Michael Clapham
Encyclopedia
Michael Clapham is a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Barnsley West and Penistone from 1992
to 2010.
, in Barnsley
, Mick Clapham was educated at the Darton
Secondary Modern School on Churchfield Lane (now Darton High School) and the Barnsley Technical College
. After leaving school in 1958, he was a coal miner
for 12 years before he returned to education at Leeds Polytechnic
, where he received a Bachelor of Science
degree
with honours in 1973. He earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
at the University of Leeds
in 1974, and a Master of Philosophy at the University of Bradford
in 1990.
In 1974, he lectured
in trade union studies at the Whitwood College in Castleford
(now the Whitwood Campus of Wakefield College), before joining the National Union of Mineworkers in 1977 as a claims officer, becoming its head of industrial relations
in 1983, the position he held for the duration of the miners' strike of 1984-1985, he stepped down on his election to the House of Commons in 1992.
following the retirement of Allen McKay
, holding the seat with a majority of 14,504. He made his maiden speech
, speaking on the concerns in the local coal mining industry, on 6 May 1992.
Clapham is a left-winger and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
, rebelling against the government on various issues. He was a member of the Trade and Industry Committee from 1992 to 1997 and again from 2003; in between he was Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Alan Milburn
following the 1997 general election
, but he resigned over Harriet Harman
's decision to cut lone parent benefits in December of that year. He used to be very loyal to his old boss Arthur Scargill
, but later criticised him for being too Stalinist
.
His voting record shows him to be against many of Tony Blair
's policies, including ID cards, student top-up fees and the Iraq war.
Clapham announced he would stand down at the next general election; his constituency became part of the new constituency of Penistone and Stocksbridge
.
. He is also a supporter of Republic
, a campaign to replace the British Monarchy
with an elected head of state. He has been married to Yvonne Hallsworth since 1965 and they have a son and a daughter.
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 Barnsley West and Penistone from 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
to 2010.
Early life
Born in DartonDarton
Darton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley , on the border with West Yorkshire. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of approximately 14,927...
, in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, Mick Clapham was educated at the Darton
Darton
Darton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley , on the border with West Yorkshire. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of approximately 14,927...
Secondary Modern School on Churchfield Lane (now Darton High School) and the Barnsley Technical College
Barnsley College
Barnsley College is a further education college just outside the town centre of Barnsley, England. It has several campuses: Eastgate House, the Falcon Centre, the SciTech Centre, Old Mill Lane Site, Construction Centre Site, Bell Vue and the Honeywell Centre...
. After leaving school in 1958, he was a coal miner
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
for 12 years before he returned to education at Leeds Polytechnic
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
, where he received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
with honours in 1973. He earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one-year course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for undergraduate degree holders that allows them to train to be a teacher....
at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in 1974, and a Master of Philosophy at the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
in 1990.
In 1974, he lectured
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in trade union studies at the Whitwood College in Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
(now the Whitwood Campus of Wakefield College), before joining the National Union of Mineworkers in 1977 as a claims officer, becoming its head of industrial relations
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
in 1983, the position he held for the duration of the miners' strike of 1984-1985, he stepped down on his election to the House of Commons in 1992.
Parliamentary career
Clapham was the treasurer of the Barnsley West and Penistone Constituency Labour Party after 1983. He was elected as the MP there at the 1992 General ElectionUnited Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
following the retirement of Allen McKay
Allen McKay
Allen McKay is a retired British Labour Party politician.Born in Barnsley, McKay was elected Member of Parliament for the South Yorkshire constituency of Penistone in a 1978 by-election followig the death of the Labour MP John Mendelson, serving there until the seat was abolished for the 1983...
, holding the seat with a majority of 14,504. He made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
, speaking on the concerns in the local coal mining industry, on 6 May 1992.
Clapham is a left-winger and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
Socialist Campaign Group
The Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing democratic socialist grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was formed in December 1982 as an alternative Parliamentary left-wing group to the Tribune Group...
, rebelling against the government on various issues. He was a member of the Trade and Industry Committee from 1992 to 1997 and again from 2003; in between he was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Alan Milburn
Alan Milburn
Alan Milburn is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Darlington from 1992 until 2010...
following 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...
, but he resigned over Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
's decision to cut lone parent benefits in December of that year. He used to be very loyal to his old boss Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
, but later criticised him for being too Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
.
His voting record shows him to be against many of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's policies, including ID cards, student top-up fees and the Iraq war.
Clapham announced he would stand down at the next general election; his constituency became part of the new constituency of Penistone and Stocksbridge
Penistone and Stocksbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Penistone and Stocksbridge is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was contested for the first time at the 2010 general election, and returns one Member of Parliament elected by the first past the post system of election.-...
.
Personal life
Clapham is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist AssociationBritish Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
. He is also a supporter of Republic
Republic (political organisation)
Republic is a British non-partisan republican pressure group advocating the replacement of the United Kingdom's monarchy with a democratically-elected head of state....
, a campaign to replace the British Monarchy
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
with an elected head of state. He has been married to Yvonne Hallsworth since 1965 and they have a son and a daughter.