Had I written this piece this time last week, the mood music of the election campaign that I am describing would have been different. Labour had had a couple of good opinion polls and reports coming back from the doorsteps were fairly positive. However, a week being a long time and all that, things post …

In February’s edition of Progress I wrote a piece provocatively entitled England shirt Labour. I called on Labour to embrace positive English patriotism – or at the very least to recognise that it exists. I added the obligatory caveat that, while we can compromise with the electorate, we cannot compromise with the EDL. I bashed …

Five bills in 500 words the man from Progress says. No polling or strategy nonsense this time, and obviously, as you’re always complaining that Labour folk need to remember the deficit, you won’t be suggesting any additional spending. Here goes … If you’ve been in work for two years and lose your job, you get …

There have only ever been 13 women MPs in Wales, and it is about to get worse All political parties show a real bias against selecting women, but many continue to argue that tackling this directly is not necessary – that eventually some sort of natural balance will be found. But this will not happen by …

With the 20th anniversary of the 1992 defeat on April 9, Progress is looking back at memories of that election. Read Paul Richards‘ piece on ‘the worst loss of all’ here. April 1992. How could we ever forget – ‘Deeply Dippy’ by Right Said Fred was  number  one in the charts, ‘Men Behaving Badly’ had …

I’d like to start by wishing everyone a happy St David’s Day. As I tuck into my Welsh cake this morning I had an opportunity to reflect on the current political situation in Wales. The week started brilliantly for Wales, with Scott Williams’ try bringing a victory against England in Sunday’s Six Nations game. Unfortunately …

With the UK going though a period of flux, who would bet against an independent Scotland in three years’ time? Of course, the prospect has countless permutations but for Labour there’s one that stands above others: without Scottish MPs, and with the significant cut in the number of Welsh MPs we’re now seeing, Labour could …

Today is St David’s Day. As a proud Welshman sporting a daffodil on my lapel, I plan to attend a St David’s Day service in Westminster, and throughout the ‘Land of my Fathers’ there will be innumerable events celebrating the history and culture of Wales. In Scotland on 30 November, St Andrew’s Day will be …

The discussion about how to strengthen the economic base in Wales has sometimes become a debate between the merits of homegrown SMEs and the virtues of larger companies. The truth of course is that both smaller and larger companies have a vital role to play in regenerating Wales’ economic landscape. Larger companies employ more workers, …

So David Cameron, in a recent PMQs, has resorted yet again to the old trick of trying to deflect an attack on one of his policies by criticising what he purports to be Labour’s record in office. In this instance, he rounded upon the Welsh government’s running of the NHS in Wales to pretend that …