Walescast

BBC Radio Wales

5.0 (2)
GOVERNMENT
UPDATED WEEKLY

Felicity Evans and James Williams present a one-stop shop of what's happening in the world of Welsh politics.

1 DAY AGO

The Politics of Lying

James and guest presenter Bethan Rhys Roberts look into a Senedd report on politicians who deliberately deceive. Members of the Senedd who lie could lose their seats under the Committee's recommendations. Mick Antoniw MS, a member of the Standards of Conduct Committee and formerly the Welsh Government's Counsel General, talks through their proposals. Baroness Fox of Buckley joins the podcast to discuss the issues she has with their ideas of policing lying. Bethan and James are then joined by the Welsh Language Commissioner to discuss a recent YouGov poll which looks at how the public feel about the language.

45 min
1 DAY AGO

Welsh Labour's Budget Gets a Helping Hand

A Welsh Labour budget deal has been struck. James sits down with BBC Wales' Political Editor and our Education, Health and Business Correspondents to digest the details on today's bonus episode. With a little help from the Liberal Democrats the Budget is set to pass when its voted on by the Senedd in March. The deal, which was worth more than £100m, makes the Welsh Government's Budget possible as they are unable to get anything over the line without at least one opposition politician on side.

30 min
FEB 13

Is there a place for faith in Politics?

Felicity Evans and guest presenter Elliw Gwawr discuss faith and it's role in politics with Canon Aled Edwards, Senedd Member and Patron of Humanists UK Julie Morgan MS and the FT's Whitehall Editor Lucy Fisher. Our Political Editor Gareth Lewis also joins the pod to discuss the quarter of Welsh Labour MS' who have announced they will stand down at the 2026 Senedd elections. That busy schedule is rounded off with a final farewell to Walescast's Producer Andy Fry who is leaving BBC Wales after three decades.

36 min
FEB 6

Tackling Knives in Schools

Fliss and James are joined by Meleri Williams, BBC's Swansea Reporter to discuss the Ammanford school stabbings. She was one of the first reporters on location that day and has followed the events through to trial. They are also joined by Owen Evans, Chief Inspector at Estyn, who discusses what can be done to tackle behaviour issues in school and how to stop the most extreme incidents becoming more frequent.

33 min
JAN 30

Universities Challenged

James Williams explores the implications of potentially 400 academic job losses at Cardiff University for both the wider Welsh higher education sector and economy with BBC Wales education correspondent Bethan Lewis, Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute and Professor Dylan Jones-Evans of the University of South Wales

41 min
JAN 23

Total Recall

Felicity Evans and James Williams hear from the chair of the Senedd's standards committee Hannah Blythyn MS about its recommendations for a recall system that would allow voters to evict politicians who have misbehaved from the Welsh Parliament. Fliss and James also quiz her about the circumstances of her sacking from the Welsh Government last year - when the then-First Minister Vaughan Gething said that media leaks of a ministerial group chat during the pandemic came from her mobile phone.

32 min
JAN 16

Migration, Migration, Migration...

Felicity Evans and James Williams discuss immigration and what the situation is in Wales. They are joined by Professor Sergei Shubin from Swansea University, Ben Brindle from the Centre for Migration and IPSOS' Gideon Skinner to dig into the numbers and details. Timothy Hornyak, a Journalist in Japan, also joins them to discuss how an ageing and declining Japanese population might tackle their growing problem.

43 min
JAN 9

Under Pressure

Felicity Evans and James Williams discuss NHS winter pressures with BBC Wales health correspondent Owain Clarke. And former transport minister Lee Waters MS reflects on the lessons he learnt from his time in government - experiences that inform his own podcast, "Y Pumed Llawr - The Fifth Floor". Billed as an "insider guide to politics and government in Wales" the pod draws on a series of in-depth interviews with other politicians, special advisers and civil servants - interviews that have just been published in full by Cardiff University as "Cathays Conversations"

59 min

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5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Riveting listening

09/22/2022

Delwina

I was listening to the latest podcast “A Difference of Opinion” while chopping carrots. I only meant to chop a few, but was got so involved, that I absentmindedly chopped the whole two pound bag! You don’ t get much higher praise than that!!! Diolch am eich gwaith caled.