Clare Short
In office 1983 – present
Constituency	Birmingham Ladywood
Majority	6,801 (20.5%)
Born	15 February 1946
Political party	Independent Labour

Clare Short (born 15 February 1946) is a British politician and a member of the British Labour Party. She is currently the Independent Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood, having been elected as a Labour Party MP in 1983, and was Secretary of State for International Development in the UK Labour government from 2 May 1997 until her resignation on 12 May 2003. She plans^[1] to stand down as a Member of Parliament at the next general election. Image File history File links An_Honourable_Deception. ... Birmingham Ladywood is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Birmingham Ladywood is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election. ...

On 20 October 2006, Short announced she would give up the Labour whip in Parliament, although she does not intend to resign as a member of the Labour Party. October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... In politics, a whip is a member of a political party in a legislature whose task is to ensure that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ...

Background

Clare Short was born in Birmingham, England in 1946 to Irish Catholic parents from County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The city from above Centenary Square. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Armagh Area: 1,254 km² Population (est. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister...

She would later be supportive of peaceful Sinn Féin initiatives, although she was never a supporter of IRA violence, some of the worst of which was inflicted in a 1974 bombing of her hometown of Birmingham. Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish name: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA) is an Irish Republican left-wing paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern Ireland... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ...

Clare Short was briefly married to a fellow student after she became pregnant at 18. Their son was given up for adoption, and did not make contact with his birth mother until 1996. She discovered that her son was a staunch Tory who worked in the financial sector in the City of London, and that she was a grandmother. Her second marriage, to former Labour minister Alex Lyon, turned to tragedy: he suffered from Alzheimer's disease and died in 1993. Short is a cousin of Canadian-American actor/comic Martin Short (their fathers were brothers) and of the Irish Minister for foreign affairs Dermot Ahern.^[2] Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent (or parents) other than the birth parents. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and is the second oldest extant political party in the world. ... The City of London is a geographically-small city within Greater London, England. ... Former British Labour M.P. who was married to fellow Labour Party M.P. Clare Short until his death in 1993 from Alzheimers disease. ... Martin Hayter Short, CM (born March 26, 1950 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian/American actor, writer, and producer. ... Dermot Ahern (born 2 February 1955) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician who currently serves as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. ...

Early career

With a degree in political science from Leeds University, to which she transferred from Keele, she became a civil servant in the Home Office. Working as Private Secretary to the Conservative minister Mark Carlisle gave her the idea that she "could do better" than many of the MPs she dealt with, and in the 1983 UK general election she became MP for Ladywood, the area where she grew up. The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ... University Tower, University of Leeds The University of Leeds (United Kingdom) is amongst the largest of British universities and the most popular by applicants, with 52,444 applicants in 2003 for 7,228 places (UCAS). ... Keele University is a research-intensive campus university located near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and is the second oldest extant political party in the world. ... Mark Carlisle, Baron Carlisle of Bucklow PC QC DL (born 7 July 1929 and died 14 July 2005) was a Conservative British politician and was MP for Runcorn 1964-1983 and Warrington South 1983-1987. ... The UK general election, 1983 was held on June 9, 1983 and gave the Conservatives and Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945. ...

At the start of her career she was firmly on the left wing of the party. She gained some notoriety shortly after her election in 1983 when she accused the government's Employment minister Alan Clark of being drunk at the despatch box. Clark's colleagues on the Conservative benches in turn accused Short of using un-Parliamentary language and the Speaker asked her to withdraw her accusation. Clark later admitted in his diaries that Short had been correct in her assessment. “Leftism” redirects here. ... Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 - 5 September 1999) was a British Conservative politician, historian and diarist. ... The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (ie: the House of Commons or House of Representatives). ...

In 1986 she gained attention for campaigning against "Page Three" photographs of topless models in The Sun and other British tabloid newspapers. For this she was denounced by such papers as a "killjoy" and one of them bought and published photographs of Short in her nightwear from her first husband. The first topless page 3 photograph of Stephanie Rahn published on November 17, 1970. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

She supported John Prescott in the Labour deputy-leadership election in 1988 (against Eric Heffer and the incumbent Roy Hattersley), leaving the Socialist Campaign Group, along with Margaret Beckett, as a result of Tony Benn's decision to challenge Neil Kinnock for the leadership. She supported Margaret Beckett for the Labour leadership in 1994 against Tony Blair and John Prescott. She also called for the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. John Leslie Prescott MP (born 31 May 1938) is a British Labour Party politician, Deputy Prime Minister, First Secretary of State and Member of Parliament for the North East constituency of Hull East. ... Eric Samuel Heffer (January 12, 1922 – May 27, 1991) was a British socialist politician. ... Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, PC (born December 28, 1932) is a British Labour Party politician, published author and journalist from Sheffield, England. ... The Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom. ... Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson) (born 15 January 1943) is a British Labour Party politician who is currently Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby South and, since May 6, 2006, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. ... Tony Benn about to join March 2005 anti-war demo in London Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (born April 3, 1925), known as Tony Benn, formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, is a British politician on the left of the Labour Party. ... Rt. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister...

She rose through the ranks of the Labour Front Bench, despite twice resigning from it - over the Prevention of Terrorism Act in 1988, and over the Gulf War in 1990. She became shadow Minister for Women, and then shadow Transport Secretary. At the 1995 Labour conference, Short denounced Liz Davies as "unsuitable" after Davies had been selected as a Parliamentary candidate by a constituency Labour Party in Leeds North-East. This was seen as an attempt to win the favour of the right of the party, especially Tony Blair.[3] However, in 1996, Short was moved to the Overseas Development portfolio, a move which she saw as a demotion.[4] She has been a controversial figure throughout her career, most notably when she called for the legalisation of cannabis. In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. ... The Prevention of Terrorism Acts were a series of Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1989, which conferred emergency powers upon police forces where they suspected terrorism. ... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf, Michel Roquejeoffre , Peter de la Billière, Khalid bin Sultan, Saleh Al-Muhaya, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded see section below The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War (2... Liz Davies (born 1963) is a British barrister and political activist. ... Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

DFID

After the 1997 UK general election the Overseas Development Administration was given full departmental status as the Department for International Development, with Short as the first cabinet-level Secretary of State for International Development. She retained this post throughout the first term of the Labour government, and beyond the 2001 UK general election into the second. The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... The Department for International Development (DFID) is a United Kingdom government department, the function of which is to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty. // Ministers The Department is headed by Cabinet Minister and Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... Tony Blair William Hague Charles Kennedy The UK general election, 2001 was held on 7 June 2001 and was dubbed the quiet landslide by the media. ...

On her appointment to the DfID, journalists asked Short whether she would be "good" (in other words, not cause embarrassment to the government). She replied "I'm going to try to be good but I can't help it, I have to be me". ^[3] A few months later, the island of Montserrat (one of the United Kingdom's few remaining overseas territories) was devastated by a volcano eruption which rendered half the island uninhabitable; when the islanders asked for more help from the DfID, Short was reported to have remarked "they will be asking for golden elephants next", and refused to visit the island. This remark caused great offence to the Montserratians and others; Labour MP Bernie Grant said that "She sounds like a mouthpiece for an old 19th-century colonial and Conservative government". ^[4] For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Bernard Alexander Montgomery Grant (17 February 1944 - 8 April 2000), known simply as Bernie Grant, was a politician in the United Kingdom, and was Labour member of Parliament for Tottenham at the time of his death. ...

On 6 November 1997 Short sent a letter to Kumbirai Kangai, Minister of Agriculture in Zimbabwe, in which she stated that "we do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe". She went on to write "We are a new government from diverse backgrounds, without links to former colonial interests. My own origins are Irish and, as you know, we were colonised, not colonisers." In the same letter she did, however, offer qualified support for land reform: "We do recognise the very real issues you face over land reform... we would be prepared to support a programme of land reform that was part of a poverty eradication strategy, but not on any other basis". This letter caused a rift with the Zimbabwean government, which asserted that the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979 had contained a continuing pledge from the United Kingdom government to assist in land reform. ^[5] November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Lancaster House Agreement was the independence agreement for Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. ... In Zimbabwe, the question of land distribution and redistribution (land reform) is perhaps the most crucial and the most bitterly contested political issue today. ...

In December of 1997 Short signed the U.K. into the Ottawa Convention, banning the production, handling and use of anti-personnel mines.^[6] Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Italian Valmara 69 bounding type Anti-personnel mine. ...

Position on the arms trade in developing countries

In 2001 Short wrote that the "ready availability of small arms has a direct and negative impact upon levels of crime and conflict in developing countries. We (the DFID) are supporting various peace building and disarmament initiatives".^[7] The following year she claimed that the UK was "committed to combating small arms availability and misuse".^[8]

Resignation over Iraq war

On 9 March 2003 Short repeatedly called Tony Blair "reckless" in a BBC radio interview (see[5]) and threatened to resign from the Cabinet in the event of the British government going to war with Iraq without a clear mandate from the United Nations. This looked set to be a reprise of her previous resignation as party spokesperson during the Gulf War of 1991 as a protest against the Labour Party's stance. However, on 18 March she announced that she would remain in the Cabinet and support the government's resolution in the House of Commons. March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf, Michel Roquejeoffre , Peter de la Billière, Khalid bin Sultan, Saleh Al-Muhaya, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded see section below The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War (2... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ...

Short remained in the Cabinet for less than two months after her decision to back the 2003 Iraq War. She resigned on May 12, saying that Blair had broken promises to her about the involvement of the UN in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq, and that Blair and Jack Straw had negotiated a UN Security Council resolution that "contradicts the assurances I have given in the House of Commons and elsewhere about the legal authority of the occupying powers, and the need for a UN-led process to establish a legitimate Iraqi government"[6]. 10 Downing Street denied the allegations. In her resignation statement to the House she accused Tony Blair of being "obsessed with his place in history". For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq without the explicit backing of the United... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (133rd in leap years). ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... The House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also includes the Sovereign and the House of Lords. ... Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney stand in front of the famous main door to Number 10. ...

Bugging of the UN

Main article: Bugging the UN

On 26 February 2004 Short alleged on the BBC Today radio programme that British spies regularly intercept UN communications, including those of Kofi Annan, its former Secretary-General. The revelation came the day after the unexplained dropping of whistleblowing charges against former GCHQ translator Katharine Gun. Reacting to Short's statement, Tony Blair said "I really do regard what Clare Short has said this morning as totally irresponsible, and entirely consistent [with Short's character]." Blair also claimed that Short had put UK security, particularly the security of its spies, at risk. The same day, on the BBC's Newsnight programme, Short called Blair's response "pompous" and said that Britain had no need to spy on Kofi Annan. Blair did not explicitly deny the claims but Robin Cook, former Foreign Secretary, wrote that in his experience he would be surprised if the claims were true. The British newspaper The Observer published an investigative report revealing that the National Security Agency of the United States was conducting a secret surveillance operation directed at intercepting the telephone and email communications of several U.N. Security Council diplomats, both in their offices and in their homes. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... This article refers to the BBC Today programme, for the NBC Today Show see The Today Show Today, commonly referred to as the Today programme in order to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4s long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, which is now broadcast from 6am... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, is the United Kingdoms external intelligence agency. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian born diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2006, serving two five-year terms. ... The United Nations Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal divisions of the United Nations. ... A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. ... The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (previously named the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS)) is the main British intelligence service providing signals intelligence (SIGINT). ... Katharine Teresa Gun (born 1974) is a former employee of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a British intelligence agency. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22:30 and 23:20 on weekdays on BBC Two. ... Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian born diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2006, serving two five-year terms. ... Robert Finlayson Cook, known as Robin Cook, (February 28, 1946 – August 6, 2005), was a politician in the British Labour Party. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ...

A few days later (on 29 February 2004) Short appeared on ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby programme. She revealed that she had been written to by Britain's senior civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull. Turnbull's confidential letter (which Short showed to Dimbleby, and which was quoted on the programme) formally admonished her for discussing intelligence matters in the media, and threatened "further action" if she did not desist from giving interviews on the issue. Turnbull wrote that she had made claims "which damage the interests of the United Kingdom", and that he was "extremely disappointed". The "further action" referred to in the letter has been interpreted as threatening either the removal of Short's status as a Privy Counsellor or to legal action under the Official Secrets Act. Either course of action would be without recent precedent; the last time a Privy Counsellor's status was revoked was in 1921 when Sir Edgar Speyer was accused of collaborating with the Germans during the First World War. However, on 1 March 2004, Tony Blair's official spokesman refused to rule out such a step. February 29th, or bissextile day, is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... Jonathan Dimbleby, born 31 July 1944, is a commentator and presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes. ... In the British Government, the Cabinet Secretary, or more formally Secretary of the Cabinet, is the senior civil servant in charge of the Cabinet Office, a department that provides administrative support to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the government as a whole. ... Andrew Turnbull is the name of several notable people: Dr. Andrew Turnbull (1718–1792), early colonizer of Florida Andrew Turnbull, Baron Turnbull (born 1945), was the head of the British Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary (2002–2005) Andymt, AKA Andrew Turnbull , notorius public schoolboy rapper. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... This article is becoming very long. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

However in the same interview on the Jonathan Dimbleby programme, Short backtracked on her claim about British agents bugging Mr Annan. She admitted that the transcripts she saw of Mr Annan's private conversations might have related to Africa and not to Iraq. Asked whether she could confirm that the transcripts related to Iraq, she said: "I can't, but there might well have been ... I cannot remember a specific transcript in relation, it doesn't mean it wasn't there." Short also admitted that her original claim, on the Today programme, that Britain had eavesdropped on Mr Annan may have been inaccurate. Asked whether the material could have passed to the British by the Americans, she said: "It could. But it normally indicates that. But I can't remember that."^[9] Jonathan Dimbleby, born 31 July 1944, is a commentator and presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes. ... This article refers to the BBC Today programme, for the NBC Today Show see The Today Show Today, commonly referred to as the Today programme in order to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4s long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, which is now broadcast from 6am...

Post-ministerial career

Clare Short's book, An Honourable Deception?: New Labour, Iraq, and the Misuse of Power, was released on 1 November 2004. It is an account of her career in New Labour, most notably her relationship with Tony Blair, the relationship between Blair and Gordon Brown and the build up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Coalition Forces: United States United Kingdom South Korea Australia Poland Romania others. ...

In December, 2004, Short was reportedly critical of U.S. efforts to dispense aid to countries devastated by a tsunami caused by a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean. She is quoted as stating that the formation of a group of countries led by the United States for this purpose was a challenge to the role of the United Nations, which she believed was uniquely qualified for the task.

On 12 September 2006, Short announced that she would not be standing at the next general election. In a brief statement, Short said she was "ashamed" of Tony Blair's government and backed proportional representation, which she hoped would be achieved through a hung parliament. The Labour Party Chief Whip referred the matter to the Labour Party National Executive Committee to consider disciplinary action.^[10]. On Friday 20 October, Short resigned the Labour whip and announced that she will sit as an Independent Labour MP. ^[11] Short received a written reprimand from Labour's Chief Whip shortly before the news of her resignation of the party whip was announced.^[12] September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ... In Parliamentary systems, a hung parliament is one in which no one political party has an outright majority. ... The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ...

Works

• Short, Clare (2004). An Honourable Deception? New Labour, Iraq, and the Misuse of Power Free Press, ISBN 0-7432-6392-8
• Short, Clare (speech, 2001) Making Globalisation Work for the Poor: A Role for the United Nations Department for International Development, ISBN 1-86192-335-X
• Short, Clare (1999) Debt Relief for Poverty Reduction Department for International Development, ISBN 1-86192-100-4
• edited by Short, Clare, K. Tunks, D. Hutchinson (1991) Dear Clare...This Is What Women Feel About Page 3 Radius, ISBN 0-09-174915-8

References

1. ^ The Independent - Short to stand down after 23 years as an MP
2. ^ "Family affair spanning the Irish Sea", by Kate Watson-Smyth, The Independent, 30 June 1997, hosted on FindArticles.com
3. ^ Iain Martin, Maurice Chittenden, "Scots to fore as gentleman Tony completes his team", The Sunday Times (London); May 4, 1997.
4. ^ Jon Hibbs, "Short calls for an end to Montserrat aid row", Daily Telegraph, August 25, 1997.
5. ^ Chris McGreal, "Blair's worse than the Tories, says Mugabe," Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg), December 22, 1997.
6. ^ Mark Thomas, As used on the famous Nelson Mendela; Underground adventures in the arms & torture trade, Ebury Press, 2006.
7. ^ "[1]".
8. ^ "[2]"
9. ^ "Top civil servant tells Short to shut up", The Guardian, 1 March 2004.
10. ^ "Short faces expulsion after calling for hung parliament", Guardian, 12 September 2006
11. ^ "Short resigns Labour whip", Epolitix.com, 20 October 2006.
12. ^ Written reprimand means Short won't be thrown out

For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• ePolitix - Clare Short official site
• Guardian Politics Ask Aristotle - Clare Short MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Clare Short MP
• Photo of Clare Short during the Handsworth Riots in 1985 - Pogus Caesar, OOM Gallery
• Text of Clare Short's resignation letter, October 2006 - BBC