Glyn Davies (Welsh politician)

Infobox Politician
name=Glyn Davies

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imagesize=150px
birth_date =birth date and age|df=yes|1944|02|16
birth_place = Welshpool, Wales
office =Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
constituency= Montgomeryshire
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successor =
office2 = Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales
term_start2= 1999
term_end2 = 2007
predecessor2 = (new constituency)
successor2 =Alun Davies
office3 =
term_start3 =
term_end3 =
primeminister3 =
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party = Conservative Party

Glyn Davies (born 16 February 1944) is the Welsh Conservative Party candidate for Montgomeryshire and the former member of the National Assembly for Wales in the Mid and West Wales region. The region covers the areas of Powys, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Camarthenshire and Gwynedd.

Background

Educated at Castle Ceareinion Primary School and Llanfair Caereinion High School. At the age of 50, he attended Aberystwyth University where he broadened his knowledge of Politics - he gained a Diploma in International Law and Politics. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13118.stm Glyn Davies| accessdate=1999-09-01]

He spent his early working life running the family farm near Castle Caereinion, Welshpool on which he was born and in which still has a business interest. He now lives at Cil Farm, Berriew. Glyn takes an active interest in a wide range of sports, gardening, and other countryside activities. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13118.stm Glyn Davies| accessdate=1999-09-01]

In 2002, Davies underwent major surgery for Colon Cancer. He went on to make a full recovery and in 2006 competed in a Rugby game alongside Jonah Lomu to promote the message that is possible to make a full recovery following a serious illness and to raise money for charity. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4669740.stm BBC News story "AM's message of life after cancer"] ]

Professional career

Farmer. Former Chairman of the Development Board for Rural Wales and also served as a Member of the Welsh Development Agency and Wales Tourist Boards. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13118.stm Glyn Davies| accessdate=1999-09-01]

Political career

Davies' career in politics began in 1980 when he found his local District Council. He was Chairman of Montgomeryshire District Council from 1985–89, having previously served as Chair of the Planning Committee and Chair of the Finance Committee. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13118.stm Glyn Davies| accessdate=1999-09-01]

Member of the National Assembly for Wales for the Welsh Conservative Party in the Mid and West Wales region from 1999 to 2007. Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee in the First Assembly; and the Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee in the Second Assembly.

Following the loss of his place in the National Assembly for Wales due to Conservative success elswhere in the region, Davies is seeking to challenge Lembit Opik, the Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire, at the next UK General election and was adopted as the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6641889.stm/ Glyn Davies hints at Montgomeryshire, Lembit Opik challenge, 10 May 2007"] ]

Blogging

Davies' blog, 'A View from Rural Wales' is generally regarded as one of Wales' most popular political blogs. The UK blogger Iain Dale is quoted as saying, "By common consensus the best politician blogger in Wales and he's a real character". [citeweb|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics-news/tm_headline=the-blogger-s-world-is-huge&method=full&objectid=19138628&siteid=50082-name_page.html|title=The blogger's world is huge|publisher=Wales on Sunday|date=20 May 2007|accessdate=2008-07-21] Davies kept up blogging after losing his seat in the National Assembly and is seen as fairly non-partisan for a Tory and often very funny. At times in 2007 he was almost single-handedly fighting for a 'rainbow coalition' through his blog.

Davies recently defended the sacked former blogger Christopher Glamorganshire, and is quoted as saying “The Christopher Glamorganshire blog was on my list of ‘my favourites’. It seemed to me to be written in a sensible and rational manner. Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case. But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed. This all smacks of the heavy hand of the state.” [citeweb|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics-news/2008/07/09/sacked-blogger-s-taking-case-to-tribunal-91466-21308104/|title=Sacked blogger’s taking case to tribunal|publisher=Western Mail|date=09 July 2008|accessdate=2008-07-21]

His blog was voted the second most popular Welsh political blog in Iain Dale's Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2008-09 [citeweb|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/08/top-40-welsh-blogs.html|title=Top 40 Welsh blogs|publisher=Iain Dale's Diary|date=26 August 2008|accessdate=2008-10-06] , a positioned he has maintained from the previous year. [citeweb|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/09/guide-to-blogging-2007-top-twenty-welsh.html|title=Top 20 Welsh blogs|publisher=Iain Dale's Diary|date=18 September 2008|accessdate=2008-10-06]

References

External links

* [http://www.glyndavies.net/ Glyn Davies Website]
* [http://glyndaviesam.blogspot.com/ Glyn Davies View from Rural Wales blog]
* [http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=wales.index.page Welsh Conservatives Website]

Offices held