Albert Owen
Encyclopedia
Albert Owen is a Welsh
Labour Party
politician and Member of Parliament
(MP) for Ynys Môn
. He took the seat in the 2001 election
from Plaid Cymru
with a margin of exactly eight hundred votes and retained the seat with an increased majority of approximately twelve hundred votes in the 2005 election
. In the 2010 election he further increased his majority to 2,461. He is a member of the Parliamentary Welsh Affairs Select Committee
, and vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Flag Group
, his hometown, including the Labour MEP
Glenys Kinnock
, he attended the Holyhead County Comprehensive School
. He left when he was sixteen for a career in the Merchant Navy
, and was a seaman until 1992. In 1995, he became an advisor in the Citizens Advice Bureau
, specialising in welfare rights, and from 1997 to 2001 he managed the J. E. O'Toole Centre in Holyhead - a centre dedicated to the welfare, education and leisure of unemployed workers in Holyhead. In 1999, he unsuccessfully stood for the Labour party in the Welsh Assembly elections. From the University of York
he gained a BA
in Politics in 1997.
However he has also voted for the Iraq war and against motions opposing post office closures
play Northern Ireland
at Goodison Park
, my favourite football team’s stadium."
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Ynys Môn
Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)
Ynys Môn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. He took the seat in the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
from Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
with a margin of exactly eight hundred votes and retained the seat with an increased majority of approximately twelve hundred votes in the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. In the 2010 election he further increased his majority to 2,461. He is a member of the Parliamentary Welsh Affairs Select Committee
Welsh Affairs Select Committee
The Welsh Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, and vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Flag Group
Early life
Like most of HolyheadHolyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, his hometown, including the Labour MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Glenys Kinnock
Glenys Kinnock
Glenys Elizabeth Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead is a British politician....
, he attended the Holyhead County Comprehensive School
Holyhead High School
Holyhead High School was the first comprehensive school in England and Wales, opening in 1949 as Holyhead County School.-History:The school was formed in 1949 with the amalgamation of Holyhead Grammar and St Cybi Secondary school. Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones, Amlwch is said to claim the title of the...
. He left when he was sixteen for a career in the Merchant Navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
, and was a seaman until 1992. In 1995, he became an advisor in the Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizens Advice Bureau
A Citizens Advice Bureau is one of a network of independent charities throughout the UK that give free, confidential information and advice to help people with their money, legal, consumer and other problems....
, specialising in welfare rights, and from 1997 to 2001 he managed the J. E. O'Toole Centre in Holyhead - a centre dedicated to the welfare, education and leisure of unemployed workers in Holyhead. In 1999, he unsuccessfully stood for the Labour party in the Welsh Assembly elections. From the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
he gained a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Politics in 1997.
In Parliament
Albert has rebelled against the Labour Party's political whip on certain occasions. Most notably:- he voted against the government's Higher Education Funding Bill - 27 January, 2004
- he voted against the House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
amendment on foundation hospitals - 19 November, 2003 - he voted for an outright ban on huntingHuntingHunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
with dogs - 30 June, 2003 (this was not a whipped vote and this should not be seen as a rebellion) - he voted for an anti-warAnti-warAn anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
amendment during the IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
crisis debate - 18 March, 2003
However he has also voted for the Iraq war and against motions opposing post office closures
Personal life
He married Angela Margaret Magee. They have two daughters (born January 1985 and August 1986). He is a supporter of Everton Football Club. He said "I have a passion for football. I remember, as a young man in the 1970s, watching WalesWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
play Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, my favourite football team’s stadium."
External links
- Albert Owen MP official constituency website
- Albert Owen MP Welsh Labour Party profile