First Minister Rhodri Morgan Name Mike Baron Preceded by New Post Education Open University | First Minister Rhodri Morgan Spouse Veronica German Succeeded by Ieuan Wyn Jones Role Political leader | |
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Preceded by Jenny Randerson (acting) Succeeded by Jenny Randerson (acting) | ||
Political party Welsh Liberal Democrats | ||
Michael James "Mike" 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.
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Biography
German was educated at the Open University and St Mary’s College. In his early life he was a member of 28th Cardiff Sea Scout Group.
He trained and worked as a music teacher before becoming Head of the European Unit at the Welsh Joint Education Committee. Has also been a school governor.
Political career
His political career spans over three decades, as councillor and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats on Cardiff City Council between 1983–1996 and joint leader of the Council from 1987 to 1991; he was elected to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 and 2007.
In the 1996 New Year's Honours he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
He contested Cardiff North in October 1974 and 1979 for the Liberals, before fighting Cardiff Central in 1983 and 1987 for the SDP–Liberal Alliance, but was unsuccessful on each occasion.
Under a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition he became Deputy First Minister 2000-01 (and Minister for the Economy and Transport) 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 by Kirsty Williams.
German's political interests include skills development in small and large companies in Wales, constitutional affairs, local government, economy and regeneration.
In May 2010, German was named to the House of Lords as a 'working peer' in the Dissolution Honours list. 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. German took his seat as Baron German, of Llanfrechfa in the County Borough of Torfaen.