Wales (Cymru)

With the summer recess, when theoretically politics take a break, it’s been three weeks since the last instalment of Wales on Wednesday. What a turbulent few weeks it’s been. We’ve seen shocking scenes as race riots raged up and down the UK, with several attempted pogroms taking place.

Hundreds have been arrested and many sent to prison so far for their parts in these shameful episodes. People have received significant custodial sentences for racial hatred, looting Shoezone and other shops, assaulting police officers, attacking members of the public, and inciting racial hatred online.

YesCymru Penybont is organising an exhibition and competition in collaboration with Queen Street Gallery in Neath, with the prize of a solo exhibition at Studio 40, Neath in 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for artists to raise their profiles – and anyone can enter, amateur or professional.

The theme for this competition and exhibition is the ‘Art of Independence’. You’re invited to explore what nation-building and self-determination mean for you. How do you feel we can make and remake Cymru, developing new ideas and giving artistic expression to problem-solving and innovation? How do we turn imagination into reality for a better Cymru?

A council is asking for people’s views on the latest and final phase of a new active tavel route along a former railway line.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council has launched a consultation into phase five of the Rhondda Fach Active Travel Route which will be a new walking and cycling route between Maerdy and Stanleytown in the Rhondda Fach Valley.

The route will follow the alignment of the former railway line along the valley floor and will include links to local communities, shops, schools and leisure facilities.

The route has been split into five phases. Phase one was completed in January, 2024 and phase two was completed in July 2024.

The Welsh Government has clarified that Eluned Morgan’s “listen to Wales” summer engagement programme does not actually entail any pre-advertised events at which people can turn up to ask her questions or put points to her.

Recently the new First Minister said: “I want to lead a Wales where everyone’s voice is heard, and everyone gets a chance to contribute. That’s why this summer, I am spending time out in all parts of Wales — listening to you about your priorities for the future.”

In a video posted to social media, Baroness Morgan said: “Hi, I’m Eluned Morgan. I’m the First Minister of Wales and the leader of the Labour Party in Wales. Tonight we’ve had the first of our engagement programmes – our formal engagement programmes – with the public.

One of Welsh Labour’s most senior figures in the early years of devolution has accused successive Welsh governments of failing to deliver the economic benefits the Senedd was intended to bring to Wales.

Andrew Davies was part of the core team that organised Labour’s campaign in the 1997 referendum that resulted in the creation of the National Assembly two years later. He was elected to be the first Assembly Member for Swansea West and later served as Economy Minister.

He left the Assembly in 2011 and is now an honorary professor at Swansea University.

Plaid Cymru is confident it can go on to win Labour “strongholds” after falling agonisingly short of a recent by-election victory.

The leader of the Plaid group in the Caerphilly County Borough Council’s chamber believes the result is a positive sign his party can challenge across the borough at the 2027 local government elections.

A single vote separated Labour winner Christine Bissex-Foster and Plaid candidate Joshua McCarthy in the race to become the new county councillor for the Aberbargoed and Bargoed ward on August 15.

Mark Thomas, the candidate for the Green Party, finished third in the by-election.

A madcap comedy from a Welsh theatre group has quickly become a smash hit at Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

‘Stiff’ by Merthyr playwright Anthony Bunko and his Gurnwah Theatre Company has played to sold-out audiences, received incredible reviews and been shortlisted for a prestigious festival award.

Not bad then considering the lengths the writer and cast had to go to raise the money to perform at the fringe.

When Jurgen Klopp was unveiled as the new Liverpool FC manager in October 2015, there was a tangible air of optimism at the club. Huddled into a press conference room, Klopp plucked this emotion right out of the air and translated it into words. “You have to change from a doubter to a believer,” he said. “We have to start together, new, and then we will see what will happen.”

Fast forward nine years, and we, today in Wales, deeply resonate with this sentiment. The Liverpool of late 2015 and present-day Wales are similar on paper. Both experienced turbulent times for over 25 years. Both recently divorced from unpopular leaders who made questionable decisions. Both have been in need of a new direction and a reminder of their identity. And both need visionary investment to truly thrive.

Filming for the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special is expected to begin in Barry Island, co-writer James Corden has suggested.

The finale of the BBC hit comedy has been highly-anticipated by fans, who have not seen new content from the series since 2019.

Corden, alongside writing partner Ruth Jones, confirmed last month that the script for the episode - which will be the last one - was complete.

Now, he has said he is spending the next seven weeks in south Wales, in the town forever associated with the show.

Welsh social media users have criticised a BBC newsreader over her pronunciation of one of Wales’ favourite national parks.

BBC newsreader Catherine Byaruhang was seemingly unprepared when it came to pronouncing Bannau Brycheiniog on today’s BBC news.

In a story about the increase in the numbers of tourists visiting the “Instagrammable” national park, she mangled her words badly when attempting to pronounce the name of one of the most stunning parts of Wales.

When the clip was posted online the newsreader was criticised by many from Wales on social media.

The President of the Football Association of Wales, Stephen Williams, has resigned.

The governing body of Welsh football has not revealed the reason why he has left.

The Football Association of Wales said last month that Mr Williams, 60, had been suspended while an investigation was carried out.

A recent post highlighting some relatively un-preposing farm-land for sale in Treochy, the Rhondda Valley, South Wales saw a huge surge of interest on the Land for sustainable development in Wales – including OPD group this week.

The post was shared from the group around 30 times and saw dozens of new people join in a matter of hours.

There wasn’t anything of particular merit or interest about the listing that set it apart as being in any way special, but for some reason it caught people’s imagination.

This week, thousands of people have descended on the National Eisteddfod, a festival celebrating the Welsh language - but not all of them spoke Welsh.

People in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which is not a Welsh language heartland, currently have Europe's largest cultural festival on their doorsteps.

But what is it like to go along, to take in the activities and entertainment, when you do not speak the language?

One Pontypridd resident said she had never heard so much Welsh being spoken in the area and it made her wish she knew more, but others felt the festival could do more to cater to learners.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, has urged the UK Government to take “a much tougher stance” in holding social media companies to account for the spread of “racial and religious intolerance” on their sites.

The Plaid Cymru leader also warned that social media giants, together with traditional media and politicians bear responsibility for a ‘rise in racial and religious intolerance’.

False information spread on social media about the identity of the alleged Southport knife attacker has been seen as playing a role in sparking the recent violence across parts of the UK, leading to calls for tougher regulation.

Even if you don’t speak Welsh, you’ll at least partly understand perthyn – belonging – and hiraeth – longing for what’s lost. They’re deep, deep links to the land

Many of us have enjoyed accessing different spaces around our town of Pontypridd over the years. Spaces that provide us with a strong sense of perthyn, of feeling related to and belonging with these places.

People make spaces, places, and in the act of doing so, name them. In their turn these places may also leave us with a strong sense of hiraeth, a longing for spaces that hold a special place in our hearts, long after we have left them, or they us. We carry our memories and our names for them in our hearts, wherever we may go.

People visiting the National Eisteddfod are being encouraged to use public transport as the annual event visits the south Wales valleys.

Based in the town centre of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, this year's eisteddfod will be "different and urban", according to the local council.

Ynysangharad Park is providing the focus for most of the activities, with 150,000 visitors expected over the course of the week.

With no event parking near the festival, those attending are being urged to walk, cycle or take the train or bus.

Eluned Morgan has admitted that some Welsh Government services will have to be “de-prioritised” following her election as First Minister.

Baroness Morgan was appointed to the top job after a vote in the Senedd on Tuesday (August 6).

The former health minister replaces Vaughan Gething who was forced to resign after four members of his cabinet quit in protest against his leadership last month.

Welsh Labour spent the 118 days of his short tenure in turmoil with rows about donations to his leadership campaign from a convicted criminal and the sacking of a junior minister.

Baroness Morgan will embark on her new journey leading the Welsh Government alongside deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies – a former member of Mr Gething’s cabinet.

Baroness of Ely Eluned Morgan has been confirmed as the First Minister of Wales after a vote in the Senedd.

The former health minister who grew up on a council estate in Ely will succeed Vaughan Gething who bowed out in July after only four months in the role.

Baroness Morgan received applause from the Chamber after saying it was the greatest honour of her life to become the first woman to become the First Minister of Wales.

Figures published by the Welsh Government show casualty reductions as follows for the period January to March 2024, in comparison with January to March 2023:

All severities at all speeds: 811 (2024); 4348 (2023);

20mph. All severities: 300 (2024); 662 (2023)

Killed or seriously injured: 63 (2024); 144 (2023)

Slightly injured: 237 (2024); 518 (2023)

30mph. All severities: 77 (2024); 1522 (2023)

Killed or seriously injured: 15 (2024); 343 (2023)

Slightly injured: 62 (2024); 1179 (2023)

40mph. All severities: 74 (2024); 397 (2023)

Killed or seriously injured: 20 (2024); 98 (2023)

Slightly injured: 54 (2024); 299 (2023)

50mph. All severities: 94 (2024); 273 (2023)

Killed or seriously injured: 23 (2024); 67 (2023)

Slightly injured: 71(2024); 206 (2023)

60mph. All severities: 214 (2024); 1235 (2023)

Killed or seriously injured: 71 (2024); 401 (2023)

Slightly injured: 143 (2024); 834 (2023)

70mph. All severities: 52 (2024); 259 (2023)

Killed or seriously injured: 12 (2024); 73 (2023)

Slightly injured: 40 (2024); 186 (2023)

Ken Skates, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Transport, and North Wales, has released a long-term strategy for Cardiff Airport. This commits the government to making a maximum £206mn investment in the airport over the next decade. As always, with any government spending on Cardiff Airport, this has provoked a mixed reaction.

In Skates’s written statement, the strategy is set out with two main objectives. First, to attract and grow the aviation and aerospace business linked to the airport. And second, to have a programme of route development that focuses on connectivity to global air hubs and destinations of economic importance to Wales.

In June I went to the land of castles and spoke the tongue of the dragon. By which, of course, I mean Wales and Welsh, Cymru and Cymraeg. For my first proper holiday in over 20 years, I planned the trip and went by myself. As a single person, I had two choices: travel alone, or don’t travel. I chose to travel.

Many people have mentioned that it can be hard to find Cymraeg speakers with whom to practise. While in Cymru, I think I figured out some of the reasons why. They may be simpler than one might think, and they’re certainly not personal only to me.

Health Secretary Eluned Morgan has ignored the advice of Britain’s top expert on failing maternity units and refused again to order a public inquiry into the Singleton Hospital maternity unit in Swansea.

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden said this week that an independent review into failings at the Singleton unit, commissioned by the Swansea Bay University Health Board, was “not fit for purpose” and should be “closed” immediately.

Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon – A nation without language is a nation without a heart, and over the coming months there will be a real opportunity to ensure that the next generation will receive the gift of education in our national language.

During the final week of the Senedd term, amid countless resignations by Cabinet Secretaries and the First Minister of the Welsh Labour Government, the Government’s Welsh Language and Education Bill was brought before the Senedd.

We have a likely new First Minister. Eluned Morgan, the Baroness of Ely, has replaced Vaughan Gething as the Labour Party’s leader in Wales. Gething, of course, having belatedly fallen on his political sword, following months of scandal and the resignation of a substantial chunk of his cabinet.

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate that, for the first time in our country’s history, we have a female leader. This is a truly historic moment and one to be cherished, as it shows clear steps forward for our society. I understand and share concerns around the Baroness’s ministerial record, but that’s a topic for another day. It will no doubt feature heavily as Morgan establishes herself in the role.

Transport for Wales has defended its latest annual report after the Welsh Conservatives condemned it as “grim reading”.

The Welsh Government owned not for profit rail operator published its 2023 / 2024 report on Wednesday (July 31).

It revealed details of its latest achievements and successes as well as its expenditure figures including staffing costs and new trains.