Tata Steel, Party Conferences, and the rise of Reform UK in Wales

It is the end of an era in Wales. Arguably the world's first industrial nation, we are now on the cusp of being largely de-industrialised as 300 years of melting iron comes to an end with the extinguished blast furnaces in Port Talbot. We discuss the politics of this extraordinary national moment as well as a round up of the political party conferences this Autumn, the Labour Party's expenses criticism, the Conservative Party's leadership election, and the rise of Reform UK as they turn their eyes to national elections in Wales and Scotland in 2026. We also make some bold predictions, some criticism of sitting MSs, and discuss the looming issues on the political horizon in Wales. You can find your hosts here: Matthew Hexter: https://x.com/hexter101 Ceri Davies: https://www.instagram.com/ceriscastles/ Richard Martin: https://bsky.app/profile/mimosacymru.bsky.social The ITV Wales education story: https://www.itv.com/news/2024-10-03/welsh-government-accepts-need-to-improve-guidance-on-teaching-reading As always, you can find the latest from us here: twitter.com/HiraethPod We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hiraethpod