There’s one place in the Library where there are many secrets - conspiracies, briefings and scandals – our political collections. But they contain much more than that; stories of people fighting for significant change, for fairness and for justice. These stories show that politics can bring out the best in society, and that those who seek compromise quietly can have just as profound an impact as those who speak with fiery rhetoric.
It was therefore a pleasure to present items from our collections showing the contrast between two of the giants of the Labour Party in Wales to the former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, during his visit to the Library to film Cyfrinachau’r Llyfrgell (Secrets of the Library), namely Aneurin Bevan and Jim Griffiths.
Jim Griffiths is a bit of a hero for Mark Drakeford, so Griffiths' first election address in 1936 and his first speech as Member of Parliament for Llanelly were of great interest to him but even more interesting was a letter from Goronwy Roberts, Labour Member of Parliament for Caernarfon setting out Griffiths' achievements on his retirement as the first Secretary of State for Wales - a position he had campaigned to establish;
"When you became the charter Secretary of State for Wales, your place in history was already assured as a social reformer and a colonial emancipator. Now the annals of Wales will record that it was you who won for our country its constitutional recognition as a nation."
We looked at government publications explaining the new welfare state, papers from Griffiths's role as Secretary of State for the Colonies and his quiet campaigning on the status of the Welsh Language. In all cases Griffiths' measured and calm style and his talent for compromise came to the fore. Griffiths' style was very different to the other contemporary giant of Welsh politics; Aneurin Bevan.
His talents were extremely useful in keeping the peace within the Labour Party as Deputy Leader during the turbulent 1950s. We were able to follow the history of Bevan's disciplinary case in 1955, including newspaper reports that Griffths had kept and his notes from the disciplinary committee to be reported back to the National Executive Committee. Despite acknowledging Bevan's crimes, and the ill will towards him, Griffiths was still conciliatory, recommending against expelling Bevan from the party.
Despite their differences, it was clear that the two men understood and respected each other. Griffiths' notes for a tribute to Bevan in Parliament were impressive. It was a sign of respect for both Bevan and Griffiths that Griffiths was allowed to contribute a speech to a debate which would otherwise have comprised only speeches from the leaders of the main parties.
Showing and discussing the stories in our political archives is always a pleasure, but it is even more special when there is a connection of some kind there - be it a family connection or a professional one. It was clear that the experience of seeing some of Jim Griffiths’ personal items was one which touched Mark Drakeford and gave him a new connection to one of the giants of the Labour Party in Wales. It shows the power of our archives to connect people across generations.
You can watch Cyfrinachau’r Llyfrgell with Mark Drakeford MS on S4C Clic or BBC iPlayer.
Rob Phillips
Archivist - The Welsh Political Archive
Category: Article