John Emrys Thomas (15 May 1900 – 23 December 1996) was a Welsh socialist politician. Thomas was born in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

to a family who were active in the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

(ILP)."Emrys Thomas", ''ILP Magazine'' (1990), p.26 He studied teaching at Borough Road College and then worked as a schoolteacher in Merthyr,

Pontypridd Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Geography Pontypridd comprises the ...

, and later

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

and

Kingsbury Kingsbury may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Kingsbury, London, a district of northwest London in the borough of Brent ** Kingsbury tube station, London Underground station * Kingsbury, Warwickshire, a village and civil parish in Warwickshi ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, eventually becoming acting head at the Woodfield Day Special School, before retiring in 1965. Thomas was a member of the ILP from an early age, and by the late 1930s was the representative for South Wales on its

National Administrative Committee The National Administrative Council (NAC) was the executive council of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), a British socialist party which was active from 1893 until 1975. Creation The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was founded at a conference in ...

. The ILP disaffiliated from the Labour Party in 1932, and Thomas was a member of a panel who considered the possibility of reaffiliation, in 1939. Their recommendation, against affiliation but to encourage ILP members to join Labour as individuals, was rejected by the ILP conference, and Thomas remained active in the ILP. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Thomas represented people to the Central Board of Conscientious Objectors, while, by the 1950s, Thomas was chair of the London division of the ILP.'' Socialist Leader'', vol.45 (1953) He also served as a member of the council of the

Movement for Colonial Freedom Liberation (founded as the Movement for Colonial Freedom) is a political civil rights advocacy group founded in the United Kingdom in 1954. It had the support of many Members of Parliament, including Harold Wilson, Barbara Castle and Tony Benn, an ...

until 1982. Thomas was the chair of the ILP from 1962 until 1974. The following year, the ILP finally rejoined the Labour Party, reconstituted as

Independent Labour Publications Independent Labour Publications is a left-wing pressure group inside the British Labour Party. It is the successor to the Independent Labour Party and is mostly known simply as "The ILP" in order to maintain that link with its predecessor organisa ...

. Thomas continued to serve on its national committee until 1984, when he stood down due to difficulties with his eyesight. He remained active in local politics, and by 1990 was the longest-standing member of the ILP.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Emrys 1900 births 1996 deaths 20th-century British poets Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members People from Merthyr Tydfil Welsh socialists