Mo Mowlam

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Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British politician, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour MP.

Her time as Northern Ireland Secretary saw the signing of the historic Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998. Her personal charisma, reputation for plain speaking and successful fight against a brain tumour led her to be perceived by many as one of the most popular 'New' Labour politicians in the UK; a fact reflected in the standing ovation she received when Tony Blair mentioned her name in his speech at the 1998 Labour Party Conference. However she also attracted criticism for her abrasive style, and Unionists believed that her bias to Republicans hindered the peace process.

Contents 1 Life and work 2 Political career 3 Illness and death 4 References

[edit] Life and work

She was born in Watford, England, the daughter of an alcoholic father, but grew up in Coventry, where her father rose to become Coventry's assistant postmaster, and she would later be awarded the Freedom of the City in 1999. She was the only one of the family's three children to pass the 11-plus exam, and started at Chiswick Girls' grammar school in West London, before attending Coundon Court comprehensive school in Coventry. She then studied at Trevelyan College, Durham, reading sociology and anthropology, joining the Labour Party in her first year. She worked for then Labour MP Tony Benn in London and American writer Alvin Toffler in New York, before deciding to do a PhD in political science at the University of Iowa.

She was a lecturer in the Political Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1975-1977, and at Florida State University, before returning to England in 1979 to teach at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

In 1981 she organised a series of alternative lectures — in parallel to the Reith lectures — which were published as Debate On Disarmament, jointly edited by Mowlam, with all proceeds from the book going to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

She called herself a "devout atheist".

A Mo Mowlam Memorial was held at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 20 November 2005, and another in Redcar on December 3.

[edit] Political career

Having failed to win selection in the previous election (1983), she was selected as Labour candidate for the safe seat of Redcar after James Tinn stood down. She then took the seat in the 1987 general election. She became opposition spokesperson on Northern Ireland in that year. Together with Labour leader John Smith, Mowlam was one of the architects of Labour's "Prawn Cocktail Offensive", dedicated to reassuring the UK's financial sector about Labour's financial rectitude [1]. Subsequently, she held a variety of posts and was made Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 1994 by Tony Blair. She initially resisted being appointed to the position, preferring a domestic economic portfolio, but after accepting it, threw her weight into the job.

She had been a principal organiser, alongside Peter Kilfoyle, of Blair's campaign for the Labour leadership following the death of John Smith. As a member of Smith's shadow cabinet (Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage) she had earlier courted controversy by calling for Buckingham Palace to be demolished (so antagonising monarchists) and replaced by a 'modern' palace built at public expense (so antagonising republicans). Later her willingness to speak her mind — often without regard to the consequences — was seen as her greatest strength by her supporters and her greatest weakness by critics.

After the 1997 General Election she was made Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the first and currently the only woman to have held the post. She was successful in helping to restore an IRA ceasefire, and including Sinn Féin in the multi-party talks. She also paid an unprecedented - and potentially dangerous - visit to loyalist prisoners in the Maze prison in an attempt to get the loyalists to sign up to the peace process, meeting convicted murderers face-to-face, and unaccompanied. She received criticism for claiming that the "terrorist murderers" Johnny Adair and Michael Stone were "unsung heroes of the peace process".

[2] She saw through Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998, which led to the temporary establishment of a devolved power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly. However, an increasingly difficult relationship with Unionist parties meant her role in the talks had been increasingly taken over by Tony Blair and his staff, prompting Mowlam to remark on one occasion (to Bill Clinton) "Didn't you know? I'm the new tea lady around here".^[1]

Whilst her deteriorating relationship with Unionists was the key reason^[2] she was replaced as Northern Ireland Secretary in October 1999 by Peter Mandelson, her move to the relatively lowly position of Cabinet Office Minister may have involved other factors, notably her health and her popularity. Mowlam had previously denounced the post as "Minister for the Today programme", and resented being appointed to it. As Cabinet Office Minister she was reportedly intended as Tony Blair's "Enforcer".

She was head of the Government's anti-drugs campaign, but undermined the campaign when she attracted media attention when in 2000 she admitted to trying cannabis as a student. ("I tried dope. I didn't particularly like it. But unlike President Clinton, I did inhale")^[3]

In early 2000 she personally briefed the press that she was bored with her job and wanted to be Labour candidate for the post of Mayor of London. The stories were widely seen as damaging to Frank Dobson, the official Labour candidate, who was already facing serious difficulties in his campaign against Ken Livingstone, a popular but maverick politician who left Labour to stand as an independent for the post after his selection as official Labour candidate had been blocked. Mowlam's supporters briefed she was the only figure with sufficient popularity to challenge Livingstone, but the episode did nothing for either the Labour Party or Mowlam.

Later on 4 September 2000 she announced her intention to retire from Parliament, relinquishing her seat at the 2001 election.^[4] Her statement of intent was forced on her by Downing Street following a series of stories in the paper suggesting she was looking for an excuse to leave the government.

After retirement from the House of Commons she became a noted critic of government policy on various issues, especially foreign policy towards Iraq.

She continued public activity after retirement, becoming agony aunt for the men's magazine Zoo, saying that she missed her constituency work as an MP. She also set up a charity, MoMo Helps, to help drug users who are successfully completing their rehabilitation and provide support for the parents or carers of disabled children.

Her political memoirs, entitled Momentum, were published in 2002.

[edit] Illness and death

Five months before the 1997 General Election which took Labour to office, Mowlam was diagnosed with a brain tumour, a fact she tried to keep secret until the tabloid press started to print jibes about her appearance. The various treatments caused her to lose most of her hair and she often wore a wig, which she would sometimes casually remove in public stating that it was "such a bother".^[5]

The BBC reported on 3 August 2005, that she was critically ill at King's College Hospital in London.^[6] She appeared to have suffered from balance problems as a result of her radiotherapy. She fell over, received head injuries and never regained consciousness. She had made a living will in which she had asked not to be resuscitated, and food and water were withdrawn.

On 12 August 2005, she was moved to Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury, Kent where she died seven days later, aged 55, survived by her husband, Jon Norton, and two step-children.

[edit] References

1. ^ Mowlam "sidelined by Blair", BBC News Online, 10 September 2000
2. ^ Trimble calls for Mowlam's head, The Guardian, 23 June 1999
3. ^ I smoked cannabis, admits Mowlam, BBC News Online, 16 January 2000
4. ^ Mowlam to stand down', BBC News Online, 4 September 2000
5. ^ Mo Mowlam's vote is number one, MyVillage, 22 November 2002
6. ^ Mo Mowlam condition 'unchanged', BBC News Online, 5 August 2005

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by James Tinn	Member of Parliament for Redcar 1987–2001	Succeeded by Vera Baird
Political offices
Preceded by Kevin McNamara	Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1994–1997	Succeeded by Andrew Mackay
Preceded by Patrick Mayhew	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1997–1999	Succeeded by Peter Mandelson
Preceded by Jack Cunningham	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1999–2001	Succeeded by The Lord Macdonald of Tradeston