The Welsh Government has spent £820 of taxpayers’ money on subscriptions to anti-Reform commentator and Guardian columnist Will Hayward’s Substack. The cash is going on a multi-user subscription held by the Welsh Government press office since 1 October 2024 supposedly for “media monitoring purposes”…
Hayward spends his time attacking the opposition party with articles like “How to stop Reform in Wales” and “Reform are treating Wales as a joke.” You get the picture…
Hayward isn’t the only Reform-sceptic outlet on the Welsh taxpayer’s books: Nation.Cymru has been propped up by public grants routed through the Books Council of Wales. It was awarded £20,000 a year for four years from 2020, plus one-off grants of £42,000 and £7,200. It also got £9,400 from a fund paid for out of the Welsh Government’s Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru. A fresh grant for 2024 to 2028 is worth £25,000 a year. That adds up to around £200,000 since 2020…
A Reform Wales spokesman attacked the Hawyard spending:
“Welsh taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for Plaid Cymru to get its weekly Will Hayward fix. Plaid Cymru should cancel the subscription and stop making taxpayers bankroll its favourite blogger.”
Incidentally Welsh government officials who are interested in monitoring explosive political news outlets can subscribe to Guido at order-order.com/membership…
The Welsh government is finally venturing into foreign affairs, with an “exclusive catwalk show from London Fashion Week” set to stun Floridians at the Sagamore Hotel in sunny Miami this December. For a cool $200 per ticket, Welsh designer Jayne Pierson will show off her ‘Gates of Annwn’ collection in the United States for the first time. The swanky event will be co-hosted by nuForj, Wunderlich Kaplan Communications, Walesdotcom, Lux Lifestyle, Modern Luxury, Visit Wales, and… the Welsh Government. Tickets are still on sale, for any Welsh co-conspirators who happen to be in Miami next week…
“This Art Basel, acclaimed British Fashion Council designer, Jayne Pierson, makes her U.S. debut with ‘The Gates of Annwn’, her celebrated SS25 London Fashion Week collection inspired by Welsh mythology. On Thursday, December 7th, at 5:30 PM, the Sagamore Hotel will host an extraordinary fashion show that transforms the venue into a portal to Celtic lore, blending ancient heritage with avant-garde design.”
Soft power at its finest. Your move, David Lammy…
Kemi Badenoch at the 1922-ConHome bash last night:
“I did praise [Burnham] for his stamina, it was amazing. All I had to do was sit back and lie there. I didn’t have to do anything at all…”