| The Right Honourable Matthew Griffiths | |
|---|---|
| |
| 1st President of the Commonwealth of Rainier | |
| In office 17th December 1991 – 17th December 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Michael Goldmann |
| Constituency | Seattle North |
| Prime Minister of Rainier | |
| In office 28th November 1981 – 17th December 1991 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Frederick Joseph |
| Succeeded by | Carwyn Maddock |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 24th July 1974 – 28th November 1981 | |
| Prime Minister | Frederick Joseph |
| Preceded by | Tommy Douglas |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Joseph |
| Minister of Health and Social Services | |
| In office 12th September 1969 – 13th April 1973 | |
| Prime Minister | Emyr Phillips |
| Preceded by | James Ronbury |
| Succeeded by | Rhondi Fairfoot |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 24th July 1974 – 17th December 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Tommy Douglas |
| Succeeded by | Carwyn Maddock |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 February 1935 (age 79) Victoria, Rainier
|
| Political party |  Labour Party
|
| Spouse(s) | Mary Goldberg |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Profession | Trade Unionist, politician |
| Religion | Calvinistic Methodism |
Matthew Rowan Griffiths (born 15th April 1935, aged age 82) is a retired Rainian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Rainier from 1981 until 1992, the longest serving Prime Minister from the Labour Party. Griffiths was Labour party leader between 1974-1991 and served in a ministerial roles in the government of Emyr Phillips as Minister of Health and Social Services from 1969-73. He was MP for the constituency of Seattle North from 1963 to his retirement in 1997.
Griffiths was born in Victoria. After serving as a trade union official he entered parliament in 1963 as one of the Labour "Young Turk" MP's in the 1960's, supporting aggressive social liberalism and reformism. Tipped as one of Labour's most promising MP's, after a Social Credit-Labour won in 1969 he was promoted to the cabinet as Minister of Health and Social Services where he was influential in creating the Health Assistance Programme (HAP) alongside Labour leader Tommy Douglas. He retained his seat after the coalition government lost the 1973 election. After Douglas retired in 1974, Griffiths was elected as his successor as Labour leader with the support of the party's right wing and centre-left.
In 1981 the coalition government of the National Union-Progressive Unionist parties collapsed after the economy entered a long period of stagflation, leading to a House of Councillors election. Discontent with the coalition government led Griffiths and the Labour party to be elected to a majority government with Griffiths becoming Prime Minister.
The previous government had relied on orthodox Keynesian economics to deal with the recession, although this had resulted in high inflation. Griffiths, under the influence of Treasury Minister Carwyn Maddock, adopted a radical monetarist approach to the crisis pursuing neoliberal economic reform corporatising state owned industries, dismantling tariffs, deregulating sectors of the economy and cut state subsidies. These reforms, which turned Rainier from one of North America's most protected, state run economies to one of the most free-market were controversial both amongst the electorate, the Labour party and Cabinet itself, but resulted in the economy to expand after 1983.
During his second term Griffiths began a détente policy with the Soviet Union after the death of Leonid Brezhnev, although his was unsuccessful in his goal to cut funding to mujahideen. Griffiths also maintained the special relationship with the United Kingdom. Griffiths was criticised by both the Rainian-Israeli lobby for his repudiation of the pro-Zionist policies of his predecessors and links with Ba'athist Iraq. A supporter of Americanism, Griffiths throughout his term had excellent relations with the Conference of American States.
Over time Griffiths came into conflict with his Treasury Minister Carwyn Maddock, who wished to go even further in terms of free market policies whilst Griffiths wanted to follow a more traditional Labour party line. Griffiths covertly ordered the wiretapping of Maddock's house, and removed him from cabinet in 1987. In 1990 he spearheaded a referendum which saw a majority off the electorate back the creation of a republic. Griffith's subsequently was elected President in 1991, stepping down from the role of Prime Minister being succeeded by Carwyn Maddock. Griffiths subsequently became one of the trenchant critics of Maddock actively backing the fall of his government in 1995 and supporting Gerald Fairbrook in office. He was re-elected in 1996. In 1998 it was made public that Rainier had sold materials used to manufacture chemical weapons to Iraq via Turkey during the Iran-Iraq War - the Baghdad Scandal saw support for Labour and Griffiths subside. Griffiths finished his presidency in 2001 and has since promoted humanitarian causes.
Griffiths's legacy is complex, being widely seen as amongst the most influential of the post-war Rainian Prime Ministers. The Griffiths government oversaw the neolibralisation of the Rainian economy. The economic changes made under Griffiths however brought divisive social change in Rainier that is controversial to this day, with the free-market reforms being the most radical of its kind. Griffiths is credited with moving the Labour party to a more centrist position and adapting to a more globalised world, but is criticised for the Baghdad Scandal.