welsh Government will run the pilot and whether it even has the capacity to do so. To discuss, we are joined by Jonathan Rhys Williams of UBI Lab Wales and Coryn Barclay of the Scottish Citizens Basic Income Feasibility Steering Group. You can find our guests on Twitter here: Jonathan: https://twitter.com/UBILabWales Coryn: https://twitter.com/BasicIncomeScot For the latest pods, blogs and videos from Hiraeth, follow us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And please do rate, review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice. As Matt Chorley would say, it helps with the mumbo jumbo charts.

A short message from the Hiraeth team to mark one year since our first podcast. Matt: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru Drop us a line if you have suggestions or feedback here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog As always, if you're enjoying the pod, please do subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

With the Senedd election firmly in the rear view mirror and a new government and cabinet in place, what are the big challenges ahead and who are the rising stars of the Sixth Senedd? To discuss, Ceri and Matt are joined by: Dafydd Trystan (Chair of Wales’ Active Travel Board, Board member of Sports Wales and Former Plaid Cymru Chair): https://twitter.com/DafyddTrystan Eluned Parrott (Head of Wales at the Institute of Physics and former Member of the Senedd between 2011 and 2016): https://twitter.com/Eluned_Parrott Meg Thomas (Policy and Research Officer at Disability Wales and Co-Founder of that’s Devolved): https://twitter.com/meganniathomas You can also follow our latest updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review in your podcast app of choice and subscribe to receive the next episode automatically.

Stephen Bush of the New Statesman joins us to discuss the contrasting fortunes of the Labour Parties of Britain. Recorded in the week after the Welsh party has enhanced its reputation as a serial winner by increasing its representation in the Senedd while Keir Starmer's party struggles east of Offa's Dyke and Anas Sawar finds his party with a mountain to climb in Scotland once again. You can find Stephen on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/stephenkb And listen to the NS crew on their excellent podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-statesman-podcast/id630596898 We can be found on Twitter here if you would like to be in touch: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And, finally, if you're enjoying the pod please do subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next one automatically.

Following the truly extraordinary 2021 Senedd election Labour have found themselves unexpectedly able to govern alone, the Conservatives have failed to replicate their success in England, Plaid Cymru have lost their taliswoman in the valleys, and the Lib Dems have dodged what appeared to be political extinction. We take a look at the results and what this means for Wales. Team Hiraeth are: Matt: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru at Hiraeth: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please do subscribe in your app of choice to receive future episodes automatically.

In our final podcast before the Senedd election results are known, we speak to the directors of leading public affairs agency Deryn, Cathy Owens and Nerys Evans. We discuss the campaigns and the strategies behind them, the performance of the leaders and, yes, potential for parties to work together for stable government after the election. You can find our guests on Twitter... Cathy: https://twitter.com/cathy_owens Nerys: https://twitter.com/NerysEvans And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please leave us a nice review and subscribe to receive the next episode automatically.

In the last of our deep dives into the policy challenges facing the new Welsh Government after May's election we take a look at the big beast of the portfolios - health. Responsible for half of the Welsh budget and facing the unenviable task of rebuilding day-to-day services after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will surely dominate much of the next Senedd term. Joining us on this episode are: Dr Dai Samuel - Consultant at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital: https://twitter.com/docdai Helen Whyley – Director of the Royal College of Nursing Cymru: https://twitter.com/helenwhyley Shaun Bendle – Co-Founder of ‘That’s Devolved’ and PhD Student at Cardiff University: https://twitter.com/smbendle And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you are enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please rate, review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

With the election almost upon us, we take a deep dive into the party manifestos with special guests Mark Hooper of Plaid Cymru, Bob Lloyd of Welsh Labour and Emma Wilde Hale who was until recently a Welsh Conservative. We take a long look at Labour, Plaid Cymru, Conservative and Green Party manifestos and expose some manifesto-based trivia from elections present and past. You can find our guests on Twitter here: Mark: https://twitter.com/markjhooper Emma: https://twitter.com/RealWilde Bob: https://twitter.com/RoLloyd7 And us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

Continuing our series of interviews with political leaders in the run up to the Senedd election, we speak to the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds. You can find Jane on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/DoddsJane And the Welsh Lib Dems here: https://twitter.com/WelshLibDems And, of course, us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

The Senedd remains one of the few European parliaments never to have a Green Party parliamentarian. Leading the charge to put an end to that record is Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Wales Green Party. With the Senedd election just around the corner we spoke with Anthony to find out more about his journey from apartheid-era South Africa to ambitions for an independent, green future for Wales. You can find Anthony here: https://twitter.com/as_penarth The Wales Green Party here: https://twitter.com/WalesGreenParty And, of course, us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

As the campaign moves up a gear and parties are finally about to be out canvassing, we speak to a selection of candidates to hear their experiences of this unique Senedd election on the doorstep and in the digital domain. In a segment we call 'Owen Rants', we are then joined by social media legend Owen Williams of Siml who casts a critical eye over the different parties' digital campaigns and analyses their impact. Our guests: Luke Fletcher: https://twitter.com/FletcherPlaid Leena Farhat: https://twitter.com/LeenaSFarhat Sarah Murphy: https://twitter.com/sarah4bridgend Owen Williams: https://twitter.com/OwsWills And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to get the latest episode automatically and stay up-to-date with the twists and turns of the Senedd campaign.

In this episode in our series of analysing the biggest policy portfolios ahead of the Senedd 2021 election, we tackle the education brief. After a particularly tough year for all education providers during the COVID pandemic, what awaits schools and their new curriculum when face to face teaching resumes full time? Will university funding continue to be a thorny issue for whoever fills the ministerial office vacated by Kirsty Williams? To discuss Matt and Ceri are joined by Martin Johnes (Professor of History at Swansea University), Belinda Loveluck Edwards (NASUWT) Dr Rachel Hughes (Glyndwr University) and Rajvi Glasbrook Griffiths (Acting Headteacher, High Cross Primary). You can find our guests on Twitter: Martin: https://twitter.com/martinjohnes Belinda: https://twitter.com/Bel4theVale Rachel: https://twitter.com/rachelgwenllian Rajvi: https://twitter.com/RGlasbrook And you can find us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive our future shows automatically.

Completing our series of interviews with contenders for the role of First Minister at the 2021 Senedd election is this conversation with Andrew RT Davies. We discuss his recent return to leadership of the Conservative Senedd Group and the party's priorities for the next parliamentary term including Covid response, Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board and taxation. You can read the latest from Andrew on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/AndrewRTDavies And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Continuing our series of podcast interviews with the three candidates for First Minister at the Senedd election, we speak with Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, about the party's pledges, positioning itself as a challenger to Labour from the left and the salience of the independence debate. You can find Adam on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Adamprice And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Ahead of the first Senedd election to feature the expanded franchise for 16 & 17 year olds, we speak with Maisy Evans and Poppy Stowell-Evans of the Young, Female and Opinionated podcast, Lloyd Warburton of the CoronavirusCymru.Wales data tracker and Lisa Childs of NUS Wales. You can find our guests on Twitter: Maisy and Poppy's Young, Female and Opinionated Podcast: https://twitter.com/YFO_Podcast Lloyd: https://twitter.com/LloydCymru Lisa: https://twitter.com/LisaCChilds And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please leave us a review and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

As campaigns launch for the 2021 Senedd Election, we begin our series of conversations with the party leaders by speaking to current First Minister, Mark Drakeford. We discuss 22 years of Labour-led Government, his party's pledges for the next Senedd term, coalitions and the future of devolution and the UK. Mark is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkDrakeford And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe in your podcast app of choice and leave us a review or some feedback.

After the release of their new book "English: The Political Force Transforming Britain" we speak to Professors Ailsa Henderson of the University of Edinburgh and Richard Wyn Jones of Cardiff University about the vexed relationship between Englishness and Britishness. Find the book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/englishness-9780198870784?cc=gb&lang=en& You can find our guests on Twitter: Ailsa Henderson - https://twitter.com/ailsa_henderson Richard Wyn Jones - https://twitter.com/RWynJones And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Continuing our series of pods looking at the big policy challenges facing the parties at the Senedd election, this week we turn to the increasingly fraught subject of housing. Are we building enough homes of the right quality in both private & social housing? What levers does Welsh Government have to improve the planning process and what - if anything - can it do about spiralling rent costs? To discuss we are joined by Dr Steff Evans (Policy and Research Officer at the Bevan Foundation), Tamsin Sterling (Freelance Housing Researcher based in Cardiff) and Stuart Ropke (Chief Executive of Community Housing Cymru). You can find our guests on Twitter here: Steff: https://twitter.com/SteffHEvans Tamsin: https://twitter.com/TamsinStirling1 Stuart: https://twitter.com/stuart_chc And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Wales is notoriously under-polled as a polity so we have much to celebrate this week as have had 3 significant polls in the space of just a few days including record-breaking support for Welsh independence and contrasting levels of success (but success nonetheless) projected for the 'most successful electoral force any place ever'. Joining us to chew over the results and give an update on Scottish politics is Dr Jac Larner of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University. You can follow Jac on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/Jaclarner If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Continuing our series of podcasts looking at the key policy challenges leading into this year's general election, we laser in on the thorny issue of transport. To discuss this key portfolio, especially its four pillars or rail, road, air and active travel. are Stuart Cole (Professor of Transport at the University of South Wales), Christine Boston (Director of Sustrans Cymru) and John Pockett (Former Director for Wales of the Confederation of Passenger Transport). You can find our guests here: John: https://twitter.com/JohnPockett Christine: https://twitter.com/Mrs_C_Boston Stuart: [email protected] And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Following our previous podcasts on the subject of Welsh independence, this podcast presents a very interesting debate organised by Momentum/Welsh Labour Grassroots and The World Transformed that explores whether there is a socialist case for Welsh (& Scots) independence. The debate is chaired by former Hiraeth pod guest Harriet Protheroe-Soltani and features the following speakers; Mick Antoniw MS: https://twitter.com/MickAntoniw1 Mike Hedges MS: https://twitter.com/MikeHedgesAM Ben Gwalchmai: https://twitter.com/Lab4IndyWales Cat Boyd: https://twitter.com/kittycatboyd Madhu Khanna-Davies: https://twitter.com/mkdavies4 abd you can find Harriet here: https://twitter.com/hazza_ps And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically. You'll also find more podcasts exploring different aspects of Welsh independence in our feed - check them out!

Continuing our series looking at the big policy challenges facing the parties campaigning to govern after the Senedd 2021 election, this pod tackles one of the biggest portfolios and - arguably - one of the most challenging; the economy. Joining us are Professor Calvin Jones (Professor of Economics and Tourism at Cardiff University, Dr Victoria Winkler (Director of the Bevan Foundation) and Sion Barry (Media Wales business editor). You can find our guests on Twitter here: Calvin: https://twitter.com/WelshEcon Victoria: https://twitter.com/vwinckler Sion: https://twitter.com/sionbarry And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth Pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

In this pod we're joined by Jess Blair of the Electoral Reform Society Cymru and Professor Laura McAllister of Cardiff University who chaired the 2017 Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform. We discuss the challenges facing the parties as they campaign for an election which may, or may not, happen in May and try to engage with the enlarged electorate which includes 16 and 17 year-olds and qualified foreign nationals for the first time. We also look ahead to the prospects of Senedd reform post-election and whether the parties will finally grasp the challenge of building the parliament that Wales needs. You can find the education. support packs that Jess mentions here: - Online resources free to use for the election: https://t.co/SAXjJTXd46 - ProjectVote for a parallel election for 11-15 year olds: https://t.co/pHGAL2Bvif and find our guests on Twitter: ERS Cymru: https://twitter.com/ERScymru Jess Blair: https://twitter.com/JessBlair7 Laura McAllister: https://twitter.com/LauraMcAllister and, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

To mark ten years since he joined the House of Lords, we speak to Dafydd Wigley about Plaid Cymru, the post-Brexit landscape for Welsh politics and the economy, the independence movement, and his long career in politics. Do follow us on Twitter for the latest news about pods and blogs: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

We begin our series of deep dives into the opportunities and challenges facing the ministers of the next Welsh Government with a look at the environment portfolio as Matt & Ceri speak to Jemma Bere of Keep Wales Tidy, Liz Silversmith of Wales Environment Link and energy projects manager Alex Meredith. You can find our guests on Twitter: Jemma: https://twitter.com/JemmaBere Liz: https://twitter.com/lizsilversmith Alex: https://twitter.com/AlexinCardiff And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

After a *very* tricky week for the Welsh Conservatives and another unsuccessful foray for the 'Minister for the Union' north of the border, we are joined by Theo Davies-Lewis to analyse where this leaves the Conservatives in Wales and Wales in the union. You can find Theo on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TDaviesLewis Matt here: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri here: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard here: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru and, of course, Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the pod, please like and subscribe in your app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

In this episode we discuss the latest political issues with Plaid Cymru MS for South East Wales, Delyth Jewell. We also cover her political history and the tragic circumstances that saw her join the Senedd after the passing of Steffan Lewis. You can find Delyth on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/DelythJewellAM And of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice.

In the week of the Institute of Welsh Affairs Media Summit, we take a look at the state of new and traditional media in and about Wales with Martin Shipton of the Western Mail, Huw Marshall of The News Wales and Rhian Jones of Red Pepper/Tribune. Find our guests on Twitter here: Martin: https://twitter.com/ShiptonMartin Huw: https://twitter.com/huwmar Rhian: https://twitter.com/RhianEJones And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Matt, Ceri and Rich take a look at the latest political stories in Wales and review the big themes of the year, including performance of Welsh & English/UK Governments, Brexit, the Internal Market Bill, Labour's travails with further devolution and - yes - even some positive stuff. Matt: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Rich: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru And, of course, the Hiraeth Pod: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth Podcast, please like and subscribe in your podcast app of choice,

Following the UK Government's success in passing the controversial Internal Market Bill through Westminster in the face of opposition in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the future of the UK is again under the microscope. With Scotland nearing the exit and this UK Government seemingly intent on re-centralising power in London, the British Labour Party are launching a constitutional convention, which the Welsh party has been championing for years. Will it lead to anything substantial and could it ever be enough to improve the UK so that it persuades Scotland to decline independence? To discuss with us are Mick Antoniw MS, trade unionist Harriet Protheroe-Soltani and Ben Gwalchmai of Labour for an Independent Wales. You can find our guests on Twitter: Mick - https://twitter.com/MickAntoniw1 Harriet - https://twitter.com/hazza_ps Ben - https://twitter.com/Lab4IndyWales and, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hireath Pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice.

As part of our mini-series on looking at England, its regions, and future in the UK, we speak to former MP Professor John Denham of the University of Southampton's Centre for English Identity and Politics and the English Labour Network and Alex Niven of Newcastle University and author of 'New Model Island'. You can find our guests on Twitter here: Alex: https://twitter.com/Alex_Niven John: https://twitter.com/JYDenham and, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice and you'll receive future episodes automatically.

Welsh Government deputy minister Lee Waters MS has developed a reputation for speaking his mind and in this episode he does just that. In a wide-ranging conversation, we cover everything from economic 'sexy talk', the nationalisation of Welsh rail services, the realities of a post-COVID world and the reasons why Welsh Labour should positively engage in the conversations about independence. You can find Lee on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Amanwy And, of course, Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe on your podcast player of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

The dust is far from settled on the US Presidential Election 2020 but the clear Biden victory suggests a revived (and welcome) role for coherent policy making at home and abroad for the next four years. What does this mean for Wales, the UK and the wider world and what did we learn about America during the election? To discuss with Matt and Ceri is political scientist Dr Jac Larner - a specialist in political psychology and Fullbright Fellow - and Jane Davidson, former Welsh Government Minister and author of #FutureGen, the story of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. You can find our guests on Twitter: Jac Larner: https://twitter.com/Jaclarner Jane Davidson: https://twitter.com/JaneBryngwyn And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice.

In these episode we speak to the leaders of two campaigns to gain political control for their nations from Westminster. They are Dr Phillip Proudfoot of the recently formed Northern Independence Party (NIP) and Dick Cole of Meybyon Kernow. We discuss their key aims, the source of their discontent with the status quo and their aspirations for the future. You can find our guests below on Twitter: Cllr Dick Cole: https://twitter.com/CllrDickCole Dr Phillip Proudfoot/NIP: https://twitter.com/FreeNorthNow And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice.

After the Wales Green Party decided to campaign for Welsh independence in the event of a referendum, we speak to Wales Green Party Leader Anthony Slaughter and Cllr Emily Durrant to discuss the history and the future of the Green Party in Wales and what the support for independence means in the context of next year's Senedd elections. Find our guests on Twitter: Anthony Slaughter: https://twitter.com/as_penarth Emily Durrant: https://twitter.com/emilyvdurrant Wales Green Party: https://twitter.com/WalesGreenParty and, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Here's a quick snapshot of what we do here at the Hiraeth Pod. Check out our past episodes and subscribe to the feed to receive future pods automatically. Follow us on Twitter for the latest blogs/pods/videos: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

The pubs may be closed for the Welsh Firebreak but Tafarn Hiraeth is open for business for a Firebreak Friday discussion of the Welsh Gov's COVID-19 response, the UK Gov's less-than-perfect record, the renationalisation of Welsh rail (sort of) and the upcoming US Election. Featuring Matt Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri 'The Viking' Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru Follow Hiraeth on Twitter for the latest blogs/pods/videos and upcoming news about our #AmeriCymru US Election watchalong: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

Few members of the Senedd are as distinctive as long serving liberal Conservative David Melding, the 'Last of the Unionists'. Known for his thoughtful and considered approach to political discourse, he will be stepping down from the Senedd in May 2021. We discuss his political journey from Neath Young Conservatives, through opposition to devolution in 1997 to his campaign for a new act of union and deep, deep disdain for the UK Government's Internal Market Bill. You can find David on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/DavidMeldingMS And, of course, us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please subscribe, rate and review in your podcast player of choice.

As one of Wales's most recognisable politicians, Carwyn Jones has led the country through some of the most tumultuous years in its recent past and as a minister and later First Minister not only been instrumental in the development of the Senedd but also the Labour Party in Wales. Carwyn will be stepping down as an MS in 2021 and we took took this opportunity to discuss his political journey as detailed in his new book 'Not Just Politics'. You can find Carwyn on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/AMCarwyn And, of course, us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please subscribe, rate and review in your podcast player of choice.

After her announcement that she will not be seeking re-election to the Senedd in 2021, we caught up with Bethan Sayed MS to discuss her journey from election in 2007 to the difficult decision to prioritise her family over her desire to represent her community. You can find Bethan on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/bethanjenkins And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please subscribe, rate, and review in your podcast player of choice.

In this episode, we're joined by Jeremy Miles MS, Brexit Minister and Counsel General for the Welsh Government, to discuss the UK Government's contentious Internal Market Bill. Jeremy puts forward the Welsh Government's case that the bill is as damaging to relations with the other governments of the UK as it has been with international governments and describes how Welsh Government thinks the bill could be revised to provide a better, more equal union. You can find Jeremy on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/wg_CounselGen Welsh Government's response the IMB here: https://gov.wales/finance-ministers-express-real-concerns-over-uk-internal-market-bill And the excellent Senedd Research piece on the bill here: https://seneddresearch.blog/2020/09/24/the-devolution-debate-at-the-heart-of-the-uk-internal-market-bill/ And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

As the COVID-19 lockdown lifted in Wales, we saw a number of incidents across the country where the interests of the tourists and locals seemed to come into conflict. In this episode we discuss the challenges facing the tourist industry in Wales with Jim Jones, CEO of North Wales Tourism and Edward Evans, Chair of Keep Wales Tidy and recently chair of the Brecon Beacons National Park. You can find our guests on Twitter here: Jim: https://twitter.com/jjjj86 Ed: https://twitter.com/EdEvansWales And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please subscribe, rate and review on your podcast player of choice.

This show focusses on the upcoming Presidential election in the United States. We're joined by two Welsh Americans, Dr Gareth Roberts (Philadelphia) and Anna Thomas (Tucson) and Dr Ian Stafford, senior lecturer in politics at Cardiff University. You can find our guests on Twitter here: Gareth: https://twitter.com/garicgymro Ian: https://twitter.com/IanStafford78 Anna: https://twitter.com/kit24_7 And, of course, us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please rate and review on your podcast player of choice and subscribe to receive the next episode automatically.

After our mini-series looking at the complex and occasionally contradictory/complementary relationships between federalism, socialism and nationalism in Wales and elsewhere in the UK and Europe, Joe Healy joins us to discuss his blog on the subject and wrap up the series. The Federalism, Socialism and Nationalism box set: https://soundcloud.com/hiraethpod/sets/federalism-socialism-and Joe’s review of these episodes on Hiraeth: https://medium.com/@hiraethblogcymru/self-fulfilling-prophecy-joe-healy-3a4d9ed9581d Also on Twitter: Joe Patrick Healy: https://twitter.com/joepatrickhealy Matt Hexter: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Richard Martin: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru and, of course, Hiraeth: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

In August 2020, Dr Ed Bridges & Liberty successfully took their legal challenge against South Wales Police's use of automatic facial recognition technology to the Court of Appeal of Wales and England. The court upheld three of their five points raised on appeal and ruled that use of the technology by police forces in Wales and England is unlawful. In this pod we speak to Ed about the nature and arguments of the case and what its impact might be on future use of the technology. You can find Ed on Twitter if you'd like to (politely) ask him more about the case: https://twitter.com/DrEdBridges And you can read the case details here: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/legal-challenge-ed-bridges-v-south-wales-police/ And, of course, find us on Twitter too: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to have the next episode download automatically.

As the countries on Britain continue to chart different political courses, could a new federal United Kingdom provide a solution that could persuade independence supporters and centralising unionists that there is enough common ground to build a sustainable future for the UK? The Liberal Democrats and the new British Labour leadership think so. We ask the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds, and Hefin David (Member of the Senedd for Caerphilly) to outline how they think federalism would improve the way Britain is governed. and invite Mark Hooper of Yes Cymru to critique the concept. You can follow our guests on Twitter: Jane Dodds: https://twitter.com/DoddsJane Mark Hooper: https://twitter.com/markjhooper Hefin David MS: https://twitter.com/hef4caerphilly And, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to receive the next episode automatically.

Following the First Minister's widely-shared comments about the compatibility (or not) of national movements and socialism, this episode is the second of a short series of two exploring the subject. In our previous episode we heard PhD student Sam Parry explore the argument from the perspective of a committed socialist equally committed to the Welsh independence campaign. This episode takes in a very different perspective from Labour historian Dr Daryl Leeworthy, author of 'Labour Country'. If you'd like to know more about the ideas discussed here, you can find us here: twitter.com/HiraethBlog and our guest Dr Daryl Leeworthy's Blog: https://labourcountry.wordpress.com If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to have future episodes download automatically.

Following the First Minister's widely-shared comments about the compatibility (or not) of national movements and socialism, this episode is the first of a short series of two exploring the subject. In this episode we hear PhD student Sam Parry explore the argument from the perspective of a committed socialist equally committed to the Welsh independence campaign. Our subsequent episode will feature a different perspective from Labour historian Dr Daryl Leeworthy. If you'd like to know more about the ideas discussed here, you can find us here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog and our guest Sam Parry here: https://twitter.com/welshbolshevik If you're enjoying the Hiraeth pod, please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to have future episodes download automatically.

Wrapping up our series looking ahead to the Senedd election in 2021, we pull out some of the common themes and differences in the way the parties are approaching the election and look at the personalities and policies that might make a difference. If you'd like to catch up with our Senedd 2021 series, you can find the whole box set here: https://soundcloud.com/hiraethpod/sets/senedd-2021-the-box-set You can find out more about Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog And please do get in touch with us if you're enjoying the pod: Matt: https://twitter.com/hexter101 Ceri: https://twitter.com/ceritheviking Rich: https://twitter.com/mimosacymru

In the last of our series of interviews looking at the Senedd 2021 election, we take a look at the increasingly prominent question of Welsh independence and the ever prominent question of Scottish independence in the parallel election for the Scottish Parliament. Our guests: Prof. Ailsa Henderson: https://twitter.com/ailsa_henderson Ben and colleagues at Labour for Indy Wales: https://twitter.com/Lab4indyWales Elin Hywel: https://twitter.com/ElinHywel If you're enjoying listening to the pod, please like and subscribe on your podcast player of choice to have the next episode download automatically.

Continuing our preview of the Senedd 2021 campaign, this episode we discuss the policies not the politics that will - and should - feature as the people of Wales elect their next government. Our guests: Meg Thomas - Policy and Research Officer at Disability Wales - https://twitter.com/meganniathomas Harry Thompson - Account Executive for Deryn Public Affairs - https://twitter.com/HMorganThompson Daniel Roberts - Policy and Research Officer at Wales Co-Operative Centre - https://twitter.com/danroberts11 Owen Williams - Managing Director of SIML Social Media Agency, Former Social Media Lead for BBC Wales - https://twitter.com/OwsWills Nisreen Mansour - Policy Officer for the Wales TUC - https://twitter.com/NisreenAnna Jemma Bere - Policy Officer for Keep Wales Tidy - https://twitter.com/JemmaBere Thanks for listening. If you’re enjoying Hiraeth please like and subscribe in your podcast player of choice to have the next episode download automatically.

We follow up our pod with the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Communist Party with a discussion of the challenges they face heading towards the Senedd 2021 election. Our Lib Dem/Green/Communist Pod: https://soundcloud.com/user-177544521/senedd-2021-liberal-democrats-greens-and-communists If you're enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe on your podcast player of choice and follow us on Twitter for the latest updates: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

One year away from the Senedd elections, we continue our series of podcasts analysing the state of the parties. In this episode we take a look at the smaller parties of the left and centre and their ambitions and prospects for 2021. In this episode, former Assembly Member Eluned Parrott and Cllr James Gibson Watt discuss the Welsh Liberal Democrats. For the Wales Green Party we have deputy leader Lauren James and former Rhondda candidate Shaun Thomas. Finally, we have Catrin Ashton, former Mid and West Wales candidate for the Welsh Communists. You can find our guests here: Eluned Parrott: https://twitter.com/Eluned_Parrott James Gibson Watt: https://twitter.com/JamesGibsonWatt Lauren James: https://twitter.com/LaurenJamesWGP Shaun Thomas: https://twitter.com/ShaunThomas777 Welsh Communists: https://twitter.com/WelshCommunists ... and, of course, us: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog If you are enjoying Hiraeth, please like and subscribe on your podcast player of choice.

One year away from the Senedd elections, we continue our series of podcasts analysing the state of the parties. Following our interview with, David Melding MS, Cllrs Amanda Jenner, James Evans and Emma Wilde, we consider how the Conservatives have reconciled themselves to devolution (or not), the chances of making gains in 2021, the (surprising) willingness to work with Plaid Cymru and what the key campaign issues might be in 2021. You can listen to our interview with David, Amanda, Emma and James here: https://soundcloud.com/user-177544521/senedd-2021-the-welsh-conservatives And find out the latest from Hiraeth here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

One year away from the Senedd elections, we continue our series of podcasts analysing the state of the parties. In this episode, David Melding MS, Cllrs Amanda Jenner, James Evans and Emma Wilde evaluate the success of the Conservatives in Wales in the UK election of 2019, the spectrum of support ranging from abolition of devolution to independence, the leadership of the party in Wales and the potential for working with Plaid Cymru after the next election.

Following our interview with Cllr Carrie Harper (Wrecsam) and former Cardiff Central parliamentary candidate Mark Hooper, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for Plaid Cymru at the Welsh Parliament elections in 2021. You can listen back to Carrie and Mark's interview here (and we'd recommend you do): https://soundcloud.com/user-177544521/senedd-2021-plaid-cymru Read the latest posts on Hiraeth here: medium.com/@hiraethblogcymru And follow on Twitter here: twitter.com/HiraethBlog

One year away from the Senedd elections, we continue our series of podcasts analysing the state of the parties. In this episode, Senedd candidate for Wrecsam Carrie Harper and former Cardiff Central UK Parliament candidate Mark Hooper discuss the big ideas that they believe will be the basis of a successful campaign for Plaid Cymru in 2021.

Following our interview with Anna McMorrin MP, Tonia Antoniazzi MP and Mike Hedges MS, we discuss the challenges facing Labour in the 2021 election. You can listen back to Anna, Tonia and Mike's interview here: https://soundcloud.com/user-177544521/01-welsh-labour Read the latest posts on Hiraeth herE: https://medium.com/@hiraethblogcymru And follow on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HiraethBlog

One year away from the Senedd elections, we start our series of podcasts analysing the state of the parties with Welsh Labour. We are joined by Mike Hedges MS, Tonia Antoniazzi MP and Anna McMorrin MP.