Rhodri Morgan
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 16 October 2000 (First Secretary since 9 February 2000) |
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| Deputy | Mike German (2000-2001) Jenny Randerson (2001-2002) Mike German (2002-2003) Ieuan Wyn Jones (2007 - Present) |
| Preceded by | Alun Michael (First Secretary) |
| Constituency | Cardiff West |
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Assembly Member
for Cardiff West |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 1999 |
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| Preceded by | new constituency |
| Majority | 3,698 (13.8%) |
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Member of Parliament
for Cardiff West |
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| In office 11 June 1987 – 7 June 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Stefan Terlezki |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Brennan |
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| Born | 29 September 1939 (1939-09-29) (age 69) Cardiff, Wales |
| Political party | Welsh Labour |
Rt. Hon Hywel Rhodri Morgan AM (born 29 September 1939) is a Welsh politician; the Labour National Assembly for Wales Member for the constituency of Cardiff West; and the second and current First Minister for Wales.
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Private life
Born in Cardiff, the son of Professor T. J. Morgan. His brother is the eminent historian, Prys Morgan.
Rhodri Morgan was educated at Whitchurch Grammar School (merged with Whitchurch County Secondary School to become the comprehensive Whitchurch High School in 1972) on Penlline Road in Whitchurch; St John's College, Oxford studying PPE; and Harvard University, where he gained an MA.
In 1967, he married Julie Edwards, now Labour MP for Cardiff North. The couple live in Michaelston-le-Pit (a village situated outside their constituencies), and are supporters of the British Humanist Association. They have a son and two daughters.
Rhodri Morgan worked as an Industrial Development Officer for South Glamorgan County Council from 1974 to 1980 before becoming Head of the European Community's office in Wales from 1980 to 1987.
In July 2007, Rhodri Morgan was admitted to hospital where he underwent heart surgery. Even though he left hospital within the week, doctors said he would not be fully recovered for a few weeks.[1]
Political career
Westminster
Morgan was elected as Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff West in 1987. From 1988 to 1994, he was a Shadow Environment Spokesman. He was also Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Public Administration (1997-1999), and Opposition Front Bench Spokesman on Energy (1988-92) and Welsh Affairs (1992-1997). He stepped down from the British House of Commons at the 2001 General Election.
National Assembly for Wales
First Assembly (1999)
A committed supporter of Welsh devolution, Morgan contested the position of Labour's nominee for the (then titled) First Secretary of the Welsh Assembly. He lost to the then Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies. Davies was then forced to resign his position after an alleged sex scandal, whereupon Morgan again ran for the post. His opponent, Alun Michael, the new Secretary of State for Wales, was seen as a reluctant participant despite also having a long-standing commitment to Welsh devolution, and was widely regarded as being the choice of the UK leadership of the Labour Party.[2]
Michael was duly elected to the leadership but resigned a little more than a year later, amid threats of an imminent no-confidence vote and widespread plotting against him by members of not only his own party, but also Assembly groups and Cabinet members. Rhodri Morgan was elected as the new Labour nominee, and thus became First Minister on 16 October 2000, having held the same post under its old title of "First Secretary" since February of that year. He was appointed to the Privy Council in July 2000.[3] He stepped down from the British House of Commons at the 2001 General Election.
Morgan's leadership has been characterised by a willingness to distance himself from a number of aspects of UK Labour party policy, particularly in relation to plans to introduce choice and competition into public services, which he has argued do not fit Welsh attitudes and values, and would not work effectively in a smaller and more rural country. In a speech given in Swansea to the National Centre for Public Policy in November 2002, Morgan stated his opposition to foundation hospitals (a UK Labour proposal), and referred to the "clear red water" separating policies in Wales and in Westminster.[4]
Second Assembly (2003)
On 1 May 2003, Labour under Morgan's leadership was re-elected in the Assembly elections. Morgan managed to win enough seats to form a Labour-only administration (the election was held under proportional representation, and Labour won 30 of the 60 seats in the Assembly and the overall majority was achieved when Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM was elected Presiding Officer of the Assembly) and named his cabinet on 9 May. In that election, Labour easily took back all of the former strongholds they lost to Plaid Cymru at the height of Alun Michael's unpopularity in 1999.
In his second term, Morgan's administration continued its theme of "Welsh solutions for Welsh problems", a marked contrast to the Blairite public service reform agenda.[5] Instead of competition, Welsh Labour emphasised the need for collaboration between public service providers.[6]
Third Assembly (2007)
Labour is the biggest party with 26 out of the 60 seats, four short of an overall majority. After one month of minority government, Morgan signed a coalition agreement (One Wales) with Ieuan Wyn Jones, leader of Plaid Cymru, on 27 June 2007. Rhodri Morgan is the first modern political leader of Wales to lead a law-making government.
As head of the civil service in Wales, Morgan's administration has been faced with a number of legal issues including an employment tribunal when the service dismissed blogger Christopher Glamorganshire in the Autumn of 2007 [7] [8], and a civil court action from Mrs Christine Davies after an accusation of sexual harassment from a senior manager was ignored. Mrs Davies went on to confirm that "sexual harassment and bullying is widespread in the Welsh Assembly – and that women are intimidated by some male bosses on a daily basis". [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Offices held
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stefan Terlezki |
Member of Parliament for Cardiff West 1987–2001 |
Succeeded by Kevin Brennan |
| National Assembly for Wales | ||
| Preceded by (new post) |
Assembly Member for Cardiff West 1999 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by (new post) |
Minister for Economic Development and European Affairs 1999 – 2000 |
Succeeded by Michael German |
| Preceded by Alun Michael |
Leader of the National Assembly Labour Party 2000 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Alun Michael First Secretary of Wales |
First Minister for Wales (originally the office of First Secretary) 2000 – present |
Incumbent |
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References
- ^ Rhodri Morgan spends night in hospital | Politics | guardian.co.uk
- ^ BBC News | WALES | Q&A: The Alun Michael vote
- ^ BBC News | UK POLITICS | Morgan made privy councillor
- ^ BBC NEWS | Wales | New Labour 'attack' under fire
- ^ Across the clear red water, by Steve Davies
- ^ Welsh Assembly Government | Making the Connections
- ^ "Sacked blogger’s taking case to tribunal". Western Mail (July 09 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-18.
- ^ "Free speech, huge bills?". BBC Wales (September 18 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- ^ "Assembly boss 'serial sex pest'". Wales on Sunday (January 06 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
- ^ "Senior civil servant tells female she would make a good 'tarty waitress'". Daily Mail (January 08 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- ^ "Judgement day in sex assault case". Western Mail (January 09 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- ^ "'Sexual harassment rife at Assembly' - claim". Wales on Sunday (January 13 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- ^ "Fresh review after groping case". Western Mail (January 15 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- ^ "Change urged after 'groping' case". BBC Wales (April 29 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
External links
- www.rhodri-morgan.com 2007 Assembly campaign website
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