Ieuan Wyn Jones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ieuan Wyn Jones (born 22 May 1949) is leader of Plaid Cymru and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly for Wales . He was Member of Parliament for Ynys Môn, but stood down at the 2001 election in order to spend more time in the Assembly. He was previously president of the party, from 2000, after Dafydd Wigley stood down due to health problems. He resigned as both party president and leader of the assembly group in 2003. However he then stood again for the position of assembly leader and won. In February 2006 Plaid undertook changes to its party structure, one of which involved designating the leader of the party in the Assembly as its overall leader, with Wyn Jones taking the post once more.
Ieuan Wyn Jones has returned to prominence since his return to the leadership in 2006 and will be walking around Wales in the Summer of 2006.
[edit] Experience
As an elected politician for 19 years, Ieuan Wyn Jones has held a number of positions both in the party and as an MP and AM. He was party Chairman between 1980 - 1982 and 1990-1992. He was also the campaign director during Plaid's very successful first elections to the Assembly in 1999.
As an MP he piloted a private members bill to assist the hard of hearing in 1989, and was a member of the Welsh Affairs and Agriculture Select Committees. He was the joint chair of All Party Older Persons Group, and appointed a trustee of the Industry and Parliament Trust, a body promoting better understanding between parliamentarians and industrialists. He won an award as Politician of the Year by the Federation of Small Businesses.
Wyn Jones has also been a governor of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, a body that assists in the development of democratic institutions in many parts of the world.
In 1999, he became the first Chairman of the Assembly’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. He became a Member of the Eisteddfod’s Gorsedd in 2001 and last year he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Wales Bangor.
He has published two books, 'Europe: the Challenge for Wales' in 1996 and in 1998 'Y Llinyn Arian', a biography of the Welsh nineteenth century publisher, Thomas Gee.
He was a practising solicitor before his election to Parliament in 1987. He has a keen interest in all aspects of politics but is particularly concerned about Health and Education. He also lists local history, sport and walking amongst his hobbies.
[edit] Political alignment
Wyn Jones is generally seen as a pragmatist - steering a middle course between his party's (predominantly South Walian) socialists and the language-inspired activists of the party's Ynys Môn and Gwynedd heartland.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Dafydd Wigley |
President of Plaid Cymru 2000–2003 |
Succeeded by: Dafydd Iwan |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by: Keith Best |
Member of Parliament for Ynys Môn 1987–2001 |
Succeeded by: Albert Owen |
