Followers of Welsh politics are intrigued by @NoContextSenedd whose tweets get likes for Drakeford jokes and memes
THE person behind the anonymous Twitter account @NoContextSenedd say they want to show Cardiff Bay politics is “just as petty” as Westminster.
The account, called Senedd Out of Context, was set up in November 2021 and quickly took off. Its first post on November 11 got 1,119 likes and the account now has more than 2,500 followers.
This is the first interview with the person behind the account. They want to remain anonymous as they work in politics but told me they live near Cardiff, do not support any political party, and are in their 20s.
NoContextSenedd believes a lack of attention leads to a wrong perception of Welsh politics. “People don’t know Welsh politics all that well. It creates an idea that the Senedd is more civil but it’s just as petty as national politics.”
They said: “It’s not a grown-up institution where everyone is civil and that’s what people should expect. People only get an insight of what it’s like when big things happen like when Vaughan Gathing MS swore at Jenny Rathbone MS.
“I follow the Senedd on a daily basis as part of my job so I see all the funny things that happen.”
The account’s first post features an exchange between Mike Hedges MS and Darren Millar MS. “It sounded like a pantomime but I’m surprised it took off. I don’t know why the account became so popular,” they said.
Most tweets include exchanges between Senedd Members but for Valentine’s Day, it posted a series of memes poking fun at First Minister Mark Drakeford and others.
As for what they think of the politicians themselves, NoContextSenedd said: “I really dislike most of them. My God do they talk a lot of sh*t and there can be so much heckling between parties at times,” they said.
Fans of the account believe it has highlighted unusual issues Senedd members are passionate about as well as making Welsh politicians more relatable.
Joshua Prior, 23, from Butetown, said: “It’s good to see Senedd members as normal people so that politics doesn’t seem as alienating. You see them having banter, without all the jargon. It just makes politics more human and easier to understand.”
NoContextSenedd believes the account is a good thing for Welsh politics because it engages a young audience with Senedd proceedings.
“If you look on a more grassroots level, you can see there are not many community organisations around young people. If you want to grow Senedd engagement amongst young people, you need to build up that base.”
“I believe power should be as close to the people as possible,” they said.
