Rhodri Morgan on course to get Cardiff Bay statue by 2026
Martin Shipton
A long-awaited statue to popular former First Minister Rhodri Morgan looks like it’s on course to be erected in Cardiff Bay in less than two years’ time.
Mr Morgan was first elected as the MP for Cardiff West in 1987, later switching to the then National Assembly for Wales. At a Welsh Labour leadership election prior to the first Assembly election, Mr Morgan was defeated by Alun Michael in a contest for the Welsh Labour leadership widely regarded as a stitch-up.
Less than a year into the Assembly’s first term, Mr Morgan took over as First Minister after Mr Michael was beaten in a vote of no confidence. He remained in office until 2009, and has often been referred to as the Father of Devolution, or by a similar informal title..
Retiring from the Assembly in 2011, he died in 2017 at the age of 77 while cycling with his grandson in the lanes near his home in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Widely admired for his originality, gregariousness and erudition, friends and colleagues decided in the year following Mr Morgan’s passing to raise funds so a statue could be erected near the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.
Fundraising was interrupted during the Covid crisis, but is now back on track.
Exciting
Cardiff Labour councillor Dilwar Ali is the organiser of the fundraising appeal, which has raised more than £90k towards a target of £125,000. He said: “Our aspiration is to erect a sculpture by May 2026. Exciting plans are being developed and implemented to meet our self-imposed deadline.
“We will be announcing these exciting plans at a dinner hosted by Dr Hasmukh Shah BEM celebrating 25 years of devolution in Wales on the evening of Friday September 13 2024, to be held at the Mercure Cardiff North Hotel, Llanedeyrn, CF23 9XF. Our Keynote Speaker will be the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS who will speak on the subject ‘25 Years of Devolution’.
“The evening will also feature a chance to win prizes in a prize draw and bid in an auction as well as meet old friends.
“Tickets are £40 per place or £380 for a table of 10. Proceeds will go to the Rhodri Morgan Statue Fund. Those wishing to book tickets for the event should email [email protected].”
When the statue fund was launched, those close to the late politician initially expressed doubt as to whether he would have approved of the notion that a statue should be erected in his honour.
Unsure
Mr Morgan’s widow Julie, the MS for Cardiff North, said: “A statue is certainly something that Rhodri would not have wanted… So when the idea was put forward, I was unsure. Then there was a meeting to discuss the idea, and Kevin Brennan [Rhodri Morgan’s successor as MP for Cardiff West] made a very eloquent speech in which he argued that the statue should go ahead for the very reason that Rhodri wouldn’t have wanted it! That convinced me that it was a good idea.”
Former Assembly Member Sue Essex, who was a friend of Mr Morgan’s for decades and is a former leader of Cardiff council, said: “Rhodri Morgan is rightly referred to as the Father of the Welsh Assembly. A statue would give a permanent reminder of his magnificent legacy for devolution in Wales in the critical early years.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
I’d greet this as a welcome development. In a very real sense Rhodri Morgan was the ‘father of devolution’ in Wales, and, further to his credit, he genuinely seemed to me to embody and advocate the interests of the nation over mere machine partisan politicking – even though he was absolutely a Labour man through and through. He was, in the Welsh domestic context, a statesman, and not just a politician. That’s a rather rare accomplishment, as we’ve seen in subsequent years. Though – entirely against my expectations when he first became FM! – I think, in retrospect, that Mark… Read more »
Let’s hope the sculptor does a decent job. The success rate for statues of public figures is rather lower than that for North Korean missile launches.
Yes, he does really deserve a statue. He was a big figure in contemporary Welsh history and politics. A man who genuinely served his country.
Rhodri was a lovely fella, a clever man who loved our country. No matter your politics, exceptional people should be recognised, a humanist of the highest quality.