Forty years of Welsh Liberalism celebrated

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 7th Sep 2006

On September 10th, Welsh Liberal Democrats celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Welsh Liberal Party.

The largely autonomous Welsh party was created out of the federations which existed in North and South Wales and whose inability to work together had led the party to the brink of extinction in Wales by the mid 1960s. Today the Welsh Liberal Democrat party retains that autonomy from the federal party in London with a Welsh leadership, Welsh candidates and Welsh policy-making procedures.

Lord Thomas of Gresford, one of the founding fathers of the party in 1966 said: "Whilst there have been Liberals in Wales for over a hundred years, 1966 marked the birth of Welsh Liberal Party, uniting Liberals in the North and the South. In many ways it was a turning point for the rebirth of Liberalism in Wales.

"Today, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are the Welsh party with the record of delivery and action in government. We are the party of ideas in Welsh politics and the party which has campaigned for over a hundred years for Wales to have greater freedom.

"I am proud that the party I helped found in 1966 is still achieving great things for Wales today. I know that lots of people from the Welsh party will be celebrating at the federal conference in Brighton and of course there will be a chance to raise a glass at the Welsh party conference in Aberystwyth in October."

Wales' leading Liberal historian Dr. Russell Deacon added: "This anniversary also shows how far the party has come. In 1966 the party had one MP, a handful of councillors, couldn't contest the majority of seats and there were very few active local parties across Wales.

"Today there are four MPs - the second Welsh party to Labour in Parliament; six Assembly Members, six Lords, leaders in four county councils and vibrant local parties across Wales.

"The fact that the federal structure envisaged by the creation of the Welsh Liberal Party in 1966, endures today in the Liberal Democrats is a testament to the forward thinking of people like Martin Thomas and Emlyn Hooson. Their vision and action helped save Liberalism four decades ago, and set the scene for it to flourish in modern Wales."