Simon Mahon
Encyclopedia
Simon Mahon was a British
Labour Party
politician.
Simon Mahon was born into an Irish
Roman Catholic family in Bootle
that was immersed in Liverpool
Labour politics. His father, Alderman
Simon Mahon (1886–1961), was a well-known local politician, who also stood unsuccessfully for Parliament. His brother, Peter Mahon
, was elected MP for Preston South
in 1964.
Mahon was educated at St. Joseph's Irish Christian Brothers school and at St. James' School, Bootle
, Liverpool
. He became a general contractor. He was commissioned in the Royal Engineers
during World War II
and served with the Indian Army
in the Far East
.
In 1941 he married Veronica Robertshaw. There were no children.
Mahon was a councillor and later an alderman
of Bootle Borough Council and was chairman of the housing committee and Mayor
of Bootle from 1962 to 1963. He was chairman of Bootle Trades Council and Labour Party.
Mahon was Member of Parliament
for Bootle
from 1955 to 1979. He served as an opposition whip
from 1959 to 1961.
In 1968, Mahon and his brother, Peter, together with Catholic Labour MP Walter Alldritt
, threatened to resign the Whip. They had taken exception to remarks made by Douglas Houghton
, Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party
, that large families were a form of "social irresponsibility." Only a midnight meeting with Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
and a written statement that Houghton's views were not party policy dissuaded the MPs from carrying out their threat.
In 1969 Mahon was created a Papal Knight
. On returning from his investiture Mass
to the House of Commons, he was prevented from entering the Chamber by the Sergeant at Arms until he divested himself of his ceremonial sword.
In 1978 Mahon wrote a letter of protest to Ladbrokes
, complaining of their "appalling taste" in opening a book on the successor to Pope Paul VI.
After his retirement, Simon Mahon moved to live in Crosby
, where he died in 1986.
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.
Simon Mahon was born into an Irish
Irish community in Britain
Irish people in Great Britain are members of the Irish diaspora who reside in Great Britain, the largest island and principal territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland....
Roman Catholic family in Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
that was immersed in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
Labour politics. His father, Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Simon Mahon (1886–1961), was a well-known local politician, who also stood unsuccessfully for Parliament. His brother, Peter Mahon
Peter Mahon (UK politician)
Peter Mahon was a British Labour Party politician.Peter Mahon was born into an Irish Roman Catholic family in Bootle that was immersed in Liverpool Labour politics. He joined the Labour Party in 1924, at the age of 15. His father, Alderman Simon Mahon , was a well-known local politician, who also...
, was elected MP for Preston South
Preston South (UK Parliament constituency)
Preston South was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Preston in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in 1964.
Mahon was educated at St. Joseph's Irish Christian Brothers school and at St. James' School, Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. He became a general contractor. He was commissioned in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served with the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
In 1941 he married Veronica Robertshaw. There were no children.
Mahon was a councillor and later an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Bootle Borough Council and was chairman of the housing committee and Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Bootle from 1962 to 1963. He was chairman of Bootle Trades Council and Labour Party.
Mahon was 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 Bootle
Bootle (UK Parliament constituency)
Bootle is a borough 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. Since 1990 the MP has been Joe Benton of the Labour Party...
from 1955 to 1979. He served as an opposition whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
from 1959 to 1961.
In 1968, Mahon and his brother, Peter, together with Catholic Labour MP Walter Alldritt
Walter Alldritt
Walter Harold Alldritt was a British Labour politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Liverpool Scotland at a by-election in 1964, and held the seat until his resignation from the House of Commons in 1971....
, threatened to resign the Whip. They had taken exception to remarks made by Douglas Houghton
Douglas Houghton
Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton, Baron Houghton of Sowerby PC CH was a British Labour politician. He was the last British Cabinet minister born in the 19th Century; since he retired in 1967, every Cabinet minister has been born since 1900...
, Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body....
, that large families were a form of "social irresponsibility." Only a midnight meeting with Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
and a written statement that Houghton's views were not party policy dissuaded the MPs from carrying out their threat.
In 1969 Mahon was created a Papal Knight
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
. On returning from his investiture Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
to the House of Commons, he was prevented from entering the Chamber by the Sergeant at Arms until he divested himself of his ceremonial sword.
In 1978 Mahon wrote a letter of protest to Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes plc is a British based gambling company. It is based in Rayners Lane in Harrow, London owned by Bhavin Kakaiya. From 14 May 1999 to 23 February 2006, when it owned the Hilton hotel brand outside the United States, it was known as Hilton Group plc...
, complaining of their "appalling taste" in opening a book on the successor to Pope Paul VI.
After his retirement, Simon Mahon moved to live in Crosby
Crosby, Merseyside
Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...
, where he died in 1986.