THE POLITICS OF RURAL WALES. A study of Cardiganshire.

272pp. VG. This book is a detailed observation of the political culture of Cardgianshire. It is based on a major sample survey conducted throughout the country in 1971, and extended interviews with ministers, councillors, farmers, teachers and other community leaders. The survey explores local feeling on many aspects of political life, both social and economic. It examines in particular the radical element in the political scene and the struggle for and against the Welsh language, the class structure of the community, attitudes towards religion and the traditional features of Welsh life, and deprivation and development in the area. The whole survey is placed in a historical context, and traces the decline of Liberalism from its height in the days of Lloyd George to the present day. Although the analysis of the survey results has been done by computor, the book captures the strong and sometimes lyrical flavour of Welsh rural life, drawing on source material from local newspapers and using photographs and maps.…