| The Right Honourable The Lord Alderdice |
|
|---|---|
| President of Liberal International | |
| In office 2005–2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck |
| Succeeded by | Hans van Baalen |
| 1st Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| In office 1 July 1998 – 29 February 2004 |
|
| Deputy | Sir John Gorman (2000 - 2002) Donovan McClelland (2000 - 2007) Jane Morrice (2000 - 2007) Jim Wilson (2002 - 2007) |
| Preceded by | New position |
| Succeeded by | Eileen Bell |
| Leader of the Alliance Party | |
| In office 1987–1998 |
|
| Deputy | Gordon Mawhinney/Seamus Close |
| Preceded by | John Cushnahan |
| Succeeded by | Séan Neeson |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East |
|
| In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | New Creation |
| Succeeded by | Naomi Long |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 March 1955 |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Other political affiliations |
Alliance Party |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
John Thomas Alderdice, Baron Alderdice (born 28 March 1955[1]) is a Northern Ireland politician. He was Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1998-2004, leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 1987-1998, and since 1996 sits in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat.[1]
Contents |
Alderdice was born to the Rev. David Alderdice and Annie Margaret Helena Shields. He was educated at Ballymena Academy and the Queen's University of Belfast (QUB). In 1977, he married Joan Hill, with whom he has two sons and one daughter.[2] He worked part-time as a consultant psychiatrist in psychotherapy in the NHS from 1988 until he retired from psychiatric practice in 2010.[3][4] He also lectured at Queen's University's Faculty of Medicine between 1991 and 1999.[3]
The Alliance Party was formed in 1970 as an alternative to sectarian politics.[5] Alderdice was on the Executive Committee of the party between 1984 and 1998, the Chair Policy Committee between 1985 and 1987, the party Vice-chair in 1987 before becoming the party leader ahead of the 1987 general election and contested Belfast East for the party.[1] He received 32.1% of the vote,[6] the highest percentage achieved by Alliance in an individual seat in a Westminster election until Naomi Long's historic victory for the party in Belfast East in the 2010 general election.[7] In 1988, in Alliance's keynote post-Anglo Irish Agreement document, "Governing with Consent", Alderdice called for a devolved power-sharing government based on a voluntary coalition elected by a qualified majority vote. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Alliance's vote stabilised at between 6% and 8%.[5]
Alderdice once again contested Belfast East in the 1992 general election.[6] He led the Alliance Delegation to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation at Dublin Castle and the Northern Ireland Multiparty Talks, and was a member of the Northern Ireland Forum.[3]
Alderdice was willing to talk with Sinn Féin, after the IRA called a ceasefire in 1994, when others in the unionist community regarded such discussions as unacceptable.[8]
He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East in 1998 and became the Assembly's first speaker, serving until 2004. Mo Mowlam said that Alderdice's "political and parliamentary experience mean that he is well suited to carry out this role".[9] Alderdice was a Belfast City Councillor from 1989 until 1997.[4] He resigned as party leader to take the position of Speaker.[3] He has been a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission since 2004.[10]
Alderdice was created a life peer in 1996 as Baron Alderdice, of Knock in the City of Belfast,[2] he was one of the youngest ever life peers.[3] He sits in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat. On 10 June 2010, he was elected to the new position of Convenor of the Liberal Democrat Peers, a role in which he chairs the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party in the House of Lords.[4]
He was elected President of Liberal International in 2005 and served until Liberal International's Cairo congress in 2009. He was succeeded by Dutch politician Hans van Baalen.[11]
Alderdice has been awarded several honours: the John F Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award in 1998; the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award in 1998; the Silver Medal of Congress of Peru in 1999 and 2004; the Medal of Honour, College of Medicine of Peru in 1999; and the Freedom of the City of Baltimore in 1991.[12] He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.[10]
In 2001 he was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists[3] and has also been awarded an honorary doctorate in law from Robert Gordon University.[13]
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New creation |
MLA for Belfast East 1998 - 2003 |
Succeeded by Naomi Long |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by John Cushnahan |
Leader of the Alliance Party (NI) 1987 - 1998 |
Succeeded by Sean Neeson |
| Preceded by Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck |
President of the Liberal International 2005-2009 |
Succeeded by Hans van Baalen |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by New position |
Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1998 - 2004 |
Succeeded by Eileen Bell |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||