Festival cancels event with ex-MP Jonathan Edwards who assaulted wife
Edwards was the MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr until he stood down at the 2024 general election.Plaid suspended him after the assault on his then wife Emma at their home in May 2020.His book, Into the Abyss, includes his account of what happened.A decision by Plaid to reinstate him in 2022 led to a row within the party over his membership.Edwards briefly considered running against Plaid as a candidate in last year's election, before deciding to leave politics.The festival's event with him was originally billed by its website as "a must for Welsh political enthusiasts".But in a statement on Tuesday it said that "upon further review, we believe that the nature and content of the recently published book are not aligned with the values and principles of our festival".The festival said on Facebook: "Our primary concern is to ensure that our festival remains a space where all individuals feel respected."We have determined that the potential for harm and distress to some individuals mentioned in the book is too significant to overlook."Organisers said they were "dedicated to curating a festival that upholds the values of inclusivity and literary celebration for everyone involved".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Train passengers face ‘outrageous' fare hike
A potential 5.5 per cent rise in England's train fares next year has been described by public transport groups as 'outrageous'. July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation – which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train travel – will be announced on Wednesday. The Government has not confirmed how it will determine the cap in regulated fare rises for 2026, but this year's 4.6 per cent hike was one percentage point above RPI in July 2024. Banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure will be 4.5 per cent, which means fares could jump by 5.5 per cent. Bruce Williamson, spokesman for pressure group Railfuture, said 'it would be outrageous' if fares rose by that much. He added: 'What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. 'It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and onto our congested road network, which is in no-one's interest.' Mr Williamson said he would support the Government marking its nationalisation of train operators by freezing fares. He continued: 'One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. 'But of course, I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to the passengers, which I think is wrong.' Ben Plowden, chief executive of lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71 per cent of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper. 'Public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise, so as the Government progresses plans for Great British Railways (GBR), it must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable.' GBR is an upcoming public sector body that will oversee Britain's rail infrastructure and train operation. About 45 per cent of fares on Britain's railways are regulated by the Westminster, Scottish and Welsh Governments. They include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes, and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there will be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year. Operators set rises in unregulated fares, although these are likely to be very close to regulated ticket increases because their decisions are heavily influenced by governments. A DfT spokesperson said: 'The Transport Secretary has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. 'The Government is putting passengers at the heart of its plans for public ownership and Great British Railways, delivering the services they deserve and driving growth. 'No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.'
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Outrageous! Fury at threat to increase rail fares by 5.5%
A potential 5.5 per cent rise in England's train fares next year has been described by public transport groups as 'outrageous'. July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation – which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train travel – will be announced on Wednesday. The Government has not confirmed how it will determine the cap in regulated fare rises for 2026, but this year's 4.6 per cent hike was one percentage point above RPI in July 2024. Banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure will be 4.5 per cent, which means fares could jump by 5.5 per cent. Bruce Williamson of pressure group Railfuture said 'it would be outrageous' if fares rose by that much. He added: 'What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. 'It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and on to our congested road network, which is in no one's interest.' Mr Williamson said that he would support the Government marking its nationalisation of train operators by freezing fares. He continued: 'One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. 'But I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to passengers, which I think is wrong.' Ben Plowden, chief executive of the lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71 per cent of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper.' Mr Plowden added that Great British Railways – an upcoming public sector body that will oversee the UK's train operations – 'must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable' because 'public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise'. About 45 per cent of fares on the country's railways are regulated by either the Westminster Parliament or the Scottish and Welsh governments. They include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there will be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year. A DfT spokesman said: 'The Transport Secretary [Heidi Alexander] has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. 'No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.'
Cambrian News
17 hours ago
- Cambrian News
Plaid pledge to increase arts and culture spending
Plaid Cymru's spokesperson for Culture, Heledd Fychan MS delivered a lecture at the National Eisteddfod on the future of culture and the arts in Wales – outlining how a Plaid Cymru government 'will make these sectors a central part of its mission to make Wales a healthier, wealthier nation as part of a new, innovative, preventative health agenda.'
