Wales (Cymru)

They want you angry. But not at them.

They want your rage pointed downwards. At the man in the tent, the woman in the food bank queue, the family who fled war on a small boat and arrived here with nothing but a name and hope.

All the while, the people actually bleeding us dry glide through Cardiff Bay on yachts, untouched and unbothered.

Let’s be crystal clear here. Wales is not in poverty because of migrants, and it’s not broken because of refugees. The enemy doesn’t come on a dinghy, it arrives in yachts, it’s in a boardroom, a mansion, or a private jet.

And in Wales, that theft is happening in plain sight.

Note: I am the author of this piece, constructive criticism and feedback is welcomed!

There’s been a lot of noise lately about Wales reaching “parity” with Scotland. Devolution, powers, control over our economy, our justice system, our media. And sure, on the face of it, who could argue? Scotland has more powers than Wales. Always has. So it stands to reason, some say, that Wales should simply be brought up to their level.

But here’s the problem with that framing.

It assumes that Scotland is the bar to aspire to, not the fellow traveller on the road to something far bigger. It assumes that our liberation is about catching up, not moving forward. And worst of all, it assumes that England will always be the default. The centre of power. The seat of legitimacy and control.

I reject that entirely. I don't want equality with Scotland. I want equality with England. Wales deserves to stand as an equal partner, not as a poorer cousin begging to be brought up to the same tier.

Note - I am the author of this piece, all feedback and constructive criticism welcome

There would be no independence referendum in the first term of a Plaid Cymru-led government, its leader has said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told BBC Walescast his "number one priority" would be getting to grips with health, education and the economy.

There could be no “formal relationship” between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK following the next Welsh elections, the party leader has said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth ruled out a deal with Nigel Farage’s party 12 months out from the next Welsh general election.

Plaid and Reform are currently predicted to be the two biggest parties in Wales next year, according to a YouGov poll published on Tuesday.

However, neither is expected to have enough votes for an outright majority.

Mr ap Iorwerth said there would be areas that every party could work together on, with Plaid previously having had a cooperation agreement with Labour that collapsed last year.

Desmond Clifford

When Pope Francis died, I was surprised by my level of interest. I had an intensely Catholic early life but haven’t been much in churches for years.

So far as I could tell, Francis was a humble man whose heart was in the right place.

He mistrusted the Vatican civil service (“the Curia”), as any pope should.

He was personally tolerant and merciful and spoke up for immigrants when practically no one else would.

Apparently, he could be irascible, which only made him more human in my eyes.

The part of his mission which was to be a shepherd and lead by example, I think he did very well.

I’m less sure about the institutional side of his mission. His personal support for those marginalised by the Church – women, gays, divorcees – didn’t translate into reform.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the Welsh Liberal Democrats mattered. Never at the top, mind you, but they were at least part of the national conversation. A couple of Senedd seats, a smattering of MPs, a sense of progressive credibility. But that time is over. And after this week’s full-throated rejection of Welsh independence from their lone Senedd member, it’s hard to see them doing anything but fading quietly into political irrelevance.

Note - I am the author of this piece, any constructed feedback welcome, thanks!

The Senedd’s only Liberal Democrat has claimed that independence would be so devastating for Wales that it would “make Brexit look like a walk in the park”.

Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds made the comments on Monday (April 28) following the announcement of Plaid Cymru’s new economic plan for Wales.

The party – led by Ynys Môn MS Rhun ap Iorwerth – has promised to “breathe new life” into the Welsh economy if they win the next Senedd election in May 2026.

Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has urged both the UK and Welsh Labour Governments to commit to significant investment in Port Talbot following the closure of TATA Steel’s last blast furnace in September last year.

Mr ap Iorwerth made the comments on a visit to the town in the aftermath of the emergency measures taken in recent days by the UK Government to safeguard the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe works.

Accompanied by the party’s spokesperson for Economy and Energy Luke Fletcher, he met with residents and former steel workers on Tuesday (15 April) to hear directly from the community how both Governments must now develop a strategy that ensures a future of steelmaking in Port Talbot.

Ocean Way is the one I'm thankful for. Almost everyone drives at 30 on there anyway despite the 20 limit.

I've just started learning Cymraeg on Duolingo, but I have a question. Should I try and use a Welsh accent when I'm speaking the language, or would it be better to use my English accent (which is sort of casual RP with a hint of Northumbrian)?

It is the end at one of the biggest steelworks in the world as the last blast furnace shuts down, leaving it unable to make its own steel.

Nearly 2,000 jobs will be lost at Tata Steel UK’s Port Talbot plant as blast furnace number four ceases production meaning it will no longer be able to make virgin steel.

The ironworks will enter a transition phase until 2027 when steelmaking will resume through a £1.25 billion electric arc furnace.

The new furnace uses electric current to melt scrap steel or iron to produce steel, whereas blast furnaces use coke, a carbon-intensive fuel made from coal to produce steel.

The latest National March for Rejoin is scheduled for this coming weekend in London, on Saturday 28 September. It comes at a time of mixed fortunes for those campaigning to take the UK back into the EU. On the one hand, the level of support for rejoining has never been higher. The social and economic effects of Brexit are becoming clearer, and Brexiters sound increasingly defensive.

On the other hand, the political outlook remains challenging. Labour in office has stuck to its red lines on freedom of movement. It talks about “resetting” the relationship, and at least – unlike its predecessors – behaves maturely when dealing with European counterparts. But it persists in its stance that there’s “no case” for joining the Single Market and Customs Union, let alone rejoining the EU as a full member. While there are some hopeful signs, its position on free movement for young people remains a barrier to substantive changes in the relationship.

A three week-long celebration of music is coming to Cardiff from tomorrow (Friday, September 27).

According to organisers the Cardiff Music City Festival is set to push the boundaries of music innovation, performance and tech.

A spokesperson said: “The Welsh capital has a rich history as an exciting and energetic music city and this autumn Cardiff’s streets will pulse with immersive music happenings, secret gigs, headline shows and inventive pop-ups.

The first minister says she has not given up on bringing HS2 funding to Wales.

Despite the high-speed rail project being entirely in England, Wales received no extra cash from the previous Conservative UK government to make up for the scheme.

So far, Eluned Morgan's UK party colleagues have been reluctant to commit to consequential funding.

Further savings and cuts may need to be found as a health board grapples with a budget deficit of just under £23 million – which could balloon to around £35 million.

The dire financial situation facing Powys Teach Health Board (PTHB) was discussed at a board meeting on Wednesday, September 25.

PTHB had initially planned to post a £24.9 million deficit budget this year, but in May they were asked by the Welsh Government to look at the figures again.

This saw the figure brought down to £22.9 million, which has yet to be agreed by the Welsh Government.

A consortium of Welsh climate activists has set out a series of measures it would like to see pursued in 2025.

Climate Cymru is an active network of 370 partner organisations from every sector of Welsh society, and a movement of over 15,000 individuals from across Wales who say they share a desire for urgent, fair action to address the climate and nature emergencies.

The network’s campaign coordinator David Kilner said: “We’d like to see the Welsh Government join the global Fossil Free Treaty – a concrete, binding plan to end the expansion of new coal, oil and gas projects and manage a global transition away from fossil fuels.

To imagine a Wales and a world where peace reigns is not just to imagine the absence of war. It’s to imagine a place where we all live free from fear, where our rights are respected, and where everybody is equal. It’s to imagine conducting all our relationships – with ourselves, neighbour to neighbour, stranger to stranger, community to community, country to country – with justice and fairness. Imagine if this kind of positive peace was part of our national identity, a value that drove all of what we do.

Ahead of the United Nations Summit of the Future, a global cooperation event held in New York last weekend, Academi Heddwch Cymru (Wales’s Peace Institute) worked on a paper exploring how Wales can become a ‘Nation of Peace’ – Cymru fel Cenedl Heddwch. Imagine that.

Senior councillors have backed plans to buy and set up a new waste depot, to tackle the county borough’s low recycling rates.

But the clock is ticking on a potential deal for a site, which Caerphilly County Borough Council must effectively agree to buy in October or the landowner will reportedly “pursue other options”.

The depot will be key to the council’s waste strategy, launched after it recorded Wales’ worst recycling rates in 2023.

You can read part one in the series here.

One of the most common arguments used by Unionists against Welsh independence is that Wales cannot afford to pay its own way. They repeat that Wales receives £18bn a year as a ‘handout’ from the UK, and cannot survive without this ‘subsidy’. They overlook that Wales also generates taxes and revenue, collected directly by the UK, and the £18bn is largely a return of that.

However, it’s been difficult to refute such claims as there was long a shortage of reliable data on the economic performance of Wales. There’s a huge body of economic statistics and data published by the UK Government in its National Accounts – commonly referred to as ‘The Blue Book’ – but it’s difficult for the average person to follow, let alone extract the necessary data in a Welsh context.

Reform UK is to hold events in Wales, Scotland, and across the English regions, as it eyes up representation in the Senedd and town halls, Nigel Farage has said.

The Reform leader announced a Welsh conference, a Scottish gathering, and regional events in the North East and South West, as the party rounded off its national conference.

Mr Farage on Friday laid out a plan to professionalise the party, giving its members a stake in its ownership.

A battle to save Blackwood Miners’ Institute from being “mothballed” looks set to drag on, complicated by the venue’s charitable status.

Caerphilly County Borough Council leader Sean Morgan announced today (Thursday September 19) a decision on the historic site’s future would be postponed while the local authority takes legal advice.

The council has proposed mothballing the cultural venue – which it currently subsidises to the tune of £347,000 annually – because of the need to make a further £45 million in budget savings over the next two years.

A Welsh Labour minister defended cuts to winter fuel payments for most pensioners in a debate on Wednesday.

Conservatives challenged Labour in the Senedd to back calls for the UK government to reverse the plans, warning they will have a "devastating impact" with an estimated 500,000 losing up to £300 this winter.

But Jane Hutt, Social Justice Secretary, said "difficult decisions" were being taken because of a £22bn "black hole" in UK public finances.