Wrexham MP reflects on the 'incredible' National Eisteddfod
What an incredible week in Wrexham with the National Eisteddfod bringing thousands of visitors to Isycoed and to the city centre.
The atmosphere on the Maes was fantastic with Pentref Wrecsam showcasing what our city has to offer in terms of bold ideas and vision: the 2029 City of Culture bid, Stori Brymbo which will be such a unique attraction when it opens, and This Is Wrecsam amongst many others all showing what a destination Wrexham is.
I was delighted to see so many local groups and organisations represented as well as ones from across Wales, showing the diversity of Wales and its inclusivity.
As a Welsh learner myself it was an ideal opportunity to practise and thank you to those who were patient with me!
I also know that the city centre has seen lots of visitors taking the opportunity for some time out from the Maes.
It's been great to see businesses able to take the opportunity to extend their opening or diversify their offering or increase their production to meet the demand.
The Eisteddfod also coincided with the Play Day on Wednesday where so many children and their families were enjoying the activities on offer.
A huge thank you to all involved in this wonderful annual event.
There are plenty of excellent developments in the city centre, such as the Butchers' Market and the updating of High Street which are part of Welsh Government's Transforming Towns fund which Cabinet Secretary Jane Bryant was able to see for herself last week.
The transformation of the old library into an arts and cultural hub and of course the Museum of Two Halves which will be open next year.
The Eisteddfod also saw the announcement of a partnership between Coleg Cambria and Wrexham University working together with Bangor University and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai to form the North Wales Tertiary Alliance (NWTA).
The aim is to strengthen education, skills and support economic growth and opportunity across North Wales.
This can only be of benefit to young people and learners across Wrexham and could not be more welcome.
As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or Andrew.Ranger.mp@parliament.uk
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
20 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Carmarthen teenager first to join national youth committee
Evie Somers, 17, from Carmarthen, has been appointed to the UK Youth Select Committee for the 2025/26 term, making her the first young person from Carmarthenshire to earn a seat on the UK-wide panel. The committee gives young people the chance to examine and influence national policies that affect their lives. Ms Somers, who has been a member of Carmarthenshire Youth Council for the past two years, was selected by the UK Parliament and the National Youth Agency. She said: "I'm excited to work alongside passionate young people from across the UK to explore the issues that matter most to us. "This opportunity will allow me to develop new skills, learn from experts and most importantly, help influence decisions that affect young people's lives. "I'm grateful to the UK Parliament and the National Youth Agency for selecting me. "As the sole representative for Wales on this unique committee, I am committed to putting Welsh interests at the forefront of my work. "Throughout my tenure, I will bring a strong grassroots focus while ensuring consistent, national-level representation for young people in Wales." The Youth Select Committee operates in a similar way to House of Commons select committees. It is made up of 12 young people aged 14 to 19 from across the UK who investigate issues, gather evidence from experts, and produce formal reports with recommendations for government. Ms Somers is the only representative from Wales. She attended her first online meeting earlier this week and will travel to London in September for the committee's first in-person session at the UK Parliament. Councillor Glynog Davies, Carmarthenshire's cabinet member for education and the Welsh language, said: "We are incredibly proud of Evie's achievement in securing a place on the UK Youth Select Committee – a first for Carmarthenshire. "Her dedication to youth voice and representation is inspiring, and she will be a powerful advocate not only for young people in our county but across Wales."
Leader Live
20 hours ago
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP reflects on the 'incredible' National Eisteddfod
MP for Wrexham What an incredible week in Wrexham with the National Eisteddfod bringing thousands of visitors to Isycoed and to the city centre. The atmosphere on the Maes was fantastic with Pentref Wrecsam showcasing what our city has to offer in terms of bold ideas and vision: the 2029 City of Culture bid, Stori Brymbo which will be such a unique attraction when it opens, and This Is Wrecsam amongst many others all showing what a destination Wrexham is. I was delighted to see so many local groups and organisations represented as well as ones from across Wales, showing the diversity of Wales and its inclusivity. As a Welsh learner myself it was an ideal opportunity to practise and thank you to those who were patient with me! I also know that the city centre has seen lots of visitors taking the opportunity for some time out from the Maes. It's been great to see businesses able to take the opportunity to extend their opening or diversify their offering or increase their production to meet the demand. The Eisteddfod also coincided with the Play Day on Wednesday where so many children and their families were enjoying the activities on offer. A huge thank you to all involved in this wonderful annual event. There are plenty of excellent developments in the city centre, such as the Butchers' Market and the updating of High Street which are part of Welsh Government's Transforming Towns fund which Cabinet Secretary Jane Bryant was able to see for herself last week. The transformation of the old library into an arts and cultural hub and of course the Museum of Two Halves which will be open next year. The Eisteddfod also saw the announcement of a partnership between Coleg Cambria and Wrexham University working together with Bangor University and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai to form the North Wales Tertiary Alliance (NWTA). The aim is to strengthen education, skills and support economic growth and opportunity across North Wales. This can only be of benefit to young people and learners across Wrexham and could not be more welcome. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Reform UK's rise reveals how out of touch Keir Starmer and John Swinney really are
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is a strange form of criticism to brand some parties dismissively as 'populist'. Political parties operating in a democratic landscape need to be popular or they will not get elected. Why would any political party or leader of a party want to be branded as 'elitist' or 'condescending'? Being unpopular is what became of the old Liberal party. When it was replaced by the Labour party, did that make its leaders – Keir Hardy, Arthur Henderson and Ramsay MacDonald – populists? In time, they became popular and Labour eventually formed governments, so what's changed? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One thing that has certainly changed is how the established parties are very similar. Of course they and their die-hard supporters will seek to argue they are very different, but it is becoming increasingly obvious to many people that, since the arrival of Edinburgh's own Anthony Blair, there really has not been a great deal of difference in many of the policies or laws that have become embedded in modern Britain. Keir Starmer jokes with John Swinney and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan at a meeting in Edinburgh last year (Picture: Andy Buchanan/WPA pool) | Getty Images The 'Uniparty' Indeed it is easier to find policies that started with one party in government and have been followed through by the party replacing it. This has led to Labour and the Conservatives being branded as the 'Uniparty' – a term which in most respects should include the Liberal Democrats too (who were in power with the Conservatives between 2010-15). An example of this phenomenon is the treatment of Northern Ireland by successive Conservative governments since the Brexit vote of 2016. Theresa May started by conceding the Northern Ireland Backstop because the European Union threatened the imposition of a border with the Republic of Ireland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This was changed by Boris Johnson's government to become the Northern Ireland Protocol, and although early economic data showed that it was resulting in trade displacement, and although article 16 of that Protocol allowed for it to be suspended in such circumstances, Rishi Sunak gave up on standing up to the EU and instead doubled down on the concessions with his Windsor Framework. In typical Uniparty style, Labour cheered on this process just as it did with other bilateral policies like ending non-dom tax status and raising taxes to dangerously harmful levels where revenues would begin to fall. This week under Labour, the second of two physical border posts opened in Belfast, the first already completed in Larne. These border posts are to inspect GB goods going into Northern Ireland. Even in the 'Green Lane', such goods are treated like exports to a foreign country, requiring an export number, customs paperwork with a compulsory percentage pulled-over for physical checks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So, despite our governments telling us repeatedly that all the backstops, protocols and frameworks would prevent a hard border, our political elite – of all mainstream parties – have agreed to a concrete-and-steel border within and between our country. Surely, as only the EU wanted a border, it should have been the EU that built one where its jurisdiction started, not inside the UK. Time and again, we are deceived by governments doing the opposite of what they say they will do as if we might not notice. Sturgeon should have abandoned gender self-ID Another example of the detachment of our elite political class came from the former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who has said she should have paused her legislation on self-ID. No Nicola, you should not have paused it, you should have abandoned it and instead sought to enshrine the rights of women – as defined by their sex – so, unequivocally, they would have safe spaces they could call their own. No ifs, buts, maybes or pauses, just a recognition that the public was not supportive of her ideologically driven policy. You might call Sturgeon's approach an elite, condescending, arrogant position – I'm with the populists who campaigned long and hard to protect a women's right to a private safe space. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The pursuit of Sturgeon's policy by her replacement, Humza Yousaf, was just as undemocratic as hers, and the Janus-faced approach of John Swinney in facing one way and then another rather than firmly enforcing the Supreme Court decision condemns him too. The populist approach would have been for him to withdraw the Scottish Government's legal defence, but in true patronising style the SNP establishment new better. UK control of policies Back to Brexit and last week we found that an academic poll which asked where decisions that affect people's lives should be made revealed our main established parties are still trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Carried out by YouGov for Queen Mary University London, it found that Labour, Conservative and even Liberal Democrat and Green voters gave majority support for all 20 areas of policy on taxes, trade, quality standards, border controls etcetera being decided upon by the UK Government alone. Of those 20, 17 had an overall majority for 'the UK alone', while for three it was the largest of the three options. And yet we are told by the Labour government we badly need an EU reset (contrary to the data on trade). Keir Starmer's reset will bring EU laws (present and future) with price increases – and even business taxes that will drive the cost of energy up – yet here we go again with Labour and the Liberal Democrats pushing for a 'reset' and the new Conservative leadership showing little enthusiasm for repudiating it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Again, I'm with the populists. There is nothing wrong in having cordial relationships with one's neighbours but there is no need to concede our hard-won sovereignty to make decisions for ourselves. We should trust the people. Our political parties in Westminster, Holyrood, the Senedd and Stormont need to recognise that popular policies should be reflected in democratic choices. Only then will they challenge Reform UK – which is doing better than all of them because it seeks to listen and speak up for those who feel nobody is listening to them.
