Dafydd Vaughan

The recent mockery of First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth exposes a persistent, casual disrespect toward Welsh language and culture within the English-speaking world. This modern dismissal continues a historical pattern of cultural erasure that dates back to the systematic suppression of the language in schools. My own experience navigating the workforce under an accommodated name shows the compromise individuals make when others refuse to invest basic effort. Reclaiming historic Welsh names for our people, our geography, and our democratic institutions requires a fundamental shift in attitude. Learning to pronounce a name or a place correctly is a basic boundary of courtesy, and cultural laziness remains a choice we must reject.

By replacing a failing legacy system with a working car tax service in just ten weeks, we proved that momentum and iterative delivery manage risk far more effectively than months of traditional planning. This approach turned massive legislative shifts into simple backlog items, demonstrating that 100 days is exactly enough time to prove the ‘art of the possible’ in any complex organisation.

2025 has been a difficult year. It was a year that forced me to pause, reflect, and eventually reach a much better understanding of how my own brain works.