Gwynoro Jones
Encyclopedia
Gwynoro Glyndwr Jones is a former British
/ Welsh
politician.
Before entering Parliament he was Public Relations Officer for the Labour Party in Wales
1968 and, together with Emrys Jones, Regional Organiser for the Wales Labour Party and Gwyn Morgan, Assistant General Secretary to the UK Party, he drafted Labour's evidence to the Crowther/Kilbrandon Royal Commission
on the Constitution.
In 1970, he became MP at 27 years of age when elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Carmarthen
, defeating the president of Plaid Cymru
, Gwynfor Evans
with a majority of 3,600 votes. Having held on to the seat in an historic election that had five recounts by just 3 votes in the February 1974 general election
, he lost the seat back to Evans by 3,640 votes in the October election of that year
. When MP he was in 1974 Parliamentary Secretary to Rt Hon Roy Jenkins
the Home Secretary and was also a member of the Council of Europe
. Throughout his time in Parliament he campaigned for more devolution to Wales an issue that split the Welsh Labour Party deeply.
In 1981 he helped establish the Social Democratic Party
and together with Tom Ellis
former MP for Wrexham and others created a powerful Welsh voice within the UK SDP. Gwynoro Jones stood in the Gower by-election
of 1982 where Labour's 19,000 majority was reduced to 7,000. He was Chair of the SDP in Wales for two three-year periods before the merger of the SDP with the Liberals. During the days of the SDP-Liberal Alliance
he chaired its National Committee in Wales for the whole period 1983 to 1989. In the 1980s Gwynoro became a powerful advocate for constitutional and electoral reform and was a renowned orator at conferences and public meetings across the UK. A strong advocate of the alliance with the Liberals he was often at loggerheads with David Owen
.
When the Liberal Democrats
Party was formed he stood for the Presidency and received over 10,000 votes. He topped the poll in the vote for the party's National Committee and became vice chair of the Policy Committee. In 1992 he stood for the Hereford seat
and received over 23,000 votes.
After that Gwynoro concentrated on his business activities and from 1993 to date heads EPPC-Severn Crossing Ltd a school inspection and conferencing business. The company has inspected some 3,000 schools in England and Wales and a similar total of playgroups and nursery settings. In addition to being a Lay Inspector of schools he is also an Investors in People
Adviser/Assessor, External Assessor Performance Management of Headteachers, External Assessor for EFQM European Business Excellence Model, Consultant/Assessor Law Society Lexcel Standard and Leath Inspectorate Wales lay inspector.
When Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party he applied to rejoin the Labour Party. The local party in Swansea West turned his application down but the Prime Minister's Office intervened and he was allowed to rejoin. However he received 'no welcome back in the valleys 'and was ostracised from the beginning'. In fact he went to one meeting of the local party in Swansea and another in Gower. After that he tried to be selected on to Labour's panel of potential candidates for the first Assembly elections in Wales and was not accepted.
He stood as an independent in the National Assembly elections of 2007, but rejoined the Liberal Democrats in 2011, citing Nick Clegg
's courage in entering a coalition.
His eldest son, Glyndwr Cennydd Jones
, was Plaid Cymru's candidate for the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
constituency for the National Assembly for Wales general election in May 2007.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
/ Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
politician.
Before entering Parliament he was Public Relations Officer for the Labour Party in Wales
Wales Labour Party
Welsh Labour is the part of the United Kingdom Labour Party that operates in Wales. Labour is the largest and most successful political party in modern Welsh politics, having won the largest share of the vote at every UK General Election since 1922, every Welsh Assembly election since 1999, and...
1968 and, together with Emrys Jones, Regional Organiser for the Wales Labour Party and Gwyn Morgan, Assistant General Secretary to the UK Party, he drafted Labour's evidence to the Crowther/Kilbrandon Royal Commission
Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)
The Royal Commission on the Constitution, also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission or Kilbrandon Report, was a long-running royal commission set up by Harold Wilson's Labour government to examine the structures of the constitution of the United Kingdom and the British Islands and the...
on the Constitution.
In 1970, he became MP at 27 years of age when elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Carmarthen
Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmarthen was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1542 and 1997...
, defeating the president of Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
, Gwynfor Evans
Gwynfor Evans
Dr Richard Gwynfor Evans , was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. President of Plaid Cymru for thirty six years, he was the first Member of Parliament to represent Plaid Cymru at Westminster ....
with a majority of 3,600 votes. Having held on to the seat in an historic election that had five recounts by just 3 votes in the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, he lost the seat back to Evans by 3,640 votes in the October election of that year
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
. When MP he was in 1974 Parliamentary Secretary to Rt Hon Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
the Home Secretary and was also a member of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
. Throughout his time in Parliament he campaigned for more devolution to Wales an issue that split the Welsh Labour Party deeply.
In 1981 he helped establish the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
and together with Tom Ellis
Tom Ellis (politician)
Robert Thomas Ellis, , commonly known as Tom Ellis, was a British politician who was elected several times as a Labour Member of Parliament, and later defected to the Social Democratic Party ....
former MP for Wrexham and others created a powerful Welsh voice within the UK SDP. Gwynoro Jones stood in the Gower by-election
Gower by-election, 1982
The Gower by-election of 16 September 1982 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament Ifor Davies on 6 June 1982. The seat was held by Labour in the by-election....
of 1982 where Labour's 19,000 majority was reduced to 7,000. He was Chair of the SDP in Wales for two three-year periods before the merger of the SDP with the Liberals. During the days of the SDP-Liberal Alliance
SDP-Liberal Alliance
The SDP–Liberal Alliance was an electoral pact formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom which was in existence from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal...
he chaired its National Committee in Wales for the whole period 1983 to 1989. In the 1980s Gwynoro became a powerful advocate for constitutional and electoral reform and was a renowned orator at conferences and public meetings across the UK. A strong advocate of the alliance with the Liberals he was often at loggerheads with David Owen
David Owen
David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen CH PC FRCP is a British politician.Owen served as British Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post; he co-authored the failed Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans offered during the Bosnian War...
.
When the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Party was formed he stood for the Presidency and received over 10,000 votes. He topped the poll in the vote for the party's National Committee and became vice chair of the Policy Committee. In 1992 he stood for the Hereford seat
Hereford (UK Parliament constituency)
Hereford was, until 2010, a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1918, it had elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
and received over 23,000 votes.
After that Gwynoro concentrated on his business activities and from 1993 to date heads EPPC-Severn Crossing Ltd a school inspection and conferencing business. The company has inspected some 3,000 schools in England and Wales and a similar total of playgroups and nursery settings. In addition to being a Lay Inspector of schools he is also an Investors in People
Investors in People
Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....
Adviser/Assessor, External Assessor Performance Management of Headteachers, External Assessor for EFQM European Business Excellence Model, Consultant/Assessor Law Society Lexcel Standard and Leath Inspectorate Wales lay inspector.
When Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party he applied to rejoin the Labour Party. The local party in Swansea West turned his application down but the Prime Minister's Office intervened and he was allowed to rejoin. However he received 'no welcome back in the valleys 'and was ostracised from the beginning'. In fact he went to one meeting of the local party in Swansea and another in Gower. After that he tried to be selected on to Labour's panel of potential candidates for the first Assembly elections in Wales and was not accepted.
He stood as an independent in the National Assembly elections of 2007, but rejoined the Liberal Democrats in 2011, citing Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
's courage in entering a coalition.
His eldest son, Glyndwr Cennydd Jones
Glyndwr Jones
Glyndwr Cennydd Jones is a Welsh politician.He was the Plaid Cymru candidate for the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency in the National Assembly for Wales general election 2007, receiving 2519 votes...
, was Plaid Cymru's candidate for the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (National Assembly for Wales constituency)
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney is a constituency of the National Assembly for Wales. It elects one Assembly Member by the first past the post method of election...
constituency for the National Assembly for Wales general election in May 2007.