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/ ...
Nov 27, 2021•41 min
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...
Nov 24, 2021•54 min
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...
Nov 19, 2021•51 min
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 ...
Nov 06, 2021•47 min
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...
Nov 05, 2021•42 min
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...
Oct 28, 2021•53 min
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: h...
Oct 22, 2021•27 min
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/ ...
Oct 14, 2021•43 min
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 c...
Oct 08, 2021•55 min
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, fo...
Oct 03, 2021•45 min
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 &am...
Sep 30, 2021•38 min
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_sm...
Sep 23, 2021•42 min
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 ...
Sep 15, 2021•50 min
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...
Sep 10, 2021•58 min
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...
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr 1 min
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.co...
Aug 25, 2021•26 min
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 re...
Aug 11, 2021•40 min
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 (Chi...
Aug 07, 2021•42 min
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 Wa...
Jul 30, 2021•52 min
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.c...
Jul 24, 2021•53 min
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 a...
Jul 16, 2021•52 min
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: ...
Jul 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min
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.co...
Jun 30, 2021•55 min
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 t...
Jun 27, 2021•37 min
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...
Jun 27, 2021•16 min
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 ...
Jun 26, 2021•23 min
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:...
Jun 23, 2021•35 min
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...
Jun 19, 2021•54 min
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 Mega...
Jun 12, 2021•49 min
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 enjoyi...
Jun 05, 2021•36 min
