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Anthony Slaughter is the leader of the Green Party in Wales and the party's best hope of a seat in the Senedd election in May 2026. Politics in Wales is changing rapidly. Given what people have been living through, we shouldn’t be surprised. Life has become so difficult so most of us – bills are soaring, our NHS and schools are on their knees, despite the work of the amazing people that work in them. Decaying high streets are a literal symbol of a society that feels like it’s in decline. We keep being told that things can’t get better. But now, something is happening. People are being offered hope, and they are grabbing it with bold hands. Zohran Mamdani just won against the odds on a bold plan to make New York more affordable. Our own Zack Polanski has barely been out of the headlines because he’s honest, he says what needs to be said, and he doesn’t back away from a fight with vested interests. I doubt you’ll see me on TikTok running into the sea in a suit in Penarth but we’re on a roll here in Wales too. We’re about to hit 6,000 members, nearly triple our numbers 2 months ago. We’ve just welcomed the former Labour group leader on Carmarthenshire council to our ranks, topping off this summer’s by-election win in Cardiff’s Grangetown, which no one saw coming (except us). And this weekend, we’ve welcomed Cllr Rob James, Carmarthenshire’s former Labour group leader to the Greens. Being in the Greens used to feel like being an outsider, but more and more people are now saying that’s exactly what we need in politics. Growing up in South Africa, I came to the UK after I realised I’d be forced to serve in the apartheid army if I stayed. I played in punk bands while squatting in London, and when the miners strike came, I knew I had to fundraise hard to support families in Wales, and everywhere that was hurting from Thatcher’s war on the working class. But when I arrived in Wales many years ago now, you could feel something in the air. People were less driven by money, more motivated by community. We feel less divided as a society. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . We saw a real taste of this just two weeks ago in Caerphilly, where voters rejected Reform after banging on about immigrants instead of how to cut people bills, or how to get our public services back on their feet. Green Party members in the town tell me that the morning after, it felt like the whole community was exhaling at once, realising that Wales can be a nation of neighbours, if we stand together. It’s shown that next May, we have a huge opportunity as a nation. We know we are getting a new government in Cardiff Bay, and we know the new, fairer voting system means no party can come close to a majority of seats. So instead of just worrying about Reform running Wales (they won’t), we can think about what we want this new government to look like. And most importantly, who it stands for. Me and my team are working flat out to get Greens into the Senedd, and if the polls are accurate, I’ll be the first one in May. Cutting my teeth during that miners strike, it’s absolutely clear to me what we will prioritise – making life a easier for ordinary people and if that means shaking up a cosy Cardiff Bay consensus, I dare say my years as a punk squatter should help! People are really hurting at the moment, but it feels like politicians don’t understand how serious things are. Greens are pushing for rent controls, something we could have done in Wales years ago. We want to bring Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water into public ownership, so we can cut bills stop the sewage in our rivers. I want to see the ridiculously unfair council tax, one of most people’s biggest expenses, abolished and replaced with one where the richest property owners pay more. And with just one, two, or more Greens holding the balance of power in the Senedd, we can achieve so many of the things Zack has been talking about. Voting Green in May means you will elect people who know exactly who they’re working for – and who they are standing against. Corporations, landlords and land owners have extracted so much Wales, it’s time to put people and planet before profit. The even better news is that just a small swing to the Green Party will actually help send fewer Reform members to the Senedd in May. So let’s be bold. Let’s change Wales.
