Michael Meadowcroft
| Michael Meadowcroft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Leader of Refounded Liberal Party | |
| In office 13 March 1989 – 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Party Refounded |
| Succeeded by | Mike Oborski |
| Member of Parliament for Leeds West | |
| In office 9 June 1983 – 11 June 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Dean |
| Succeeded by | John Battle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1942 Southport, UK |
| Political party | (1) Liberal (1962 - 1989) (2) Liberal Party (1989 - 2007) (3) Liberal Democrats (2007 - present) |
Michael James Meadowcroft (born 6 March 1942) is a liberal politician and political affairs consultant in the United Kingdom.
Liberal Party
Michael Meadowcroft worked for the Liberal Party 1962-1967, becoming the party's Local Government Officer. [1] In 1968, he was elected as a member of Leeds City Council, serving until 1981.
He held many roles within the party, including chairing the Liberal Party Assembly committee, responsible for organising the party's conferences, and was author of a number of influential pamphlets championing liberal philosophy and the principles of community politics. [2]
Member of Parliament
He was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Leeds West from 1983 to 1987, a seat he first fought in 1974.
In his maiden speech, he took a familiar stand on the subject of decentralisation of power: "Already there is too much central Government power in local government, as well as the power of individual Ministers to appoint to regional bodies, such as health and water authorities. The thought of Ministers directing more services is certainly alarming. The possession of power is always dangerous. Only by spreading power can we minimise its dangerous effects. The checks and balances of local elections each year within the life of a Parliament are the best deterrents to extreme action." [3]
He served as party spokesman on local government and on housing: in one of his final speeches, in 1987, highlighting the problems of rising housing costs: "We should reduce the immense pressure on the south-east, where house prices, or more accurately, land prices spiral upwards, way ahead of inflation. It seems to me that it is no longer possible for young people, as first-time buyers, in the south-east to have the type of housing which we, in the north, would regard as adequate or desirable. That will not do." [4]
Liberal Democrats
Michael Meadowcroft was highly critical of the 1989 merger with the Social Democratic Party to form the Social & Liberal Democrats. He was a co-founder and first leader of the "continuing" Liberal Party.
On 5 October 2007, it was announced that Michael Meadowcroft had joined the Liberal Democrats, citing the party's oppostition to the Iraq war, its rejection of identity cards and its commitment to a united Europe .[5]
References
- ↑ Meadowcroft, Michael. "Liberalism". Personal website.
- ↑ Smulian, Mark. "Biography of Michael Meadowcroft". Liberal Democrat History Group.
- ↑ "SECOND DAY HC Deb 23 June 1983 vol 44 cc181-257". Hansard.
- ↑ "Housing HC Deb 28 April 1987 vol 115 cc177-225". Hansard.
- ↑ "Michael Meadowcroft joins Lib Dems". 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Meadowcroft
- Michael Meadowcroft's personal website
- Catalogue of the Meadowcroft papers at the Archives Division of the London School of Economics.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joseph Dean |
Member of Parliament for Leeds West 1983–1987 |
Succeeded by John Battle |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by New position |
President of the Liberal Party 1989–2005 |
Succeeded by Steve Radford |
|