Harold Walker, Baron Walker of Doncaster

Harold Walker, Lord Walker of Doncaster PC DL ( born July 12, 1927 in Audenshaw, Manchester, † 11 November 2003) was a British Labour Party politician and occasional deputy speaker of the lower house (House of Commons ).

Life

Member of Parliament and government offices

Walker worked after school as a toolmaker in Openshaw and later in Oldham. His political career began in the union and in local politics in Ashton, Gorton, and Mossley.

In the general election of 15 October 1964, he ran for the first time in the constituency of Doncaster for a seat in the House of Commons and won against the former constituency owner of the Conservative Party, Anthony Barber, who was Minister of Health of the conservative government of Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home at the time and later Chancellor of the Exchequer been. After several re- elections Walker represented the constituency, which was later renamed in Doncaster Central, until 1997.

In 1967 he was Whip of the Labour Group, before he was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State was Junior Minister in the Ministry of Labour, led by Barbara Castle in the government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson 1968-1970. During this time he proved himself as a loyal employee Castles, although he declined the mentioned In Place of Strife bill to limit the influence of the trade unions. Due to its own professional and trade union experience, he joined the plans of the public service contrary to the strike call and the withdrawal periods. On the other hand, he won recognition by the defense of wage restraint policy in the construction industry during the subsequent exchange rate depreciation of the pound.

After the election defeat of the Labour Party at the general election of June 18, 1970, he was spokesman for his group of Labour and Employment. In 1972 he led a successful campaign to prevent the Motorway M18 performs through Doncaster.

After the Labour Party won the general election of 28 February 1974 he was in 1974 Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Labour during the second term of Prime Minister Wilson and then from 1976 to 1979 Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour in the Government of Wilson's successor, James Callaghan and thus close associate of the former Labour Minister Michael Foot and Albert Booth.

After the electoral defeat of his party in the lower house elections of 3 May 1979, he was again employment policy spokesman of his group and Privy Councillor. As a moderate representatives of the left wing of the party he supported during the party political Healey - Benn - power struggle the candidacy of John Silkin for the post of chairman of Labour.

Deputy Speaker and Member of the Upper House

After the general election on 9 June 1983, Walker 's successor Ernest Armstrong as Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and thus representative of Speaker Bernard Weatherill. He was also a 1983-1992 influential chairman of ways and means (Chairman of Ways and Means ).

1984 was for him a problematic time when he initiated parliamentary debates on this subject during the nearly year-long miners' strike, as he saw himself loyal to the concerns of the miners. His fundamental loyalty with the miners was due to the fact that he Doncaster with a constituency with coal mining. On the other hand, he found himself suspended because of his fair leadership debate the criticism of the striking miners, whose leader Arthur Scargill even to calling not to choose Walker. This led the other hand also to the fact that it Weatherill and the staff of the Parliament took into custody. In 1988, he led sessions on the difficult budget negotiations, which were criticized by a number of ultra-leftists and a minority of the Scottish National Party.

Following the resignation Weatherills he was disappointed that he was not his successor as Speaker of the House. However, a woman was in his place with Betty Boothroyd, who had no other experiences, first elected Speaker of the House of Commons. He withdrew its the office of Deputy Speaker and was raised as a Knight Bachelor in the personal nobility. Until his retirement from the House of Commons in 1997, Sir Harold Walker was a member of the Parliament as backbenchers.

In 1997, he was eventually knighted after leaving Parliament to Baron Walker of Doncaster and then became part of the Upper House ( House of Lords ) to. In 1998, he was also Deputy Lieutenant of South Yorkshire and Freeman of the City of Doncaster.