Sunday, 3 September 2017

Continuing Gwynoro’s life story

As indicated from video 1 Gwynoro just sat in front of a camera end Dec 2014 without any preparation and spoke from memory. There are 14 hours of recordings that took place over 2 days. None of it has been cut but inevitably matters not always in chronological order

Video 22 - the aftermath of June 70 election and how the campaigning never ended


Outlines how the campaigning never ended after the June 1970 election; The bitterness between the two parties and the members; Refers to the letter writing in three of the local papers that went on continuously through till about 1972; Refers how little has been written about the 8 years and explains why 'Gwynfor never lost'! Although from an earlier period describes a public meeting in LLandovery in 1968 concerning the Central Wales Line. First time he met Gwynfor Evans; Considers should he have responded differently after winning the election rather than participate in the bitterness that was there week in week out; Concludes that the two set of party members etc would not have allowed such a prospect.



Video 23 - Parliamentary days, personalities and divisions

Starts with when he was made Roy Jenkins's PPS and how that influenced opinions about him within the Welsh Labour Party; Then returns to the divisions within the Welsh Labour Parliamentary group on the matter of an Elected Council for Wales; Talks of Michael Foot and realising how important Foot's opinion would be on the matter how he spent some time persuading him of the case for devolution; Mentions some parliamentary figures and their powers of oratory including Foot himself, Powell and others.



Turns to George Thomas - who also was an effective debater; Refers to George's personality traits - his relationship with some people ( Callaghan, Cledwyn Hughes and other); Then the half dozen Welsh speaking, pro devolution and language - the 'crypto-nationalists'!; George's column in The Liverpool Daily Post that did so much damage to the party in North Wales - where he vented his spleen on devolution, the language, the Eisteddfod and so much else; How 2 or three went to see Harold Wilson to alert him of the potential damage of his articles. George had the ear of Wilson known as his ENT (ears nose and throat); Finishes with the eventual loss of the Welsh speaking seats in Feb 1974.
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