IR Cymru

Liberal Youth Wales Ieuenctid Rhyddfrydol Cymru
Chairperson	Sara Lloyd Williams
Founded	2002 (as MIDR Cymru)
Headquarters	Freedom Central, Ground Floor, Blake Court, Schooner Way, Cardiff, CF10 4DW
Ideology	Liberalism, Social liberalism, Market liberalism, Federalism, British unionism
Mother party	Welsh Liberal Democrats
United Kingdom affiliation	Liberal Youth
Website	http://www.ircymru.org/

Ieuenctid Rhyddfrydol Cymru (IR Cymru), also known as Liberal Youth Wales (formerly Myfyrwyr a Ieuenctid y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru - Liberal Democrat Youth and Students Wales), is the youth wing of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Its membership is open to any member of the Liberal Democrats living, working or studying in Wales and is either under 30 years of age or in full or part-time education above that age.^[1]

The organisation has branches all over Wales, including affiliated branches at many Welsh universities.^[2][3] IR Cymru campaigns for the aims of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and had members standing in the 2005 General Election and 2007 Welsh Assembly Election,^[4] as well as many members who are also councillors across Wales.

It is also a part of the UK Federal Liberal Youth. In April 2009, MIDR Cymru rebranded and relaunched as IR Cymru.^[5][6]

Internal organisation

IR Cymru is part of the federal structure of Liberal Youth and its Chair is the Welsh Convenor of that organisation. IR Cymru is responsible for tailoring LY campaigns to match political circumstances in Wales, and for developing indigenous campaigns that reflect the status of wales in the United Kingdom. It also serves as an advisory body to the Welsh Liberal Democrats on youth issues.

The Organisation is run by an executive committee consisting of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Communications Officer, Policy Officer, Campaigns Officer and Young Members' Representative (all elected annually by all-member ballot) and a Regional Development Officer (appointed by the Membership and Outreach Committee). The Membership and Outreach Committee is made up of a Regional Representative from each of the five Welsh Assembly Regions, the Young Members' Representative, and one elected representative from each affiliated IR Cymru branch. Other standing committees include an NUS Committee, a Policy and Conference Committee and a Campaigns Committee.

Within the Welsh Liberal Democrats

IR Cymru is a Specified Associated Organisation (SAO) of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, with two seats on the Welsh Liberal Democrat National Executive Committee and one seat on each of the Party's other Standing Committees (Policy, Campaigns & Candidates and Conference Committees).

Campaigns

IR Cymru has supported all the main campaigns from federal Liberal Youth. In addition, they are currently leading a campaign against homophobic bullying, based around a motion they passed at the Welsh Liberal Democrat conference in Spring.

Policy

Corey Shefman speaking at the Relaunch of IR Cymru, April 2009.

IR Cymru has successfully proposed motions to the Welsh Party Conference. At the Wrexham conference in Spring 2006 IR Cymru (as MIDR Cymru) successfully proposed a motion against Nuclear power,^[7] and a second motion supporting micro-generation schemes. At the Aberystwyth conference in Autumn 2006, they successfully amended a motion on housing to reflect the particular difficulties faced by young people.

In Spring 2009, the re-branded IR Cymru put forward a successful motion which called for the Welsh Assembly to provide better compulsory education for teenagers on social and sex issues, and was partly aimed at tackling homophobic bullying.

List of Chairs

See also

• Liberal Youth
• Liberal Youth Scotland

External links

• IR Cymru website
• Liberal Youth website

References

1. ^ "Constitution of IR Cymru". Rapidshare.com. http://rapidshare.com/files/221001850/IR_Cymru_Constitution.pdf.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
2. ^ "University of Aberystwyth Liberal Democrats". Users.aber.ac.uk. http://users.aber.ac.uk/club01/1home.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
3. ^ Cardiff Student Liberal Democrats^{[dead link]}
4. ^ Ben Lloyd in MIDR Cymru's 2006 Annual Report^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Spring 2009 Welsh Liberal Democrat conference agenda^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Goldsworthy, Ali (2009-04-22). "Alison Goldsworthy, post-conference blog interview with Elaine Bagshaw". Freedomcentral.org.uk. http://www.freedomcentral.org.uk/2009/04/what-did-you-make-of-conference.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
7. ^ "RedOrbit reports on the nuclear motion". Redorbit.com. 2006-03-10. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/422889/libdems_to_get_tough_on_nuclear_move/index.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
8. ^ "Matt Smith". UK Political Database. The Telegraph. http://ukpolitics.telegraph.co.uk/Blaenau+Gwent/Matt+Smith. Retrieved 16 March 2012. 
9. ^ "Guardian.co.uk, Matt Smith: Electoral history and profile". Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/person/11303/matt-smith. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
10. ^ "Sarah Green". UK Political Database. The Telegraph. http://ukpolitics.telegraph.co.uk/Arfon/Sarah+Green. Retrieved 16 March 2012.