In 1911, Keir Hardie — miner, socialist, and founder of the Labour Party — launched The Merthyr Pioneer to give a voice to working people. It wasn’t written for the powerful, but the people who kept our town running: the ones who’d never been asked their opinion before.
Over a century later, we’re relaunching The Pioneer because that voice still matters, and because the people in power still aren’t listening.
Politicians, especially in Hardie’s own party, have abandoned the fight in Merthyr, and across the country. Now, politicians act as middle-managers, not as representatives of the people who serve them.
While Merthyr has some of the worst rates of living quality in Britain, our politicians swan around getting fat wages, show up for photo-ops, and tell us about all the things that aren’t possible – not what is.
Nowadays, Merthyr is talked about more often than it’s talked to. We’re tired of seeing headlines written by people who’ve never walked the down the High Street, never queued for a bus that doesn’t show up, never struggled for anything. We’re not the backdrop for “poverty porn” documentaries, or political soundbites from people who know nothing about who we are.
The Pioneer is about changing that narrative, and making Merthyr matter.
We’re not media for politicians or press officers, but for the people of Merthyr, and anyone else who believes we deserve better. We’ll dig into local stories that matter, highlight people doing real good, and call out bullshit where we see it. We’ll do the work, and have a laugh while doing it.
We’ll host gigs, debates, showcase local music, film, and culture. We’ll ask uncomfortable questions about where the money’s going, and why things that belong to the people — like the Redhouse — are left to rot again.
This is a Pioneer for the 21st century: a real voice at a time when it’s needed. A place where we don’t wait for change — we make it.
Welcome to the new Merthyr Pioneer.
Let’s pick up the torch again.
