Mervyn Pryce

Archibald Mervyn Pryce (23rd April, 1909 - 12th July, 2013, aged 104) was a Rainian National Union politician who served as Prime Minister of Rainier from 1966-9. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1960-6, Minister of the Treasury from 1954-60, Minister of Education from 1949-54 and leader of the National Party from 1965-8. Pryce represented the constituency of Nywereid from 1946-69.

Born in an upper class family, Pryce attended the University of Alberta and trained as a lawyer. In 1946, he successfully ran in the seat of Nywereid for the National Union Party, becoming a MP and quickly making a name for himself on the National frontbench. and, Pryce was on the right wing of the National Union party. In 1949 after the National Party was elected to government he became Minister of Education, and in 1954 he became Minister of the Treasury under Edward Henderson. As Minister of the Treasury Pryce continued corpratist economics favouring economic intervention and pro-business policies, emphasising balanced budgets and guiding key economic sectors. In 1960 he was moved to the foreign affairs portfolio where he emphasised anti-communist policies.

In 1966, Henderson stepped down as Prime Minister after over a decade in the role. Pryce, with his long experience in cabinet was voted by the party to replace him. As Prime Minister, Pryce's government was faced with an economic slowdown and voter fatigue with over 16 years of National Party government. Pryce compared to his predecessor appeared poorly on television being a wooden speaker and regarded as an archaic throwback.

The Pryce government however rapidly lost popularity as the increasing movement of the 1960's saw Pryce's authoritarian and conservative government appearing to be rigid, inflexible to public opinion and anachronistic. In 1966 the Labour leader Bill Talbolt was ousted by the immensely charismatic and dynamic Emyr Phillips, who rebuilt the image of the party as fresh and ready for government, leading to more tension within the government. In 1967, when the Treasury Minister Frederick Joseph took the politically damaging decision to devalue the pound in order to combat creeping inflation Pryce's popularity collapsed and in the 1969 election he led the NUP to its first defeat since 1945. In 2013 he died at the age of 104, the oldest former Prime Minister to date.

Historians generally see Pryce as a poor Prime Minister, asserting he did very little in his term and being very much by the 1960's a throwback. However, he is recognised as an extremely competent minister, being adept both in the Treasury and the Foreign Affairs portfolio's.