The Welsh Politics Pod

The Senedd has a turnout problem. Since 1999 no nationwide election has seen more that 50% of eligible voters cast their vote. Will 2026 be the year that all changes? With the leading contenders to lead the next government providing radically different visions of Wales's future, could partisanship or negative partisanship drive engagement. Will we see a surge of young voters or previous non-voters, or neither? We discuss! #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

While Wales continue to struggle on the field of play, there have been high profile and repeated problems with the WRU's institutional governance that are playing a significant role in the malaise about what was once unquesionably the national sport of Wales. It is, of course, not just the WRU that is struggling. Parliamentary scrutiny in both union and national parliaments is troublingly weak much of the time and there are countless other national Welsh institutions where better questions should be asked of their leadership. Is Wales uniquely poor in this regard and, if so, can we do anything about it in the next Senedd? We discuss! #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

With the Senedd election campaign beginning and parties choosing their lanes and their leaders, we answer some audience questions about what to expect next. This week we discuss how the Reform group will perform inside the Senedd - will they play an active role in the parliament or will they disrupt and challenge convention? Also we ask whether the First Minister Eluned Morgan is going to lose her seat and what the consequences of that are. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

Without using *any* Traitors metaphors, we discuss the beginnings of the Senedd 2026 campaign for all parties with 100 days to go until the election as some candidates begin to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. What is repulsing voters from some parties, bringing in support to others, and where are the current - and future - internal tensions in the party coalitions? We also take in the raft of polls from Wales and debate how much there is still to play for for each of the parties. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

The UK Government's announcement that it will be scrapping the roles of directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners has - perhaps inadvertantly - reopened the longstanding debate about devolution of policing and justice to Wales that would bring it into alignment with Scotland and N. Ireland. With PCC powers to be given to regional mayors in England, there is uncertainty about what will happen in Wales and how many forces will remain west of the border. Lauren, Lee, and Laura pick apart the debates about the future of these key public services and whether now is the time for this open sore (or 'jagged edge'!) in the devolution model to be addressed. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your host: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Our guest: Dr Ed Gareth Poole is a Reader in Politics at Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

Following our interview with Dr Ed Poole, an expert in the finances of Welsh Government, Laura, Lauren, and Lee get stuck into the politics of how Welsh Government is funded and address questions like: Why are some tax powers working and others not? Why is the UK Govt not scrutinised on its spend in Wales? Could a Plaid Cymru First Minister squeeze more money out of the UK Treasury? And many more... Our previous Explainer with Dr Ed Poole: https://youtu.be/u-hdz9BNpiI The Wales Fiscal Analysis Report we discussed: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/2977768/A-Decade-On-Reforming-Wales-Fiscal-Framework.pdf #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

In the first of our Explainer Pods, we're taking on a big subject - money! Our first guest is Dr Ed Poole, who leads the Wales Fiscal Analysis team at the Wales Governance Centre and takes on the mighty challenge of explaining how - and why - Wales's finances are the way they are, where the problems are, and what could be done to fix them. On our next pod Laura, Lauren, and Lee will look at the other side of the equation and what political decisions the different parties might take to change the status quo for the better. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your host: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Our guest: Dr Ed Gareth Poole is a Reader in Politics at Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

We wrap up our series of Q & A pods with a question about why the UK can't be a 'normal' European country with rules and structures underpinning its different levels and territories of government. It's complicated! Also, we close with a discussion of the potential risks of Plaid Cymru being too closely aligned to the SNP as both parties appear set to lead respective national governments after May 2026. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

In our final Welsh Politics Q & A pod before Christmas, Lauren, Laura, and Lee tackle 'horribly male' politics in Wales, the fabled 'consensual politics' of Cardiff Bay, and, inspired by the conviction of former UKIP Senedd member Nathan Gill, express preferences of which countries would offer the best bribes... #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Full Pod here: https://youtu.be/wnlWwGyye_o Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

We continue our season of Welsh Politics Q & A pods with a debate about the merits of political parties parachuting candidates into constituencies, especially in short election campaigns as we infamously saw from Labour in Cardiff West (Alex Barros-Curtis) and Swansea West (Torsten Bell) in the 2024 UK election. We also discuss the absence of progress on developing north-south links inside Wales during the period of devolution. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

We begin our season of Welsh Politics Q & A pods with a massive question from a listener - Is there any justification for not having a specific Covid Inquiry for Wales? Needless to say opinions and experiences differ here and we discuss the approaches governments took to the pandemic, media coverage, and relations between the different governments of the UK. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

It's time to focus on the two 'main' parties of of British poltiics, who between them struggled to reach 14% of the vote in the Caerphilly. What can they do, if anything, to arrest their decline in Wales and maximise their result in May? And where does the power lie to make those decisions - London or Cardiff? We also map out the scenarios that the Welsh Government can use to get its budget passed before March. Will it be a deal with the Conservatives, the independents, Plaid Cymru, or is the 'nuclear' option of an early election in the joint interest of Labour and the Conservatives as a super majority? Could we be set for one more 60-seat parliament? Laura thinks not! #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

With two weeks of dust settling and bad takes crumbling under scrutiny following the dramatic by-election result in Caerphilly, we look at the consequences of the resounding victory for Plaid Cymru, a bitter defeat for an ambitious Reform UK campaign and catastrophic losses for Labour and the Conservatives. And as we start to turn our attentions to May 2026 we look at what the new numbers in the Senedd mean for the most important part of government business - the budget. Are there enough votes to get it over the line, or at least are there insufficient votes to stop it? #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, political commentator and former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

Wales has two governments, a national one in Cardiff and a union one in London. How they work together is crucial to improving the economy and public services. However, since national devolution in 1999, the formal structures of working between governments have yet to be built and the former territorial offices still act as a conduits or blockers to progress, depending on your point of view. The reality is that the factors that have determined success often come down to party politics, personal relationships, or personalities of those in key roles. Is this any way to get the best out of each government for the benefit of Wales? We discuss! #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

So we know that the voting system for the 2026 Welsh Parliament election is new, moving to a full proportional list system that is the same as the 'top up' lists used since 1999. But how are the parties choosing who can stand on these new regional lists, and in what order? And importantly, what type of person puts themself forward for the arcane and arduous process of candidacy in the first place? We discuss it all in this episode, recorded in the Senedd itself. #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru You can learn how the new voting system works using Dr Jac Larner's modeller here: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wales/the-2026-senedd-election-simulator-one-year-to-go/ Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

In this pod, we take a look at the package of reforms that mean the Welsh Parliament is expanded to 96 members in 2026 and has a significant - and universally unpopular - new voting system. No party seems to like it, academic researchers don't rate it, and electoral reform campaigners didn't want it. So how did we end up with a system like this?! #Senedd26 #Wales #cymru You can learn how the new voting system works using Dr Jac Larner's modeller here: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wales/the-2026-senedd-election-simulator-one-year-to-go/ Your hosts: Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA Lauren McEvatt, former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

It's October 2025, there is an absolutely crucial Senedd by election on the horizon that Welsh Labour has to win to retain a governing majority and pass a budget. But there's an unprecedented election on the horizon using a new voting system and new constituencies. Welsh Labour is trailing in the polls to a buoyant Plaid Cymru and an insurgent Reform UK, its links to a struggling UK Labour Govt are weighing it down, and no-one will be minded to be seen helping them pass a budget in the months before the election. It sets the stage for a financial crisis and potentially the end of the longest election-winning streak in the democratic world, and will put Wales front and centre of the UK's political news for the first time. We set the scene drawing on our hosts experience and insight! Your hosts: - Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA - Lauren McEvatt, former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt - Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

We're delighted to announce The Welsh Politics Podcast, our new pod that we hope will look at the latest political events in Wales with no pulled punches. Our hosts are some of the most well known names in the politlcal space in Wales and have very different backgrounds and perspectives on events. They are: - Prof Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, former national football team captain and Vice President at UEFA - Lauren McEvatt, former Conservative Special Advisor to the Wales Office in UK Govt - Lee Waters, Labour Party Member of the Senedd for Llanelli and former Welsh Govt Minister Between them they will debate and challenge in analysing the latest political events in Wales and the UK as well as taking a look at some of the biggest questions and ideas dominating debate and trying to explain what it all means. Find us on the socials: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: www.x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: www.bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Web: www.welsh-politics.com Produced by Richard Martin for Mimosa Cymru Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com

Join Member of the Senedd Lee Waters, Professor Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre and former Conservative Wales Office Special Advisor Lauren McEvatt as we look at what is happening in Welsh Politics - and why. Find us on the socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WelshPoliticsPod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@welshpolitics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welshpoliticspod/ X: https://x.com/WelshPolitics99 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/welshpolitics.bsky.social Produced by Richard Martin Artwork by Alison Hurren Music: Where Is It Instrumental by Jonworthymusic Press/Media queries to podcast@welsh-poilitics.com