in fact, you really need to throw in some PIGs to drill the point home. If having all your employment in SMEs was the answer, then Greece and Portugal would be the countries to copy

New⬇️ 28% of MSs are landlords. 7x higher rate than in Welsh adult pop. Few Senedd members know what it’s like to be at the bottom of the ladder today or at the mercy of a bad landlord. This isn't why Welsh housing is a mess. But it's not healthy either. josephallen1.substack.com/p/the-senedd...

The "X can't win here" leaflets are very hard to do under Wales's new electoral system ⬇️

Incredible table. 6 of the bottom 10 local authority areas in the UK for first time buyer affordability are in Wales. Why? Because our wages are crap. Bizarre lack of political interest in private sector housing, too.

Another rise of 4.9% across Wales this year on top of this. 6.5% in some LAs. Meanwhile less and less of the spending is visible to most residents. Tough context for an election.

Fewer births in Wales than at any time since 1840. Implications seem under-discussed in our current political debates.

The incredible loneliness of a one-man standing ovation at a Reform manifesto launch.

Demonstration of relative financial strength of Plaid v Reform. Reform's daily income is roughly what Plaid make in an entire quarter.

"Yes, unfortunately our sources tell us it's going to be a total ban on Nandos refills. Now, on to the WRU..."

Data here should be central to Welsh election debates. Upsets a lot of clichés about our position. > Wales gets 25% more UK funding per person than England. > No up-to-date estimates on relative need. But good chance needs-based reassement would = *less* money for Wales.

I went on Radio Wales this morning to talk about why it's not ideal to have 1 in 4 Senedd candidates coming from the 0.1% of the Welsh workforce that already work in politics. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Watching the figure skating on TNT. Me: "Wow, that's incredible. Looks faultless." Commentators: "Ah unfortunately that's total shit. They'll be distraught and full of self-loathing. And rightly so."

Really good listen on the Welsh aversion to scrutiny. Particularly good on weakness of Senedd committee chairs. But if you're going to say "a lot of MSs just read the questions they're given in committees & can't follow up" then you've got to start naming names at some point.

Compare graduates in Wales with those in Scotland and SE England

Swyddi proffesiynol wedi’u gorgynrychioli ymhlith ymgeiswyr etholiad y Senedd Mae’r ymchwilydd Joe Allen yn pwysleisio bod cael gormod o gynrychiolaeth gan un dosbarth cymdeithasol yn medru arwain at feddylfryd grŵp #gwleidyddiaeth ✍️ Efan Meilir Owen

Pylon politics very tangled in Wales. Plaid promising a ban; Greens less hard line. Greens' leader @anthonyslaughter.bsky.social made case well recently: "We have to be honest with people. If we tell every community they can have cables underground...we, as politicians, know that's not true."

"Paid a gofyn i fi, reit. I don't want to swear on the telly." This is our version of Brenda from Bristol.

University course enrolment changes over last 10 years: > Medicine, dentistry, physical sciences and engineering all down in Wales while growing across the UK.

What jobs are Senedd candidates doing before they run for election? I looked into the details for 173 declared candidates. People already working in Welsh politics are 1 in 4 of the candidates - despite only being maybe 0.1% of the Welsh workforce. (1/3) josephallen1.substack.com/p/the-narrow...

If you want to understand the financial mismatch between the top two parties contesting the Senedd election: - Reform got £9m in Q3 from one bloke in Thailand. - Plaid have received about £3.5m in total since reporting began in 2001.

Furthermore, a huge vindication for Mark Drakeford here, on two fronts: 1) UK Labour have been salivating at the prospect of a devastating Welsh Labour loss in the new PR list system coming in next year, so they can create a cautionary tale about PR and further argue the merits of FPTP. Well… (1/6)

FT mag piece from me: Spent a long time looking into the Britannia hotel chain, beneficiaries of a vast amount of taxpayer money via the asylum system on.ft.com/47HEE46

Hard to disagree with ex-Plaid MP Cynog Dafis' assessment of the party's approach to energy policy. "...loitering in its historic comfort zone of easy opposition." nation.cymru/news/plaid-c...

I am writing a policy pamphlet. Here are all the ways to demonstrate I don't really have a policy answer, that I need to avoid: a. You call for a "national conversation or debate" b. You suggest that what is needed is “a change in culture” 1/

Data is from London, but a useful insight for the never-ending argument in Cardiff about holding gigs in public parks.

2,430 Romanians in Wales voted in their presidential election at polling stations in Swansea and Cardiff yesterday. And (thanks to Romania's excellent election website) we can see that they favoured the defeated populist candidate George Simion (53%-47%).

My bet is that under-estimation of the Reform vote also applies to all Welsh (and perhaps also Scots) polling ahead of next year’s national election. Conversations with friends here in the valleys suggests many can’t wait to vote Reform to give Labour etc a bloody eye. Lot of unhappiness about.

Who in Labour is currently making the case for a stronger devolution settlement and what is their plan?

Where would 18% put Welsh Labour in the history of Senedd list votes? Marginally more popular than Rod Richards' Welsh Tories in 1999.

DSIT has responded, and so I have written a very hasty blog about whether we can find £45bn of savings from AI being implemented in government. freethinkecon.wordpress.com/2025/04/30/t...

There is a broad consensus in Wales against energy infrastructure between Reform-Plaid-Tories that will command 70ish Senedd seats (out of 96) next year. So this is most likely where we'll end up too👇

A spluttering economic system desperately looking for growth? A society flirting with a Christian revival? This is the UK's Francis Spufford era.

🚨 Swydd ar gael! We're hiring! We're looking for a Policy Officer to deliver impactful policy, research and lobbying for TUC Cymru and workers across Wales. 📜 Permanent full time role 💷 58K 📍 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff 💻 50% WFH/Office split Apply by Tuesday 6th May.

Happy Bus Services (Wales) Bill day to all who celebrate! 🚌 ...we've been waiting a while for this piece of legislation. The lucky buggers in south west Wales will be the first to see the new franchise system rolled out in 2027. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is really interesting and wide-ranging (downplaying indy; sceptical on Future Gen Act impact; narrower idea of Nation of Sanctuary). Bit below caught my eye - suggesting Welsh Labour has gone too far in tackling second homes.

Yesterday: New research shows Ceredigion is least affordable place in the UK for first time buyers. Today: "Save New Quay Car Park" campaign is seeking to stop 30 new affordable homes being built on a car park. There is, of course, no link between these stories.

Hard to listen to this series and not reach the conclusion that Welsh devolution needs a hard reset.

It is perfectly reasonable to expect the Prince of Wales to speak fluent/near fluent Welsh. Similarly, it should be expected of any candidate for First Minister.

Listening back to last week's episode of Gwleidydda on the potential impact of Reform on next year's Senedd election. Its worth looking at the where those 2019 Labour voters went last year 🟢 20% went to PC and the Greens ❌ 7% didn't vote 🟦 less than 7% went to Reform

The exodus from the Senedd is ultimately a healthy thing. Opportunity now: - Broaden candidate base beyond usual suspects so the Senedd better reflects working life in Wales. - Set out a more ambitious Welsh policy platform freed from lingering inter-personal dynamics that inhibit discussion.

Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire took action against locals being priced out in favour of second home owners. And it's working.

This is great news. Making homes more affordable to locals is a good thing. Houses are homes not investments www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

My biases are in the other direction (I *do* generally think that we've created restrictions on building that go beyond what we can afford). But this is a good read on the Wylfa controversy and the risks associated with excessive YIMBY glibness. backofmind.substack.com/p/the-only-g...

Sneering comments like this about a politician having previously had a normal job is why Senedd candidate selection over the next few months is so important. Parties can't keep disproportionately selecting people with no working background beyond politics (1/2)

Welsh Tories 🤝 Plaid 🤝 Reform on high-cost undergrounding.

Plaid, Reform & the Tories in Wales all have the same policy on undergrounding cables vs pylons. Despite all evidence on cost implications.

UK Gov: We want to see the biggest wave of insourcing for a generation. Caerphilly Labour: Time to turbo charge privatisation.