News and information from and about Wales. Podcasts, discussions, newsletters, long reads and more talking.wales

These numbers are very, very clearly bullshit: just go to any normal pub and ask people how often they use X (if they use it at all) Or, you know, anyone who does social media comms where their mass reach is. The answer is that the politicial sphere is addicted. No more, no less

At political cabinet today, Morgan McSweeney gave a presentation on “three Es” on how the government can connect with voters - emotion, empathy and evidence. Am told he said the government currently has a “deficit in emotion”

TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force? MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO T: So force is on the table? M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland

Mae @lauramcallister30.bsky.social yn trafod gwleidyddiaeth Cymru ac yr arolygon barn #Senedd26 diwetharaf ar rhaglen 'PM'👇 Prof. Laura McAllister discusses Welsh politics at the start of the new year and the current positions of the parties ahead of the Welsh Parliamentary election in May👇

There is, to my mind, no justification for the continued use by the UK Government of X as a platform for official comms. There hasn't been for some time, in fact, but if the latest developments around AI-generated image abuse and CSAM don't change the policy I really don't know what will.

Arweinyddiaeth? Pa Arweinyddiaeth? Starmer: Y DU ‘ddim yn rhan’ o’r ymosodiadau ar Venezuela newyddion.s4c.cymru/article/32205

TFG is just so mentally frazzled he can’t even hide the intent. How on earth did the USA fall for this nonsense twice?

So blowing up the dead body of the man Trump deliriously claims stole the 2020 presidential election from him was part of a *law enforcement operation* targeting an entirely different leader? Pull the other leg now.

A gangster state at home, a rogue state abroad: and entirely because Congress and the Supreme Court have abdicated their proper constitutional roles.

One would imagine that if there is a genuine attempt by UK Labour to save their Senedd campaign in 2026 that a refresh of personnel in the Wales Office (or its abolishment… 😉) would feature. Not since John Redwood has a SoS Wales been so unpopular or aloof. #Senedd26 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

“Mi a uydaf porthaỽr y arthur pob dyỽ kalan ionaỽr.” “I am gatekeeper to Arthur every 1st of January.” Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr to Culhwch, who sought entry into Arthur’s court after custom dictated that he should not be let in. ("Culhwch & Olwen", NLW Peniarth MS 4, s.xivᵐᵉᵈ)

“Caerphilly isn’t some post-industrial wasteland passively absorbing whatever political winds blow from across the border – it has its own political traditions” - Dr @jaclarner.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“He foisted on Wales the worst Secretary of State since John Redwood. Jo Stevens appears clueless about the country whose name features on her office’s brass plate” - 👀

Our final pod of the year is now in the feeds! We discuss the UK's unwillingness to be a 'normal' federal country, and the potential risks for Plaid Cymru of being too close to the SNP after May, when both parties look set to lead in Wales & Scotland: youtu.be/LbnBlnpWyfo

One of our audience questions started by describing Welsh politics as 'horribly male' and asked if that would change after May's election. Is it? And will it? Our hosts @lauramcallister30.bsky.social , Lee & Lauren discuss... (link below and in your podcast apps/YouTube) #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru

What a time to be alive! "22 women became the first to receive mitochondrial donation to replace the mitochondrial DNA in their eggs, and have had 8 live births so far. They carried mutations that could have otherwise caused potentially fatal inherited metabolic diseases in their children"

Y Fari Lwyd yn dal i ddod â chymunedau at ei gilydd ym Mhontypridd #Cymru #Pontypridd newyddion.s4c.cymru/article/32066

Barely a blip in the news. 🦗from the New York Times editorial and opinion pages. Compare with days of Hunter Biden Hysteria about unprecedented abuse of the pardon power.

another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls

Honestly also the brass neck of this paper, which cheered this asymmetric trade deal at the time and advocated that Liz Truss, the Cabinet minister who signed it should become *prime minister*.

👇 This sums up underlying problem with actually existing Brexit. The ways you actually maximise the benefits of Brexit run against the electoral coalition for Brexit, are not popular enough with Remainers, just end up with 'you're divorced, but you refuse to join Tinder or move out of your home'.

This is why you can never satisfy the right wing press and why you should never try. They campaign for something and when you give it to them and the inevitable consequences arise, they blame you.

Just broke the oven door half way through cooking Christmas dinner ☹️🎄

The Trump National Security Strategy is bonkers in many ways but this objective stood out: "Cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations" Making their strategy of supporting radical right and extremist parties explicit.

We weren't expecting this question! Inspired by the convicted former Reform leader in Wales, our hosts answer "If you had to be a paid agent of a foreign government like Nathan Gill, which would it be? #Wales #Cymru #Senedd26 #NathanGill Full pod linked below 👇

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Featuring a ‘Nathan Gill Special’ - “if you could be bribed by any country, which would it be, and why” 🤣🤣🤣

We've successfully relocated a full thermal power plant from Lithuania to Ukraine, completing our largest-ever coordinated logistical operation. This transfer restores critical energy capacity and directly reinforces Ukraine's national grid. Find out more ➡️ link.europa.eu/NmfTbc

I had no idea this is how the NORAD Santa tracker got started! www.npr.org/2014/12/19/3...

Do you hear ghostly hooves, cantering through the night? Our Mari is stirring… she races to sunset on Alban Arthur, the Winter Solstice tomorrow ❤️ So lucky to see this little piece of Welsh heritage bought back to life and celebrated in the here and now, even if her beginnings are a mystery

I keep coming back to this bizarre claim. What do they think the Labour Party is? When was at it best? When it couldn’t win a majority or hold power for more than a couple of years? When it was torn apart and almost wiped out? Deeply weird stuff

"they don't know how to express the idea" here's rian johnson's storyboard for knives out pick up a pencil and a napkin

Oh

Bwriadau pleidleisio San Steffan / Westminster Voting Intention (YouGov) / (28/11 - 10/12) - nid MRP/not MRP method REF: 30% PC: 19% LLAF/LAB: 15% GWYRDD/GRN: 14% CEID/CON: 13% DEM RHYDD/LD: 8% ERAILL/OTH: 2% N = 1,954 Ein dadansoddiad ni / Analysis: blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wal...

Wales' unwanted title as the nation with the highest ‘in-country’ imprisonment rate in western Europe is set to be solidified due to the expansion of HMP Parc

The pace at which Wales is ditching the old duopoly of Labour and Conservative to replace it with a left/Welsh bloc led by Plaid Cymru and a right/British bloc led by Reform is extraordinary. 👇👇👇 #Wales #Cymru #Senedd26

Bwriadau pleidleisio Senedd / Senedd Voting Intention (YouGov - nid MRP/ not MRP method) / (28/11 - 10/12) PC: 33% REF: 30% LLAF/LAB: 10% CEID/CON: 10% GWYRDD/GRN: 9% DEM RHYDD/LD: 6% ERAILL/OTH: 2% N=1,891 Ein dadansoddiad ni / Our analysis: blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wal...

Sadly UK Labour disdain for devolution driving voters to shift to Plaid

🚨Final YouGov/Cardiff University Senedd Vote Intention opinion polling of 2025 to be published Wednesday morning🚨 🚨Arolwg barn terfynol YouGov/Prifysgol Caerdydd ar gyfer 2025 - Bwriad Pleidleisio Senedd i'w gyhoeddi fore Mercher🚨

🚨 THE BATTLE BEGINS 🚨 Your favorite year-end contest is back. It’s time to choose who will be this year’s Worst Person In Tech for 2025! Each day of this week new matchups will drop until we choose the winner on Friday. 🗳️ Cast your ballot: twsu.forms.app/worst-person...

If this is real, it is both one of worst and also greatest things I have read in my whole life, a piece of spontaneous improvisation worthy of Reiner himself. And also if not real.

Just want to share with my American friends how the Australians respond to a shooting tragedy. Action, rather than thoughts and prayers.

If you’re not immediately familiar with what Rob Reiner directed, look at this for an incredible initial run. One of the very best to do it.

Rob Reiner: I'm going to make a coming of age drama, a fantasy adventure story, a romantic comedy, a psychological horror and then a courtroom drama. Us: Across your entire career? Reiner: In a 6 year period. Us: That sounds- Reiner: -Each one will be arguably the best movie in that genre.

RIP Rob Reiner

What an utter waste of time. It doesn’t matter how much evidence you gather when Westminster Red or Blue have no intention of listening to it.

Sarhaus. Ac yr unig reswm dwi'n gallu meddwl amdano yw bod Llafur San Steffan eisiau hawlio'r clod, yn hytrach na pharchu Cymru: www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/ert... #gwleidyddiaeth

You celebrate Christmas the way you want to, but for me the best gift of the season has to be a photo book from the ever excellent @jonpountney1.bsky.social about the public urinals of industrial South Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ❤️ #Cymru #Wales

Wow, Sarwar finding his stride in the campaign against reform in Scotland.