2023 has been a year of highs and lows in the Senedd, of course there have been some incredibly controversial laws passed, and some high profile resignations, so we look back at the year in politics, with all the big moments over the past 12 months.
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00:00 2023 has been a massive year for Welsh politics. For better or worse, people have been engaging
00:06 with the Senedd more and more in recent years compared to before, so things that happened
00:10 in the Senedd are heard about, and of course there are a few things that happened this
00:13 year that everyone at home will certainly have heard about. More on that later though.
00:18 There have been plenty of ups and downs this year, there have been some laughs in the Senedd,
00:22 some very choice words shared, high profile resignations, new faces, controversial decisions,
00:28 so we'll do our best to sum up the highlights and lowlights from the year.
00:32 Starting in February, the Welsh Government decided to put an end to large-scale road
00:36 projects due to climate issues, which caused a bit of a stir, with some fiercely backing
00:41 the plan and others fiercely against. In May, the Presiding Officer, Ellen Jones, caused
00:47 even more controversy when she rejected an invitation to the King's coronation. She
00:51 said as a Republican, it was for other people to celebrate.
00:55 Shreenap Yorwerth eventually took over as Plaid Leader in June, ready to take a stand
00:59 and bring in a new era for Plaid Cymru, aiming to put an end to some internal controversy
01:03 at the party.
01:05 In July, Mark Drakeford very controversially decided to stop free school meals through
01:09 the summer holidays, despite universal free school meals for younger learners across the
01:14 country, leading to uproar from other parties and some councils stepping in to fund free
01:18 school meals for residents.
01:21 And then in September, after the summer recess, the moment we were all waiting for. Of course,
01:25 the most controversial thing to happen in the Senate quite literally ever. The 20 mile
01:30 an hour speed limit change. Hours of debates, countless questions, half a million signatures
01:35 on a petition against it later, and we're still talking about it months and months down
01:39 the line.
01:40 Of course, Mark Drakeford and Andrew R.T. Davis have been the double act we all love
01:44 to hate and hate to love, and they've had some great exchanges all year, with their
01:47 bust up over allegedly misogynistic comments one of the best we've ever seen. Some serious
01:53 finger pointing going on there.
01:54 The minute you draw attention to his own record, he's on his feet complaining about it. There
02:01 we are, yeah. There we are. I can tell you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:10 The ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel has dominated headlines for a while, especially
02:13 through November, and Wales became one of the first nations in the world to call for
02:17 a ceasefire, leading to some impassioned words shared in the Senate.
02:22 If I believed for a moment that a ceasefire today would create peace tomorrow, I'd vote
02:29 for it. Good God, I'd vote for it. Of course I would. Do you think that as a parent, I
02:34 don't see the same images that you see? Do you think I don't see my children in those
02:38 faces?
02:39 Of course, just as 2023 must come to an end, 2024 will see us say goodbye to the central
02:44 figure of Welsh politics for this year and for the last few years, as Mark Drakeford,
02:48 the most high profile First Minister in Welsh history, announces resignation on the 13th
02:52 December, five years ago to the day when he took over the role.
02:56 2023 has given us a little bit of everything, and there's no doubt 2024 will be no different.
03:01 James H. Watkins, reporting from Wales.
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