In the mid-1960s, two disastrous events happened in Wales. One was the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in the north of the country, to create a reservoir that would supply water to Liverpool – an unbelievably arrogant act that destroyed the Welsh-speaking community of Capel Celyn. The other was the catastrophe that occurred in October 1966 in Aberfan, the south Wales pit village where, despite clear warnings of looming danger, a vast spoil tip slid down a hillside behind Pantglas Junior School, killing 144 people, 116 of them children. Both episodes shone harsh light on the neglect and condescension that characterised the British state’s treatment of a country of 3 million people. For example, having been informed of the Aberfan tragedy, the chairman of the National Coal Board decided not to drop everything and visit the scene, but keep his afternoon engagement to be invested as the first chancellor of Surrey University.
