Rhodri Morgan
From Freepedia
The Right Honourable Hywel Rhodri Morgan (born September 29, 1939) is a Welsh politician and the second and current First Minister of the Welsh Assembly. He was born in Cardiff and educated at St John's College, Oxford and Harvard University. He was a Labour member of Glamorgan County Council from 1974 to 1980 and was elected as Labour MP for Cardiff West in 1987. From 1988 to 1994, he was a Shadow Environment Spokesman. He became First Minister on October 16, 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.
Controversy surrounded Morgan's rise to his present position. Originally one of only two sitting Welsh Labour MPs who chose to enter the Assembly, he vied with the sitting Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies, for the post of Labour leader. When Davies was forced to pull out of the running, Morgan was favoured to take over. However, Downing Street preferred a less radical MP, Alun Michael, who had taken over from Davies as Welsh Secretary but had until then shown little interest in the Assembly. Michael was duly elected to the leadership. When Michael resigned because of a vote of no confidence instigated by Labour insiders, Morgan finally took up the post. He stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2001 General Election.
Along with many of the Labour party, Morgan retained more old Labour (as opposed to New Labour) ideals and policies than did the party outside Wales. In a speech given in Swansea to the National Centre for Public Policy in November 2002, Morgan stated his opposition to foundation hospitals, a New Labour proposal, and referred to the "clear red water" separating policies in Wales and in Westminster.
On May 1, 2003, Labour under Morgan's leadership was re-elected in the Assembly elections. Morgan managed to scrape an overall majority (due to the fact that 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 May 9. Labour gained back their traditional strongholds like the Rhondda after dubious campaigning strategies.
In July 2005, Morgan announced plans to resign as Leader of the Welsh Labour Party in 2009. This date is half-way through the term of the Assembly.
Rhodri Morgan's wife, Julie Morgan, is also a Cardiff MP. His pastimes include reading and leisurely driving around the Cardiff Bay area, meeting his constituents.
| Preceded by: Alun Michael First Secretary of Wales | First Minister of Wales Orig. First Secretary 2000– | Succeeded by: Current Incumbent |
The Right Honourable Hywel Rhodri Morgan (born September 29, 1939) is a Welsh politician and the second and current First Minister of the Welsh Assembly. He was born in Cardiff and educated at St John's College, Oxford and Harvard University. He was a Labour member of Glamorgan County Council from 1974 to 1980 and was elected as Labour MP for Cardiff West in 1987. From 1988 to 1994, he was a Shadow Environment Spokesman. He became First Minister on October 16, 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.
Along with many of the Labour party, Morgan retained more old Labour (as opposed to New Labour) ideals and policies than did the party outside Wales. In a speech given in Swansea to the National Centre for Public Policy in November 2002, Morgan stated his opposition to foundation hospitals, a New Labour proposal, and referred to the "clear red water" separating policies in Wales and in Westminster.
On May 1, 2003, Labour under Morgan's leadership was re-elected in the Assembly elections. Morgan managed to scrape an overall majority (due to the fact that 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 May 9. Labour gained back their traditional strongholds like the Rhondda.
In July 2005, Morgan announced plans to resign as Leader of the Welsh Labour Party in 2009. This date is half-way through the term of the Assembly.
Rhodri Morgan's wife, Julie Morgan, is also a Cardiff MP. His pastimes include reading and leisurely driving around the Cardiff Bay area, meeting his constituents.
