Mike German, Baron German

Former Deputy First Minister of Wales

The Right Honourable
The Lord German
Official portrait, 2022
Deputy First Minister of Wales
In office
13 June 2002 – 8 May 2003
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Preceded byJenny Randerson (Acting)
Succeeded byIeuan Wyn Jones (2007)
In office
16 October 2000 – 6 July 2001
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJenny Randerson (Acting)
Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats
In office
13 October 2007 – 8 December 2008
LeaderMenzies Campbell
Sir Vince Cable
Nick Clegg
Preceded byLembit Opik
Succeeded byKirsty Williams
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for South Wales East
In office
6 May 1999 – 30 June 2010
Preceded byNew Assembly
Succeeded byVeronica German
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 June 2010
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born (1945-05-08) 8 May 1945 (age 79)
Cardiff, Wales
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Spouse(s)(1) Georgette German
(2) Veronica German
Alma materOpen University

Michael James German, Baron German OBE (born 8 May 1945) is a British politician, serving currently as a member of the House of Lords and formerly as a member of the National Assembly for Wales for the South Wales East region. He was leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2008. In 1996, he was awarded an OBE for his public and political service.

Early life and career

Michael James German[1] was born on 8 May 1945 in Cardiff, Wales.[2][3] He was educated at St Illtyd's College and St Mary's College London before going on to study at the Open University, where he gained a degree in educational studies, and the University of the West of England, where he gained a post graduate qualification in education management.[4] Prior to his career in politics, German worked as a music teacher and became the head of music at two schools in Cardiff.[3] In an interview with the South Wales Argus in 2019, he said he started participating in student activism during this period, claiming to have been elected as chair of his local branch of the Teacher's Association.[5] In 1986, he was teaching at Lady Mary High School in Cardiff, where he later finished his teaching career as head of music.[6][7] German retired from teaching to serve as the European director at the Welsh Joint Education Committee, where he led its unit in Europe in the 1990s.[4]

German joined the Liberal Party in the 1970s. In an interview from 2019, he said he did so because he supported its goals of "social justice and fairness".[5] In 1974, he stood as its prospective parliamentary candidate for Cardiff North in the October 1974 general election.[3][5] He came third with 17.8% of the vote, behind Labour's J. Collins who won 35.7% of the vote and the Conservatives' Ian Grist who won 42.9% of the vote.[8] He stood again at the 1979 general election, winning 13.5% behind Labour's M. D. Petrou with 36.2% and Grist with 47.3%.[8] At the 1983 general election, he stood as the SDP–Liberal Alliance's Liberal candidate for Cardiff Central, where he came in second place behind Grist with 32.6% of the vote to Grist's 41.4%.[3][9] He stood for the constituency again in the 1987 general election, falling to third place behind Labour's Jon Owen Jones with 29.3% of the vote to his 32.3%, with Grist again winning the seat with 37.1% of the vote.[4][10] He was also the director of the Liberals' election campaign at the election, serving in the same position for the Welsh Liberal Democrats at the 1992 and 1997[4] general elections after the Liberals merged with the Social Democratic Party in 1988.[2][11]

Cardiff City Council

In May 1983, German stood for election to Cardiff City Council as the Alliance's Liberal candidate for the ward of Cathays at the 1983 council election, a marginal ward with Labour.[12] German campaigned on ending the council's practice of rubbish tipping, stating that it had damaged the environment, and on ending new green belt developments in areas on the outskirts of Cardiff like Pentwyn so that the council could focus more of its resources on regenerating deprived areas in the city centre.[13] He was elected to the council with 1,742 votes, or 36.9% of the vote, alongside Alliance colleague Fred Hornblow and Labour's Derek Allinson. He was re-elected for a second term with Hornblow and Allinson at the 1987 council election with 1,992 votes, or 37.6% of the vote, and for a third term with them at the 1991 council election with 2,231 votes, or 41.7% of the vote.[14] His wife Georgette German was also elected to the council in 1983 as a Liberal member for the ward of Plasnewydd.[15]

After his election to the council in 1983, German became leader of the three-member Liberal group in the council, which later became a four-member Alliance group later in the 1983–1987 term.[16][17] He continued to serve as group leader of the Alliance and its successor party the Liberal Democrats until he stepped down from the council in 1995.[2] After the 1983 election, German criticised the Conservative administration of Roy Watkiss for giving each of the Liberals just one seat in the council's different committees, with German occupuing a seat on the land committee and his colleagues Georgette German and Fred Hornblow occupying a seat on the personnel committee and the licensing committee each.[16] He said the members of his group should have been given seats on committees with remits that covered specific issues in their wards of Cathays and Plasnewydd and accused the Conservatives of having "gagged" his party on those issues, claims Watkiss denied.[16]

At the 1987 council election, German led the Alliance on a platform of making the council more transparent by introducing measures such as increasing the number of questions members of the public can ask councillors during public sessions of the council. German also criticised the Conservative administration's housing policy, claiming that it might cause a housing crisis in the city.[17] Ahead of the election, he said he thought the Alliance would win enough seats to hold the balance of power in a hung council.[17] This prediction proved correct, with the Alliance increasing its share of seats from 4 to 12, while the Conservatives won 24 seats and Labour won 29, a hung result which gave the Alliance the balance of power in the new council.[18][19] Following the election, German became the co-leader of the council, serving in a coalition with both Labour and the Conservatives until 1991.[2][3][5] The other co-leader of the council during this period was Alun Michael of the Labour Party.[20][21]

German led his party, by now the Liberal Democrats, into the 1991 council election. This time, he expected his party to fall short of winning enough seats to form an administration. The campaign had a low profile, with all three governing parties making little criticism of their opponents because of their coalition in the council except for in some marginal areas.[19] German's Liberal Democrats mainly campaigned on the delayed construction of a leisure centre in Maindy.[22] The Liberal Democrats were expected to lose some seats to Labour in Plasnewydd, though German's wife Georgette German was considered safe because of her local popularity. A close fight was expected between the two parties in Cathays, though German was not considered to be at risk, having established himself as a known national figure in the Liberal Democrats by this time.[22] At the election, the Liberal Democrats' total seat share fell from 11 to 9, though the party did retain its seats in Cathays. It however failed to win the seat of the ward's incumbent Labour councillor Derek Allinson, who fought off a close challenge from the party to keep it for Labour. These were seen as good results for the party, which was at risk of losing more of its seats to Labour and the Conservatives. Commenting on the election results, German said the Liberal Democrats had been able to consolidate their position in the council and was now a "force to be reckoned with".[23] Labour regained control of the council following the election.[23] This was the last election to the council and therefore the last contested by German and his party.[14] Cardiff City Council was abolished in 1996 and replaced by Cardiff County Council in the same year.[24][25] He did not stand for election to the new council.[26]

Early assembly career

In the 1990s, the Liberal Democrats campaigned with the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru for the establishment of a devolved assembly for Wales.[27] A supporter of home rule for Wales, German led the Welsh Liberal Democrats' campaign for a Yes vote in the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum as its campaign director.[5][27] During the campaign, the Liberal Democrats called for the UK Labour government to implement more radical plans for a devolved parliament with the power to raise taxes and a "strong Welsh voice in a devolved United Kingdom".[28][27] German and his party nonetheless supported the proposed assembly as a "powerful first step" and called on Welsh voters to vote Yes.[27] The party endorsed the cross-party Yes for Wales campaign and worked closely with the Labour Party in the campaign to win the referendum.[29] When the results came through in September 1997, the majority of the Welsh public narrowly voted in favour of establishing a devolved assembly, with 50.3% of the vote.[30] After the election result, German and his party called for the assembly to include more women and ethnic minority politicians than traditionally seen in UK legislatures. German said that this could be done by giving the assembly an exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to enable it to use all-women shortlists.[29] He endorsed the system of proportional representation which was planned for the assembly as he thought it would ensure it would be "all inclusive".[31]

The first election to the National Assembly for Wales was scheduled for May 1999.[32] By August 1998, German had become the chief spokesperson of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. In the same month, he was selected by the party to contest the assembly constituency of Caerphilly against Ron Davies, the leader of Labour in Wales who represented the same area in Westminster and was also standing for the seat.[33] Following his candidacy, German said the leaders of the local council which had been classified as the worst council in Wales by the Audit Commission were supporters of Davies.[33] He was also made the party's top candidate on the party list for the South Wales East assembly electoral region, whose members would be elected through party-list proportional representation.[34][35] On the issue of cooperating with Labour in the 1999 Welsh local elections, German as chief spokesperson said his party would discuss certain issues with Labour where the two parties found common-ground, but stated that his party "disagree almost entirely with the way Labour runs local government in Wales".[36]

In October 1998, the party agreed to hold a membership ballot to elect the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group in the National Assembly after Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives had decided to do the same. The elected leader would also lead the party's election campaigns in Wales.[37] German launched his leadership bid on 12 November and was challenged by fellow assembly candidate Christine Humphreys.[7][37] The vote was scheduled for 28 November.[38] German was considered the favourite in the election, though only by a narrow lead.[37][35] On 28 November, he won the contest with 1,037 votes to Humphreys' 883 votes, a closer result than expected, and was elected leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group, taking office once he was elected to the assembly in 1999.[35][4]

Later assembly career

In the first Welsh Assembly election in 1999, he contested the Caerphilly constituency, coming third with 12.4% of the vote. He was however elected at the same election for the South Wales East regional seat.[39] He re-elected in 2003 and 2007.

Under a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition he became Deputy First Minister 2000-01 (and Economic Development Secretary)[40] and again in 2002-03 (and Minister for Rural Affairs and Wales Abroad). He stepped down from the role of Deputy First Minister between the two dates to answer allegations made about his role at the Welsh examination board, the WJEC. During this period he was temporarily replaced by Jenny Randerson as Acting Deputy First Minister.

In November 2007, Mike German became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, after Lembit Opik stood down to ensure that the leadership of the party was in the National Assembly and not Westminster. He was succeeded in 2008 by Kirsty Williams.

German's political interests include skills development in small and large companies in Wales, constitutional affairs, local government, economy and regeneration.

House of lords

In May 2010, German was named to the House of Lords as a 'working peer' in the 2010 Dissolution Honours list.[41] He was succeeded to the Assembly in June 2010 by his wife, Veronica, a Torfaen councillor, as she was the next candidate on the regional party list in 2007.[42][43] German took his seat as Baron German, of Llanfrechfa in the County Borough of Torfaen.[44]

In summer 2021, it was proposed by the Second Johnson ministry to mandate that care home staff be required as a condition of employment to maintain COVID-19 vaccination status, as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021. The members of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, amongst whom was German, raised concerns about this proposal. German said at the time that "we have consistently made clear our view that all key definitions and criteria on which decisions that might affect a person's welfare or livelihood will be made, should be included in legislation and not in guidance which cannot be subjected to appropriate Parliamentary scrutiny or approval."[45]

Personal life

German married his wife Veronica German in 2006.

German married his wife Veronica German (née Hopkins) in 2006.[34] Like him, Veronica is a Welsh Liberal Democrat politician who has served in the National Assembly for Wales.[5] She also worked in his constituency office when he served in the assembly.[34] He has two daughters[4] from a previous marriage with Georgette German,[15] the pair having divorced sometime before 1998.[7][2] Outside of politics, German has an interest in music, which he has said he finds relaxing to listen to.[2][46] He can play percussion instruments and the piano and is also a church organist and a musical arranger.[2] His other interests include cycling and travelling.[7] He has named BBC Radio 4 as his favourite radio station, expressing his enjoyment for The Archers, Desert Island Discs and Today.[46] He attended Welsh language lessons after his election to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.[4]

Honours

In the 1996 New Year Honours, German was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for political and public service".[47]

References

  1. ^ "Lord German". UK Parliament. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "CV: Michael German". BBC News. 6 April 1999. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Lib-Dem's Mike German to step down in October". Wales Online. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "People in the Assembly: Michael German". BBC News. 1 September 1999. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Povey, Tomos (10 July 2019). "Lord Mike German and wife Veronica look back on their political achievements". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Rally call to pupils". South Wales Echo. 25 April 1986. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Speed, Nick (13 November 1998). "Two in race to lead the Assembly's Lib Dems". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b Anderson, Linda; Bright, Bob; Kimber, Jon (1983). General Election Guide, 1983. BBC Data Publications. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-946358-15-1. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Special Report: Lib Dems look back on a troubled history". BBC News. 2 March 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  12. ^ Thomas, Michael (4 May 1983). "Marginals hold the answer". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  13. ^ Thomas, Michael (18 April 1983). "'We will stop city's decay'". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Cardiff Welsh District Council Election Results 1973–1991" (PDF). The Elections Centre (Plymouth University). Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  15. ^ a b Thomas, Michael (6 May 1983). "Cardiff could 'go private'". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Thomas, Michael (24 May 1983). "We're gagged say Liberals". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Grigsby, John (4 May 1987). "Tories confident they can hold on to Cardiff". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  18. ^ Thomas, Michael (28 May 1987). "Watkiss tears into Cardiff Alliance group". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  19. ^ a b Kennedy, Maev (22 April 1991). "Labour banks on see-saw tipping its way". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  20. ^ Nelson, Dean; Smith, Andy; Fraser, Douglas (9 May 1999). "Labour mauled by the beast of nationalism". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Michael keeps his options open". BBC News. 9 May 1999. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  22. ^ a b Thomas, Michael (30 April 1991). "Party leaders watch and wait". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  23. ^ a b Thomas, Michael (3 May 1991). "Tory gloom as eight seats fall". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  24. ^ Collins, David; Bennett, Gareth (1 June 2015). The Little Book of Cardiff. The History Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-7509-6480-7. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  25. ^ Imrie, Rob; Thomas, Huw (28 April 1999). British Urban Policy: An Evaluation of the Urban Development Corporations. SAGE. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-84787-686-7. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Cardiff Council Election Results 1995–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre (Plymouth University). Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  27. ^ a b c d Speed, Nick (27 August 1997). "Lib-Dems urge Wales to say Yes". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Opponents drum up support for campaign". South Wales Echo. 12 August 1997. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  29. ^ a b Percival, Jenny (23 September 1997). "Lib Dems back call for extra assembly powers". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Welsh devolution at 25: Reflecting on 25 years since the first Senedd election". ITV News. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  31. ^ Speed, Nick (10 September 1997). "Welsh speakers hit out at 'scare tactics'". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Davies beats off backbench challenge". BBC News. 19 September 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Liberal chief takes on Ron". South Wales Evening Post. 31 August 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  34. ^ a b c "Mike German made working peer in House of Lords". BBC News. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  35. ^ a b c Walters, Brian (30 November 1998). "Lib Dems choose Assembly leader". South Wales Evening Post. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  36. ^ "Lib Dems oppose co-op with Labour". South Wales Echo. 13 November 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  37. ^ a b c "Teacher aims to take party lead in Assembly campaign". The North Wales Weekly News. 22 October 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  38. ^ Walters, Brian (6 November 1998). "Woman's assembly challenge". South Wales Evening Post. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  39. ^ "National Assembly for Wales Elections (Regional) 1999 - Thursday, 6 May 1999". Senedd Cymru. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Welsh Lib-Dems join assembly cabinet". news.bbc.co.uk. 16 October 2000.
  41. ^ "Dissolution list". BBC News. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  42. ^ "Mike German made working peer in House of Lords". BBC Wales. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  43. ^ "Ex-Gwent AM becomes a lord". South Wales Argus. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  44. ^ "No. 59474". The London Gazette. 29 June 2010. p. 12259.
  45. ^ "Lords summon Minister to address concerns about proposed vaccination of care home staff as a condition of employment". UK Parliament. 12 July 2021.
  46. ^ a b Williams, Sally (28 February 2009). "What your choice of radio station says about you". Wales Online. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  47. ^ "No. 54255". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1995. p. 11.

External links

  • Michael German AM website
  • Michael German AM official biography at the National Assembly for Wales website
  • Welsh Liberal Democrats website
  • Official biography at House of Lords

Offices held

Senedd
New constituency Assembly Member for South Wales East
1999 – 2010 		Succeeded by
Political offices
New post Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly
1999 – 2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats
2007 – 2008 		Succeeded by
New post Deputy First Minister for Wales
2000 – 2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Economic Development
2000 – 2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy First Minister for Wales
2002 – 2003 		Vacant
Title last held by
Ieuan Wyn Jones (2007–2011)
New post Minister for Rural Affairs and Wales Abroad
2002 – 2003 		post abolished
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron German 		Followed by
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Hereditary peers
Life peers
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