Michael Sheen: 'Give people power to run communities'

Michael Sheen has called for people to be given the power to run communities instead of "career politicians".

The actor delivered a rousing speech on St David's Day in Tredegar where he criticised "disconnected" politicians.

Now he is calling for people in Wales to "believe in their potential" and have more of a say on how their communities are run.

Sheen said: "Many people have become alienated by career politicians who are disconnected from them."

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Jason Mohammad programme, he added: "We have to believe in our own potential.

"There's a lot of frustration when people from quite privileged backgrounds are laying down the law to people who come from very challenged realities.

"It's hard to listen to someone who has been educated in a certain way and had all sorts of advantages telling people how much money they should live on and to work longer hours when they've never had to do it themselves.

"Politics needs to be responsive to the different needs in communities. It's not one size fits all for Wales or for Britain.

"Developing people to work within their communities for the specific need of that community is going to be very important in the way forward.

"Political parties need to respond to that because clearly what they're offering is not what people want."

Michael Sheen played Tony Blair alongside Helen McCrory as his wife Cherie in the film The Queen

Following Sheen's speech at the People's March for the NHS on 1 March, questions were asked about whether the actor was considering taking an active role in Welsh politics.

But the Hollywood star, from Neath Port Talbot, said his immediate future lay away from his home country.

He said: "I live in America because my daughter has grown up there and I made the choice to be with her.

"But Wales is my home and where I come from and this is the culture I care about the most.

"Once my daughter has gone to college and I don't necessarily have to be there then things will change.

"When I made the speech in Tredegar, I felt a real connection that I haven't felt for a long time. I want to try and continue that in the next couple of years."