Hiraeth - Welsh Politics Hiraeth - Welsh Politics

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