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BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Unionist Irish language fears 'can be addressed'
Unionists in Northern Ireland have "legitimate concerns" over the Irish language but they "can be addressed", the former first minister of Wales has Drakeford, the Welsh government's language secretary, said political agreement on Irish would be "healing rather than divisive".It comes amid continuing disputes at Stormont over the Irish language, including rows about bilingual signage and its a Welsh speaker who encourages bilingualism in Wales, said unionists have nothing to fear if Irish "is done in a way that is sensitive to their concerns". Speaking to BBC News NI's Sunday Politics programme, he said language should not be used "as a political football"."I think, done the right way, concerns can be addressed," he said."That's not to say that concerns aren't legitimate."The development of policies in Northern Ireland to promote the Irish language has long been a point of dispute between unionists and Irish Wales, the Welsh language is more widely accepted and is commonly displayed alongside English in public spaces, such as on road markings and street signs. Drakeford, former leader of the Welsh Labour Party, said he was "perfectly comfortable" with having a Welsh and British about unionist concerns over Irish, he said that being "undoubtedly Welsh doesn't diminish your sense of being part of the United Kingdom".But Drakeford said unionists have "legitimate concerns" and are "entirely entitled to make sure that's part of the public debate". 'Languages are special' Northern Ireland's devolved government is currently recruiting an Irish language commissioner and a commissioner for the Ulster-Scots and Ulster British roles were key parts of language legislation introduced in 2022 by Westminster, which stepped in following a political stalemate at Stormont over the for the posts are due to take place this month, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly told the Northern Ireland Assembly on added that she and First Minister Michelle O'Neill were committed to making the appointments "as soon as possible".Wales has had a Welsh language commissioner since 2012. Their powers include investigating complaints against public bodies. Efa Gruffudd Jones, who has held the role for more than two years, said that "languages don't need to divide us"."Languages are special things, and people can express themselves differently in different languages," she said."So I would hope that people can respect other people's languages and ensure that they can enjoy using it." Grand Central Station signs Irish signage has been a key point of contention at Stormont, with parties clashing over proposals to spend £150,000 on bilingual displays at Belfast's Grand Central plan by the infrastructure minister is being challenged in the local council level, there have also been disputes over the introduction of dual-language street signs in some have been vandalised more than 300 times in five Ireland's 11 local authorities have varying policies on installing dual-language street Belfast, proposals for a street are considered by a council committee if 15% or more of all occupants surveyed express than 200 have been approved since the policy was introduced a few years those approved, the average survey received about 34% of replies in favour, 4% against, 1% no preference, and 61% no figures were obtained by BBC News NI through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request. Belfast councillor Ron McDowell, deputy leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), said many unionists felt Irish was being "thrust upon them"."People are vehemently opposed to the Irish dual-language street signs because they see it as a weapon - it's a cultural warfare," he said."It's being used by nationalist politics for identity politics - to mark territory."Ian Malcolm, from Lurgan in County Armagh, is a Protestant, a unionist and an Irish language said that Irish "does not in any way diminish a person's Britishness", but should also not be "forced down anyone's throat". Describing it as a "beautiful, wonderful language", he added: "It tells us so much about who we are, about our history."I think that everyone can embrace that, without surrendering one inch of your unionism."
South Wales Argus
11-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Where are new railway stations being built in Newport?
The boost, which gives Wales a total extra £1.6 billion, will see five new rail stations between Cardiff and the border. UK Government said the settlement is the "best in the history of Welsh devolution." Chancellor Reeves told Parliament the new stations will follow the route from 'Cardiff West Junction.' These proposed stations will be: Newport West, Somerton, Llanwern and Magor and Undy - the latter being promised as an innovative alternative to a parkway – a 'walkway station' that reduces car use and encourages sustainable transport. The Welsh Government has already committed more than £300 million to building an integrated transport system for Wales. The Reeves boost will add to the Welsh Government's now considerable spending and planning armoury for transport. The Chancellor's announcement backs the Welsh Government's vision for transport, which will add to the rail improvements with minor changes such as bus lane extensions, more cycling and walking routes, as well as general upgrades in the importance of what is known as public and sustainable routes. The result of the spending review will mark a significant victory for Welsh Labour and its lobbying of the UK Government on spending and transport issues. It is also seen as a boost for Welsh Labour ahead next year's Senedd elections. Roads will remain a lesser priority in Welsh Government policy and planning. The Chancellor's cash boost and already committed Welsh Government money will now set out how planning and infrastructure policy will be approached and funded for many years to come. The new railway stations will form the backbone of major public transport improvements to the entire southeast of Wales and be an alternative to infrastructure investment on the now out-of-date and clogged M4. The improvements will include relief tracks on the South Wales main line being converted to carry passenger trains. Ken Skates, the Welsh Government's cabinet secretary for transport, has said the new stations will 'allow millions of new train journeys each year' and form part of a 'transformational project'. The plans have been proposed by the Welsh Government as an alternative to an M4 relief road or other alternatives to infrastructure upgrades on the now jammed major route through south Wales. Two years ago, the Welsh Government had said it expects the first of the new stations to be completed by 2027. The new stations are being touted as the cornerstone of Welsh Labour's planned 'sustainable transport corridor' along the A48 between Cardiff and Newport. The work, beginning this financial year, was said to take five years to complete. Opposition parties have expressed doubt. The Welsh Liberal Democrats said Wales is again being 'short changed' by Labour. Meanwhile Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan MS said: "£445m is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the billions Wales is owed on rail, and what Labour – up until they came into power – used to agree with us on.' Welsh Conservatives said the people of Wales had again been cheated of money and services by Labour and that Welsh ministers have their heads the sand. Previously, Welsh Conservative transport Brief, Gwent's Natasha Ashgar, had been more forthright in her views on Labour's 'sustainable vision for transport,' which she labelled as 'pandering to extreme eco-warriors,' when she spoke to the South Wales August in 2022. Among other details relevant to Wales, a further £118 million will be allocated to coal tip safety.
Wales Online
10-06-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Top former Welsh Labour MP blasts winter fuel payment U-turn as 'incompetence'
Top former Welsh Labour MP blasts winter fuel payment U-turn as 'incompetence' Kim Howells said the Labour administration was 'rudderless' Kim Howells, former MP for Pontypridd (Image: western Mail ) Former Welsh MP Kim Howells said the U-turn by the UK Labour Government over winter fuel payments "smacks of incompetence". The former Labour minister went on to say that U-turns "never look good". Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast said the current UK Government is "rudderless". Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed on June 9 that over 75% of pensioners will now receive the winter fuel payment this year. The policy proposal had been hugely unpopular with voters and caused unrest within the parliamentary party. Mr Howells, who represented Pontypridd from 1989 to 2010 and was in both the Blair and Brown governments, said it showed the UK Government was "kind of rudderless, floating around, not knowing which way to turn. Now they face this kind of humiliation, and, really, there was no need for it." "For a Labour government to be doing this just seemed daft, really. This along with a number of other decisions has allowed people, quite validly, to level really very significant criticism at the government," he said. In July 2024, the government announced that they would be means-testing the winter fuel payment, introducing a cap that meant only those on pension credit would receive the payment. The move was widely criticised. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . This latest U-turn means that pensioners earning an annual income of £35,000 or under will be eligible for the payment – around nine million people. Article continues below Mr Howells also warned that the government's communication strategy risks them losing support to Nigel Farage's Reform UK. "I don't understand anything Keir Starmer says. It's this kind of London techno speak which nobody understands. It's kind of a mist, instead of a clear policy. "People need a hope. They need to see that there is a future and not just this constant attempt to patch up everything that they see going wrong,' said Mr Howells. He said parties like Reform UK were better at "communicating in a language that people can understand." Mr Howells also said that the decisions being made by the Westminster government would impact Welsh Labour. Polling ahead of next year's Senedd election shows an uphill battle for Eluned Morgan's party. In the most recent poll Welsh Labour had slipped to third with 18% of the vote share, behind both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. You can read that here. Mr Howells said Welsh Labour would 'undoubtedly' pay the price for their decisions, and that devolution requires "fresh thinking". "We fought for devolution, brought it in in Tony Blair's first Labour government. It was designed to make Wales better," he said. "But our health service is even worse than in England. This is not making Wales better – this is just about managing to patch up and stop it sinking,' he said. "What we should be concentrating on is creating new industries and new jobs and a new future for Wales. Not constantly trying to get subsidies from south-east England – that's not the way to do it. 'This has been the curse of the Welsh Assembly [now Senedd] all along. It's not been about encouraging entrepreneurships and getting people to start their own businesses, vibrancy, it's been constantly about the old politics, of getting our share,' he said. Mr Howells said that public investment is very important, but that 'radical thinking' was needed to secure a good future for Wales. Article continues below "It needs Keir Starmer's government in London [and the Senedd in Cardiff] to realise that the world is changing at a fantastic pace, and we've got to change with it and that means we've got to reassess all of these priorities of government," he said. Both Welsh secretary Jo Stevens and a representative from Welsh Labour were asked to speak on the programme but both declined, the BBC said.
Wales Online
08-06-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Nigel Farage reveals his vision and promises to Wales
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The 1851 census recorded that more people in Wales were employed in industry than in agriculture, a first for any country, meaning it has the claim to be the first industrial nation. And for a time, Wales was undeniably an industrial powerhouse. Wales once produced almost 60 million tons of coal per year and South Wales alone was the biggest coal exporter in the world. The Cardiff Coal Exchange set the global price for steam coal and Swansea smelted most of the world's copper. Merthyr Tydfil was the world's largest producer of iron and the Port Talbot Steelworks were once the largest steel plant in Europe. Much of that is now gone. Wales's economy lags the UK in jobs, wages & growth and the deindustrialisation of Wales means that GDP per capita is £10,000 less than the UK. For many years Welsh Labour blamed the Conservatives in Westminster for this and, in fact, for all other ills. However, the truth is that Labour are just as much as responsible, if not more so than the Tories. Since the first elections to the then Welsh Assembly in 1999, Labour has been in power in Cardiff Bay for 26 years, the longest term in government of any party in Europe. With Labour now holding office in Westminster, Welsh Labour have no one left to blame. Next May voters in Wales will get the opportunity to vote in the Senedd elections and have the opportunity to not only to pass judgment on Labour's track record but also decide on the future direction of the nation. They can choose from more of the same mismanaged decline from Labour, or they can vote for a party, Reform, that unashamedly wants to see Wales reindustrialise to prosper and grow. Labour closed Wales' only primary steel making furnaces, we want to open them in the long run. We have said and say again that we think it's better to use British coal for British steel than imported coal. Which is why we would allow coal, if suitable, to be mined in Wales as part of Reform's long-term ambition to reopen the Port Talbot Steelworks but we know this will not be quick or easy. A Reform-run Senedd would also use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale. We'll also set up regional technical colleges teaching welding, plumbing, robotics, electrical trades, and industrial automation. Every young person who wants to work should have a path into a proper trade. More than that, we will change the way Wales is run. We will put the interests of the Welsh people first and make sure that local people go to the front of the social housing queue. We'd stop the use of any building for asylum seeker accommodation. We would end funding to the Wales Refugee Council and scrap the 'Nation of Sanctuary' for asylum seekers and any funding that goes with it. For WalesOnline's free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management. The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services. People might say these are lofty ambitions for a party that currently has no representation in the Senedd, but its clear that the people of Wales want Reform. Our growth in Wales has been extraordinary. We now have almost 11,000 members and tens of thousands of supporters. We are winning Council by-elections in Wales with almost 50 per cent of the vote. The result in Scotland last week confirmed to us that we if we can do that well in Scotland, then we can win here in Wales. It also made clear that a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Labour, it's more obvious than ever before that the Tories can't win in Wales. The only party that can end Labour's 26 years of failure in Wales and put the nation on a better path is Reform and I am confident we can do it.
Wales Online
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
England gets £16bn for transport as people share views on what Wales needs
England gets £16bn for transport as people share views on what Wales needs WalesOnline readers have shared their thoughts on the the billions of pounds that will be spent on tram, train, and bus projects in mayoral authorities across the Midlands, the north, and the west of England WalesOnline readers have been discussing the recent transport funding announcement for England. Billions of pounds are earmarked for investment in tram, train, and bus projects across mayoral authorities in the Midlands, the north, and the west of England. The funding news precedes the upcoming spending review, set to be unveiled in the coming days, which will decide the budget allocation for each Whitehall department for the coming three to four years. A substantial boost in rail transport funding for Wales is expected in the forthcoming announcement but official confirmation has yet to come. Users have been vocal about their concerns, frustrations, and aspirations regarding Welsh transport considering the challenges faced. One reader, Ospreyorders, writes: "Welsh Labour would only waste it on vanity projects. We need an M4 relief road around Newport. We need three lanes on the M4 all the way to Pont Abraham. Labour doesn't want this, they are happy with people sat in queues for hours!" OverweightNo8 adds: "Transport in Wales is a devolved responsibility, hence like everything else Welsh Labour touch its a shambles, Rachel [Reeves, UK chancellor] will not give them a penny." Welshrugby replies: "Transport in Wales IS devolved as you said BUT the Welsh Government will announce the extra spending on transport in its own time like Scotland will and N Ireland will. England has its own transport fund." Article continues below Jeff2509 says: "Wales announced spending increase on transport back in February. The disappointment here is rail infrastructure, in the hands of Westminster's Network Rail, has not included any funding for its responsibility in Wales." Frustrate remarks: "Any form of transport in Wales would be nice a bus now and again for example." Boredtaxidriver62 writes: "First thing? Reopen the Carmarthen to Aber rail line. This one is relatively cheap compared to HS2 and would fully connect Wales. Want to go green? Net Zero? Start there, or accept that nobody from say, Swansea, is going to go to Shrewsbury first. I believe, if all trains are there and on time, Swansea to Aber takes five hours. So everyone drives." Willywopp asks: "What happened to the black hole left by the Tories which left pensioners out of their winter fuel payments all of a sudden she has this money for rail upgrades for ENGLAND?" Bob_ says: "This proves the Senedd is blocking what Wales gets because we are separated from Westminster. The announcement that £16bn will be spent on transport in England to get their bus services to cover all areas on a not-for-profit basis. So it will cover areas that bus service do not go, enabling isolated people to get the same service." Penfroboy writes: "That is what pre-privatisation bus services used to do, serve the community. Labour are only returning services to the status quo, not doing anything mind-blowing. These are the rural services we relied on donkeys years ago, not just in England but Wales as well." Article continues below Tannerbanc wrote: "Wales is not a priority for Labour in Westminster despite Welsh Labour hopes because the votes here are seen as guaranteed, it is not a priority for the Conservatives when in power because the votes are seen as cannot be won due to the tribal voting in Wales, so we lose out. You get what you vote for, change is needed." Robyponty22 says: "Don't you realise, Wales has a devolved government, it's up to Welsh Labour government to spend as they wish, and if they choose to spend on vanity projects, airports, trees for Uganda, fields for concerts, that has just sat there for four years. Devolution the last 25 years and billions gone adrift, haven't you wondered why we have the worst education, health service, social service, and every other public service? All propped up by the so called Party of Wales. Look up what devolution means." Do you feel that Wales is left out of the transport funding via Westminster? Comment below or HERE to join in the conversation.
