Category Archives: Wales

Ann Clwyd, 1937-2023

Posted on August 21, 2023 by olivercraner

Ann Clwyd was every Labour whip’s worst nightmare — a campaigning politician who was prepared to put principle ahead of party discipline. It was for this reason that she was sacked from shadow cabinet positions by two party leaders and … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Politics, Wales | Leave a comment

‘Time Reigns’: Vernon Watkins and Wales

Posted on December 27, 2022 by olivercraner

I: ‘Welshness’ and Poetic Identity Vernon Watkins did not measure success in terms of book sales or critical acclaim. He was not indifferent to literary trends or the demands of the book trade, but maintained an uncompromising, if polite, disdain … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Nationalism, Poetry, Wales | Leave a comment

‘The Town Blazing Scarlet’: Swansea’s Blitz

Posted on May 28, 2020 by olivercraner

They take you up on Townhill at night to see the furnaces in the pit of the town blazing scarlet, and the parallel crossing lines of lamps…If it is always a city of dreadful day, it is for the moment … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Nationalism, Poetry, Wales | 4 Comments