Roy Jenkins – A Very Social Democrat
A few days ago I was alerted
to post on Facebook by one of my long lost - but now found again! friends - Mark
Soady. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDRNRflQ0QQ -
His dedication, support and friendship in the
1980's is something I have never forgotten. Mark’s contribution to the SDP and the
Alliance both in Wales and further afield was immense. He was a loyal assistant
and colleague for years but then when my long standing friend and political
ally the late Roy Jenkins won the Glasgow Hillhead by-election he was taken away from
me and also Wales!
From 1992 until some months ago politics
played no part at all in my life – completely different to the 25 years
previous! The consequence was that I lost contact with a wide range of
friends, political allies and even adversaries. It has always been one of my failings
– keeping in touch with people and some others would add ‘listening’ has been
another failing!
For a few years family and acquaintances were
trying to persuade me to join the social media world but I was not keen at all
to do this. Anyway during a visit to Chennai end of last year where my youngest
son works he took matters into his own hands and set me up on Twitter, created a
Facebook account and the YouTube channel as well as the Blog site. Although I
was pleased I continued not do very much at all with any of it. But by the time
of the General Election in May something kicked in and all of a sudden I got
interested, overcame my apprehensions and ‘went for it’. Indeed I managed to
connect myself with Linkedin as well.
What I then happened slowly but surely over
the last four months not only was I re-connecting with dozens of old friends
and acquaintances but also how good it is to make new ones.
But as with everything else in life there was
also a downside. When in the process of contacting several people from the
SDP/Liberal Alliance days of the 80’s I discovered that one of my closest
colleagues from those years had passed away. He was Ieuan Evans from Bangor a
trusted friend who not only was a close ally but acted as my agent when I stood
for the Presidency of the Liberal Democrats. Like Mark and several others I
could mention such as Jan Dickens, Peter Sain Ley Berry and Clive Lindley he also
made a notable contribution to Welsh politics in those years. But as so often is
the case people like him never make the headlines and their tireless work and
influence very often go unrecorded.
It is only now I am realising how much I have
missed it all for over 20 years. So
there is no time to waste! I am free to renew my political passions which mainly
revolve around a fairer society, voting reform, a federal UK, our future in Europe
and the governance of Wales.
There is another reason I am so grateful to
Mark for his link because on the YouTube timeline among a number of other historical
political videos was one on ‘Roy Jenkins – A Very Social Democrat’. Prior to
writing this blog I listened to it for the first time, indeed I never knew the
recording existed. It is an account of Roy’s life and a very accurate one,
where he is very honest about himself.
Much
of the story I knew about because from 1972 until 1992 we were very close
friends indeed and I had been one of his Parliamentary supporters and for a
period his PPS. The references to his upbringing, what happened when his father
Arthur Jenkins the MP for Pontypool was jailed during the general strike of
1926, his meticulousness, shyness and his difficulties in mixing with people
are all true. Also his attention to detail was at times frustrating especially when
it came to time-keeping – a minute if not seconds mattered to Roy! What
surprised me was that he was also quite relaxed about his relationships in high
society and with some internationally known ladies being aired.
I am not going to write much more other than
that he should have been Prime Minister is in no doubt. The power of his
intellect, the strength of his character and political convictions – particularly
over Europe, his introduction of a more liberal and open society which made him
unpopular with many in the 1960's as well as being a reformer attracted me to
him from my early days in Parliament. The
programme also shows how much of a fighter he was, never afraid to enter the ‘lions’
den’. I suppose that was his father coming out in him – the airs and graces
came from his mother!
He was also engaging company and often witty
and we enjoyed many pleasant social times together. The country home near Oxford
I went to some two or three times and I well recall a Boxing Day visit towards
the end of the 70's. Mind I paid a heavy price for my loyalty to him because the
70's was a time when the left of the Labour Party and the unions were in the
ascendancy particularly in Wales.