Past events
We have hosted a number of key politicians, academics and commentators.
Here is just a selection of our previous events.
Events from 2018
Switzerland and the EU: Reflections for the UK
Date: 16 October 2018
Location: Kathleen Ede Room, Aberdare Hall, Cardiff University
We were pleased to host a lecture and Q&A session with Alexandre Fasel, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Kingdom.
As the negotiations for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union reach a critical stage, the experience of Switzerland as a state dealing bilaterally with the EU is of crucial interest to audiences in Wales and the UK.
As part of his visit to Wales, the Ambassador will outline the nature of Switzerland’s relationship with the European Union and EFTA, and will reflect on possible scenarios for the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Mr Fasel has served as Ambassador to the UK since September 2017. He has a wealth of experience at the international level including representing Switzerland at the United Nations Office, the Human Rights Council and other international organisations.
He has also had postings at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, including as Deputy State Secretary. Mr Fasel is also a lawyer. He has studied at the University of Fribourg and Oxford University.
In Conversation with Ron Davies
Date: 5 July 2018
Location: Pierhead building, National Assembly
Ron Davies is a former Secretary of State for Wales, Member of Parliament and Assembly Member, and is widely credited as being the architect of devolution.
Ron Davies steered the Government of Wales Act 1998 through parliament, implementing the result of the 1997 referendum and creating the National Assembly for Wales.
Twenty years on from the first Government of Wales Act, Ron gave his verdict on the past, present and future of Welsh democratic devolution.
Nye Bevan and the Creation of the NHS
Date: 22 June 2018
Location: Pierhead Building, National Assembly
Seventy years on since its formation, the NHS remains a cherished institution in the United Kingdom. It continues to be revered as one of the most important achievements in British political history.
Aneurin Bevan has achieved a significant legacy due to his role as the Minister of Health and Housing responsible for overseeing its creation. He has since been held up as a giant in both Welsh and British politics.
In this special lecture to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS, Bevan’s biographer, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, discussed Bevan’s role in its creation and the importance of both Bevan and the institution itself.
The End of British Party Politics?
Date: 6 June 2018
Location: Main Building Council Chamber
Professor Roger Awan-Scully and the BBC’s Felicity Evans launched his new book, 'The End of British Party Politics?'
The packed audience heard how electoral choices across Britain have become increasingly differentiated along national lines over much of the last half-century. In 2017, for the second general election in a row, four different parties came first in the UK’s four nations.
The prominent political scientist outlined how UK voters now face fundamentally different, and largely disconnected sets of political choices, and the implications of this for the future of Wales and the UK.
More information about the book.
Imprisonment in Wales: A Factfile
Date: 5 June 2018
Together with Julie Morgan AM, Dr Rob Jones and Professor Richard Wyn Jones launched Imprisonment in Wales: A Factfile.
This ground-breaking report brings together a range of data on imprisonment in Wales, published as a single compendium for the first time ever.
It examines who is imprisoned in Wales and where, and provides data on sentencing, prison safety, and how groups such as women and Welsh-speakers interact with the prison system.
The factfile will form a vital evidence base for policymakers, against the backdrop of the Commission on Justice in Wales’s examination of justice in Wales, and a significant inquiry by the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Committee.
Elmar Brok MEP – Brexit and the European Parliament
Date: 26 April 2018
Location: Pierhead building, National Assembly
The Centre’s Dr Rachel Minto hosted Elmar Brok MEP for a lunchtime lecture and Q&A on Brexit.
The Independent Commission on Referendums: Who, what, why and how
Date: April 2018
Location: Senedd
In October, the Constitution Unit launched an independent commission on referendums to review the role of referendums in British democracy and consider how their rules and practice could be improved.
The commission is meeting monthly, and intends to report in the summer of 2018. At this seminar, the chair and members of the commission discussed their task, how they are setting about it, and the input they need from other experts and the public to ensure the commission draws on the widest possible evidence base. They made particular reference to recent Welsh experience of referendums.
Professor Roger Awan-Scully chaired the event.
Speakers
- Sir Joe Pilling, Chair of the Commission
- Dr Alan Renwick, Research Director for the Commission
- Professor Laura McAllister, Professor of Public Policy at the Wales Governance Centre
Brexit: An Irish perspective
Date: 21 February 2018
Location: Pierhead building, National Assembly
A lecture by Daithi O’Ceallaigh, former Irish Ambassador to the UK and Director at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin.
In partnership with Wales for Europe.
Notable events from 2012-2016
| Title | Speaker, chair or host | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction in Practice seminar | Various | October 2016 |
| Restless Nation: Scotland 1999-2016 and beyond (Annual Lecture 2016) | Professor Sir Tom Devine | October 2016 |
| Ministering to Education | Leighton Andrews AM | October 2014 |
| Launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Reform, Devolution, and De-centralisation in the United Kingdom | Chair: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield | July 2014 |
| What will be the impact of the Scottish independence referendum on Wales? | Chair: David Melding AM. Panel included Lee Waters (Director, Institute of Welsh Affairs), Valerie Livingstone ( Newsdirect Wales ) and Adam Price (former Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr). | July 2014 |
| Book launch for David Marquand's Mammon's Kingdom | Hosted by the Innovation and Engagement Unit in association with the Wales Governance Centre and the Institute of Welsh Affairs | June 2014 |
| Book launch for Richard Wyn Jones's The Fascist Party in Wales? Plaid Cymru, Welsh Nationalism and the Accusation of Fascism | Chair: Helgard Krause (UWP) Discussants: Adam Price and Richard Wyn Jones | 4 June 2014 |
| Lecture on engagement with politics and 21st century volunteering | John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons. Chaired by Professor Richard Wyn Jones and sponsored by Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, Dame Rosemary Butler AM. | 5 June 2014 |
| Towards Scottish independence? Evaluating the prospects and implications of the Scottish referendum | Dr Nicola McEwen, University of Edinburgh. Sponsored by David Melding AM | 14 May 2014 |
| In Conversation with... | The Rt Hon. the Lord Heseltine CH | May 2014 |
| Wales Governance Centre Annual Lecture 2014 | Nicola Sturgeon MSP Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party. Sponsored by Deputy Presiding Officer David Melding AM | March 2014 |
| In Conversation With... |
Professor Linda Colley, Princeton University Watch a video of the lecture. | March 2014 |
| A Titanic mistake? The case against a super-prison for Wales | In partnership with the Howard League for Penal Reform. Sponsored by Deputy Presiding Officer David Melding AM | February 2014 |
| Constitutional conventions and the changing union | Professor David Farrell, University College Dublin. Sponsored by Deputy Presiding Officer David Melding AM. Hosted by the UK’s Changing Union project | February 2014 |
| A talk on Scotland | Professor James Mitchell, Edinburgh University) and the National Assembly Research Service | December 2013 |
| Leaders speech | Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh National Democrats | September 2013 |
| Lecture | Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon David Jones MP | June 2013 |
| Wales Governance Centre Annual Lecture 2013 | Sir David Lloyd Jones | April 2013 |
| Leaders Speech | Leanne Wood, Leader of Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales | March 2013 |
| Leaders Speech | Andrew RT Davies, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives | February 2013 |
| In conversation with... |
The Rt. Hon Peter Hain MP. Sponsored by Deputy Presiding Officer David Melding AM Watch a video of the lecture. | December 2012 |
| Wales Governance Centre Annual Lecture 2012 | Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP | 14 June 2012 |
We've produced a wide selection of academic papers and reports, as well as authored and contributed to academic texts.