Martin Shipton
@ShiptonMartin
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Associate Editor https://t.co/KZRV15dH7P. All my own opinions, except for those that aren't.
Cardiff Wales/ Caerdydd Cymru
Joined January 2013
Imagine the outrage in the Daily Mail etc if Spanish legislators said Brits should be forced to learn Spanish before moving to Spain.
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What happened when I met Theresa May | Martin Shipton
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We said goodbye to my Dad (Roy Shipton) today. A proud son of Pembrokeshire and a very sweet man, he passed away just three days short of his 94th birthday. When I was a primary schoolboy in London, he taught me the phrase "Cymru am byth".
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Dodgy donations aside, isn’t there something perverse about politics in Wales where the head of government keeps his job after sacking a minister without evidence for leaking a message in which he admits deleting a document that should have been in the public domain anyway?.
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Support for Welsh independence soars in new poll by YouGov
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I find the antipathy of some towards Welsh medium education v sad. The ability to speak Welsh enriches children from English-speaking homes.
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People think Welsh Government handled pandemic better than Boris Johnson
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I shall drink some French wine this evening to stick two fingers up to @BorisJohnson and celebrate the fact that the UK remains a member state of the EU.
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Desperately sad to learn that Plaid Cymru AM Steffan Lewis has died from cancer. A great loss for Wales. Thoughts are with his family and friends.
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Just watched Dominic Lawson on @BBCNewsnight claiming everyone knew people would be worse off after Brexit and that Brexit was about far more than that. My clear recollection is that leading Brexiteers constantly boasted about how much better off we would be outside the EU.
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@ASJBaloch Thank goodness they are free at last from an evil, misogynistic religious ideology.
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Replacement for EU funding in Wales will bypass Welsh Government
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Very pleased to have had my first shot of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine this afternoon. Ignore the baseless anti-science scare stories. It is an unequivocally good thing.
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Why I now classify myself as Indy Curious (from today’s Western Mail magazine)
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My piece from today’s Western Mail about the funding of the Centre for Welsh Studies.
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@LiveFromBrexit @BBCNewsPR Absolutely hapless. Has the Tory party really got nobody better than this to offer? Britain will be an even bigger international laughing stock than it’s become under Johnson.
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Had he agreed to recording a podcast with me (he hasn’t), I would have asked Vaughan Gething whether his behaviour towards a journalist in this video was appropriate for a would-be First Minister.
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According to what @vaughangething told the Senedd Labour group this evening, no one is interested in the donations issue apart from opposition parties and “the bubble”, he was right to sack @hannahblythyn and anyone who criticises him is a racist. Our First Minister.
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The vast majority of people in Wales want the Senedd to stay, shows poll
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My blast at Johnson’s deal from today’s Western Mail
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Today would have been the 90th birthday of my mother, June Shipton. She taught me not to be afraid of being a member of the awkward squad. In other words, be determined to express your views honestly, even when others attack you for doing so.
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By calling for to be defunded because it ran a piece that was critical of him, Poundland Trump has revealed how he would behave if he ever got into government. He’d deprive organisations of funding if they didn’t toe his line. Mercifully that won’t happen.
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Calls to end blockade of enclave disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. My piece from the Western Mail @ANCUK_org
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The politicians responsible for this appalling mess should never hold office again
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Out of solidarity, we are toasting the New Year not with the customary Champagne, but with Catalonian Cava. Bon any nou!.
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The Brexit charlatans have been defeated again. Time for another referendum to end this shitshow once and for all.
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An excellent riposte to those who argue perversely that the Welsh language excludes those from ethnic minorities: Watch “Welsh Education : Embrace It” on #Vimeo
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@daranhill @Jeffrey62093861 @MarkDrakeford @WelshGovernment The answer is for every school in Wales to be a Welsh medium school. Let’s give our nation a robust cultural defence against destructive, neo-liberal, Anglo-American populism.
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With UK politics so toxic, it's no surprise independence is gaining strength
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Today I have received a 230-page bundle of documents relating to my attempt to get disclosure of secret reports written by Senedd officials about Tory leader @AndrewRTDavies ‘s employment of his wife:
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In Durham for tomorrow’s Miners’ Gala. Have just been to a Santander ATM, which has a Welsh language option. I’m impressed. This should be more common in England. Lets people know there’s another indigenous language on this island.
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After two weeks in a country where an efficient rail service can be taken for granted, we recently boarded a @GWRHelp train at Reading for Cardiff to find all seat reservations have been cancelled in a crammed train with just 5 coaches. Rail services should not be run for profit.
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Out at the Cinnamon Tree in Pontcanna to congratulate @rhiannonshipton on her success in securing a place at Griffith College, Dublin to study film and TV production.
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Ireland’s freedom from constitutional wrangling is an argument for Welsh independence. My piece from today’s Western Mail.
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Campaign to stop people outside Wales from standing in Senedd elections
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Jo Cox was the antithesis of a traitor. She represented the best of British values. I shall be thinking of her when I vote next Thursday.
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The Welsh Conservatives, like the party generally, are now far to the right of centre right parties elsewhere in Europe. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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Are attacks on the Welsh Government by English Tories a smokescreen to protect Johnson? My piece from today’s Western Mail.
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The young AM trying to make a difference before terminal cancer claims him
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Excellent piece about the language: Welsh is a beautiful, living thing - not fodder for an ugly debate
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What could better illustrate the farcical nature of Brexit than this? Move to EU to avoid Brexit costs, firms told
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The pressure must be kept up to make sure Wales gets the regional aid funding it has been promised.
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Wales can expect no more than crumbs from the Levelling Up table. My piece from today’s Western Mail.
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Sitting in a pub in Llanelli with a loud, ranting working class Tory on the next table praising Johnson and Trump. He says Corbyn wanted to “denuclearise” the country, making the UK vulnerable to an attack from Russia. Meanwhile Johnson plans to strip workers of their rights.
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Bombshell poll finds a majority in Northern Ireland want a united Ireland
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'Newsnight showed a lack of respect to Wales and its language' - Shipton
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Being bullied at work is one of the worst experiences an employee can have. As a lay trade union official have noticed an increase in such behaviour in recent years. I encourage anyone who is bullied by their boss to join a trade union and insist that the situation is addressed.
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Orange Order asks DUP to use banned sectarian march in negotiations with Theresa May
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Abolish’s bid to roll back devolution is a blueprint for Welsh national abatement: my piece from today’s Western Mail
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Gap between tax revenue and spending would be much smaller after independence than previously thought, says new report, making Indy more achievable:
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My non-Brexit Day celebration bottle. Here’s to remaining in the EU!
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Western Mail leader on the sacking of Iceland’s director for insulting Wales
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The BBC is being attacked in a Tory pincer movement. This must be exposed and resisted. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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Today’s Western Mail leader. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is an insult to Wales and a recipe for pork barrel politics.
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One experience I never expected was seeing my daughter @rhiannonshipton singing Calon Lan and Yma o Hyd a capella in a Hong Kong karaoke club full of locals. How surreal is that?.
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@Amanwy @MarkDrakeford You’d be in a stronger position to criticise, Lee, if you hadn’t voted with Gareth Bennett and Neil Hamilton to oppose a People’s Vote last Wednesday.
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I've already signed the international petition for the release of the Catalan political prisoners and to support a democratic solution for Catalonia. If you care about freedom, SIGN #DemocracyOnTrial
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@WelshGovernment can’t win. They’re criticised for imposing hospitality restrictions aimed at suppressing the spread of the virus. Then they’re blamed when some schools can’t reopen because multiple members of staff have contracted the virus and are off work with it!.
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Every major project Wales loses makes the pattern of under-investment clearer
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370 years to the day since Charles 1 was executed - and we’re still saddled with an unelected head of state.
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Well done to Lewis for his bravery in speaking up and shame on the conspiracy theorists who are making fighting Covid-19 more difficult. ‘I was dying with coronavirus and now people tell me it was a myth'
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Why this must be the last Senedd election to use this crazy electoral system. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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On the @tfwrail train from Cardiff to Holyhead. It’s supposed to be direct but we’ve had to change at Shrewsbury because of a lack of rolling stock for a Heart of Wales service. Now on a train to Holyhead - journey of around 2.5 hours - without a toilet. This is unacceptable.
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Scrap moves to dump EU laws that guarantee our freedoms. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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Britain’s obsession with its royal family is the sign of an insular and impeded democracy. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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When others want nuclear missiles they're weapons of mass destruction, when the UK blows £100bn on Trident they're an essential deterrent.
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Welsh think tank funded by US group that promotes right wing ideology
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I’m finding it quite refreshing to be in a queue to vote at Canton Community Centre. Let’s hope it reflects a decent turnout.
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My piece from today’s Western Mail about the implications of Johnson’s anti-devolution comments for Wales
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Time to consider whether the Welsh Government should have the right to draw down Treasury cash for a Welsh furlough scheme. My piece from today’s Western Mail
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Proposed Senedd voting system will leave voters with less power than they’ve had since universal suffrage was introduced. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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@TrueWales The cost entailed in expanding the Senedd is minute in terms of the overall budget. The real parasites are in Westminster.
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Devolution at a crossroads: my piece from today’s Western Mail
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Wales’ capital city will have been without a bus station for more than seven years. Absolutely pathetic. New date for Cardiff's bus station as completion is delayed again
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Our leaders must account for the deaths they caused| Shipton
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Where do the Welsh Conservatives stand on the massive spending cuts expected from Kwasi Kwarteng? They won’t say. My piece from today’s Western Mail:
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While Spain and Germany are offering cheap and even free train travel, here we pay through the nose to ride in discomfort. Why? My piece from today’s Western Mail.
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This is a disgrace. The Welsh Government should be ashamed of itself.
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Why did Alun Cairns keep no deal on the table? Not for Wales, that's for sure
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@allisonpearson He declared his support for Ukip 15 years ago and has a conviction for assaulting his female partner. Are you nuts?.
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Astonishing that this person is now the UK Government’s chief legal adviser. What the hell is going on?.
OM(F)G : Boris Johnson's & Cummings newly appointed Attorney General, here's Suella Braverman. #SuellaBraverman #cabinetreshuffle.#DominicCummings #Reshuffle #ERG.
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Pathetic, childish and disrespectful of devolution. Good that Brussels has an excellent Metro and tram system. Brexit: No UK government car for Mark Drakeford's Brussels trip
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@RoryStewartUK @fflamglas Fair play to @RoryStewartUK . He’s putting himself out there to explain what he believes in and isn’t afraid to go into potentially hostile territory. Must have something to do with his army training!.
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On a DART train in Dublin. Every single person is wearing a mask. What a difference it makes not to have an idiot like Johnson - hero-worshipped by other idiots - in charge.
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Great that the vaccine is being deployed. All those who assist in the dissemination of ludicrous and unfounded conspiracy theories and scare stories should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Social media channels have a duty to shut them down.
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Wales should be an internationalist country. My piece from today’s Western Mail.
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Devastating analysis from @andrewrawnsley And some want to “Abolish the Assembly”? The Johnson method of government: total power with absolutely no responsibility | Andrew Rawnsley
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@kitto_13 The Brexit Party is essentially an English nationalist party. Its leader in Wales has expressly stated that he is providing representation for people born outside Wales. Welsh nationalism is not of the “blood and soil” kind. It is internationalist in outlook and excludes no one.
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@simonreeswales @RossEngland @conorh_96 Rubbish. Colonial powers don’t reward the colonised. I suppose you’ve also swallowed the nonsense that Wales will be better off with the Shared Prosperity Fund than with EU grants.
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I’m staying in the wonderful village of @cilgerran while covering the @Plaid_Cymru conference. Have been overwhelmed by the kindness of local people. I was invited for a drink by my hosts on arriving at my B&B and last night the landlady of the Rampin pub gave me a lift back.
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We’ve bought some bunting and Champagne to celebrate the departure of Trump!
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Excellent Number Crunching stats in today’s Private Eye: 50,000 - new customs agents required to deal with additional bureaucracy after end of transition period; 32,000 - total number of staff employed by the ‘bureaucratic’ European Commission.
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