Irvine Patnick
Encyclopedia
Sir Cyril Irvine Patnick, known as Irvine Patnick OBE
(born 29 October 1929) is a British businessman and former Conservative Party
politician.
He was educated in Sheffield
at the Central Technical School followed by Sheffield Polytechnic. A building contractor, Irvine Patnick entered politics as a member of Sheffield City Council
. He was elected as Member of Parliament
for Sheffield Hallam in 1987
. During his time as an MP he was a Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury
and deputy Chairman of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Select Committee. He left politics after he lost his seat in the 1997 general election
to the Liberal Democrat
Richard Allan
.
Patnick was one of the sources for The Sun
newspaper's notorious coverage of the Hillsborough disaster
. Sun editor Kelvin Mackenzie
later said of his coverage "It was a fundamental mistake. The mistake was I believed what an MP said."
Patnick is on the Right-wing of the Conservative Party. He was against sanctions
on apartheid South Africa
, voted to reintroduce the death penalty, strongly supported Section 28
and, in a similar vein, opposed reducing the age of consent
for homosexuals. He coined the phrase 'People's Republic of South Yorkshire
' in reference to the hard left
policies of the Sheffield City Council
under the direction of David Blunkett
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 29 October 1929) is a British businessman and former Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
He was educated in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
at the Central Technical School followed by Sheffield Polytechnic. A building contractor, Irvine Patnick entered politics as a member of Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
. He was elected as 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,...
for Sheffield Hallam in 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. During his time as an MP he was a Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
and deputy Chairman of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Select Committee. He left politics after he lost his seat in the 1997 general election
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...
to the Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Richard Allan
Richard Allan
Richard Beecroft Allan, Baron Allan of Hallam was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam from the general election of Thursday 2 May 1997 until the dissolution of Parliament on 11 April 2005...
.
Patnick was one of the sources for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper's notorious coverage of the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
. Sun editor Kelvin Mackenzie
Kelvin MacKenzie
Kelvin Calder MacKenzie is an English media executive and former newspaper editor. He is best known for being editor of The Sun newspaper between 1981 and 1994, an era in which the paper was established as Britain's best selling newspaper.- Biography :MacKenzie was educated at Alleyn's School...
later said of his coverage "It was a fundamental mistake. The mistake was I believed what an MP said."
Patnick is on the Right-wing of the Conservative Party. He was against sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
on apartheid South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, voted to reintroduce the death penalty, strongly supported Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
and, in a similar vein, opposed reducing the age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
for homosexuals. He coined the phrase 'People's Republic of South Yorkshire
People's Republic of South Yorkshire
The People's Republic of South Yorkshire or The Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, is a satirical reference to Sheffield. It refers to the left-wing Labour administration of Sheffield City Council during the 1980s, under the leadership of David Blunkett.The expression is said to have been...
' in reference to the hard left
Hard left
Hard left is a name often given to an internal tendency within the British Labour Party. Similar terminology is used also in the context of the Australian Labor Party....
policies of the Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
under the direction of David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
.