Robert Griffiths | |
|---|---|
 Griffiths in 2011 | |
| 2ndGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain | |
| In office 1 January 1998 – 16 November 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Hicks |
| Succeeded by | TBA |
| Leader of the Welsh Socialist Republican Movement | |
| In office 1979–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert David Griffiths (1952-04-21)21 April 1952 (age 73)[1] Cardiff, Wales |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Communist Party of Britain |
| Other political affiliations | Plaid Cymru (1974–1978) Welsh Socialist Republican Movement (1979–1982) Communist Party of Great Britain (until 1988) |
Robert David Griffiths (born 21 April 1952) is a Welshcommunist activist and the current general secretary of theCommunist Party of Britain. He was elected by the party's executive committee in January 1998 to replaceMike Hicks.[2]
Griffiths was born in Cardiff and grew up in the suburb ofLlanrumney,[3] where he attended Bryn Hafod primary school. Afterwards he attendedCardiff High School,[4] and later went to theUniversity of Bath to study economics. While at university he competed in boxing tournaments.[5]
His home inCaerleon was flooded duringStorm Bert in November 2024, forcing him into temporary accommodation for several months.[3]
Griffiths joinedPlaid Cymru in 1973, after being impressed byEmrys Roberts' campaign in theMerthyr Tydfil by-election.[6] The following year in 1974, he began to work for Plaid Cymru as a parliamentary research officer. He stayed in the post until December 1979; it was a difficult year for the party, which had faced defeat in theWelsh devolution referendum and the loss ofGwynfor Evans' seat in thegeneral election. With a reduced presence in Westminster (going from three seats to two) Griffiths was made redundant.
In July 1979 he collaborated withGareth Miles to publishSocialism for the Welsh People,[7][8] a pamphlet which was critical of Plaid Cymru for its "opportunism"[9] and alleged subservience to the British state. The pamphlet called for the creation of aWelsh Socialist Republican Movement,[10] which was founded by Griffiths, Miles and others in January 1980.[8] Griffiths served as the organisation's secretary and wrote for its magazine 'the Arrow' (Welsh:Y Saeth).[11]
DuringGeorge Galloway's attempt to be selected as the Labour candidate forRhondda in the1983 general election, Griffiths brought him along to events and introduced him to local people.[12] However, Galloway failed to win the selection, and insteadAllan Rogers stood as the Labour candidate. Rogers became the seat's MP.
TheWSRM was investigated by the police in relation to a bombing campaign and several of its members were arrested, including Robert Griffiths.[13] However, when the case was brought to trial in November 1983, Griffiths was found not guilty of all charges.[14][15] Partly as a result of these events, the Welsh Socialist Republican Movement dissolved. Griffiths joined theCommunist Party of Great Britain shortly afterwards.[16]
He has also previously served as Welsh president of theAUEW-TASS union.[17]
Griffiths was a speaker at the first Communist University in Wales, and he speaks regularly at national events of the Communist Party of Britain. He has also taken part in debates at theOxford Union,[18][19]Cambridge Union Society[20] andManchester Debating Union.[21]In February 2013, Griffiths was among those who gave their support to thePeople's Assembly in a letter published byThe Guardian newspaper.[22] He continues to be an active supporter of the People's Assembly nationally and is also active in his local People's Assembly in Cardiff.
In 2016, Griffiths was unveiled as the chair ofLeft Leave, a campaign for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. The group was a coalition of political parties and organisations such as theCommunist Party of Britain, theNational Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and theRespect Party.
European Parliament
In the1994 election, he stood on behalf of the Communist Party in the single-memberSouth Wales Central constituency, winning 1,073 votes or 0.6% of the total. Later on, in the2009 and2014 elections, he stood as part of theNo2EU electoral list in the multi-memberWales constituency.[23][24]
UK Parliament elections
All these elections were contested on behalf of the Communist Party.
| Election | Constituency | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Pontypridd | 178[25] | 0.4 |
| 2001 | Newport East[17] | 173[26] | 0.6 |
| 2005 | Pontypridd | 233[27] | 0.6 |
| 2010 | Cardiff South & Penarth | 196[28] | 0.4 |
| 2012 | Cardiff South & Penarth[29] | 213[30] | 1.1 |
| 2015 | Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney | 186[31] | 0.6 |
| 2024 | Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney[32] | 309[33] | 1.0 |
Local elections
In 2008, he stood for theSplott ward of Cardiff council, winning 127 votes, or 3.4% of the total.[34]
What characteristics other than compromise, cowardice, vacillation, gradualism and opportunism could we expect from a Party whose leadership and many of its most influential members are petty-bourgeois, non-conformist and pacifist?
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | General Secretary of theCommunist Party of Britain 1998–present | Incumbent |
| New post | Leader of theWSRM | Post abolished |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
