With all the gloomy headlines fretting about the cost of living and inflation, conventional politicians are coming up with the usual tin-eared ideas on how to help working families. Cut taxes here, raise benefits there – boring solutions to a major problem. Fortunately the Welsh First Minister marches to the beat of his own drum, and has come up with a better idea: soon, all Welsh minors aged between 3-16 will be offered a free musical instrument as part of the new “National Music Service“. Overall, the scheme will cost £13.5 million over 3 years – a trebling of the existing figure… 

Drakeford will start handing out the instruments, along with half a term’s tuition by a musician, at the start of the new school year in September. Just as Attlee provided the NHS, Drakeford will provide the next Tom Jones…

It’s also good to see he’s finally recognised the value of a good sing-song. Last year, the Welsh government discouraged tenors from singing in choirs because they were “more likely to emit more virus than altos and sopranos“. A suggestion they lifted directly from a meme page, and for which they later apologised. Nice change of tune…