The Lloyd George Society is a loose combination of like minds that meets in Wales for a weekend school on topical subjects, historical issues (particularly those relating to David Lloyd George) or interesting questions affecting Welsh life and culture, all from a liberal perspective. The Society usually meets once a year in February, avoiding the dates of rugby football internationals.
The schools have been taking place for over 50 years. Originally designed for Welsh Liberal parliamentary candidates to debate policy and topical questions, to help them prepare for the election trail, the schools have developed away from this specific purpose and now provide an informal forum for participants to hear interesting talks, take part in discussions and meet friends, old and new.
The schools have always tried to attract speakers expert in their field to provide plenty of food for thought and a leavening of controversy but the schools are best enjoyed for their good fellowship with many members who have attended regularly for decades.
Despite the origins of the Society, we are not formally affiliated to the Liberal Democrats. We welcome supporters and speakers at the weekend school who belong to other political parties or anyone who has an interest in Wales, history or current affairs. Obviously however, our liberal history strongly informs the range of topics on the school's agenda. In addition our Vice Presidents are Liberal Democrat parliamentarians.
Society members attending our last weekend school were saddened to learn of the death of one of our most stalwart supporters and friends, Gwilym Rhys Edwards. Here is the tribute to Gwilym delivered at the school by Winston Roddick, now the chairman of the Society.
"Gwilym Rhys Edwards had been a life long member of the Liberal Party and its successor the Liberal Democrat Party. He had been living in Caernarfon since the fifties and was a member of the Party through his local association. He was a regular visitor to the Liberal Weekend schools and its successor the Lloyd George Society weekends.
A new obituary of Jennifer Longford has appeared in The Telegraph, edition of 9 April 2012. With the Society's consent it quotes from the talk Jennifer gave to the weekend school in 2001 and contains other material which may be new to some readers. The obituary also recognises Jennifer Longford's role as a Vice-President of the Society.
Following the sad news of the recent deaths of two of the Society's stalwart Vice-Presidents, Emlyn Hooson and Jennifer Longford, we are delighted to be able to announce that Kirsty Williams AM, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has agreed to become a Vice-President of the Society.
Kirsty Williams has represented Brecon and Radnorshire in the National Assembly for Wales since 1999 and has been leader of the Welsh party since 2008.
As hoped, we are now able to make available a full obituary of Jennifer Longford, a much missed Vice-President of the Society and link in the chain to David Lloyd George.
The tribute has been written by Jennifer Longford's daughter Ruth, who in 1996 published a biography of her grandmother, Frances Stevenson entitled "Frances, Countess Lloyd-George: More than a Mistress" (Gracewing, Fowler Wright Books). The introduction is written by Society member and friend of the Longford family, Denis Loretto.
The sad death of Jennifer Longford, the daughter of Frances Stevenson, Countess Lloyd George, has prompted memories of Jennifer's visits to previous weekend schools and brought back to mind the talk she gave in 2001 entitled "Memories of David Lloyd George." The talk covered the last 15 years of LG's life but, in Jennifer Longford's words, this period of Lloyd George's life "was not a twilight." The text contains some interesting insights into the world of Lloyd George and Frances Stevenson by someone as close to them at that time as any living person was. It also contains personal reminiscences and certainly bears re-reading as a testament to three remarkable people, David Lloyd George, Frances Stevenson and Jennifer Longford.
Jennifer Longford, the daughter of Frances Stevenson, Countess Lloyd George, a Vice-President of the Society and former speaker and student at past weekend schools, has died peacefully at Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford at the age of 82.
Jennifer Longford was a good friend of the Lloyd George Society and a delightful companion and anecdotist at weekend schools. Her friends had been disappointed to learn she was unable to attend weekend schools in recent years due to declining health. She represented a link in the chain which binds the present to the memory of David Lloyd George. She will be sadly missed.
There follows the text of the obituary of Emlyn Hooson which appeared in Liberal Democrat News on 9 March 2012 written by Martin Thomas, Lord Thomas of Gresford, a close former colleague of Lord Hooson in the law and politics and the recently elected new Chairman of the Lloyd George Society.
"Emlyn Hooson was one of a talented family who farmed in the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales. He was always prone to say that he was at heart a farmer. But the law was his vocation. He set up on his own the Chambers in Chester which Alex Carlile and I later joined.
Tributes to the life and work of Emlyn Hooson continue to pour in from all quarters. Lord Hooson was a founder member of the Welsh Liberal weekend schools, the predecessor organisation to the Lloyd George Society and was of course the founding father of the separate Welsh Liberal Party itself.
Roger Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, who participated in the Society's school just last weekend, said: "
Following a successful school in Llandrindod Wells last weekend, Society members are devasted to learn of the death of Emlyn Hooson, a founder member of the Welsh Liberal weekend schools and MP for Montgomeryshire from 1962-1979. Among tributes to Lord Hooson was one from the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams AM, who called Lord Hooson "a steadfast Liberal" and current Conservative Montgomeryshire MP, Glyn Davies who told the BBC that Wales "had lost one of its greatest citizens". His colleague in the Lords, Roger Roberts of Llandudno, said he was "possibly the most outstanding Liberal of his generation".
The acclaimed play about David Lloyd George, The Wizard, the Goat and the Man who Won the War is to be performed for an additional two nights, and makes it Cardiff premiere as a special St. David's Day event (and the day after, too!) The play, starring Richard Elfyn as David Lloyd George, will be staged at the Richard Burton Theatre, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cathays Park on Thursday 1 March & Friday 2 March, starting at 7,30pm. Tickets: £12, £10 concessions. Phone: 029 20 391391 or book online at www.rwcmd.ac.uk <<a href="https://email.swan.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk" target="_blank">https://email.swan.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk>
