Nick Palmer
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Douglas Palmer (born 5 February 1950, London) is a British
Labour Party
politician. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Broxtowe
in Nottinghamshire
from 1997
until he lost the seat at the 2010 general election to Conservative
Anna Soubry
, by 390 votes.
Described by Andrew Roth
as "quietly effective", he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS)
to the Minister of State
, Margaret Beckett
, in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
until April 2005. He then became PPS to the Minister of State
, Malcolm Wicks
, first in the Department of Trade and Industry and later in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
until Wicks stood down in October 2008.
He is fond of animals, keeps several pets and is the patron of his favourite charity, Cats Protection
. In August 2010, pursuing his interest in animals, he joined the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
as their Director of International and Corporate Relations. He remains spokesperson for Broxtowe Labour Party.
and his mother was a language teacher
. He is the cousin of Lieutenant-General Anthony Palmer, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. He married Fiona Hunter in 2000, having proposed on the terrace of the House of Commons. The ceremony took place on his birthday in the ornate 14th century Chapel of St Mary Undercroft
.
He attended International Schools in Copenhagen
and Vienna
. He speaks six language
s, despite being born with a cleft palate, and works as a professional translator of Danish
and German
for the European Commission
and other clients. He was the first person with the cleft palate disability to enter Parliament
.
He was awarded an MSc at Copenhagen University and a PhD in Mathematics
from Birkbeck College
, University of London
. He also studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) where he researched artificial intelligence
and language translation. As a computer scientist
, he developed the COMPACT clinical trial
s package for the Medical Research Council
. Joining the Swiss
pharmaceutical firm Ciba-Geigy, he became head of Novartis
Internet
Service when Ciba-Geigy merged with Novartis.
He designed and developed a computer game about the Battle of Britain
, named Their Finest Hour. He has written three books about conflict simulation games
and still attends international conventions
, winning the Diplomacy
championship
at the World Boardgaming Championships
in 2007. He co-founded and edited Flagship magazine
in 1983, covering the field of play-by-mail game
s. A keen card player, he has represented the House of Commons at bridge
.
With his secretary Philipa Coughlan (with sons Nick and Sean) and fellow MP, Liz Blackman
, he compiled a book of recipe
s favoured by MPs. For example, Tony Blair's
recipe was for Meatball and Tomato Sauce
while speaker Betty Boothroyd
preferred Stewed Oxtail
. Nick Palmer's own recipe was for Swiss-style potatoes – Berner Roesti
.
on his twenty-first birthday and was selected as the Labour candidate for the ultra-safe Tory constituency of Chelsea
in the 1983 general election
. Prior to contesting Broxtowe, he edited and published a magazine to represent the views of ordinary Labour party members - Grass Roots
.
, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
, and the Treasury Committee
. and also serves as a member of the Justice Committee
.
He suggested TV Licence exemption for over-75s
which was then adopted by the government, along with similar measures like free bus passes for the elderly.
In January 1998 Palmer introduced a bill under the Ten Minute Rule
, amending the Firearms act 1968 and raising the age for possession of air weapons, especially to prevent malicious use against pets.
In April 2000 he introduced a private members bill to presume consent for organ donation, a measure still being considered which could increase transplants by 25%.
In January 2002, he introduced a 10 minute rule bill advocating Identity Cards which was adopted by the Government. He subsequently brokered a deal to get the government's version
through the Lords
.
He campaigned for five years for bells to be fitted to all new bicycles in response to a petition from his constituents. A bill was passed making them compulsory from 1 May 2004.
He introduced a bill about fine print
, requiring a minimum size of print in documents, especially those relating to advertising and contracts.
In December 2005 he introduced another 10 minute rule bill intended to ensure speed camera warning signs displayed the limit they enforced.
In May 2008, he introduced an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990
requiring that "strictly neutral information" be provided in cases of foetal abnormality
. This was based on his parents' experience of the expert advice from pioneering surgeon Archibald McIndoe
who successfully reconstructed his cleft palate.
He has spoken in the Commons on animal welfare issues and in December 2009 he was one of 8 cross party supporters of a bill introduced by Nigel Waterson
to “make provision for residents of care homes and sheltered accommodation to keep domestic pets in certain circumstances”.
Based on his experience as a computer software developer, he spoke against the terms of the Digital Economy
bill and joined Tom Watson and Austin Mitchell
in leading a Labour rebellion against its third reading.
on Animal Welfare
, Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
and World Government
. He is a member of the East Midlands
Labour Group and serves on the Executive
of the Labour Friends of Israel
. He helped organise the visit of the Dalai Lama
to Britain in 2008, organising meetings and a special exhibit of a mandala
in the House of Commons.
In 2001 his majority increased by 2.4% against the national swing of 2.5% indicating that he had done a respectable job of representing his constituency.
Palmer’s emails, estimated sent to around 1500 constituents in 2003-2004 could build a personal vote much higher than the normal estimate of 500. "No one in Broxtowe can complain that Palmer doesn't tell them what he is doing or why he thinks what he thinks."
He responds to a "very high" percentage of constituents' letters, addressing matters of local concern such as open-cast mining and the development of the local Nottingham tramway
and in February 2008 he asked about "proposals to build on virtually the entire green belt" in Broxtowe at Prime Minister's Questions
. In June 2008 he asked the Department for Transport
about the second phase of the tram/train trials. He also organised a bus service to link Kimberley
with the Nottingham tram
at Phoenix Park.
, at Nottingham's Station St Job Centre, the first ex-MP to do so. He said this was partly to keep his national insurance
contributions continuous and partly to explore for himself what the unemployment services are like. He expected to claim no more than £5 most weeks due to his income from translation work. Palmer described the experience as sensitive but said he had received plenty of helpful suggestions and was favourably impressed. In September 2010, he became Director of International and Corporate Affairs for the BUAV.
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. He 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 Broxtowe
Broxtowe (UK Parliament constituency)
Broxtowe is a county constituency represented in 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...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
from 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...
until he lost the seat at the 2010 general election to Conservative
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...
Anna Soubry
Anna Soubry
Anna Mary Soubry is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe since the 2010 general election. She is a single mother of two children....
, by 390 votes.
Described by Andrew Roth
Andrew Roth
Andrew Roth was a biographer and journalist known for his compilation of Parliamentary Profiles, a directory of British Members of Parliament, which is available online in The Guardian...
as "quietly effective", he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS)
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 the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
, Margaret Beckett
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
, in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
until April 2005. He then became PPS to the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
, Malcolm Wicks
Malcolm Wicks
Malcolm Hunt Wicks is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Croydon North since 1997. He was MP for Croydon North West from 1992 to 1997.-Early life and education:...
, first in the Department of Trade and Industry and later in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry , and was itself disbanded on 6 June 2009 on the creation of the Department for Business,...
until Wicks stood down in October 2008.
He is fond of animals, keeps several pets and is the patron of his favourite charity, Cats Protection
Cats Protection
Cats Protection, formerly The Cats Protection League, is a UK charity dedicated to rescuing and rehoming stray, unwanted or homeless cats and educating people about cats and cat welfare. The organisation was founded as The Cats Protection League on May 16, 1927 at a meeting in Caxton Hall, London...
. In August 2010, pursuing his interest in animals, he joined the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection is a British animal protection and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal experiments...
as their Director of International and Corporate Relations. He remains spokesperson for Broxtowe Labour Party.
Background
Palmer's father was a translator/editorCopy editing
Copy editing is the work that an editor does to improve the formatting, style, and accuracy of text. Unlike general editing, copy editing might not involve changing the substance of the text. Copy refers to written or typewritten text for typesetting, printing, or publication...
and his mother was a language teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. He is the cousin of Lieutenant-General Anthony Palmer, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. He married Fiona Hunter in 2000, having proposed on the terrace of the House of Commons. The ceremony took place on his birthday in the ornate 14th century Chapel of St Mary Undercroft
St Stephen's Chapel
St Stephen's Chapel was a chapel in the old Palace of Westminster. It was largely lost in the fire of 1834, but the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the crypt survived...
.
He attended International Schools in Copenhagen
Copenhagen International School
Copenhagen International School is an international, co-educational day school located in Hellerup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. The student body consists of around 600 members representing over 50 different nationalities with English as the primary language of instruction...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He speaks six language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s, despite being born with a cleft palate, and works as a professional translator of Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and other clients. He was the first person with the cleft palate disability to enter Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
He was awarded an MSc at Copenhagen University and a PhD in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Birkbeck College
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He also studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) where he researched artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
and language translation. As a computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, he developed the COMPACT clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
s package for the Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
. Joining the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
pharmaceutical firm Ciba-Geigy, he became head of Novartis
Novartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Service when Ciba-Geigy merged with Novartis.
He designed and developed a computer game about the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, named Their Finest Hour. He has written three books about conflict simulation games
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
and still attends international conventions
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
, winning the Diplomacy
Diplomacy (game)
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in 1959. Its main distinctions from most board wargames are its negotiation phases and the absence of dice or other game elements that produce random effects...
championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
at the World Boardgaming Championships
World Boardgaming Championships
The World Boardgaming Championships is a convention held yearly since 1999 by the Boardgame Players Association. It is typically held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was last held August 2 to August 8, 2010. It is next scheduled for August 1 to August 7, 2011...
in 2007. He co-founded and edited Flagship magazine
Flagship magazine
Flagship Magazine is an independent magazine for gamers . Published in the UK, it started in 1983 for PBM players . Since its hundredth issue in 2002, it has extended its coverage to include boardgames, role-playing games, web games and massively multiplayer online games, along with collectible...
in 1983, covering the field of play-by-mail game
Play-by-mail game
Play-by-mail games, sometimes known as "Play-by-post", are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. One example, chess, has been played by mail for centuries . Another example, Diplomacy, has been played by mail since the 1960s, starting with a printed newsletter written by John...
s. A keen card player, he has represented the House of Commons at bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
.
With his secretary Philipa Coughlan (with sons Nick and Sean) and fellow MP, Liz Blackman
Liz Blackman
Elizabeth Marion "Liz" Blackman is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Erewash from 1997 to 2010. She served as a Government Whip from 2007-08.-Early life:...
, he compiled a book of recipe
Recipe
A recipe is a set of instructions that describe how to prepare or make something, especially a culinary dish.-Components:Modern culinary recipes normally consist of several components*The name of the dish...
s favoured by MPs. For example, Tony Blair's
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...
recipe was for Meatball and Tomato Sauce
Meatball
A meatball is made from an amount of ground meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, minced onion, spices, and possibly eggs...
while speaker Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons...
preferred Stewed Oxtail
Oxtail
Oxtail is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. Formerly, it referred only to the tail of an ox or steer, a castrated male. An oxtail typically weighs 2 to 4 lbs. and is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is usually slow-cooked, often stewed or...
. Nick Palmer's own recipe was for Swiss-style potatoes – Berner Roesti
Rösti
Rösti is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes. It was originally a common breakfast eaten by farmers in the canton of Bern, but today is eaten all over Switzerland and also in many restaurants in the Western World. Many Swiss people consider rösti a national dish...
.
Career as an MP
Palmer joined the 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...
on his twenty-first birthday and was selected as the Labour candidate for the ultra-safe Tory constituency of Chelsea
Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelsea was a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1867 for the 1868 general election, when it returned two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system of election.Under the...
in the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
. Prior to contesting Broxtowe, he edited and published a magazine to represent the views of ordinary Labour party members - Grass Roots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
.
Legislation and Committee Work
He has served on a number of Select Committees including the European Scrutiny CommitteeEuropean Scrutiny Committee
The European Scrutiny Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to assess the legal and political importance of each EU document, and decide which EU documents are debated...
, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
The Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, and the Treasury Committee
Treasury Committee
The House of Commons Treasury Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. and also serves as a member of the Justice Committee
Justice Committee
The Justice Select Committee of the United Kingdom is a select committee of the House of Commons which scrutinizes the policy, administration, and spending of the Ministry of Justice. In addition, the committee examines the work of the Law Officers of the Crown, the Serious Fraud Office , and the...
.
He suggested TV Licence exemption for over-75s
Television licensing in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, any household watching or recording live television transmissions is required to purchase a television licence every year. As of 2010, this costs £145.50 for colour and £49.00 for black and white. The licence is required to receive any live...
which was then adopted by the government, along with similar measures like free bus passes for the elderly.
In January 1998 Palmer introduced a bill under the Ten Minute Rule
Ten Minute Rule
The Ten Minute Rule, also known as Standing Order No. 23, is a procedure in the British Parliament for the introduction of Private Member's Bills in addition to the 20 per session normally permissible. It is one of the ways in which a bill may receive its first reading.Any MP may introduce a bill...
, amending the Firearms act 1968 and raising the age for possession of air weapons, especially to prevent malicious use against pets.
In April 2000 he introduced a private members bill to presume consent for organ donation, a measure still being considered which could increase transplants by 25%.
In January 2002, he introduced a 10 minute rule bill advocating Identity Cards which was adopted by the Government. He subsequently brokered a deal to get the government's version
through the Lords
House of Lords
The 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....
.
He campaigned for five years for bells to be fitted to all new bicycles in response to a petition from his constituents. A bill was passed making them compulsory from 1 May 2004.
He introduced a bill about fine print
Fine print
Fine print, small print, or "mouseprint" is less noticeable print smaller than the more obvious larger print it accompanies that advertises or otherwise describes or partially describes a commercial product or service...
, requiring a minimum size of print in documents, especially those relating to advertising and contracts.
In December 2005 he introduced another 10 minute rule bill intended to ensure speed camera warning signs displayed the limit they enforced.
In May 2008, he introduced an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990
The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Coverage:The act covers several areas:# The licensing of human fertility treatment involving the use of donated genetic material ....
requiring that "strictly neutral information" be provided in cases of foetal abnormality
Congenital disorder
A congenital disorder, or congenital disease, is a condition existing at birth and often before birth, or that develops during the first month of life , regardless of causation...
. This was based on his parents' experience of the expert advice from pioneering surgeon Archibald McIndoe
Archibald McIndoe
Sir Archibald McIndoe CBE FRCS was a pioneering New Zealand plastic surgeon who worked for the Royal Air Force during World War II. He greatly improved the treatment and rehabilitation of badly burned aircrew.-Background:...
who successfully reconstructed his cleft palate.
He has spoken in the Commons on animal welfare issues and in December 2009 he was one of 8 cross party supporters of a bill introduced by Nigel Waterson
Nigel Waterson
Nigel Christopher Waterson is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Conservative Party member of Parliament for Eastbourne until the 2010 election. He was first elected in 1992...
to “make provision for residents of care homes and sheltered accommodation to keep domestic pets in certain circumstances”.
Based on his experience as a computer software developer, he spoke against the terms of the Digital Economy
Digital Economy Act 2010
The Digital Economy Act 2010 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom regulating digital media. Introduced by Peter Mandelson, Lord Mandelson, it received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010, and came into force on 8 June 2010 The Digital Economy Act 2010 (c. 24) is an Act of the Parliament of...
bill and joined Tom Watson and Austin Mitchell
Austin Mitchell
Austin Vernon Mitchell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby since a 1977 by-election.-Education and early life:...
in leading a Labour rebellion against its third reading.
Interest Groups
Palmer belongs to an All-Party Parliamentary GroupAll-Party Parliamentary Group
An all-party parliamentary group is a grouping in the UK parliament that is composed of politicians from all political parties.-All-party parliamentary groups:...
on Animal Welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
, Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
Alternatives to animal testing
Many scientists and governments say that animal testing should cause as little suffering as possible, and some argue that alternatives to animal testing need to be developed...
and World Government
All-Party Group for World Government
The All-Party Group for World Governance, previously the All-Party Group for World Government, founded by Henry Usborne in 1947, is one of the oldest groups in the British Parliament. At its peak, it had over 200 members from the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Group founded the One...
. He is a member of the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
Labour Group and serves on the Executive
Senior management
Senior management, executive management, or management team is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation, they hold specific executive powers conferred onto them with and by...
of the Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel is a lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British and the Israeli Labour party...
. He helped organise the visit of the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
to Britain in 2008, organising meetings and a special exhibit of a mandala
Mandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
in the House of Commons.
Constituency
Palmer’s success in Broxtowe in 1997 was unexpected.In 2001 his majority increased by 2.4% against the national swing of 2.5% indicating that he had done a respectable job of representing his constituency.
Palmer’s emails, estimated sent to around 1500 constituents in 2003-2004 could build a personal vote much higher than the normal estimate of 500. "No one in Broxtowe can complain that Palmer doesn't tell them what he is doing or why he thinks what he thinks."
He responds to a "very high" percentage of constituents' letters, addressing matters of local concern such as open-cast mining and the development of the local Nottingham tramway
Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
and in February 2008 he asked about "proposals to build on virtually the entire green belt" in Broxtowe at Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime minister's questions is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom that takes place every Wednesday during which the prime minister spends half an hour answering questions from members of parliament...
. In June 2008 he asked the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
about the second phase of the tram/train trials. He also organised a bus service to link Kimberley
Kimberley, Nottinghamshire
Kimberley is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, lying 6 miles northwest of Nottingham along the A610. The town grew as a centre for coal mining, brewing and hosiery manufacturing...
with the Nottingham tram
Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
at Phoenix Park.
Post Parliamentary career
A month after losing his seat in the 2010 UK General Election, Palmer signed on for unemployment benefitJobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance is a United Kingdom benefit, colloquially known as the dole . It is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and seeking work. It is part of the social security benefits system and is intended to cover living expenses while the...
, at Nottingham's Station St Job Centre, the first ex-MP to do so. He said this was partly to keep his national insurance
National Insurance
National Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
contributions continuous and partly to explore for himself what the unemployment services are like. He expected to claim no more than £5 most weeks due to his income from translation work. Palmer described the experience as sensitive but said he had received plenty of helpful suggestions and was favourably impressed. In September 2010, he became Director of International and Corporate Affairs for the BUAV.