by Emily Trahair

Our new regular feature brings together two people to debate a contemporary topic in robust yet respectful ways, as a counterpoint to the toxic nature of much social media debate, inspired by the resurgence of interest in The Dragon Has Two Tongues. In this issue, Simon Brooks and Daniel G. Williams question each other’s perspectives on nationhood, Britishness and diaspora.

Congratulations to the winner of our New Writers’ Competition! In his article, Emlyn Phillips traces connections between the Celtic Britons and eastern Eurasia, Iolo Morganwg, and the precarity, yet possibility, ahead for Wales as power arguably again shifts eastwards to the ‘New Silk Road’.

In a series that proposes how Wales can change after lockdown, Laura McAllister and Gavin Price put forward how the nation could take advantage of the once-in-a-generation chance to advance itself economically, politically and culturally on the world stage as the Cymru team head to Qatar.

Harriet Protheroe-Soltani responds to an article in Voice.Wales to argue how while the Act is designed to strengthen the bargaining position of senior trade unionists, that with creative thinking the Act could be used as an organising opportunity to empower workers in a cost-of-living crisis.

As Wales marks a century of Labour dominance, Huw Williams, who recently left the party, and an anonymous teacher, who recently joined, both detail the personal experiences and political and ethical analysis that led to their decisions.

Our Welsh Keywords series offers contemporary perspectives on the meaning of Welsh words, inspired by Raymond Williams’ Keywords. In this issue, Sara Louise Wheeler describes how she found herself chafing against the restrictions of academic writing and discovered the tradition of the ‘Ysgrif’ – the personal essay. She argues that this mode of expression is one that neurodivergent people can excel at in particular.