Helen Liddell
Encyclopedia
Helen Lawrie Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke (born 6 December 1950) is a British
Labour Party
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Monklands East
from 1994
to 1997
, and then for Airdrie and Shotts
until 2005
, whereafter she became the British High Commissioner to Australia until 2009. She also served as a Cabinet Minister
as Secretary of State for Scotland
.
On 28 May 2010 it was announced in the Dissolution Honours List
that she would be made a life peer
.
father and a Protestant mother, and she was educated at St. Patrick's Catholic High School on Muiryhall Street in Coatbridge
, and attended at the same time as John Reid, whom she later replaced as Secretary of State for Scotland
and also made way for as MP for Airdrie and Shotts
.
She gained a BA
in Economics from the University of Strathclyde
. She is a member of the Labour Party
and was the first female general secretary
of the Scottish Labour Party
at the age of 26 from 1977-8.
economics journalist from 1976-7, Liddell has taken flak for her closeness to media proprietor Robert Maxwell
. Working as aide she famously followed him on one occasion in to a Gents' toilet while being recorded by a TV crew, she was also the public affairs
director of Maxwell's Scottish Daily Record
.
After Maxwell's disgrace she tried to distance herself from him claiming that she had never worked for Maxwell.
Liddell was first elected to Parliament in 1994, at the closely fought Monklands East by-election
following John Smith
's death.
She was Secretary of State for Scotland
from 2001 to 2003, a position whose powers had been transferred to the Scottish Executive
after devolution
in 1999. She was a controversial character, dubbed Stalin's granny, Attila the Hen and the Nat Basher in Chief (because of her constant attacks on the Scottish National Party
). In addition she angered the monks of Buckfast Abbey
when she called on them to stop selling Buckfast Tonic Wine
in Scotland
. She was also dubbed Minister for Monarch of the Glen after several visits to the set of the hit BBC series.
The disclosure that she was able to work French
lessons into her ministerial diary raised questions about the relevance of Scottish Secretary's job post-devolution
and it was abolished as a full-time position in 2003, when the Scotland Office
was rolled into the Department for Constitutional Affairs
.
to Australia in the summer of 2005. She was succeeded in the role by Valerie Amos
in October 2009.
Like all former Cabinet ministers, she remains a member of the Privy Council
.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 who was the 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 Monklands East
Monklands East (UK Parliament constituency)
Monklands East was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system...
from 1994
Monklands East by-election, 1994
The Monklands East by-election was held on 30 June 1994, following the death of the Leader of the Labour Party John Smith, Member of Parliament for Monklands East in Scotland, on 12 May....
to 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, and then for Airdrie and Shotts
Airdrie and Shotts (UK Parliament constituency)
Airdrie and Shotts is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in central Scotland within the North Lanarkshire council area. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting....
until 2005
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....
, whereafter she became the British High Commissioner to Australia until 2009. She also served as a Cabinet Minister
Blair Ministry
Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for three successive parliamentary terms from 1997-2007. His Cabinet was reshuffled for each new parliament as well as changed during the three periods.-Formation:...
as Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
.
On 28 May 2010 it was announced in the Dissolution Honours List
2010 Dissolution Honours
The 2010 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 28 May 2010 at the advice of outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The list was gazetted on 15 June.-Life Peerages:Conservative* Timothy Boswell* Angela Browning* John Gummer* Michael Howard...
that she would be made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
.
Early life
She was born Helen Lawrie Reilly, the daughter of a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
father and a Protestant mother, and she was educated at St. Patrick's Catholic High School on Muiryhall Street in Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
, and attended at the same time as John Reid, whom she later replaced as Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
and also made way for as MP for Airdrie and Shotts
Airdrie and Shotts (UK Parliament constituency)
Airdrie and Shotts is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in central Scotland within the North Lanarkshire council area. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting....
.
She 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 Economics from the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
. She is a member of the 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...
and was the first female general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
of the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
at the age of 26 from 1977-8.
Early career
A former BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
economics journalist from 1976-7, Liddell has taken flak for her closeness to media proprietor Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
. Working as aide she famously followed him on one occasion in to a Gents' toilet while being recorded by a TV crew, she was also the public affairs
Public affairs
Public affairs may refer to:* Public administration* Public affairs * Public affairs * PublicAffairs, a USA publishing company* Public Affairs , a Czech political party...
director of Maxwell's Scottish Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
.
After Maxwell's disgrace she tried to distance herself from him claiming that she had never worked for Maxwell.
Parliamentary career
She contested East Fife in October 1974.Liddell was first elected to Parliament in 1994, at the closely fought Monklands East by-election
Monklands East by-election, 1994
The Monklands East by-election was held on 30 June 1994, following the death of the Leader of the Labour Party John Smith, Member of Parliament for Monklands East in Scotland, on 12 May....
following John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
's death.
She was Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
from 2001 to 2003, a position whose powers had been transferred to the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
after devolution
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
in 1999. She was a controversial character, dubbed Stalin's granny, Attila the Hen and the Nat Basher in Chief (because of her constant attacks on the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
). In addition she angered the monks of Buckfast Abbey
Buckfast Abbey
Buckfast Abbey forms part of an active Benedictine monastery at Buckfast, near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. Dedicated to Saint Mary, it was founded in 1018 and run by the Cistercian order from 1147 until it was destroyed under the Dissolution of the Monasteries...
when she called on them to stop selling Buckfast Tonic Wine
Buckfast Tonic Wine
Buckfast Tonic Wine, commonly known as Buckfast or Buckie or Tonic , is a fortified wine licensed by Buckfast Abbey in Devon, south west England. It is distributed by J...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. She was also dubbed Minister for Monarch of the Glen after several visits to the set of the hit BBC series.
The disclosure that she was able to work French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
lessons into her ministerial diary raised questions about the relevance of Scottish Secretary's job post-devolution
History of Scottish devolution
The decision of the Parliament of Scotland to ratify the Treaty of Union in 1707 was not unanimous and from that time, individuals and organizations have advocated the return of a Scottish Parliament. Some have argued for devolution - a Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom - whereas others...
and it was abolished as a full-time position in 2003, when the Scotland Office
Scotland Office
The Scotland Office is a United Kingdom government department headed by the Secretary of State for Scotland and responsible for Scottish affairs...
was rolled into the Department for Constitutional Affairs
Department for Constitutional Affairs
The Department for Constitutional Affairs was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003 with the intention of replacing the Lord Chancellor's Department...
.
After politics
She took up appointment as the UK's High CommissionerHigh Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to Australia in the summer of 2005. She was succeeded in the role by Valerie Amos
Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos
Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos, PC is the eighth and current UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to the UN, she had been British High Commissioner to Australia. She was made a Labour life peer in 1997 and served as Leader...
in October 2009.
Like all former Cabinet ministers, she remains a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
.
External links
- Guardian Politics Ask Aristotle - Helen Liddell
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Helen Liddell MP
- Satirical website dedicated to Helen Liddell
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