Rachel Reeves says there’s a “hole” in the public finances. A new decade-long Brexit study explains it: a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else. Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.

Calling Nathan Gill ‘ancient history’ is a cynical attempt to sweep a politically-threatening truth under the carpet. Gill was a trusted ally of Nigel Farage. We need a full investigation into Russian interference in our politics - the people of Wales deserve transparency.

Traitor #NathanGill sentenced to 10yrs for taking Russian bribes. “Farage and the Brexit Party voted against stronger EU measures aimed at countering “highly dangerous” Russian disinformation.” www.theguardian.com/world/2019/o...

Morning...

Westminster continues to deny Wales £4BN from HS2. With this funding, we could unlock our economic potential by investing properly in our transport network - connecting communities from north to south, east to west. Plaid Cymru will be a government that works for the whole of Wales.

Everything is the fault of foreigners, everything can be fixed by penalising foreigners. To call them Little Englanders is generous and euphemistic.

The stupidity of Farage’s latest ‘plan’ is staggering. Claiming they’d save British taxpayers money by ripping up international commitments and starting a trade war with Europe is the puerile foot-stamp of a party that uses prejudice as policy. Ruinous nonsense. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

1/2 A lot of positive chatter after King Charles opened the #SouthWalesMetro Taffs Well Tram-train depot last week. If people want to get under the bonet of how we got here...esp. the 2010-2015 advocacy I led, I wrote it all down...!! southwalesmetro.org

Shabana Mahmood on the BBC this morning talking about desperate people fleeing war and persecution as being given a "golden ticket" and "handouts" and saying she's got a "moral mission" to take them away from them Indistinguishable from the rhetoric of Reform www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/shabana-ma...

Is this real...?? If so the ignorance and entitlement of these people is off the scale!!!

1/2 I am planning, with interested partners (Arup, Capital Law, Freshwater, CCR, TfW, Motts, Cardiff University...and others tbc) to run an event, “Metro and Us”, on Tuesday 24th March 2026. Save the date! Like the successful 2018 “Metro and Me” event (lnkd.in/dqT7FNZ ), "Metro and Us" ...

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I‘m afraid police state/fascism is going to be the default response to the #polycrisis. Jailing and muzzling those who try to warn about the problem and do something is so deeply human. Sigh. But police states are unsustainable, and what is unsustainable cannot be sustained.

For Wales, see England...... #rail #gbr #devolution

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This is a few years old (and prob needs an update) but still relevant re tax! swalesmetroprof.blog/2021/01/04/t...

the markets are looking at growth...not welfare cuts. it's obvious to the dog on the street that the economic black hole & fiscal crisis UK faces is because of brexit. Truss's pork & cheese market deals haven't worked. NI was hit by covid & Ukraine too...yet they stayed in the EU SM for goods 👇

Fyi @zackpolanski.bsky.social swalesmetroprof.blog/2022/10/02/s...

Sorry Zak saying "transwomen are women" is nonsense and does not help a more nuanced and needed debate about how we ensure equity and equality for all..Inc trans rights.

Yep too many wankpanzas on the roads...

This is a few years old (and prob needs an update) but still relevant re tax! swalesmetroprof.blog/2021/01/04/t...

Laffer's curve: the tax myth that promoted inequality youtu.be/lrO9VpQCXZU?...

fyi @welshpolitics.bsky.social @welsh-labour.bsky.social @plaidcymru.bsky.social

In Paris, specially equipped trucks pick up neighborhood recycling bins. #paris #recycle #15minutecity #urbanism #truck

The GBR bill published at Westminster earlier this week offers significant improvement and simplification of the rail industry. However, for Wales, it falls a long way short of what is needed #rail #wales #devolution #gbr swalesmetroprof.blog/2025/11/07/g...

The GBR bill published at Westminster earlier this week offers significant improvement and simplification of the rail industry. However, for Wales, it falls a long way short of what is needed #rail #wales #devolution #gbr swalesmetroprof.blog/2025/11/07/g...

must-read analysis of how Musk's twitter is drenching new users with right-wing propaganda news.sky.com/story/the-x-...

Next train from....

I expect little progress in the GBR bill in addressing Wales's major issues-esp. the funding dysfunction. My Feb blog re the GBR White Paper probably still relevant. Be warned @teamlabouruk.bsky.social a Caerphilly trickle could become a Senedd Tsunami next May swalesmetroprof.blog/2025/02/25/t...

Here's a thing people need to get their head around re #tax. UK has a lower tax/gdp ratio than most other European countries, many of whom have a higher GDP/capita. If we want effective public services, etc we have to pay for them! UK fiscal systems need a complete overhaul

The first phase of a new tramway for Cardiff will close a critical gap in the Welsh capital’s connectivity, as well as testing the collaborative mettle of the partners involved We spoke to Cardiff Council and Graham to learn all about it Full story: buff.ly/x0PL8V5

Violent crime peaked in 1995 according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales..

Morning...

How can the UK survive when most of its member states want to leave? youtu.be/CnLkIsKxEEw?...

Matt Goodwin’s stance on migration is pretty much indistinguishable from that of the BNP in the past 1990s and not a million miles from that of the NF in the 1970s.

“When the famously staid and insular British monarchy is acting more swiftly and more decisively than the House of Representatives – surely an unprecedented situation – US politics is in trouble.” inews.co.uk/opinion/what...

It's a bit out of date (with some minor updates/PSs), but the point is clear...those pointing at the failings of the Welsh Government (yes there are some) need to recognise the much larger issues/failings of UK Government and Westminster. swalesmetroprof.blog/2022/03/14/w...

morning... www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD4H...

Whilst we're at it can we get rid of the title of "prince of Wales" as well....? #notmyprince

To sum up: when journalists are allowed to do their jobs, the far-right loses. When billionaires and Tim Davie call the shots, the far-right wins.

It's incredibly normal to feel uncomfortable being near people who are different from you. And your job as a human being is to feel a little ashamed of that, grow the fuck up, and get over it.

Never forget that Farage was instrumental in causing #Brexit The level of immigration we now have is as a direct result of Brexit DO.NOT allow the grifting SoB to hoodwink you. Leaving the ECHR is about removing your rights www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Once again, the main day of Tea Party protests had about 300,000 nationwide, but saw endless coverage. The No Kings protests had about 7,000,000 nationwide, and many media outlets reacted with a yawn. No Kings was nearly 25x as big as the Tea Party but the Tea Party got 25x the attention.

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Thank you Caerphilly

A reminder. Only 6.9% of people in Wales were born overseas. Just 2.9% of people in Caerphilly were born overseas. Whereas 38% of medical consultants in Wales were born overseas. Immigrants are not holding our NHS back, they are propping it up.

So that's why the people of Caerffili should vote Reform, to send Kier Starmer a message... FFS, talk about not being interested in representing the people of Caerffili, it's all performative nonsense. No policies for Wales, no Welsh leadership. These chancers should be nowhere near the Senedd.

Morning...

“How much easier would they find it to argue now that Brexit is an affliction and Farage a fraud if they had said so all along? The problem with arriving at the obvious place by the most circuitous route is that people wonder what took you so long” Rafael 🎯 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

If Warp Drive ever becomes a thing??? Then the role of Miguel Alcubierre and Cardiff University will be seen as foundational.... @cardiffuni.bsky.social