Lord Morris of Aberavon : Fifty Years in Politics and the Law

The book traces Lord Morris of Aberavon's life from his deep roots and formative years in mid-Wales to his appointment as Attorney General and beyond, providing a fascinating insight into the personalities and dramas encountered along the way in politics and law. There is no other inside account from a minister who was at the Cabinet Committee table drafting devolution proposals, first in his role as Welsh Secretary and then as Attorney General. He is one of the very few who served as a minister in four Labour governments under Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan and Tony Blair between 1965-1999. His account, put in a narrative form, of the role of the Law Officers in the Kosovo War is unique, where as Attorney General he developed the doctrine of armed intervention in the affairs of another state – without a Security Council Resolution, in order to avert an overwhelming humanitarian disaster, culminating in his appearance as Counsel for the United Kingdom in the International Court of Justice in the Hague, the United Kingdom being one of the defendants. During over fifty years in both Houses of Parliament he rode the two horses, politics and the law simultaneously, and when not a Minister of the Crown practised the criminal law as a barrister and sat as a Crown Court Recorder. His main political mission has been the working out the basis for legislative proposals for setting up all-Wales institutions and his battles with Ministers and Parliamentary colleagues are described in detail, by someone who was there. His proposals were defeated overwhelmingly in a Welsh Referendum when he commented “When you see an elephant on the doorstep you know it’s there”. A subsequent Act, mainly based on his original proposals with some additions, was eventually agreed to by a paper-thin majority in a second Welsh Referendum, and by a substantial majority giving wider powers to the Welsh Assembly in a third Referendum. In The Beginning -- Formative Years -- Forming A Farmers' Union -- My Search For A Parliamentary Seat -- Elected Mp For Abevaron -- Entering The House Of Commons -- Working With My Fellow Welsh Mps -- The Steelworks -- My First Junior Office At The Ministry Of Power -- Ministry Of Transport (1966-1968) -- The Ministry Of Defence (1968-1970) -- Ideas For Devolution (1964-1970) -- Secretary Of State -- In The Welsh Office -- Working Out Our Devolution Proposals -- More Powers For Wales -- The Cathays Powerhouse -- Other Welsh Office Work -- The Family And Later Years In The Welsh Office -- The Welsh Language -- Preparing To Be A Law Officer -- Appointed Attorney General -- Kosovo -- After 1999 -- New Pastures. Lord Morris Of Aberavon. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The story of one of the few Ministers who served in all four Labour Governments under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. As Attorney General he developed the doctrine of armed intervention in the affairs of another state, Kosovo, without a Security Council Resolution, in order to avert an overwhelming humanitarian disaster and appeared as Counsel before the International Court of Justice to defend the U.K.'s position. As Welsh Secretary he saw his proposals for a Welsh Assembly crushed in a Welsh referendum, commenting "if you see an elephant on your doorstep you know it's there." Annotation. Lord Morris of Aberavon is one of Waless most famous and influential figures. This personal account of his life covers his illustrious career at the heart of Welsh and Westminster politics as attorney general. Trained as a barrister, he went on to serve as parliamentary secretary, minister of state, and secretary of state. He returned to government twenty years later as attorney general for England and Wales, and thus became one of the few Labour ministers to hold office under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, and Tony Blair