In 1993, showing scorn for the Welsh people, Prime Minister John Major (Maggie Thatcher’s successor) appointed John Redwood as Secretary of State for Wales. The man knew nothing about Wales, cared even less, refused to spend a single night in Wales, and made a point of offending as many Welsh people as possible. He vilified the Welsh language, and refused to sign any official document written in Welsh, even though an English translation was attached for his benefit. Ironically, it was at a Welsh Tory conference that he got his comeuppance. When the blue-rinse brigade started to sing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Redwood, despite not knowing one word of our national anthem, thought no-one would notice if he just pretended to sing along. He was caught by the cameras opening and shutting his mouth like a goldfish, and bobbing his head from side to side in a foolish attempt to demonstrate his sense of rhythm. The result of this insult to the Welsh nation was that the Tories failed to gain a single Welsh seat in the next general election. [Sadly, they have done better since.]
