Meeting on Monday July 19 2021 on history of politics in Wales

[QuentinDeakin]

The society's July meeting continued the theme of the history of politics in Wales with members' contributions and discussion. The main speaker, Dr Deakin, began with a detailed talk entitled Politics in Wales - what does the present owe to the past? He concentrated on the life , work and influence on contemporary politics of three seminal figures: Keir Hardie, Megan Lloyd Jones and Saunders Lewis. John Lloyd Jones followed by reaching back to an earlier times in Welsh history to examine the political balance between England and Wales and its effect on Welsh culture and language, linking to modern times through the figure of Tom Ellis. Liz Deakin briefly introduced the story of the achievement of womens' suffrage in Wales. The speakers were thanked and a lively discussion followed, with the expression of diverse views. However, all agreed that only by a study of the past could we hope to understand the present.