Off-brand Joe Allen. I work at @The_TUC
Cardiff, Wales
- Tweets 7,176
- Following 787
- Followers 2,024
- Likes 18,256
An interesting question for the Future Generations Office would be:
Has it ever taken a position on any issue contrary to the answer you'd get if you asked a random group of senior people in the Welsh third sector?
'No jobs on a dead planet' - former commissioner defends helping scrap M4 relief road bbc.in/4jl7Kfx
11
10
73
3,840
*Update: Senedd AI Stats for this Week*
> Pangram flagged AI in 45/197 MS plenary statements (22.8%).
> Across all major parties. 40%+ of Reform speeches.
> Ministers, shadow mins, backbenchers.
Case for formal MS declarations on their AI use is strong: josephallen1.substack.com/p/…
New: AI Use in the Senedd.
> Some MSs are using AI to write their speeches. Just like in other parliaments.
> Pangram flagged 14.3% of 300 post-ChatGPT Senedd speeches as AI-generated.
> Happening across all parties and in ministerial answers.
josephallen1.substack.com/p/…
1
9
946
On-the-nose national decay update:
> The taxidermy birds are infested.
> A gallery was closed for maintenance years ago but has actually been left untouched.
The National Museum in Cardiff has become dysfunctional in recent years and needs drastic improvement, according to an insider ✍️@ShiptonMartin wp.me/p8Mk4U-1ui7
1
3
10
887
Both ministers have been vocal, longstanding supporters of trans causes.
Seems like the net impact of this would be negative for the campaigners here.
A prominent Green Party activist has called for the resignations of Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor and Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams following a decision to pause gender-related surgery while a review takes place ✍️@ShiptonMartin nation.cymru/news/green-acti…
4
851
The argument from the Ban Blanket side is that it is an "imprecise and inaccurate" way to describe the policy.
But that seems like a fairly wide net to throw over political debate.
I'd be interested to hear a defence of this from people who think it's a good idea (rather than pretty damaging to the institution).
8
2
24
2,253
I'd be interested to hear a defence of this from people who think it's a good idea (rather than pretty damaging to the institution).
🚨SENEDD BANS THE TERM "BLANKET 20MPH"🚨
The Senedd's ban on using the word "blanket" to describe 20mph speed limits descended into farce earlier, as several members were reprimanded for using the term. You really need to watch this one in full.
20
2
31
6,278
Joe Allen retweeted
There is a culture developing in the Senedd about freedom of speech.
From banning some TV channels, to complaining about journalists to this.
A parliament should be the place that defends freedom of expression most fiercely.
🚨SENEDD BANS THE TERM "BLANKET 20MPH"🚨
The Senedd's ban on using the word "blanket" to describe 20mph speed limits descended into farce earlier, as several members were reprimanded for using the term. You really need to watch this one in full.
49
52
235
15,629
Massive changes in recent years in social housing allocations.
But no official data since 23/24. Publication of new stats meant to happen in June but postponed.
Then due in Sept but hasn't happened.
Huge recent changes in role of social housing in Wales seem underdiscussed.
>New allocations down 27% since 13/14 (17.5k to 13k).
>Share of new allocations going to priority-homeless households has gone from 18% to 48%.
>New homes via the waiting list down from 14.k to 6.7k/yr.
2
1
419
Via @SharpEndITV. What's the policy on further devo to Wales?
Q: "They're the asks of your party as well, to be fair"
A: "In many cases, yes. That's not a universally held view across every member of the Labour party..."
Q: "But it's been policy...your policy"
A: "..."
Between 2024 and 2026 Welsh Labour ran an eccentric experiment in having two distinct policies on devolution at the same time. Both pro and anti. The voters were expected to decipher what was going on.
If you watched the Sec of State on BBC Wales today you will have heard him make the case *against* devolution of the crown estate and *against* the devolution of policing (while saying he'd give both issues a 'fair hearing'). Both are policies that a Welsh Labour FM was pushing 6 months ago. Crown estate devolution was in the 2026 manifesto.
The Leader's speech this afternoon focused on devolution beyond the Senedd. There are real questions about how Wales responds to the ambitious devo programme in England. But there was nothing on Westminster-Cardiff powers.
So it remains weirdly hard to understand what Welsh Labour's devolution policy is. But it seems like it's going to settle on the more conservative no-new-powers position in the medium term.
15
8
31
11,948
"We have, in contemporary progressive politics, a glaring problem when it comes to separating out systemic injustice from the ordinary unhappiness of adult life."
freddiedeboer.substack.com/p…
1
378
> How much mileage is there in relying on this strategy of complaints to the PO to push back against Reform's hardliners?
> Everyone already knows everything there is to know about Martin's politics and how he will operate. There are no surprises. He even seemingly made a factual howler in the contribution in question. So an alternative approach shouldn't be beyond the Left Bloc parties.
> Suspect just relying on the PO to issue reprimands will be counterproductive over time.
> Judgements would also be better if they were more specific on what aspects specifically broke the standing orders.
A Reform MS has received an official reprimand from the Senedd's Llywydd after making comments which were deemed offensive during a debate on Wales' gender service wp.me/p8Mk4U-1u6s
3
1
7
1,921
The answer to this problem is obviously a Goodnight Sweetheart re-boot.
Imperial War Museum to undergo £1m rebrand because young people 'can’t relate to world wars'
gbnews.com/news/imperial-war…
1
5
574
Useful short term fix re politicians & AI output is: don’t pretend that you’re not using AI if you are.
There is at least a kind of honesty about the slop stuff below.
I wrote about case for a simple, self declaration system for politicians and AI here: josephallen1.substack.com/p/…
An AI "slop" obsessed Reform MS who previously claimed that man-made climate change was a false threat to justify "green projects" has now churned out a synthetic "week in review" social media post promising a "greener Wales" ✍️Emily Price nation.cymru/news/reform-ms-…
1
1
9
861