The Wales Governance Centre and the Open University Wales celebrated May Day by jointly hosting a conversation with Lord Heseltine in Cardiff Bay. The Press, with a stand full of our politics titles, were in attendance to support our authors and to hear the great man – a Swansea boy! – at first hand. The conversation between Lord Heseltine and Rob Humphreys offered many insights into the politician’s varied career. Through delivering candid answers to the audience’s questions, and with the light relief of some very entertaining anecdotes, Lord Heseltine presented an intriguing and truly fascinating portrait of the corridors of power during the Thatcher years and also today.
The dialogue was certainly thought-provoking and wide-ranging, encompassing membership of the European Union and the future of Wales in the context of Scotland’s referendum this September. Led by someone of Lord Heseltine’s experience, the evening proved inspiring, timely and, by his discussion of what we can learn from the political lessons of the past and what devolution will mean in modern Wales, perhaps even one of historical significance.
Catherine Jenkins