Huw Edwards returns to Cardiff University

“Cardiff and this man were made for each other,” proclaims the animated BBC Ten O’Clock News presenter.

Huw Edwards is describing his first day as a student at Cardiff University when it rained, and how, coming from Caerphilly, he felt right at home.

Last Thursady Edwards was back at the same university where he gained a first class degree in French 24 years ago to receive an Honorary Professorship. Since then he has worked his way up to be one of the biggest names in British news.

His first media job was at the radio station Swansea Sound where, due to him being bilingual, producers believed they were getting "two for the price of one". He then moved up the BBC and in 2002 was given his present role, the most coveted in BBC news.

The lecture nearly starts late because, as it turns out, Edwards was busy rehearsing. For a man who addresses up to eight million people each night you would think he’d be used to making important speeches. But tonight he is facing a crowd of his peers, his former lecturers, his parents and, of course, he has no autocue.

But Edwards is a showman and he confidently strolls around the lecture theatre letting his undulating welsh tones reverberate around. In fact, his native accent is much more pronounced than when he appears on the News. I later ask him if he believes welsh presenters such as himself and John Humphrys are favoured because they sound more authoritative.

He says: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Scouser, a Brummie or a Yorkshireman. The BBC should reflect its audience.

“It’s only a problem if you cannot be understood.”

Edwards recalls his time as a student in Cardiff as being "absolutely brilliant" and he still splits his time between Cardiff and London. He adds: “I would feel that a big part of my life would be missing if I was not in Cardiff.”

He has done a lot of work for BBC Wales and S4C, such as presenting programmes on the Welsh language and a tribute to Lloyd George. He said: “It is very important for me that I do stuff for the Welsh audience. They give me as much pleasure as doing the News.”

As Edwards leaves the lecture theatre he is overheard talking to his parents in Welsh; no doubt discussing the likelihood of rain. A Welshman through and through.

British political blog round-up 18/01/2007

As with the physical world, the blogosphere was alive with the sound of racist Celebrity Big Brother comments this week. Sunny on Pickled Politics wrote: “I believe such examples of bullying (by Jade Goody) and subtle racism (by the other two) should be exposed and aired so people can see that even in 2007 such ignorant attitudes exist and should be condemned.”

The UK Daily Pundit queried why, with Channel 4’s Undercover Mosque exposing extremist Islamic preachers operating in London, so much debate in parliament centred on “Two slappers and a Scouser.”

While Tom Harris MP cut through the debate by offering: “It isn’t about race or bullying at all - it’s about ratings.”

The Daily Mail’s Benedict Brogan, who is accompanying Gordon Brown on his trip to India, gave an insight into the Chancellor’s view of CBB: “In private the Chancellor leaves little doubt that he doesn't think much of BB, which he's watched over the past few days. The voyeuristic thrill can't make up for the glaring deficiencies of the English education system. He prefers the aspirational approach of the X-factor.”

In the same week the Royal Mint launched a two pound coin to celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of the Union between England and Scotland, political bloggers were putting in their two pence worth over its future.

The Campaign for and English Parliament and Richard Bailey saw it as a good time for restricting Scottish and Welsh MPs to only vote on Scottish and Welsh issues. While A Conservative’s blog described it as: “The anniversary for a couple about to divorce.”

Northern Ireland and Wales Secretary Peter Hain, whose recent interview in the New Statesman heavily criticised the Bush administration, has taken a battering this week.

The Daily’s review: “It just smacks a little of cynical opportunism, as he attempts to position himself as an anti-war critic inside the cabinet. The gap between the rhetoric and reality of Hain’s politics is increasingly marked.” While, Paul Linford submitted a post entitled ‘Hain rediscovers his balls. A pity he mislaid them in 2003’. Speculation abounds as to whether Hains’ new found voice of protest is due to his interest in the party deputy leadership.

Last week we reported Hillary Benn was launching his deputy leadership campaign online and this week saw one of his running-buddies doing the same. Harriet Harman can count on the vote of Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan.

In her first entry, Harman asks why men sleep with prostitutes. Kerron Cross helps her out: “It's because those men want sex.”

Finally, David Davies tells of an amusing story of when a hotel in mid-Wales double-booked a Conservative conference with a biker gang get-together: “I am told that this led to some unlikely scenes in the bar in the early hours with leather clad bikers and besuited Conservative activists putting the world to rights over a few ales.”


This also appears at www.newstatesman.com/blogs/best-of-the-politics-blogs.