Simon Mackay, Baron Tanlaw
Encyclopedia
Simon Brooke Mackay, Baron Tanlaw (born 30 March 1934) is a crossbench member of the House of Lords
.
, the final White Rajah of Sarawak
, and his wife the Ranee Sylvia.
Simon Mackay served as second lieutenant
with the XII Royal Lancers in Malaya
between 1952 and 1954. He married Joanna Susan Hirsch in 1959 and they had two sons, James Brooke and Joshua Alexander, and two daughters, Iona Heloise and Rebecca Alexandra. Mackay and Hirsch later divorced.
He married his second wife, Malaysian Rina Siew Yong, in 1974. They have a son, Brooke Brooke, and a daughter, Asia Brooke. Tanlaw has five grandchildren.
Tanlaw takes a particular interest in south-east Asia, in particular Malaysia. He was a director of the family firm, Inchcape plc
, with many business interests in the region from 1967 to the mid-1990s, at which point Mackay family involvement in the company ceased. The business was subsequently restructured into an Auto only company. Tanlaw currently owns Fandstan Electric Group Ltd, a railway and engineering company.
In the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
, Tanlaw and his family were ranked equal 1259th, with an estimated fortune of £
60 million.
Lord Tanlaw is Chancellor of the University of Buckingham
. He was appointed in April 2010, in succession to Sir Martin Jacomb. Tanlaw has served as both president and treasurer of the Sarawak Association and is a member of the Oriental Club
, London and White's
, London. He was a member of the executive committee of the Great Britain-China Centre between 1981 and 1988.
candidate for Galloway
in 1959, and by the late 1960s was joint Treasurer of the Scottish Liberal Party. He was created a life peer
in 1971 as Baron Tanlaw, of Tanlawhill in the County of Dumfries
.
Lord Tanlaw now sits in the House of Lords
as a crossbencher. He attends the chamber and votes regularly, and takes a particular interest in debates concerning energy conservation
, global warming
and the environment
.
, Lord Tanlaw is a Fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society
and the British Horological Institute
. In 2005, he introduced the Lighter Evenings (Experiment) Bill, which would move the United Kingdom
's time zone
forward by one hour, to UTC+1 in the winter and UTC+2 in the summer, for a trial period of three years. Lord Tanlaw claims that this would reduce accidents in the winter as the evenings would be lighter, and has the backing of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
. Opponents fear that it would have an adverse effect on people living in Scotland
and northern England
, where the mornings would be much darker. A similar experiment, known as British Standard Time, was trialled between 1968 and 1971 before being abandoned. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 24 March 2006. The government had already rejected the proposal the previous year.
Lord Tanlaw persists in pressing his case for a change of time zone. Most of his recent appearances in the House of Lords have been to argue for lighter evenings, which he does when there is only the most tenuous link to the topic being debated in the chamber. Such has his reputation become that other Lords are able to predict when the issue will be raised by Lord Tanlaw's appearance in his usual seat on the cross-benches. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2006-12-14a.1617.0&s=speaker%3A13207#g1617.5
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....
.
Family and business interests
Tanlaw is the third son of the 2nd Earl of Inchcape. His mother, the 1st Earl's second wife, was Leonora Margaret Brooke, daughter of Sir Charles Vyner BrookeCharles Vyner Brooke
Vyner, Rajah of Sarawak, GCMG was the third and final White Rajah of Sarawak.-Early life:...
, the final White Rajah of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, and his wife the Ranee Sylvia.
Simon Mackay served as second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
with the XII Royal Lancers in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
between 1952 and 1954. He married Joanna Susan Hirsch in 1959 and they had two sons, James Brooke and Joshua Alexander, and two daughters, Iona Heloise and Rebecca Alexandra. Mackay and Hirsch later divorced.
He married his second wife, Malaysian Rina Siew Yong, in 1974. They have a son, Brooke Brooke, and a daughter, Asia Brooke. Tanlaw has five grandchildren.
Tanlaw takes a particular interest in south-east Asia, in particular Malaysia. He was a director of the family firm, Inchcape plc
Inchcape plc
Inchcape plc is a multinational automotive retail and services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has operations in 26 countries across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and South America....
, with many business interests in the region from 1967 to the mid-1990s, at which point Mackay family involvement in the company ceased. The business was subsequently restructured into an Auto only company. Tanlaw currently owns Fandstan Electric Group Ltd, a railway and engineering company.
In the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
Sunday Times Rich List 2008
The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 was published on 27 April 2008.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
, Tanlaw and his family were ranked equal 1259th, with an estimated fortune of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
60 million.
Lord Tanlaw is Chancellor of the University of Buckingham
University of Buckingham
The University of Buckingham is an independent, non-sectarian, research and teaching university located in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Great Ouse. It was originally founded as Buckingham University College in the 1970s and received its Royal Charter from the...
. He was appointed in April 2010, in succession to Sir Martin Jacomb. Tanlaw has served as both president and treasurer of the Sarawak Association and is a member of the Oriental Club
Oriental Club
The Oriental Club in London is a traditional private members' club established in 1824 that now admits both gentlemen and ladies to membership...
, London and White's
White's
White's is a London gentlemen's club, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco . Originally it was established to sell hot chocolate, a rare and expensive commodity at the time...
, London. He was a member of the executive committee of the Great Britain-China Centre between 1981 and 1988.
Political life
Simon Mackay was the unsuccessful LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate for Galloway
Galloway (UK Parliament constituency)
Galloway was a county constituency in the Galloway area of Scotland. It elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system....
in 1959, and by the late 1960s was joint Treasurer of the Scottish Liberal Party. He was created 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...
in 1971 as Baron Tanlaw, of Tanlawhill in the County of Dumfries
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
.
Lord Tanlaw now sits in the House of 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....
as a crossbencher. He attends the chamber and votes regularly, and takes a particular interest in debates concerning energy conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and the environment
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
.
Lighter Evenings Bill
A keen amateur horologistHorology
Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...
, Lord Tanlaw is a Fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
and the British Horological Institute
British Horological Institute
The British Horological Institute is the representative body of the horological industry in the United Kingdom.-History:...
. In 2005, he introduced the Lighter Evenings (Experiment) Bill, which would move the United Kingdom
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...
's time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
forward by one hour, to UTC+1 in the winter and UTC+2 in the summer, for a trial period of three years. Lord Tanlaw claims that this would reduce accidents in the winter as the evenings would be lighter, and has the backing of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a British charity which aims to promote safety. It is particularly known for its vocal campaigns on issues of road safety, including Tufty the road crossing squirrel, the Cycling Proficiency Test and the Green Cross Code, as well as on issues of...
. Opponents fear that it would have an adverse effect on people living 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...
and northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, where the mornings would be much darker. A similar experiment, known as British Standard Time, was trialled between 1968 and 1971 before being abandoned. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 24 March 2006. The government had already rejected the proposal the previous year.
Lord Tanlaw persists in pressing his case for a change of time zone. Most of his recent appearances in the House of Lords have been to argue for lighter evenings, which he does when there is only the most tenuous link to the topic being debated in the chamber. Such has his reputation become that other Lords are able to predict when the issue will be raised by Lord Tanlaw's appearance in his usual seat on the cross-benches. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2006-12-14a.1617.0&s=speaker%3A13207#g1617.5