@BenWildsmith
Nation.Cymru columnist, writer, musician, support worker. Whose Song to Sing? (Calon, 2026): ‘gripping, informative, moving, hilarious…’ – Niall Griffiths.
Upcoming Events
Bardic Books: Ben Wildsmith & Crystal Jeans, Sat 6 June
Bardic Books: Ben Wildsmith & Crystal Jeans, Sat 6 June
Join writers Ben Wildsmith & Crystal Jeans to discuss their new books (with music from Ben)
Whose Song to Sing?
Out Now in Hardback: Whose Song to Sing? (Calon, 2026)
Out Now in Hardback: Whose Song to Sing? (Calon, 2026)
Wildly chuffed WStS? is included in Stewart Lee's cultural list 2025
Wildly chuffed WStS? is included in Stewart Lee's cultural list 2025
Folding Rock choose Whose Song to Sing? as a Top Pick for 2026
Folding Rock choose Whose Song to Sing? as a Top Pick for 2026
Buzz Review WStS? 'Wildsmith is a master of longing'
Buzz Review WStS? 'Wildsmith is a master of longing'
Nation.Cymru: Desmond Clifford reviews Whose Song to Sing?
Nation.Cymru: Desmond Clifford reviews Whose Song to Sing?
Desmond Clifford Either the memoir is having a moment or else there’s a trend developing. The memoir form has long been popular in the Welsh language, a by-product, I guess, of a relatively homogenous and compact community where people often know “who’s who?” and share a degree of common cultural curiosity. This culture isn’t replicable […]
'absolutely superb writing' – Rhian Elizabeth on WStS?
'absolutely superb writing' – Rhian Elizabeth on WStS?
Big Issue: What adoption means for a person's personality
Big Issue: What adoption means for a person's personality
Everyone agrees that adoption is a big, immovable fact in someone’s life, but it’s considered awkward if they mention it, writes Ben Wildsmith
My Latest Columns
The Vultures are Circling
The Vultures are Circling
Ben Wildsmith We stand at a crossroads today and our direction of travel may be decided for us if we are not alert to the importance of the moment. You will remember that in the aftermath of the Golders Green stabbings in April, a binary debate erupted about whether the police had been too brutal […]
Sticking his oar in, again…
Sticking his oar in, again…
Ben Wildsmith There have only been two consequential prime ministers in my lifetime, and I hate them both. The others: Ted Heath, Harold Wilson Mk 2, Jim Callaghan, John Major, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and the new bloke might as well be rolled together into a sludgy […]
Wales Must Define Itself
Wales Must Define Itself
Ben Wildsmith The arrival of a Plaid-led government was always going to provoke debates that reach deeper than the paddling pool confines of devolved government. Handing responsibility to a party that operates without the guard rails of London management means that the fundamentals of Cymru’s relationships with the rest of the UK and beyond must […]
Immigration, Immigration, Immigration
Immigration, Immigration, Immigration
Ben Wildsmith The unanimous view of people who bang on incessantly about immigration is that they are not allowed to talk about immigration. Like spherical cats mewling for second breakfast, they have no sooner put the phone down after calling Talk Radio to complain about small boats, than they are back on Facey claiming that […]
The Shadow of the Reaper
The Shadow of the Reaper
Ben Wildsmith Whisper it, but there are signs that the Labour Party is exploring the possibility of visiting the country it’s supposed to be governing. After decades in a hermetically sealed capsule where, alternately, everything is fine or everything is the Tories’ fault, the two expected contenders for Keir Starmer’s job have begun to discuss […]
A Tale of Two Governments
A Tale of Two Governments
Ben Wildsmith Keir Starmer’s government had inevitable chaos built into it long before the election in 2024. Elected with no substantial programme, after watering down its party’s principles to homeopathic levels, it would have taken Tony Blair levels of political salesmanship to present this nothingburger of an administration as a success. Starmer, bless him, couldn’t […]
The tears on a laughing emoji are turquoise
The tears on a laughing emoji are turquoise
Ben Wildsmith Nigel Farage! Dan Thomas! Richard Tice! Welsh Dave! Vladimir Putin! Enoch Powell! Oswald Mosley! Friedrich Nietzsche! Ayn Rand! The metaphysical concept of ‘othering’! Sir Rod Stewart! Right Said Fred! Gerwyn Price! The pickled eggs in Gerwyn Price’s chip shop! Bonnie Blue! Jac o’ the North! Your boys took a hell of a beating! […]
A Nigel-Shaped Hole in the Velodrome
A Nigel-Shaped Hole in the Velodrome
Ben Wildsmith The places where our destiny is decided tend not to live up to their place in history. The last time I was at an election count, when Lindsey Whittle threw himself in front of the Reform UK hype train to the visible disappointment of the London press, it was in the homely environs […]
A Bad Word on the Brown Acid
A Bad Word on the Brown Acid
Ben Wildsmith The Stones at Hyde Park, The Beatles at Shea Stadium, Nigel in Trago Mills car park; these iconic events come along so rarely, and I missed it again. Despite unkind comments on social media, ‘There were more people watching the horse racing in The Winch’ (Dial M For Merthyr), friendly journalists were quick […]
The System’s Down
The System’s Down
Kingly Doings in Trumpland
Kingly Doings in Trumpland
Some People Should Get Out More
Some People Should Get Out More
All Ben's Nation.Cymru columns and articles
All Ben's Nation.Cymru columns and articles
My Other Books
Order FROM THE SENEDD TO THE ROOFS (2024) from Cambria
Order FROM THE SENEDD TO THE ROOFS (2024) from Cambria
These are missives of hope, bewilderment, anger and grief. Horses run amok down Picadilly, First Ministers come and go, and royalty continues to perplex in this raucous almanac of world events as viewed from Wales.
Order FLAGS & BONES (2023) from Cambria Books: Lacerating on politicians, sympathetic to rugby fans, Ben Wildsmith surveys a dysfunctional world and looks for the light.
Order FLAGS & BONES (2023) from Cambria Books: Lacerating on politicians, sympathetic to rugby fans, Ben Wildsmith surveys a dysfunctional world and looks for the light.
Other Online Places
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Find Ben on Instagram
Ben's YouTube Channel
Ben's YouTube Channel
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Find Ben on Twitter
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Contact Ben
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