Adam Price
Encyclopedia
Adam Price is a politician in Wales
, and former Plaid Cymru
Member of Parliament
for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
. He was elected to Parliament in the 2001 general election
and re-elected in 2005
but stood down at the 2010 election. He belongs to Plaid's left-wing and has said of himself "I was a socialist before I was a nationalist."
. He studied at Cardiff University
gaining a BA
in European Community Studies in 1991. From 1991-3, he was a research associate at the Cardiff University's department of City and Regional Planning. From 1993-8, he worked for Menter a Busnes, being an executive director from 1996-8. He also studied at Saarland University
in Saarbrücken
in Germany. From 1998, he was the Managing Director of the Newidiem-Economic Development Consultancy (part of Menter a Business). Price is openly
gay
.
He stood in 1992 general election for the seat of Gower
.
and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal
in the Mittal Affair
, also known as 'Garbagegate' or Cash for Influence. Mittal's LNM steel company, registered in the Dutch Antilles and maintaining less than 1% of its 100,000 plus workforce in the UK, sought Blair's aid in its bid to purchase Romania
's state steel industry. The letter from Blair to the Romanian government, a copy of which Price was able to obtain, hinted that the privatisation of the firm and sale to Mittal might help smooth the way for Romania's entry into the European Union
.
The letter had a passage in it removed just prior to Blair's signing of it, describing Mittal as "a friend."
Mittal, already a Labour contributor, donated £125,000 more to Labour party funds a week after the 2001 UK General Elections, while as many as six-thousand of Welsh steelworkers were laid off that same year, Price and others pointed out. Mittal's company, then the fourth largest in the world, was a "major global competitor of Britain's own struggling steel industry, Corus
, formerly known as British Steel
." Corus and Valkia Limited were two of the primary employers in South Wales, particularly in Ebbw Vale
, Llanwern
, and Port Talbot
.
, with the backing of all Plaid Cymru and SNP
MPs. Impeachment had not been used in the UK for one-hundred and fifty years. If successful, it could have seen Blair tried before the House of Lords
; however, as expected, the measure failed.
On 17 March 2005 Price was ejected from the Commons chamber after accusing the Prime Minister of having "misled" Parliament and then refusing to withdraw his comment, in violation of the rules of the House.
On 5 May 2005 he was re-elected MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
with an increased majority (17.5%).
On 31 October 2006, Adam Price opened a three hour debate on an inquiry into the Iraq War, the first such debate in over two years. The SNP and Plaid Cymru motion proposing a committee of seven senior MPs to review "the way in which the responsibilities of government were discharged in relation to Iraq", was defeated by 298 votes to 273, a Government majority of 25, but was supported by a significant number of opposition MPs, and twelve "rebel" Labour MPs, including Glenda Jackson
. This action led eventually to the establishment of the Chilcott Inquiry.
in April 2007, Price criticised UK government policy on drugs, indicating his support for their legalisation under medical supervision
news broadcasts
. Price threatened to withhold future television license fees in response to a lack of thorough news coverage of Wales, echoing a BBC Audience Council for Wales July report citing public frustration over how the Welsh Assembly is characterised in national media. Plaid AM Bethan Jenkins
agreed with Price and called for responsibility for broadcasting to be devolved to the Welsh Assembly, voicing similar calls from Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond
. Criticism of the BBC's news coverage for Wales and Scotland since devolution prompted debate of possibly providing evening news broadcasts with specific focus for both countries.
, and Hywel Williams
guilty of improperly advertising during the elections. Though the committee admitted the three did not break any clear rules of the UK House of Commons, the committee believed the timing of the adverts were planned to coincide with the Assembly elections.
Parliamentary funds are available for MPs to communicate with constituents regularly. However, the committee found that the three used this communication allowance improperly as part of Plaid's campaigning during the elections as the adverts were placed in publications with a circulation outside of their respective constituencies.
Of the committee findings, Plaid MP group leader Elfyn Llwyd said that they would comply with the findings of the committee, but that they had "...acted in good faith throughout, and fully in line with the advice that was offered to us by the DFA (Department of Finance and Administration) at the time of the publication of the reports". The three had to repay the money, about five thousand pounds each, and report the costs as part of Plaid's election spending.
. Examples of the subject matter of these columns include Welsh independence; the Barnett Formula
; nuclear energy; scrapping the Welsh Office
; education; Welsh media and US politics
in the 2011 elections
. In August 2010 Price's decision not to stand in the 2011 assembly elections was made public.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and former Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmathen East and Dinefwr is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was created in 1997 mostly from the former seat of Carmarthen...
. He was elected to Parliament in the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
and re-elected in 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
but stood down at the 2010 election. He belongs to Plaid's left-wing and has said of himself "I was a socialist before I was a nationalist."
Biography
The son of a coal miner, Price went to Ysgol Dyffryn Amanl on Margaret Street in Ammanford in CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. He studied at Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
gaining a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in European Community Studies in 1991. From 1991-3, he was a research associate at the Cardiff University's department of City and Regional Planning. From 1993-8, he worked for Menter a Busnes, being an executive director from 1996-8. He also studied at Saarland University
Saarland University
Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...
in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
in Germany. From 1998, he was the Managing Director of the Newidiem-Economic Development Consultancy (part of Menter a Business). Price is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.
He stood in 1992 general election for the seat of Gower
Gower (UK Parliament constituency)
Gower is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , using the first-past-the-post voting system....
.
The Mittal Affair: "Cash for Influence"
Controversy erupted in 2002 as Price exposed the link between UK prime minister Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal
Lakshmi Mittal
Lakshmi Narayan Mittal is an Indian steel magnate. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company....
in the Mittal Affair
Mittal Affair
The Mittal Affair began in 2002 when the Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament Adam Price exposed the link between UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. The events are also referred to as "Garbagegate" or "Cash for Influence"...
, also known as 'Garbagegate' or Cash for Influence. Mittal's LNM steel company, registered in the Dutch Antilles and maintaining less than 1% of its 100,000 plus workforce in the UK, sought Blair's aid in its bid to purchase Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
's state steel industry. The letter from Blair to the Romanian government, a copy of which Price was able to obtain, hinted that the privatisation of the firm and sale to Mittal might help smooth the way for Romania's entry into the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The letter had a passage in it removed just prior to Blair's signing of it, describing Mittal as "a friend."
Mittal, already a Labour contributor, donated £125,000 more to Labour party funds a week after the 2001 UK General Elections, while as many as six-thousand of Welsh steelworkers were laid off that same year, Price and others pointed out. Mittal's company, then the fourth largest in the world, was a "major global competitor of Britain's own struggling steel industry, Corus
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
, formerly known as British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
." Corus and Valkia Limited were two of the primary employers in South Wales, particularly in Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
, Llanwern
Llanwern
Llanwern is an electoral ward and community in the urban-rural fringe of the City of Newport, South Wales. Llanwern ward is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Liswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city boundary to the east...
, and Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
.
Opposition to Iraqi conflict
On 25 August 2004, Price announced his intention to begin a process of impeachment against Tony BlairImpeach Blair campaign
On 26 August 2004, a cross-party group of British MPs announced their campaign to impeach the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time, Tony Blair for high crimes and misdemeanours.A campaign to impeach the US President, George W...
, with the backing of all Plaid Cymru and SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
MPs. Impeachment had not been used in the UK for one-hundred and fifty years. If successful, it could have seen Blair tried before the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
; however, as expected, the measure failed.
On 17 March 2005 Price was ejected from the Commons chamber after accusing the Prime Minister of having "misled" Parliament and then refusing to withdraw his comment, in violation of the rules of the House.
On 5 May 2005 he was re-elected MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmathen East and Dinefwr is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was created in 1997 mostly from the former seat of Carmarthen...
with an increased majority (17.5%).
On 31 October 2006, Adam Price opened a three hour debate on an inquiry into the Iraq War, the first such debate in over two years. The SNP and Plaid Cymru motion proposing a committee of seven senior MPs to review "the way in which the responsibilities of government were discharged in relation to Iraq", was defeated by 298 votes to 273, a Government majority of 25, but was supported by a significant number of opposition MPs, and twelve "rebel" Labour MPs, including Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
. This action led eventually to the establishment of the Chilcott Inquiry.
Stance on drugs
Writing in the Welsh language current affairs magazine BarnBarn (Welsh magazine)
Barn is a monthly Welsh language current affairs magazine. It was established in 1962 and over 500 issues have been published. Its first editor was Emlyn Evans and it was published by Llyfrau'r Dryw, Llandybie...
in April 2007, Price criticised UK government policy on drugs, indicating his support for their legalisation under medical supervision
Broadcast news controversy
In August 2007 MP Adam Price highlighted what he perceived as a lack of a Welsh focus on BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
news broadcasts
News broadcasting
News broadcasting is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network...
. Price threatened to withhold future television license fees in response to a lack of thorough news coverage of Wales, echoing a BBC Audience Council for Wales July report citing public frustration over how the Welsh Assembly is characterised in national media. Plaid AM Bethan Jenkins
Bethan Jenkins
Bethan Jenkins AM , is a Welsh politician, born in Aberdare, Wales, who has represented the South Wales West Region for Plaid Cymru as a Member of the National Assembly for Wales since 2007.-Background:...
agreed with Price and called for responsibility for broadcasting to be devolved to the Welsh Assembly, voicing similar calls from Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
. Criticism of the BBC's news coverage for Wales and Scotland since devolution prompted debate of possibly providing evening news broadcasts with specific focus for both countries.
2007 Assembly elections spending
Following the 2007 Welsh Assembly elections, a UK parliamentary standards and privileges committee found Plaid MPs Price, Elfyn LlwydElfyn Llwyd
Elfyn Llwyd, PC is a Welsh barrister and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, representing Meirionnydd Nant Conwy in the House of Commons from 1992 to 2010 and Dwyfor Meirionnydd since 2010...
, and Hywel Williams
Hywel Williams
Hywel Williams is a Welsh politician and Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Arfon. He previously represented Caernarfon.-Biography:He was educated at Ysgol Glan y Môr, Pwllheli and the University of Wales, Cardiff....
guilty of improperly advertising during the elections. Though the committee admitted the three did not break any clear rules of the UK House of Commons, the committee believed the timing of the adverts were planned to coincide with the Assembly elections.
Parliamentary funds are available for MPs to communicate with constituents regularly. However, the committee found that the three used this communication allowance improperly as part of Plaid's campaigning during the elections as the adverts were placed in publications with a circulation outside of their respective constituencies.
Of the committee findings, Plaid MP group leader Elfyn Llwyd said that they would comply with the findings of the committee, but that they had "...acted in good faith throughout, and fully in line with the advice that was offered to us by the DFA (Department of Finance and Administration) at the time of the publication of the reports". The three had to repay the money, about five thousand pounds each, and report the costs as part of Plaid's election spending.
Golwg
In August 2007 Adam Price began a regular column in the weekly Welsh language current affairs magazine GolwgGolwg
Golwg is a Welsh-language magazine established in 1988. It covers current events and features and claims a circulation of 12,000 a month, the largest circulation of any magazine in Wales....
. Examples of the subject matter of these columns include Welsh independence; the Barnett Formula
Barnett formula
The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by The Treasury in the United Kingdom to adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales automatically to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England, England and Wales or Great...
; nuclear energy; scrapping the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
; education; Welsh media and US politics
Opposition to Afghan conflict
Adam Price has been a long standing opponent to the war and put forward an Early Day Motion calling for a timetable for withdrawal. Price has been critical of the strategy and objectives of the war.Future plans
On 18 September 2009, Price announced that he will stand down from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. He plans to spend a year in the United States on a Fulbright scholarship, and then stand for the Welsh AssemblyNational Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
in the 2011 elections
National Assembly for Wales election, 2011
The National Assembly for Wales election 2011 was the most recent election for the National Assembly. The poll was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 and decided the incumbency for all the assembly's seats...
. In August 2010 Price's decision not to stand in the 2011 assembly elections was made public.
Awards
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Voted Best Welsh MP Blogger by Total Politics Magazine |
| 2009 | Voted the only Welsh MP to retain public support in the Western Mail's online poll of MPs expenses |
| 2008 | British Computer Society Best MPs Website Nominee |
| 2007 | BBC AM.PM Communicator of the Year Winner |
| 2007 | British Computer Society Best MPs Website Winner |
| 2006 | ITV Wales MP of the Year |
| 2006 | Voted Western Mail's 'Greatest Living Welsh Politician' |
| 2006 | BBC AM.PM. Politician of the Year Nominee |
| 2005 | HTV Campaigning Politician of the Year |
| 2004 | BBC AM.PM Communicator of the Year |
| 2004 | BBC AM.PM Politician of the Year |
| 2004 | Channel 4 Campaigning Politician of the Year Nominee |
| 2002 | Spectator Magazine Parliamentary Inquisitor of the Year |
External links
- Official Website
- ePolitix.com - Adam Price
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Adam Price MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Adam Price MP
- The Public Whip - Adam Price MP
- Now for the politics of last resort - impeach Tony Blair (Guardian, 26 August 2004)
- Impeach Blair.org
- Biography
- BBC Politics page
- Urging to make Liverpool capital of the UK in January 2003