Outside my house is a small mountain of recycling (above), which has been waiting for collection for 3 weeks. When enviro-man failed to show up in week 2 (when our road was at last clear-ish of snow), I had a…

The challenge in 2011 is, as in so many years before, building a prosperous economy and a fair society. But the challenge in 2011 is all the greater because Wales’s economy is in pretty poor shape and is operating in…

In an effort to make the ideas behind the big society more concrete, the government has come up with a new white paper on ways it intends to increase the giving of money and time to the third sector. It’s…

At our family’s Christmas dinner, there was much hilarity as 4 separate copies of Stephen Fry’s autobiography were exchanged. Many of you reading this post may also have received books as a gift, and reading remains a hobby enjoyed by…

Christmas looks grim for nearly 70,000 people in Wales who are currently claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance.  Those who receive JSA’s £65.45 a week are unlikely to be splashing out the average household spend of £645 on Christmas, and instead face…