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Welsh academia and politics




As I am off travelling to the Far East for a few days, I thought I would establish an open thread for the first time until I am back on the blogosphere.

As probably the only 'tory in the lecture-room', I have always been intrigued by the political allegiances of others within the university world in Wales (or even those from Wales working in other parts of the academic world). I am particularly interested in those who have actually stood for political office.

So, if you have any names, please put them forward.

As a good academic, I will moderate this blog entry and check for veracity and accuracy!

Let me start you off with one from each of the four parties:

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans - Conservative and University of Wales

Dr Hywel Francis MP - Labour and formerly chair in continuing education

Professor Phil Cooke, Plaid Cymru and Cardiff University

Dr Alan Butt Philip, Liberal Democrats and Reader in European Integration at Bath University

Over to you!

Comments

Anonymous said…
There is Patrick Minford at Cardiff Business School, although I am not too sure whether he is still, or ever was a member of the Conservative Party, despite being an arch Thatcherite
April 29, 2009 9:56 am
Anonymous said…
Dr. Dafydd Trystan - now again in academia though I forget his exact job title.
Didn't Felix Aubel do some teaching in history at Lampeter after (or during?) completing his PhD?

There are loads if you want to go far back. Hilary Marquand, Saunders Lewis, W.J. Gruffudd, Gareth Wardell...
April 29, 2009 10:34 am
Anonymous said…
anon 2 - Yes please if you can!
April 29, 2009 10:56 am
Anonymous said…
Damn, I'll be thinking about this all day now.
Some Plaid profs to throw into the mix: Hywel Teifi Edwards (Llanelli circa 1979?), Laura McAllister (stood for Bridgend or Ogmore? when very young), E.G. Millward (Montgomery, 1959?) and of course Phil Williams - Welsh politics's favourite astrophysicist.

Didn't Peter Stead once stand for the Labour Party?
April 29, 2009 11:17 am
Anonymous said…
Having checked, I was right, Peter Stead (now visiting prof at Glamorgan) stood for Labour against Raymond Gower in Barry, 1979. Wrong about Teddy Millward, though, it was 1970 he stood in Montgomery, and 1966 in Ceredigion. He was an academic at Aberystwyth. McAllister is now based at Liverpool and Edwards was, I think, prof of Welsh at Swansea.

Penri James will join the list soon - lecturer in agriculture / rural economics at Aberystwyth.
April 29, 2009 3:05 pm
Anonymous said…
Didn't an academic by the name of Alan Shore, now at bangor, contest Alyn and Desside in the eighties for Plaic Ymru?
April 29, 2009 3:18 pm
Anonymous said…
Hm, checked on this one. Beti Jones's reference work on Welsh Elections has an 'Alun Shore' in 1983; not sure whether this is the same as the professor at Bangor.

We've forgotten a really obvious one though - John Marek. Used to be a maths lecturer at Aberystwyth.
April 29, 2009 3:33 pm
Anonymous said…
Also Delme Bowen, serial candidate for Plaid in Pontypridd / Cardiff.
April 29, 2009 3:40 pm
Anonymous said…
Also Delme Bowen, serial candidate for Plaid in Pontypridd / Cardiff.
April 29, 2009 3:40 pm
Alwyn ap Huw said…
The most obvious academics in Welsh Politics are Prof Nick Bourne formerly Assistant Principal of Swansea Institute of Higher Education and Presiding Officer Dafydd Elis Thomas who was a lecturer in Coleg Harlech before becoming an MP in 1974.

Didn't Plaid's Eifion lloyd Jones teach media studies at bangor University at one time?
April 29, 2009 4:31 pm
Anonymous said…
Going back into the dim and distant, Prof Alfred Zimmern stood against Lloyd George for the Labour Party in the 20s.
Also J.E. Daniel for Plaid in the by-election following DLG's retirement.
April 29, 2009 4:36 pm
Alwyn ap Huw said…
Dr Emyr Price, who died a couple of weeks ago stood against Sir Wyn Roberts in Conwy in 1979. Despite being a supporter of the Labour party dr Price stood as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
April 29, 2009 5:43 pm
Anonymous said…
Not many tories but what about this bunch

Professor Kevin Morgan (Labour)

Professor Brian Morgan (tried to get a Labour assembly seat in 1998)

Professor Merfyn Jones - card carrying socialist (although he won''t admit it)

Professor Richard Davies of Swansea stood for Plaid in the 1970s

Gareth Wyn Jones (dicw's dad) - Plaid through and through

But what about Dicw himself?
April 29, 2009 9:13 pm
Anonymous said…
I suspect Dai Smith's political leanings are even less of a secret than those of Merfyn Jones. Similarly Deian Hopkin, now VC of one of the London universities - I forget which one.
Jones and Hopkin (along with Bangor's Duncan Tanner) were editors of the centenary volume on the Welsh Labour Party.
Mark Drakeford was an academic before his days of being a SpAd and standing with little success for the assembly and cardiff council.

Lord Morgan of Aberdyfi (historian and former Aberystwyth VC K.O. Morgan) is a working Labour peer.
April 29, 2009 10:33 pm
Anonymous said…
This list seems short on Lib Dems, so how about Russell Deacon (UWIC)
April 30, 2009 8:40 am
Anonymous said…
Russell Deacon of UWIC is a prominent Lib Dem.
April 30, 2009 11:24 pm
Peter Black said…
Dr Simon Wakefield of Cardiff University is a Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillor in Cardiff.

Russell Deacon has stood for the Welsh Liberal Democrats for Caerphilly Council.

Professor Paul Meara of Swansea University is a Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillor in Swansea.

Professor John France (now retired) taught history at Swansea and used to be a Labour Councillor and stood for Parliament for them.

Councillor Keith Marshall of Gwynedd Council is a Welsh Liberal Democrat and I think teaches at Bangor.
May 01, 2009 9:50 pm
Anonymous said…
Hywel Francis is a Prof and didnt carwyn lecture in law.
Not many women on here
May 02, 2009 7:25 am
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