Ben Gwalchmai
Ben Gwalchmai is a 'maker, worker, writer' and Welsh political activist; he was a founding member of Labour for an Independent Wales campaign group. He spoke at the first All Under One Banner Cymru and Yes Cymru march in Cardiff, 2019.
His first novel, Purefinder [Cosmic Egg, 2013], was described as 'Breathtakingly intimate and obscure' by Christoff Fischer of the Historical Novel Society.
Writing Career[edit]
A writer since 2008, Ben has had works performed and published with Anexxe Publishing, Arcola Theatre, The George Wood Theatre, Catford Theatre, Make Something Magazine, Minus9squared Magazine, The Master Shipwright's Palace, Greenwich Dances Festival, Epicentre Magazine, Kumquat Poetry, Bad Robot Poetry, and Welsh National Opera.
Also a producer since 2008, he has made works and events with The Guardian, Greenwich Dance, London School of Economics, Imperial College London, Arcola Theatre, Hay Festival, and many more under the umbrella of work for the charity Poet in the City.
In 2012, he was Welsh National Opera's writer-in-residence and was then asked to work with them again in 2014 with Yello Brick on the world's first Operatic Street Game 'Silent State'. In 2013, his first novel Purefinder was released and won 2 awards.
After winning the Indigo Dreams First collection competition in 2018, his first poetry collection swimming in locks // kites over marches was released on October 31st, 2019.
Activism[edit]
Labour for an Independent Wales was founded in January, 2017 by Ben Gwalchmai and Huw Lloyd Williams. As founder of that campaign group, Ben Gwalchmai has organized events with Neville Southall, Carwyn Jones, and Professor Calvin Jones of Cardiff University. He was one of the speakers at the first All Under One Banner Cymru [AUOB] & Yes Cymru marches in Cardiff on May 11th, 2019.
After the Labour for an Independent Wales and Welsh Fabians event with Carwyn Jones, Tonia Antoniazzi, Carole Green, and Natasha Davies of Chwarae Teg on April 13th 2019, Ben appeared on the Vaughan Roderick Sunday Supplement programme of April 14th 2019.
A couple of weeks after the AUOB march, Carwyn Jones began entering the conversation around '#indyWales' and on October 12th 2019 tweeted,
'Today's idea.
End Westminster sovereignty and give it to the four nations. The four nations to agree to pool that sovereignty in certain areas such as defence and border control.
Make it clear that the UK is a voluntary union of nations'
This confirmed a shift in Carwyn Jones' position from Federalism to, at the least, Confederalism.
Polls from 2017 to 2019 showed support for indyWales within Welsh Labour supporters rising from 22% to 44%, showing that Labour for an Independent Wales have been successful in shifting the Overton Window in Wales and within Welsh Labour toward independence.
References[edit]
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