Mark Langhammer
Encyclopedia
Mark Langhammer is a trade unionist, employed as Director of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and elected onto the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in 2008, being re-elected in 2010. A former politician
in Northern Ireland
, and previously a prominent northern-based member of the Irish Labour Party.
to organise in Northern Ireland. He stood unsuccessfully for Newtownabbey Borough Council
in Doagh Road in 1985 for the 'All Night Party'. Although Langhammer polled over 200 votes his four running mates polled poorly, with one polling just one vote, which as of November 2008, remains a record low in Northern Ireland council elections. In 1989, he stood in the European Parliament election as a "Labour Representation" candidate, polling 3,540 votes.
, and in 1993
was elected to Newtownabbey Borough Council for Macedon. The Campaign for Labour Representation disbanded, having accepted that the British Labour Party had no intention of organising in Northern Ireland, and Langhammer instead began lobbying the Irish Labour Party to do so.
, formed in 1996 to contest elections to the Northern Ireland Forum
. He headed the group's list in the Belfast North
constituency, but this took only 571 votes, and he was not elected. He also took third position on the Coalition's regional list, but only the first two candidates were successful. Amid turmoil in the Coalition, Langhammer refused to take part in the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement, holding that the set-up for them was "institutionalised sectarianism".
Langhammer held his council seat in 1997
and 2001
before standing down in 2005
. In 2002, he was injured in a pipe bomb
attack, which police attributed to loyalist
paramilitaries
.
Langhammer stood down as a councillor in 2005.
Langhammer stood down from the NEC in 2008. Langhammer unsuccessfully proposed a motion for the party to contest council elections in the North at the 2009 Labour Party conference, which was defeated. Although remaining a Labour Party member, Langhammer is no longer active in the Party, or its Northern Ireland Constituency Party.
established in the loyalist Rathcoole
area, where the South East Antrim Brigade
of the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) was particularly noted for racketeering and violence. Following Langhammer's campaigning the police agreed to establish a clinic at a local community centre although this initiative raised the ire of the local UDA Brigadier John Gregg
who saw it as a threat to his criminal empire. In September that same year a pipe bomb was left under Langhammer's car outside his Whiteabbey
home although it exploded in the early hours with no one hurt.
x. He was subsequently the Chair of Playboard NI.
He is a Director of Crusaders F.C.
, and is one of the key drivers behind efforts for a shared, cross community stadium in North Belfast between Crusaders FC and Newington F.C.
region of Czechoslovakia
. Franz Langhammer was forced to flee the country when the Nazis
invaded in 1938 and he opted to move to Northern Ireland as he felt his background as a printer would help him to obtain work in the then thriving textile industry. His cousin and boyhood friend Michael Stewart was killed in the September 11 attacks, being on the 91st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center
when the plane collided.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and previously a prominent northern-based member of the Irish Labour Party.
Early career
Initially a community activist in North Belfast's Rathcoole housing estate, Langhammer first became involved in politics in the 1980s, joining the Campaign for Labour Representation, which aimed to persuade the British Labour PartyLabour 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...
to organise in Northern Ireland. He stood unsuccessfully for Newtownabbey Borough Council
Newtownabbey Borough Council
Newtownabbey Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Newtownabbey has a population of over 80,000 and is on the north shore of Belfast Lough just immediately north of Belfast. The Borough was founded in 1958 as a result of an Act of Parliament passed in 1957 and...
in Doagh Road in 1985 for the 'All Night Party'. Although Langhammer polled over 200 votes his four running mates polled poorly, with one polling just one vote, which as of November 2008, remains a record low in Northern Ireland council elections. In 1989, he stood in the European Parliament election as a "Labour Representation" candidate, polling 3,540 votes.
Newtownabbey
Langhammer subsequently joined the Newtownabbey Labour PartyNewtownabbey Labour Party
The Newtownabbey Labour Party is a minor political party based in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.The party originated as the Newtownabbey branch of the Northern Ireland Labour Party. It left its parent organisation in the 1970s...
, and in 1993
Northern Ireland local elections, 1993
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland on 19 May 1993.-Overall:-Belfast:-References:...
was elected to Newtownabbey Borough Council for Macedon. The Campaign for Labour Representation disbanded, having accepted that the British Labour Party had no intention of organising in Northern Ireland, and Langhammer instead began lobbying the Irish Labour Party to do so.
Labour Coalition
Langhammer was initially recognised as the leader of the Labour CoalitionLabour Coalition
The Labour Coalition was an electoral coalition in Northern Ireland of left wing and labour groups, formed to stand in the 1996 Northern Ireland Forum elections...
, formed in 1996 to contest elections to the Northern Ireland Forum
Northern Ireland Forum
The Northern Ireland Forum was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the Belfast Agreement in 1998....
. He headed the group's list in the Belfast North
Belfast North (Assembly constituency)
Belfast North is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
constituency, but this took only 571 votes, and he was not elected. He also took third position on the Coalition's regional list, but only the first two candidates were successful. Amid turmoil in the Coalition, Langhammer refused to take part in the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement, holding that the set-up for them was "institutionalised sectarianism".
Langhammer held his council seat in 1997
Northern Ireland local elections, 1997
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland on 21 May 1997, shortly after the 1997 general election across the entire United Kingdom.-Overall:-Belfast:-References:...
and 2001
Northern Ireland local elections, 2001
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland on 7 June 2001 along with the 2001 general election across the entire United Kingdom.-Overall:-Belfast:-References:...
before standing down in 2005
Northern Ireland local elections, 2005
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland on 5 May 2005 along with the 2005 general election across the entire United Kingdom and local elections in England.-Results:-Belfast:-Derry:...
. In 2002, he was injured in a pipe bomb
Pipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
attack, which police attributed to loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
paramilitaries
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
.
Langhammer stood down as a councillor in 2005.
Irish Labour Party
In 2003, the Irish Labour Party began admitting members in the north, and the following year, Langhammer became the Chair of the Northern Ireland Labour Forum, the local branch of the party. In 2005, he was unsuccessful in elections to the Labour Party NEC, but was co-opted on the proposal of Kathleen Lynch.Langhammer stood down from the NEC in 2008. Langhammer unsuccessfully proposed a motion for the party to contest council elections in the North at the 2009 Labour Party conference, which was defeated. Although remaining a Labour Party member, Langhammer is no longer active in the Party, or its Northern Ireland Constituency Party.
Clash with UDA
In 2001 Langhammer campaigned to have a permanent Police Service of Northern IrelandPolice Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....
established in the loyalist Rathcoole
Rathcoole
Rathcoole may refer to:* Rathcoole, Dublin, a village in south Dublin, Republic of Ireland* Rathcoole , a large housing estate in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK* Rathcoole Aerodrome Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland...
area, where the South East Antrim Brigade
UDA South East Antrim Brigade
The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was one of the six paramilitaries of the Ulster Defence Association . It operated in County Antrim, mainly in Newtownabbey, Larne and Antrim. The Guardian has identified it as "one of the most dangerous factions"...
of the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) was particularly noted for racketeering and violence. Following Langhammer's campaigning the police agreed to establish a clinic at a local community centre although this initiative raised the ire of the local UDA Brigadier John Gregg
John Gregg (UDA)
John Gregg was a senior member of the UDA/UFF loyalist organisation in Northern Ireland. From the 1990s until his shooting death by rival associates, he served as brigadier of its South East Antrim Brigade...
who saw it as a threat to his criminal empire. In September that same year a pipe bomb was left under Langhammer's car outside his Whiteabbey
Whiteabbey
Whiteabbey is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough...
home although it exploded in the early hours with no one hurt.
Other interests
From 1994 until 1998, Langhammer was the Chair of the Northern Ireland Association of Citizens Advice BureauCitizens 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....
x. He was subsequently the Chair of Playboard NI.
He is a Director of Crusaders F.C.
Crusaders F.C.
Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005...
, and is one of the key drivers behind efforts for a shared, cross community stadium in North Belfast between Crusaders FC and Newington F.C.
Personal life
Langhammer's grandfather was Franz Langhammer, a socialist councillor in the SudetenlandSudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
region of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Franz Langhammer was forced to flee the country when the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded in 1938 and he opted to move to Northern Ireland as he felt his background as a printer would help him to obtain work in the then thriving textile industry. His cousin and boyhood friend Michael Stewart was killed in the September 11 attacks, being on the 91st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
when the plane collided.