John Smith (Welsh politician)

John William Patrick Smith

Member of Parliament for the Vale of Glamorgan
In office 2 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	Walter Sweeney
Succeeded by	Alun Cairns
In office 4 May 1989 – 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Raymond Gower
Succeeded by	Walter Sweeney
Personal details
Born	(1951-03-17) 17 March 1951 Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Kathleen Smith
Relations	John Smith (Welsh Boxer)
Children	Melanie Gill, Nathan Smith, Theo Smith.
Residence	Vale of Glamorgan
Occupation	Retired
Profession	Politician, activist, campaigner, lecturer, union representative.

John William Patrick Smith (born 7 March 1951) is a Welsh Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Vale of Glamorgan from 1989 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2010.

Early life

Born in Penarth, he attended Fairfield County Primary School in Penarth. Subsequent to him passing the 'Eleven Plus Exam' he attended Penarth County Grammar School (which became the comprehensive Stanwell School in 1973) on Archer Road. He served for a while in the Royal Air Force, then worked as a carpenter and joiner for Vale Borough Council from 1971-76. He became a mature student in 1976, studying at the Gwent College of Higher Education, then went to University College of Wales, Cardiff (now Cardiff University)here he gained a BSc in 1981. He was then a university tutor until 1985. From 1985-89, he was a senior lecturer in Business Studies. He became a campaign manager for Gwent Image Partnership, becoming chief executive from 1992 after he lost his seat.

Parliamentary career

Having contested Vale of Glamorgan in 1987, he was first elected for the seat in a 1989 by-election, lost it to the Conservatives in 1992 by a very narrow margin, and regained it in 1997. He was re-elected in 2001 and 2005, and served as a member of the Defence Select Committee. He spent much of his time dealing with concerns over the future of RAF St Athan.

On 22 May 2009, Smith announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election.^[1]

Mr. Smith was an MP that consistently stood up for what he believed in, and was as honest, clear and transparent in all of his actions. During the 'Expenses Scandal' Mr. Smith was found to have all expenses in order, and was found toi have used his expenses in a paltry manner.

Smith was a Member of the Defence Committee (14 Jul 2005 to 11 May 2010).

He was also Chairman of the Wales Anti-Apartheid Movement (WAAM)^[2]

It is no secret that Mr. Smith worked tirelessly on bringing prosperity to St. Athan, a town in his constituency of The Vale of Glamorgan.

Personal life

John came from a very working class family, born and raised on a council estate. He married Kathleen Mulvaney (now Kathleen Smith) in 1971 in Liverpool. They have two sons and a daughter, and are now Grandparents. From an early age, John was able to see suffering and injustice with his own eyes. This gave him the tools he needed to become a Socialist, and to develop the notion in which he believes that; Every child, regardless of social and ethnic background, should have equal and ample opportunity to be successful in life.

He is now enjoying his life in retirement, and has the fortunate ability to be able to look back on his prosperous life, in which he has helped so many, and has successfully guided his community to be one that is caring, tolerant and respectful.

References

↑ "MP to stand down at next election". BBC News Online. 22 May 2009.
↑ Hanef, Bhamjee (January 12, 2014). The Wales Anti-Apartheid Movement.

External links

News items

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Raymond Gower	Member of Parliament for Vale of Glamorgan 1989–1992	Succeeded by Walter Sweeney
Preceded by Walter Sweeney	Member of Parliament for Vale of Glamorgan 1997–2010	Succeeded by Alun Cairns

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.