Thank you very much. I’m pleased to pay my own tribute to Rhodri—a giant of our nation. He was a patriot, a democratic, pragmatic socialist who made a huge difference to our nation. He brought stability to this place in a very troubled time. My own story with Rhodri goes back to the 1980s, when I was extremely proud that our branch of the Labour Party was the first to nominate Rhodri to be our Member of Parliament for Cardiff West. I will never forget that, and Rhodri never forgot it either, because the love that that community had for Rhodri was immense. He loved the working class there, and they loved him back. He was authentic in everything, and that authenticity was something that came over very clearly—a little too authentic for some of us, at times. We had to send him home to change his jeans that were too dirty and he had no shirt and tie, and we had to send him back to smarten himself up a little bit for Ely. But he made a huge impression—a huge impression—on our nation. I just want to pay a quick tribute in poetry:
He was a great choice, and Rhodri, full of life and fun, a Labour man to the core, and may that persist—a giant of the people and a giant of his nation.
Julie, I hope you’ll accept all our love at this really difficult time, and thank you very much for sharing Rhodri with all of us.
