Nick Speed

Currently - Turn Right for Wales - BBC Sounds Will Hayward asks if Wales could become the setting for Reform’s biggest breakthrough yet.

If you’re after a better understanding of what’s at stake in Wales in next year’s Senedd elections, then give this from @willhaycardiff.bsky.social half an hour of your time.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Work starting on the old @barclaysbank.bsky.social on Wellfield Road #Roath

Builder tells me it’s going to be a health/ nutrition cafe in end unit. Guessed he meant @aheadofthegame.bsky.social and then his pal turned up and confirmed 🙌

Estate agent & dentist too.

Where are all the briefcase wankers? The nerd:jock ratio in government is askew

Nerds v Jocks

This London-focused article from @theeconomistevents.bsky.social is interesting in considering UK Govt’s fortunes - and also looking around the nations & regions

Where are all the briefcase wankers?
economist.com/britain/2025...
from The Economist

Streeting brands Swinney an ‘analogue politician in a digital age’ Labour health secretary is first senior Westminster politician to publicly attack SNP’s running of health service in Scotland

A bit of a debate in Scotland about how the evolving NHS apps compare/ might interact/ could achieve efficiencies… anyone seen a decent article that looks at this issue right across the UK?

www.thetimes.com/article/83e4...

Streeting sets out digital overhaul of NHS centred on ‘doctor in your pocket’ app Health secretary banks on resulting efficiencies to reduce number of frontline workers in 10-year health plan

For anyone not living in England, what’s your reaction when you read about the drive to transform the NHS thro tech?

I’m conflicted between “we’re best suited to organise for ourselves, thanks” and “would it make sense to get the savings of working at scale”

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

… and as well as being the future, #AI can be fun: when @huwirrancadaviesms.bsky.social revealed he & colleagues had asked chatGPT who would play who in The Magic Roundabout, it all made sense…

We’re getting an #AIGrowthZone in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 - @prifweinidog.gov.wales just told @welsh-labour.bsky.social conference in Llandudno.

“This isn’t about Silicon Valley, it’s about the Welsh valleys… we will lead on #AI but we’ll do it the Red Welsh way.”

Lots of #tech in this speech.

Are you a runner in Cardiff for @pridecymru.bsky.social this weekend?

To get it off to a flying start, join us for a Friday evening fun run from the Bike Lock cafe with chance to socialise afterwards? Book your place here:

www.tickettailor.com/events/cardi...

Today marks five years since George Floyd was killed by police. Our June 22, 2020 cover “Say Their Names,” by Kadir Nelson, illustrated how Floyd’s murder embodies the history of violence inflicted upon Black people in America. nyer.cm/UmfefJw

Great to see there’s a campaign to do something about this amazing building in a fantastic location before it’s too late.

The ultimate Bank Holiday newspaper story? Software engineer Dan Vanderkam has discovered the highest-scoring board possible since word game Boggle - a childhood favourite - was created 50 years ago. More than 1,000 words can be created from the 16-letter grid.

HT @financialtimes.com

🤦‍♂️ Nobody in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 refers to the First Minister as “Lady Morgan”. So not sure why the Today programme do.

Comes across like they can’t be bothered to make sure they pronounce Eluned correctly.

If you’re not the answer, you may as well be the question…

The total randomness of spotting this on LinkedIn 👇

Reform control the county council, but what did they say they are going to do? Reform did not have a Derbyshire-specific manifesto, but a number of pledges were made by candidates and national leader Nigel Farage

A week after the elections in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I find myself waking up in my native Derbyshire which was swept along in the turquoise tsunami and the local press are asking what it all means…

www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-n...

Enjoyed the @itvcymruwales.bsky.social @walesgovernance.bsky.social event in @senedd.cymru earlier for chat about THAT poll… appeals for parties to be more open on who they’d work with. I guess the poll points to a Big Q not faced before: would @welsh-labour.bsky.social be a happy junior partner?

Bookstore owner speaks out after 'book brigade' of 300 goes viral Hundreds of community members helped a Michigan bookstore move books by hand to a new storefront.

👏 to the folk of Chelsea, Michigan

#community minded 📚

abcnews.go.com/living/story...

John Lewis rolls out in-store repair service nationwide - Retail Gazette John Lewis is expanding its repairs and alterations services in partnership with Timpson across all its stores.

Late to this one… but just 💚 the positivity of this ♻️ story!

#renewal #goodasnew

www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/04...

Thanks to The Bike Shed for looking after my run club cap this week 😂 my quick trip back to a Pontcanna meant I noticed another purple plaque!

www.bbc.com/news/uk-wale...

Today I’ve been engaging with the good folk of Orkney virtually - happy memories of being there for real last year and looking to being back in the Northern Isles soon!

🤦‍♂️ the one year I don’t look down the list of runners and riders in the #grandnational! Jeez…

I’ve said it before but not on here: whatever the reasons, it’s baaaaad that #bbcqt is in Cardiff without a (current) minister from Welsh Govt on the panel.

Even if two potential ones are. Poor.

Definitely felt a clocks-go-forward spring in my step on a quick day trip to London today: looked up to notice things not seen before, shared a feast at Dishoom, heard a man playing a pipe at Arnold Circus, and - best of all - a warning to be careful on the escalator if you are wearing flip flops!

This article on #apprenticeships in Britain in The Economist only tells the story in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - if we’re going to get the planned reforms right then we need data and an understanding of what’s been happening across the UK!

economist.com/britain/2025...

Ivan McKee: Reforming the Civil Service Podcast Episode · Holyrood Sources · S4, E15 Bonus · 41m

A few days in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 for me this past week, where folk are looking beyond next May’s elections to Holyrood. A particularly interesting episode of @holyroodsources.bsky.social I thought!

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...

What’s stopping the common sense change we need here?

Total refurb under way at the Juno Lounge on Wellfield Road - they’re moving the bar and the stairs to the back of the ground floor and the loos are going upstairs. Nice bit of chat with the builders in my lunchtime fresh air

#keepitroath

Second and final site visit this week… this recent addition made me smile. Always get a great vibe when I visit this one!

Beautiful skies over the office in #Birmingham this evening - where we welcomed @mayorwestmids.bsky.social to meet apprentices and graduates who are starting their careers keeping the country connected and using digital to transform… and find out more about what we do.

Free digital skills training is available in #Aberdeen and NE 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 as part of the collaboration between BT Group & AbilityNet. We were grateful to @audreynicollsnp.bsky.social for giving us the chance to talk to MSPs about this work.

More info here: abilitynet.org.uk/news-blogs/b...

At the memorial service for ex Head of 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Political Unit Nick Powell in The Pierhead earlier. Well done to the organisers, fabulous to see old friends & former colleagues.

🤳 is @itvcymruwales.bsky.social Pol Eds in the devolved era, all masterminded by Nick. Here’s to continued regeneration!