Current political polling for Cymru in both Westminster and the Senedd suggests big changes are coming and that the Labour Party is struggling. Whilst I am not going to make any comments on that, I will write a little bit about the last time a Welsh “political institution” collapsed in Cymru.
The Old Liberal Party Was Once A Welsh Institution
Did you know that, prior to the dominance of Welsh Labour in Cymru, the dominant political force was the Liberal Party?
This map comes from the 1906 General Election, in which the Liberals won 397 seats (across Britain) in a landslide victory.
Between the 1860s and 1922, the party was the predominant rival of the traditionally dominant Conservatives throughout Great Britain. Within Cymru during this time period, it was without rival – an unstoppable electoral force.
Ironically, the rise of the Labour Party in the 1910s and 1920s would coincide with the gradual decline of the Liberal Party under the leadership of Welshman David Lloyd-George.
At the 1922 General Election, Labour won half of all Welsh seats, signalling the end of the Liberal and Lloyd-George era.
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Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.