Alun Gibbard's Books

Only Three Votes

The Battle for the Political Soul of Wales in 1970s Carmarthenshire

By: Gwynoro Jones,Alun Gibbard

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Only Three Votes

The Battle for the Political Soul of Wales in 1970s Carmarthenshire

By: Gwynoro Jones,Alun Gibbard

These were events which prefigured and did much to shape the political battles of the last half century, the devolution half century in Wales. They shaped the non-nationalist, but distinctive Welsh social democratic preferences of the last sixty years. For anyone interested in the formative moments of today's Wales, this is both essential and highly entertaining reading." – Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales 2018-2024 It was a period of Welsh politics that has become etched in the collective memory. The rise of a Welsh independence movement and the first Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament. The Labour Party searching for a way forward in a political climate that was riven with dissension and eventual rancour. It was a fight for social democracy against the centralised power of the British state. The first battlefield was Carmarthen and the protagonists were Gwynfor Evans, the leader of Plaid Cymru and the young Labour hopeful Gwynoro Jones. Their rivalry lasted throughout the Seventies. They fought three elections and on one occasion the result was decided by just three votes. This book tells the story of a political rivalry which was also very personal. It was a local confrontation that drew on national battlelines. It was about Carmarthen and Wales. Both men had their vision of the Wales they wanted to fight for. These pages unfold the story from Gwynoro Jones' perspective for the first time, in an attempt to redress the imbalance of Gwynfor Evans' story dominating the narrative for so long. Drawing on an extensive archive, collected at the time, Gwynoro shows how the two fought their politics in the newspapers of the day and through speeches on constituency public platforms, where they argue about the Welsh language and devolution, Europe and agriculture. But they only ever actually met once. Gwynoro also reflects on how he views those turbulent years today. Through their wranglings, a picture is also painted of Welsh politics in the decade that led up to the referendum on devolution in 1979, as Plaid and Labour searched for a way forward. And ultimately, a generation later, to the creation of a parliament for Wales.

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Page Count

221

Publisher

Parthian Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1917140355

ISBN 13

9781917140355

Carwyn - Into the Wind

By: Alun Gibbard

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Carwyn - Into the Wind

By: Alun Gibbard

A comprehensive biography of one of the most iconic and popular figures in Wales' recent history. Carwyn James was not only a legend to rugby fans in Wales and further afield, but held a much wider appeal too, in the fields of politics, Welsh literature and culture.

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Page Count

333

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784614998

ISBN 13

9781784614997

Talcen Caled

By: Alun Gibbard

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Talcen Caled

By: Alun Gibbard

Stori wedi ei gosod yn ystod cyfnod cythryblus Streic Glowyr Prydain yn 1984/85. Streic a welodd ddiwedd diwydiant glo de Cymru. Nofel sy'n canolbwyntio ar y tensiynau rhwng y streicwyr, a'r rhai sy'n torri'r streic.

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Page Count

120

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784610496

ISBN 13

9781784610494

Pink Ribbons for April - In Memory of April Jones

By: Alun Gibbard

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Pink Ribbons for April - In Memory of April Jones

By: Alun Gibbard

It was a tragedy which shook the world. On 1 October 2012, the disappearance of five-year-old April Jones from the mid Wales town of Machynlleth sparked an almost unprecedented wave of concern. Within Wales the event drew people of all ages and backgrounds in their hundreds to help in the search. Further afield social media websites spread the story worldwide and in turn brought messages of hope and support to those directly involved. It demonstrated a community response on an international scale. Today Mark Bridger is serving a life sentence for the horrific murder of April Jones but this book is not about the details of that extreme act of cruelty, it is about the various acts of kindness from within the town and from far outside it. This is book tells the unfolding narrative of April's story over the twelve months since she was taken from her home and her home town, in the words of the people who live there and with the support of April's family. But more than the telling of the tragic events, it tells the story of how people pull together in extreme circumstances; how in today's technological world, community is not about geography alone. It's about strangers coming together. It is a story about hope and humanity. Proceeds from the book will go to the April Jones Fund. The fund set up to aid the search for the missing five-year-old will be divided between local charities, schools, and search and rescue organisations.

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Page Count

148

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

184771871X

ISBN 13

9781847718716

Brychan Llyr

Hunan-Anghofiant

By: Brychan a Gibbard Llyr, Alun

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Brychan Llyr

Hunan-Anghofiant

By: Brychan a Gibbard Llyr, Alun

Y canwr o Aberteifi sy'n agor ei galon am ei frwydr ag alcoholiaeth mewn modd cignoeth a gonest. Trafodir hefyd ei gyfnod yn brif leisydd y band Jess a'i ddeng mlynedd yn gerddor proffesiynol yn yr Eidal, ynghyd a'i hanesion yn cystadlu ym myd peryglus rasio ceffylau pwynt i bwynt ac yn gyflwynydd teledu.

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Page Count

153

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847718590

ISBN 13

9781847718594

Delme

Hunangofiant Delme Thomas

By: Alun Thomas Delme a Gibbard

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Delme

Hunangofiant Delme Thomas

By: Alun Thomas Delme a Gibbard

Hunangofiant arwr Llanelli, Cymru a'r Llewod, Delme Thomas. Cyrhaeddodd y brig gyda'i glwb, ei wlad a'r Llewod dros gyfnod o 15 mlynedd o chwarae. Daeth ei enw'n adnabyddus ymhob cornel o'r byd rygbi, enw sy'n ennyn parch gan y rhai y bu'n chwarae gyda nhw ac yn eu herbyn. Mae'r parch hwnnw yn cael ei ddangos iddo hyd heddiw.

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Page Count

160

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847718582

ISBN 13

9781847718587

Cymru Howard Marks

By: Howard a Gibbard Marks, Alun

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Cymru Howard Marks

By: Howard a Gibbard Marks, Alun

Teitl yn y gyfres o gyfrolau byr a chyflym Stori Sydyn. Ganed Howard Marks ym Mynydd Cynffig ond doedd fawr o gariad ganddo at Gymru na'r Gymraeg. Ac yn sicr, pan gafodd ei garcharu yn yr Unol Daleithiau, ac yntau'n brif smyglwr cyffuriau'r byd, doedd Cymru ddim yn rhy awyddus i'w arddel yntau chwaith. Ond mae ei berthynas a gwlad ei febyd wedi newid ers iddo gael ei ryddhau.

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Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784610267

ISBN 13

9781784610265

George North

By: George a Gibbard North, Alun

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George North

By: George a Gibbard North, Alun

Hanes cyfnod cyffrous y chwaraewr rygbi dawnus o Sir Fon, George North - ei atgofion, ei gemau cofiadwy a'r bobol a gafodd ddylanwad arno.

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Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847716652

ISBN 13

9781847716651

Who Beat the All Blacks

By: Alun Gibbard

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Who Beat the All Blacks

By: Alun Gibbard

This book commemorates one of the top ten greatest rugby moments ever, a match on 31 October 1972. The teams and score: Llanelli 9 New Zealand 3. The day's events are recalled by those who were there.

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Page Count

145

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

184771711X

ISBN 13

9781847717115

Whose Wales?

The Battle for Welsh Devolution and Nationhood, 1880-2020

By: Gwynoro Jones,Alun Gibbard

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Whose Wales?

The Battle for Welsh Devolution and Nationhood, 1880-2020

By: Gwynoro Jones,Alun Gibbard

So whose Wales is it? There is a degree of ambiguity that runs through Welsh politics that in turn has hindered discussions of a clear Welsh political identity. Can any one party claim to have done more than any other in the fight for securing and then developing Welsh devolution? The track record of all four main players, Liberal, Labour, Conservative and Plaid Cymru, is looked at, from the time of Queen Victoria to these days of devolution and Yes Cymru. From one of the leading proponents of the devolution of Wales, Gwynoro Jones, and an award-winning author and former BBC journalist, Alun Gibbard, this well illustrated book looks at these often-bitter claims and counterclaims. Alun Gibbards' insightful documenting and analysis complement Gwynoro Jones' first-hand experience and knowledge in a project that is unique in its scope and structure. Between 1536 and 1542 the regime of Henry VIII incorporated Wales into England. Wales was to have no separate existence. Its language was banned from public life and its legal system abolished. It was meant to disappear. Yet here we are in the 21st Century with an increasingly self-governing Wales with a strong sense of identity and a pride in its language. Alun Gibbard and Gwynoro Jones have traced the revival of Wales from the industrialising country of the 1880s and the nonconformist consciousness that led to Sunday closing. They describe the bitter battles over devolution in the 1970s through to the small margin in favour of a Welsh Assembly in 1997 and on to the well-established lawmaking, tax-varying Parliament with solid public support that we see today. We were not meant to be here. This book shows how we survived. Carwyn Jones First Minister of Wales 2009-2018 The rhetorical question in the book's title, Whose Wales? echoes the kind of questions which historians and political commentators have raised over the decades, from Gwyn Alf Williams' When was Wales? to Dai Smith's enigmatic question in the title of his book on Welsh politics, Wales! Wales? Professor Sir Deian Hopkin.

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458

Published Date

ISBN 10

1802270396

ISBN 13

9781802270396

Into the Wind

The Life of Carwyn James

By: Alun Gibbard

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Into the Wind

The Life of Carwyn James

By: Alun Gibbard

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432

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784614041

ISBN 13

9781784614041

Pink Ribbons for April - In Memory of April Jones

By: Alun Gibbard

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Pink Ribbons for April - In Memory of April Jones

By: Alun Gibbard

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148

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

184771871X

ISBN 13

9781847718716

Carwyn - Into the Wind

By: Alun Gibbard

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Carwyn - Into the Wind

By: Alun Gibbard

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333

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784614998

ISBN 13

9781784614997

Two Dragons

By: Howard Marks,Alun Gibbard

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Two Dragons

By: Howard Marks,Alun Gibbard

This book tells the story of Welshman Howard Marks who has recently discovered his true Welsh identity after a notorious few decades. Raised in Kenfig Hill, south Wales, he became one of the most prolific drug smugglers in the world.

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Page Count

144

Publisher

Ylolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847712908

ISBN 13

9781847712905

Life in the Coal House

By: Griffiths Family,Alun Gibbard

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Life in the Coal House

By: Griffiths Family,Alun Gibbard

The story of the Griffiths' family from their time as the stars of the BBC Wales Coal House series. Why did they go on the show? What was it like to live in such conditions?

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Ylolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847712614

ISBN 13

9781847712615

Brychan Llyr

Hunan-Anghofiant

By: Brychan a Gibbard Llyr, Alun

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Brychan Llyr

Hunan-Anghofiant

By: Brychan a Gibbard Llyr, Alun

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Page Count

153

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847718590

ISBN 13

9781847718594

Who Beat the All Blacks

By: Alun Gibbard

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Who Beat the All Blacks

By: Alun Gibbard

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Page Count

145

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

184771711X

ISBN 13

9781847717115

It's All Rugby

By: Rick O'Shea

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It's All Rugby

By: Rick O'Shea

Hunangofiant y cyflwynydd a'r pyndit rygbi poblogaidd Rick O'Shea. Cynrychiolodd ei dad ei wlad, gan chwarae i Gymru a'r Llewod yn y gamp, a chwaraeodd Rick yntau ar lefel ysgol, clwb a choleg. Mae'n hawlio'r hynodrwydd o fod yn fewnwr a newidiodd i chwarae yn safle prop! This is the autobiography of the popular Welsh rugby pundit and presenter, Rick O'Shea. Rick comes from good rugby stock, his father John having played for Wales and the British Lions. He's no stranger to playing the game himself, having played schoolboy, club and Student rugby. He has the unusual distinction of being a scrum half who was converted to play prop!

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Page Count

169

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784610070

ISBN 13

9781784610074

Delme

Hunangofiant Delme Thomas

By: Alun Thomas Delme a Gibbard

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Delme

Hunangofiant Delme Thomas

By: Alun Thomas Delme a Gibbard

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Page Count

160

Publisher

Y Lolfa

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847718582

ISBN 13

9781847718587

Delme

The Autobiography

By: Delme Thomas,Alun Gibbard

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Delme

The Autobiography

By: Delme Thomas,Alun Gibbard

The autobiography of one of the heroes of Llanelli, Wales, and Lions rugby, Delme Thomas. He reached the pinnacle of the game with his club, country, and internationally during a 15-year playing career. He was chosen to be a part of the British Lions tour in 1966, despite not having yet been capped by his country. He was captain of his club, Llanelli, and he was the one who led them to their famous victory over the New Zealand All Blacks at Stradey Park in 1972.

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Page Count

140

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847719589

ISBN 13

9781847719584

Cardiff Before Cardiff

By: Jon Pountney,Alun Gibbard

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Cardiff Before Cardiff

By: Jon Pountney,Alun Gibbard

This is the story of a lucky find that led to a unique photographic record of Cardiff life in the 1970s and 1980s. It's the story of personal tragedy and unexpected hope, and it's a story that would not have developed as it has if it wasn't for 21st century social media.

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