The book is being published in the run-up to the 2026 Welsh Senedd elections, before and after which the focus of the country will be on precisely these issues. The aim is to inform and drive
the conversation in a direction that will force those vying for and then taking power to think harder
about how things can be improved for the people of Wales.
The author writes extensively on Welsh issues in both the Welsh media
and UK broadsheets and his work has an enormous reach: for example, his Twitter/X thread on an
investigation he conducted into the use of Facebook groups to spread discontent
about the introduction of 20 mph limits (https://x.com/WillHayCardiff/status/1746942241950560337) has been viewed over 2.7 million times.
As a regular columnist for broadsheet newspapers, analyst of
complex issues on TV and radio, and panellist on BBC comedy shows dissecting
the news, Wil Hayward is well known and respected both inside and outside the industry,
and brings with him a both large audience and credibility. These will make the book highly marketable.
In-depth yet accessible review of how Wales is funded and run, from the most respected political journalist in Wales – winner of many awards for investigative journalism both in Wales and the wider UK. 2% of Wales’ railways are electrified vs. 25% in Scotland and 41% in England. Wales has the highest rates of child poverty in the UK, and the UK's highest rates of long-term limiting illness. Devolution has left Wales 'no longer Westminster’s problem', but successive Labour Welsh Governments – in power for 25 years – have had neither the tools nor the talent to properly tackle the huge issues Wales faces. Who Cares About Wales? shows how the current setup leaves Wales condemned in perpetuity to the lowest standards of living in Britain, a third-class nation within the UK, and calls on its people to demand better.