{"id":32952,"date":"2019-02-19T15:51:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T15:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=32952"},"modified":"2019-02-19T15:51:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T15:51:39","slug":"i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/","title":{"rendered":"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-32964 size-blog-gallery-second\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133-530x358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"530\" height=\"358\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-32964 size-blog-gallery-second\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133-530x358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"530\" height=\"358\" \/><\/noscript>Leanne Wood was the first politician I ever met.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nEight years ago,\u00a0she visited my secondary school\u00a0in the heart of Rhondda Cynon Taff.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nSat on a chair in front of a\u00a0group\u00a0of year 11s in the dim lit canteen hall,\u00a0she spoke\u00a0about her then role as assembly member for South Wales Central.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nToday, sat in the kitchen of her Porth constituency office, I tell her the effect the visit had on me \u2013 how no other politician made the effort.\u00a0It turns out I\u2019m not alone.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nShe says she\u00a0is\u00a0often recognised by former school children from all over the Rhondda because of the visits she has made over the years.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nThat same year,\u00a0I\u00a0proclaimed\u00a0in my school year book that my dream job was to be Prime Minister.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nAnd then\u00a0feelings\u00a0of inadequacy\u00a0kicked in.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nI had got it into my head that to be a successful politician, you had to go to Oxford or Cambridge, universities I knew I would not get into.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood admits to me that as a young woman\u00a0she shared these\u00a0fears.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nBut today as she sits here \u2013 the AM for RCT and former leader of Plaid Cymru \u2013 Wood explains how she achieved so much from that initial place of fear and inadequacy and how feminism and activism helped shape her identity.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">\u201cAlthough I would have always loved to have a job in politics, I never really thought it was possible because, apart from being an MP, I couldn\u2019t even see what the jobs were,&#8221; said Ms Wood.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Wood studied Public Administration at Wales Polytech University in\u00a0Trefforest, now The University of South Wales, which gave her a solid background for the activism she did in her free time.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32972\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32972\" style=\"width: 282px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-32972\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-282x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"282\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-282x300.jpg 282w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-500x531.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-293x311.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda.jpg 564w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32972\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-32972\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-282x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"282\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-282x300.jpg 282w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-500x531.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda-293x311.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Lady-Rhondda.jpg 564w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><\/noscript> Lady Rhondda was a suffragette born and raised in Llanwern. She was also a businesswoman, journalist and lifelong campaigner of women\u2019s rights.<span style=\"font-size: 16px\">.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 16px\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nFollowing university, Ms Wood worked in the probation service, Women&#8217;s Aid and was also elected as a councillor, saying she always felt called to where she could see injustices.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nI ask if it was hard to break into politics as a woman in the Rhondda, a space\u00a0historically\u00a0predominantly male\u00a0due to its industrial\u00a0ties.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cThe gender dominance was definitely off-putting but I think it is worth recognising that there are women from the Rhondda we can look back on,&#8221; she said.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cJill Evans, who was Plaid Cymru&#8217;s MEP, was a mentor for me in my early days and Annie Powell was the first communist mayor of Britain &#8211; she represented\u00a0Penygraig, the seat I held on the council.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cIf you look back further in\u00a0history\u00a0we have people like Elizabeth Andrews and Lady Rhondda, who were championing women\u2019s votes 100 years ago, so I do feel like I am following in some pretty good footsteps.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood believes the industrial traditions in RCT contributed to the strength of the community, and with that the strength of the matriarchy.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nShe jokes: \u201cMost of us can think of the matriarchs in our family and they take no messing.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood has certainly inherited this matriarchal instinct, her passion for supporting women\u00a0is particularly poignant when we discuss her first seat in the Welsh Assembly.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nIn the early 2000s, Ms Wood was encouraged to challenge the then AM for South Wales Central, Pauline\u00a0Jarman, for the seat. She says there is something about being a feminist that made her not want to do that.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cFor me, it\u2019s all about raising others up and not knocking them down, that\u2019s the best way to achieve equality, giving people\u00a0opportunities and raising people up,\u201d she said.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood then found herself in a position she had not planned.\u00a0In 2003,\u00a0Ms\u00a0Jarman\u00a0stood\u00a0down from the\u00a0seat and under\u00a0Plaid Cymru procedure at the time, the seat she left was reserved for a woman.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Although I would have always loved to have a job in politics, I never really thought it was possible.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The positive discrimination policy gave Ms Wood the confidence to stand for election.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cIf I was in that race up against 10\u00a0experienced\u00a0men who are very\u00a0good at public speaking then there is every chance that I wouldn\u2019t have even bothered putting my name forward.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have even tried because you just think, &#8216;What&#8217;s the point?&#8217;. You know the outcome, why am I going to put myself through that?\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood\u2019s campaign for the seat\u00a0came with a lot of hard work; \u201cYou never get something for nothing,\u201d she notes.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cOnce I had the opportunity, that confidence grew and I would challenge anybody to say that I\u2019m not in a position where I haven\u2019t merited being in this role.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nThe policy guaranteed there would be five women representing Plaid Cymru at the Assembly and for Ms Wood, this is a way of ensuring politics reflects society.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cThere is no good just having one group of people over-represented as we have always had because then who speaks for the children? Who speaks for the women? Who speaks for the minority groups?<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32993\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-32993\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-770x770.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-293x293.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-390x390.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-585x585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-32993\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-770x770.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-293x293.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-390x390.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-585x585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7897.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript> Ms Wood uses door knocking as a way of gathering issues from concerned constituents.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n&#8220;It is still staggering we have never had a BAME woman elected to the National Assembly.\u00a0Even though our National Assembly looks better in terms of diversity compared to who we send to Westminster. We still haven\u2019t cracked it, not by a long way.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nWe joke about how strongly we feel connected to the Rhondda, saying we could never live that far away from our mothers:<br \/>\n\u201cI live in the same street as mine,\u201d she laughs.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nIt is clear Ms Wood has never had and will never have any intentions of leaving the Rhondda as she feels a strong solidarity with the people there.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nDespite her university education and well-paid profession, she still considers herself working class: \u201cIt&#8217;s the principles and values you have.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nOne thing that has not changed is her accent, something she has been told to moderate.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nWhen I asked her about this, she laughed and said she thinks that people who criticise her accent are idiots.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cIt can be really frustrating when people behave in a certain way towards you because\u00a0of it and\u00a0it is\u00a0just a case of taking a step back and thinking, &#8216;that is\u00a0their issue&#8217;.<br \/>\n&#8220;All I can control is how I react to this and the best way is not to get drawn in, not allow them to beat you, smile sweetly, and if you can think of something better in the moment give them a good quip,\u201d she laughs.<br \/>\nThis is something Ms Wood did a few years ago on the Brexit TV debate where UKIP leader Paul Nuttall called her Natalie, she snapped and ferociously remarked \u201cI am not Natalie, I am Leanne.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cWe all know blokes like you\u2026You want a free divorce, it doesn\u2019t happen that way\u201d &#8211; Leanne Wood challenges Paul Nuttall on Brexit <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BBCDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BBCDebate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NxnYkS86Nd\">pic.twitter.com\/NxnYkS86Nd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BBCNewsnight\/status\/870008597467418624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 31, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This moment was not a surprise to Ms Wood. \u201cThey\u2019re not even listening to you,\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0not even looking at you or taking any notice of your name.\u201d That&#8217;s something she blames on the fact that Wales aren&#8217;t taken into consideration on a national UK scale.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood has argued that Wales has been ignored in the Brexit process, complaining that we have had more discussions on how Brexit will impact Gibraltar than we have how it will impact Wales.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nWe try to avoid giving too much time to the B word, as for constituents in the Rhondda, where life\u2019s problems present themselves in the form of bank closures, parking, dog mess, school closures, uneven pavements and pothole fixtures. According to Ms Wood, this is the stuff people really care about.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nI ask Ms Wood if she is sticking it out for the long run.<br \/>\n\u201cOh yes,\u201d she replies.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cI am an activist and I have a very clear vision of the kind of Wales I think we can be and there are\u00a0a number of\u00a0ways I can work at that.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nMs Wood has no plans to take her campaign to Westminster, despite considering it a couple of years ago because of Brexit.<br \/>\nShe says she recognised\u00a0fairly early\u00a0on that the Welsh\u00a0Senedd\u00a0would have very little influence in Brexit.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cI think more can be done for the Rhondda and the communities that I care about if I am in the\u00a0Senedd.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leanne Wood was the first politician I ever met.\u00a0\u00a0 Eight years ago,\u00a0she visited my secondary school\u00a0in the heart of Rhondda Cynon Taff.\u00a0 Sat on a chair in front of a\u00a0group\u00a0of year 11s in the dim lit canteen hall,\u00a0she spoke\u00a0about her then role as assembly member for South Wales Central.\u00a0 Today, sat in the kitchen of her Porth constituency office, I tell her the effect the visit had on me \u2013 how no other politician made the effort.\u00a0It turns out I\u2019m [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":32964,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3],"tags":[1312,1210,192,1075,4510,194,1698,6392,6306,588,6393,339,293,195,126],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-32952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-longer-reads","category-news","tag-activism","tag-assembly-member","tag-brexit","tag-feminism","tag-leanne-wood","tag-plaid-cymru","tag-politics","tag-rct","tag-rhondda-cynon-taff","tag-senedd","tag-socialism","tag-wales","tag-welsh","tag-welsh-assembly","tag-welsh-government"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leanne Wood was the first politician I ever met.\u00a0\u00a0 Eight years ago,\u00a0she visited my secondary school\u00a0in the heart of Rhondda Cynon Taff.\u00a0 Sat on a chair in front of a\u00a0group\u00a0of year 11s in the dim lit canteen hall,\u00a0she spoke\u00a0about her then role as assembly member for South Wales Central.\u00a0 Today, sat in the kitchen of her Porth constituency office, I tell her the effect the visit had on me \u2013 how no other politician made the effort.\u00a0It turns out I\u2019m [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-19T15:51:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"810\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lydia Stephens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lydia Stephens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/\",\"name\":\"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys - The Cardiffian\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-19T15:51:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/ce38308d3ffb4f1d848bf7726d1b4ccf\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":810},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\",\"name\":\"The Cardiffian\",\"description\":\"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/ce38308d3ffb4f1d848bf7726d1b4ccf\",\"name\":\"Lydia Stephens\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/08c5384f6c3c00d73c6ae7a64d16024c\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f48022fe7d71554a301ff8d2ee0bcc79352094dadc231cc200792fdd4de2f902?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f48022fe7d71554a301ff8d2ee0bcc79352094dadc231cc200792fdd4de2f902?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lydia Stephens\"},\"description\":\"Lydia is an aspiring health reporter and is currently covering stories across Cardiff, operating as a patch reporter for Llanishen, Thornhill and Rhiwbina.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/author\/stephens-l\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys - The Cardiffian","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys - The Cardiffian","og_description":"Leanne Wood was the first politician I ever met.\u00a0\u00a0 Eight years ago,\u00a0she visited my secondary school\u00a0in the heart of Rhondda Cynon Taff.\u00a0 Sat on a chair in front of a\u00a0group\u00a0of year 11s in the dim lit canteen hall,\u00a0she spoke\u00a0about her then role as assembly member for South Wales Central.\u00a0 Today, sat in the kitchen of her Porth constituency office, I tell her the effect the visit had on me \u2013 how no other politician made the effort.\u00a0It turns out I\u2019m [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/","og_site_name":"The Cardiffian","article_published_time":"2019-02-19T15:51:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":810,"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lydia Stephens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lydia Stephens","Estimated reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/","name":"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys - The Cardiffian","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg","datePublished":"2019-02-19T15:51:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/ce38308d3ffb4f1d848bf7726d1b4ccf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/IMG_7895-e1550585154133.jpg","width":1080,"height":810},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/19\/i-am-an-activist-leanne-wood-on-feminism-class-and-the-valleys\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#039;I am an activist&#039;: Leanne Wood on feminism, class and The Valleys"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/","name":"The Cardiffian","description":"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/ce38308d3ffb4f1d848bf7726d1b4ccf","name":"Lydia Stephens","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/08c5384f6c3c00d73c6ae7a64d16024c","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f48022fe7d71554a301ff8d2ee0bcc79352094dadc231cc200792fdd4de2f902?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f48022fe7d71554a301ff8d2ee0bcc79352094dadc231cc200792fdd4de2f902?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lydia Stephens"},"description":"Lydia is an aspiring health reporter and is currently covering stories across Cardiff, operating as a patch reporter for Llanishen, Thornhill and Rhiwbina.","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/author\/stephens-l\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32952"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=32952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}