Rhodri Glyn Thomas

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Rhodri Glyn Thomas
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
In office
6 May 1999 – 4 April 2016
Preceded byNew Assembly
Succeeded byAdam Price
Majority8,469 (28.9%)
Personal details
Born (1953-04-11) 11 April 1953 (age 71)
Wrexham, Wales
Political partyPlaid Cymru
Alma materUniversity of Wales, Lampeter, Bangor University, Aberystwyth University

Rhodri Glyn Thomas (born 11 April 1953) is a

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr from 1999 to 2016, when he did not re-stand for election. Following his retirement from the Assembly he was appointed President of the National Library of Wales
.

Education

Thomas was born in

Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg
) role in the struggle to revive the Welsh Language in the 20th century.

Professional career

Thomas is a Minister of Religion, the director of a language consultancy, a former Chair of

CND
Cymru and Welsh spokesperson for the Forum of Private Business.

Political career

In 1992, Thomas fought the old

National Assembly Elections, winning by 6,980 votes. He was reelected in 2007 with an increased majority of over 8,000 making it the Assembly's second safest seat. Plaid Cymru entered into a coalition government with Welsh Labour in July 2007, and Rhodri Glyn Thomas was appointed as Minister for Heritage (19 July 2007), which he resigned from in July 2008[2] after walking into a Cardiff pub with a lit cigar, thus breaking the law.[3]

In November 2008, having travelled to the Gaza Strip alongside other European politicians, Thomas called for the international community to talk to the Palestinian group Hamas. "I can see no chance of peace in the Middle East until a dialogue is opened with Hamas," he said. "Since the election, Israel has imprisoned around 30 Hamas MPs. Whatever you think about their stance, the fact is they were democratically elected in an election which had a very high turnout and whose results were validated by international observers. The Israeli position is that Hamas are terrorists, but it isn’t that long ago that Nelson Mandela was described as a terrorist by Margaret Thatcher."[4]

In December 2016 Thomas announced that he would stand as a candidate for election to Carmarthenshire County Council, contesting the St Clears ward.[5] However, he was heavily defeated at the election by the sitting Independent councillor.

Wales Book of the Year error

At the Academi 2008 Wales Book of the Year ceremony, Thomas incorrectly announced that Tom Bullough was the winner. The prize was, in fact, awarded to Dannie Abse, Thomas having read the card wrongly.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Alumni at the Senedd". Aberystwyth University. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  2. ^ Shipton, Martin (18 July 2008). "Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas quits". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Cigar blunder minister quits job". bbc.co.uk. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  4. ^ Shipton, Martin (17 November 2008). "Plaid Cymru AM calls for talks with Hamas". Wales Online. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Rhodri Glyn Thomas in council political comeback bid". BBC News. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Wrong winner book event defended". BBC News. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2020.

External links

Offices held

Senedd
Preceded by
(new post)
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
1999–2016
 Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
(new post)
Minister for Heritage

2007-2008
11 July 2007 to 18 July 2008
 Succeeded by
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