John McDonnell (politician)

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John Martin McDonnell (born on September 8, 1951, Liverpool) is a British politician and Labour Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington. He is Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, the Labour Representation Committee, and Public Services Not Private Profit. On 15 July 2006, he became the first Labour MP to announce that he would stand for leadership when Tony Blair stands down.[1]

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[edit] Early life

McDonnell was born the son of a docker and shopworker. His family moved to the South of England at an early age. He attended Brunel University and received his Masters' degree from Birkbeck, University of London.

[edit] Greater London Council

In 1981, McDonnell was elected Greater London Council councillor for Hayes and Harlington. He became Chair of Finance responsible for the GLC's £3bn budget. He was also Ken Livingstone's deputy leader, but the two had a spectacular disagreement in 1985 over the issue of whether to set an illegal budget as part of a political challenge to the government of Margaret Thatcher. McDonnell was an advocate of the strategy, and contended that the rate capping legislation which limited spending would prevent the GLC from fulfilling policies which had been pledged in the 1981 manifesto. In his book "If voting changed anything, they'd abolish it", Livingstone outlines his belief that McDonnell presented exaggerated figures in order to support his proposal. When McDonnell pressed on with his campaign, Livingstone removed him and his supporters from their posts.

[edit] Post GLC

Following the abolition of the GLC, McDonnell became Chief Executive of the Association of London Authorities, eventually the Association of London Government, where he represented all the London Boroughs in relation with central government and Europe.

In 1992, McDonnell fought his home town seat of Hayes and Harlington, but lost by 53 votes. During the campaign, his Conservative opponent Terry Dicks sued for libel over critical material in McDonnell's campaign leaflets; McDonnell was forced to settle and pay Dicks £15,000 plus his legal costs which amounted to £55,000.[2]. An appeal for funds through left-wing campaigning groups paid the bill.

[edit] Parliament

However, in the United Kingdom general election, 1997, he was elected to Parliament with 62% of the vote and a 13,000 majority. McDonnell has been involved in several local community campaigns, including against the threat of expansion at Heathrow airport and its impact on local communities.

He has voted against controversial Government policies such as the 2003 Iraq war, Foundation hospitals, student top-up fees, Trust Schools and anti-terror laws. In May 2003 he praised the IRA, saying "It's about time we started honouring those people involved in the armed struggle. It was the bombs and bullets and sacrifice made by the likes of Bobby Sands that brought Britain to the negotiating table. The peace we have now is due to the action of the IRA". He later said that the "deaths of innocent civilians in IRA attacks is a real tragedy, but it was as a result of British occupation in Ireland. Because of the bravery of the IRA and people like Bobby Sands we now have a peace process."[3]

McDonnell is a leader member of a number of all-party groups within Parliament, including groups representing individual trade unions, such as PCS, RMT, FBU, the NUJ and Justice Unions such as Napo, as well as groups on a wide range of issues such as Britain's Irish community, the Punjabi community, endometriosis, and Kenya.

McDonnell chairs the Labour Representation Committee, a left-wing group of Labour activists, local parties, trade unions and MPs which campaigns for the adoption of a raft of socialist policies by the Labour Government. The group was founded on Saturday 3 July 2004 and currently has over 800 members and 90 affiliates.

McDonnell is the chair of Public Services Not Private Profit, an anti-privatisation campaign which brings together 16 trade unions and several campaigning organisations such as the World Development Movement, Defend Council Housing and the National Pensioners Convention. An early day motion in support of the campaign attracted over 90 MPs.[4] The campaign held a mass rally and lobby of Parliament on 27 June 2006 attended by over two thousand trade unionists.[5] Ex-ministers Frank Dobson and Michael Meacher were among those who addressed the rally.

On 31 October 2006, McDonnell was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.[6]

[edit] Leadership bid

On 14 July 2006, McDonnell announced he would stand to be leader of the Labour Party when Tony Blair announces his resignation. He called for "a challenge to the present political consensus" and a "a real Labour government based upon the policies that our supporters expect from us."[7]

On 22 July 2006, the annual conference of the Labour Representation Committee unanimously endorsed John McDonnell's leadership bid. The conference was attended by 400 Labour party members and trade unionists.

McDonnell is setting his campaign as to give the Labour party back it's 'soul'. He is relying on party members and Trades unionists affiliated with voting rights to the Labour party to back his idea of '21st century socialism'. He has also stated that he is aware of mistakes made by previous Labour oppositions during the 1970's and 1980's.

McDonnell wants British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq and Afganistan and form closer links to other socialist countries. McDonnell's first stated policy would be to renationalise British Transport.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Labour MP launches leadership bid. BBC News (14 July, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
  2. ^ Steve Platt (12 March 1993). Would you sue your paper boy?. New Statesman. Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
  3. ^ Tom Happold (30 May, 2003). MP's 'brave IRA' comments spark outrage. Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
  4. ^ Early Day Motion (29 March, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
  5. ^ Hélène Mulholland (27 June, 2006). Campaigners demand halt to privatisation. Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
  6. ^ Labour MPs who rebelled on Iraq. BBC News (31 October, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-31.
  7. ^ Labour MP John McDonnell to stand for party leadership when Blair quits. Life Style Extra (14 July, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-01.

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by:
Terence Dicks		 Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington
1997 – present		 Incumbent
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