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Published by BBC Radio Wales
Political news, discussions and analysis from Wales, the UK and the world.
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As the chancellor prepares for his first budget, we'll consider what might be announced with economist Vicky Pryce. The Welsh government are consulting on banning pylons. Jonty Colchester, from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales and Guto Davies from Green Gen Cymru discuss what they think should happen. Cost of living protests have turned violent in Italy. We'll hear from journalist Sabine Castelfranco in Rome. EU and Canadian representatives will meet at a summit in Montreal later this week to discuss associate membership for Canada. Journalist Mared Gwyn will explain how and why this came about. Former Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland thinks the cabinet is too big. He tells us why, and how he would change things. And continuing with our series meeting politicians of all colours, this week we have the company of Plaid Cymru's Llinos Medi, MP for Ynys Mon.
Violence and fires have spread across France during mass demonstrations about the cost of living. We have journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet live from Paris. With a wildfire summit planned for the end of the week, and NRW warning of flooding to come, we have rural resilience minister Llyr Gruffydd on the programme. The petitions' committee in the Senedd has been told our children learn more Welsh history in Welsh lessons than from their history teachers. Dr Elin Jones made recommendations to the Welsh government for more Welsh history in schools more than a decade ago and is with us in the studio to tell us why. Poet Laureate Hanan Issa was barred from the Senedd's official opening ceremony because her poem commissioned for the event wasn't "apolitical". Aneirin Karadog takes us back to the old court bards to explain our bardic traditions. Continuing with our series getting to know politicians, we have the company of one of Reform's three MSs for the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency, Catherine Cullen.
Following Labour's win in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, what now for the Green Party and its leader, Zack Polanski? The Times' Daisy Eastlake and the first Welsh Greens leader Martyn Shrewsbury discuss. The Welsh government is due to make an announcement on the next steps for Glyndwr National Park. Gareth Ludkin from the Campaign for National Parks and local farmer Sarah Lewis give the arguments for and against establishing the first national park in Wales since 1957. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election. Graham Keeley is in Madrid to tell us why. A Russian researcher has died in an anti-plague institute in Sibera. Professor Angharad Davies from Swansea University explains how rare the plague is these days. And following deputy minister for Transport Mark Hooper's announcement on closing junctions to ease congestion on the M4 around Newport, we hear from historian Martin Johnes how the M4 came to have so many of them. Our series meeting politicians of all sorts continues. This week Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth tells us all about himself.
This week Plaid Cymru party faithful met up in Llandudno and the Conservatives are making their way to Birmingham. Plaid's Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts and shadow Welsh Secretary Mims Davies join us from their respective conferences. Fresh from Labour conference, the FT's Lucy Fisher will look at all the policy announcements made by Prime Minister Andy Burnham this week. Three years on from the Hamas attacks that sparked a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, what is the situation now? Freelance middle east correspondent Jotam Confino joins us from Tel Aviv. And it's exactly 50 years since the first intercity 125 made its virgin journey from London to Cardiff. Emeritus Professor Stuart Cole was on the last journey of the famous train on the same track only last year. And in our series getting to know politicians better, we have Lord Mike German in the studio.
It's Labour's first UK conference since Andy Burnham became its leader and prime minister. It's also the first since its devastating losses in May's elections. Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock joins us from Liverpool. Members of the Orange Order were given last-minute permission by the high court to pass through a nationalist area of Portadown in County Armagh for the first time in nearly 30 years. Dr Thomas Leahy is a senior lecturer in British and Irish politics at Cardiff University and explains the significance of the decision. After a terrible week and Dan Thomas' resignation as their leader, Reform have appointed Helen Jenner to take his place. She tells us what her leadership will look like and Nick Tyrone, author of new book The Rise of Reform will discuss how Reform became the party it is. Lithuania has made evacuation plans in the event of a Russian attack. Estonia's foreign affairs committee chair, Marko Mihkelsen, outlines how the Baltic states are preparing for the possibility of war. And the Victorian Society has held its first AGM in Llandudno in twenty years. Dr Kathryn Ferry is a seaside resort historian, and we'll hear from her how Llandudno developed from a hamlet surrounded by marshland into a modern tourist attraction for the Victorians. Continuing with our series meeting politicians, this week we return to the Senedd to meet one of Plaid Cymru's three MSs in the Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency, Elyn Stephens.
In the wake of Reform leader in Wales, Dan Thomas standing down after being arrested, UK deputy Leader Richard Tice says there's no reason to suspend him pending the investigation. Welsh, Scottish and northern Irish leaders met in Cardiff this week to say that Westminster's time is over. Conservative and unionist MS Andrew RT Davies and pro-independence Plaid Cymru MS Sera Evans set out their stall. NHS waiting times have crept up again. Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor explains what he plans to do about it. Renters rights were raised in First Minister's questions on Tuesday. The TUC's Joe Allen has looked at how many MSs are landlords and tells us all about it, whilst Katie Dalton outlines the challenges for renters in Wales. After Sarah Cooper-Lesadd's surprising defection from far right Reform to left leaning Plaid Cymru, the Express' David Williamson recalls the various defections seen in Cardiff Bay and Westminster over the years. And in our series meeting politicians of all colours, this week we have Lord Don Touhig in the studio.
25 years after the deadly terror attacks on the World Trade Centre, is the world a safer place? Lord Peter Ricketts was working at the foreign office at the time. Far right party AfD won Sachsen-Anhalt's state election last weekend, whilst far right French party National Rally made a deal on migrants with Reform UK. Protests against migrants followed in Dover. Chief political editor at DW, Michaela Küfner and Cardiff University's Dr Marta Lorimer discuss the rise of the far right in Europe. Wales is not done with changing Senedd constituencies. Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Shereen Williams joins us to encourage participation in their boundary review. Following terrible PISA results for Wales and a medical report highlighting the poor health of our children, Wales' first Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe and children's laureate Nicola Davies ponder what life is like for a child in Wales today. And September 16 is Owain Glyndwr day. To mark the occasion, author Paul Hughes is launching his book Glyndwr's People, all about those who served and lived around the so-called last true Prince of Wales. And continuing with our series meeting Welsh policitians, we have deputy speaker in the House of Lords, Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff.
Fresh from Reform's annual conference in Birmingham, their chief whip in the Senedd, Llyr Powell reacts to all the weekend's events. Andy Burnham has done his first Prime Minister's Questions. Newport West and Islwyn MP Ruth Jones tells us how the parliamentary Labour Party thinks he's doing. Devolving policing has come back under discussion after the new PM said he's open to considering it. Professor Laura McAllister co-chaired the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales that looked at it, and Lauren McEvatt was a member. They discuss the pros and cons. Laura Doel has taken up the role of General Secretary for TUC Cymru. She explains what she hopes to achieve in the role. And Sir Keir Starmer has announced he is stepping down as an MP to concentrate on world affairs. Writer and historian Tom Egerton illustrates what former PMs do with their time after leaving office. And following the success of meeting new members of the Senedd we've decided to get to meet more politicians. This week, it's our chance to get to know the MP for mid and south Pembrokeshire, Henry Tufnell.
A pre-recorded programme looking back at our best interviews of the year to date. Guests include: Professor Richard Wyn Jones; Lord Simon Hart of Tenby; research associate at the Arctic Institute, Fiona de Cuyper; Baroness Carmen Smith; Dr Juliette Wood; Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed; and Zaynub Akbar MS.
A pre-recorded programme looking back at our best interviews of the year to date. Guests include Reform's Jason O'Connell; commissioner with the health think tank The Bevan Commission, Nygaire Bevan; Columbia Journalism Review's Ivan Nagy; Professor of Anthropology at Queen's University Belfast, Dominic Bryan; deputy director of The Size of Wales, Barbara Davies-Quy; and Reform MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd.
As it's the summer break, we've taken the opportunity to reflect on Senedd politics over the last three months since that seismic election in May. Plaid Cymru made history becoming the largest party, Reform came from nothing to being official opposition and the former big beasts in Welsh politics were decimated. From Plaid Cymru, Chief Whip and Cabinet Member for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan joins us in the studio. Cai Parry-Jones, Reform's finance spokesperson gives his take on how things are going so far for his party. And Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MSs, Andrew RT Davies, Jayne Bryant and Jane Dodds reflect on the terrible result for them and how they've managed in the new, enlarged Senedd. Also joining James Williams in the studio, political correspondent Cemlyn Davies with his analysis.
With three Welsh MPs in Andy Burnham's new cabinet, we speak with Lord Hain, former Secretary of State for Wales about how Stephen Kinnock will go about the job, and changes the Labour grandee would like to see made to pension provision. Kemi Badenoch was in Newport and James went to see her. She has a very positive view of the future of the Welsh Conservatives. Huw Irranca-Davies has been Llywydd for a little over two months. He explains the highs and lows of his new job. And an exhibition has opened in Cardiff central library documenting the history of Sikhs in Wales. Harry Singh whose grandfather established the capital's first gurdwara in the 1950s is with us in the studio. Continuing our series meeting new members of the Senedd, this week we have the company of Alun Cox, one of Plaid Cymru's three MSs representing Afan Ogwr Rhondda.
Andy Burnham has replaced Keir Starmer as Labour leader, and will soon be PM. Newport West and Islwyn MP Ruth Jones looks back at Starmer's legacy and ahead to Burnham's tenure. Police are investigating a death threat against a Senedd member, and Conservative MS Natasha Asghar has had her office window smashed. She tells us about her experience. Gorffwysfa is the original name of Canada's official residence for their prime minister. Monocle's man in Toronto Tomos Lewis knows all about how that name came about and how the building is in great need of repair. Gwynfor Evans won Plaid Cymru's first parliamentary seat in Carmarthen in July 1966. His son Guto Prys ap Gwynfor was there and recalls its significance. Continuing our series meeting new MSs, we hear from Cristiana Emsley, one of Reform's two new members in Fflint Wrecsam.
Andy Burnham is more than likely to become our next Prime Minister, whilst Welsh Labour look set to announce Ken Skates as their permanent leader. Wales Online's Ruth Mosalski has all the details. As Farage triggers a byelection in Clacton, we look at how we got here with the Guardian's Anna Isaac. Up to ten surgical hubs are planned for Wales. Professor Jon Barry from the Royal College of Surgeons explains how the elective care expert group intends to make them happen. Climate charity the Size of Wales turned 15 this week. Their deputy director Barbara Davies-Quy joins us to talk about their work. And we'll hear about lesser known historical figures who feature in Professor David Turner's new book 'Disability: A history of resistance' We continue with our series meeting new Senedd members. This week it's the turn of Reform's Benjamin Hodge-McKenna, one of their two MSs for Afan Ogwr Rhondda.
Vaughan Roderick looks back at highlights from Sunday Supplement over the past few months, including a row over rail funding, the future of Ukraine and Syria, the passing of Pope Francis, and the 'Great Bibles' going on display at the National Library of Wales. Interviews with Ben Lake MP, Ukrainian journalist and refugee Kateryna Gorodnycha, Children's Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes, Syrian doctor Mohammad Alhadj Ali, Delyth Jewell MS and Lord Don Touhig, Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones and the National Library's Timothy Cutts.
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