A fresh voice for Llanelli

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We need to re-set the debate on farming

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Speech in the Senedd on 16th July 2025 Let me start with the obvious: Farming is hard. I am proud to come from a family of farmers, and I understand the vital role that farmers play. We need them, and we value them as key workers. Not only do they feed us, but they are an important part of our cultural mosaic, and at their best are stewards of our environment. I think it's important to re-state this because the debate around farming is in a bad place. It has become dragged into the culture wars. And those divisions are heightened through our political debate. I’ve heard my colleagues make the point that farming contributes less than 1 per cent to the GDP of the country. But that’s a bit like saying a washer contributes less than 1 per cent to the functioning of a tap. It may be true, but it misses the point. On the other hand, it feels like the main farming unions are fixated on a grievance narrative - and the opposition parties in this Senedd compete with each other to amplify it...
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How is Wales run?

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  When I was asked to set a reading list for students studying for a Masters Degree in Welsh Politics at Cardiff University it became obvious that very little has been written about how decisions get made and how the institutions of government work. Six months after handing in my Ministerial pass for WG HQ in Cathays Park and the Fifth Floor of Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay I sat down with a dozen people I'd worked with in Welsh Government, but who were now longer bound by the codes of secrecy, and had long-form conversations to try and explore some of the inner workings to provide some material for students to understand. The full set of transcripts of these 'Cathays Conversations' have been published by Cardiff University.  With the help of an iPhone and a simple audio editing software package I set about turning this raw material into a radio documentary series which thanks to the wonders of podcasting I would easily share with students and those with a general interest in how...
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Dysgu gwersi

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A note to members of the Llanelli constituency Labour Party There has been a big disagreement within Welsh Labour. There has not been a ‘witch-hunt’ against Vaughan Gething, but there has been a genuine conflict of values. Now there is an appetite to quickly move on, but I think there’s a real danger that in shutting down discussion we will neither understand nor learn the lessons of what has happened.  As uncomfortable as it will be I think we need proper debate about the future direction of Welsh Labour. Circling the wagons around a ‘unity candidate’ may bring some short-term relief, but it will do nothing to address the fundamental need to renew in office. I’ve not given any interview and don’t intend to, but as a way of making sense of it all I’ve written this assessment which looks at what should happen now and an analysis of how we got to this position.  These are offered in the spirit of honest debate and not point-scoring. Edrych ymlaen We’re in a pickle. After 25 year...
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