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The Right Honourable  David Owen  Baron Owen of Plymouth, CH, CBE, PC
Leader of re-formed Social Democratic Party
In office 3 March 1988 – 6 June 1990
Preceded by	Party Re-established
Succeeded by	Party Disband
Leader of Social Democratic Party
In office 21 June 1983 – 6 August 1987
Preceded by	Roy Jenkins
Succeeded by	Robert Maclennan
Foreign Secretary
In office 21 February 1977 – 4 May 1979
Preceded by	Anthony Crosland
Succeeded by	Peter Carington
Born	July 2, 1938 (1938-07-02) (age 69) Plympton, Devon, England
Political party	(1) Labour Party (1960 - 1981) (2) Social Democratic Party (1981 - 1988) (3) Social Democratic Party (1988 - 1990) (4) Independent (1990 - present)

David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, CH, PC (born July 2, 1938) is a British politician, Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and one of the founders of the British Social Democratic Party (SDP). He led the SDP from 1983 to 1987 and the re-formed SDP from 1988 to 1990. He is also known for becoming the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post of British Foreign Secretary (from 1977 to 1979) and as one of the authors of the failed Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans offered during the Bosnian War. He has been a controversial figure for much of his career, inspiring great devotion among close followers but also disaffection due to perceived arrogance. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Right Honourable (abbreviated as or ) is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and in other Commonwealth Realms, and elsewhere. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, OM, PC (November 11, 1920 – January 5, 2003) was a British politician and a prominent Labour Member of Parliament in the 1960s and 1970s, and founding member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). ... Robert Adam Ross Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart, PC (born June 26, 1936), educated at Balliol College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge, is a British Liberal Democrat politician. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (29 August 1918 - 19 February 1977) was a member of the Labour Party and an important socialist theorist. ... Lord Carrington wearing his robes as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, in procession to St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle for the annual service of the Order of the Garter. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Plympton is a suburb located in south-east Plymouth. ... For other uses, see Devon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ... This entry is about the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the political party in the United Kingdom led by David Owen that operated after the merger of the original SDP with the Liberal Party in 1988 until its dissolution in 1990. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... For other uses, see Chancellor (disambiguation). ... The University of Liverpool is a university in the city of Liverpool, England. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ... This entry is about the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the political party in the United Kingdom led by David Owen that operated after the merger of the original SDP with the Liberal Party in 1988 until its dissolution in 1990. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (commonly referred to as Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... Three major peace plans were offered before and during the Bosnian War by European Community (EC) and United Nations (UN) diplomats before the conflict was settled by the Dayton Agreement in 1995. ... Combatants Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Predominantly Bosniak) Army of Republika Srpska, Yugoslav Peoples Army, various paramilitary units from Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian) Croatian Defence Council, Croatian Army (Croatian) Commanders Alija Izetbegović (President of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sefer Halilović (Army chief of staff 1992-1993) Rasim...

Owen had long been regarded as a serial resigner. He had quit as Labour's spokesman on defence in 1972 in protest at the Labour leader Harold Wilson's attitude to the EEC; he left the Labour Shadow cabinet over the same issue later; and over unilateral disarmament in November 1980 when Michael Foot became Labour leader. He resigned from the Labour Party when it rejected "one member, one vote" in February 1981. He resigned as Leader of the Social Democratic Party which he had helped to found when the party's rank-and-file membership voted to merge with the Liberal Party. James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ... The European Community (EC) was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ... Unilateral disarmament is a policy option, to renounce weapons without seeking equivalent concessions from ones actual or potential rivals. ... Michael Mackintosh Foot (born 23 July 1913) is an English politician and writer. ...

Early Life

Owen was born in 1938 in the town of Plympton, beside Plymouth in Devon, England. After schooling at Mount House School, Tavistock and Bradfield College, Berkshire, he was admitted to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1956 to study medicine. He began clinical training at St Thomas' Hospital in October 1959. Plympton is a suburb located in south-east Plymouth. ... This article is about the city in England. ... For other uses, see Devon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Tavistock is a town in Devon, England, lying on the River Tavy on the edge of Dartmoor. ... Bradfield College is a coeducational public school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... College name The College of the Lady Frances Sidney Sussex Motto Dieu me Garde de Calomnie (French: God preserve me from calumny) Founder Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex Established 1596 Location Sidney Street Admittance Men and women Master Prof. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ...

The Suez

Owen was deeply affected by the 'Suez crisis' of 1956, when Anthony Eden's Conservative govermant launched a military operation to retreive the the Suez Canal from the Nasser's decicion to Nationalise it. At the time he was working on a Labouring job that summer before going to Cambridge.

'In 1956, when the Suez crisis broke, there was Gaitskell on television and in the Houce of Commons criticising Eden, and here were these men working alongside me, who should have been his natural subborters, furious with him. 'The Daily Mirror' backed Gaitskell, but these men were tearing up there Daily Mirrors every day in the little hut where we had our tea and sandwiches during our break.... My working mates were solidly in favour of Eden. It was not only that thet taught me how people like them think; they also opened my eyes to I think myself. From then on I never identified with the Liberal - with a small 'l'- establishment. Through that experience I became suspicious of a kind of automatic sogginess which you come across in many aspects of British life, the kind of attitude which splits the differance on everything. The rather defeatist, even traitorous attitude reflected in the in the pre-war apostles at Cambridge. I suppose it underlay the appeasement years. Its modern equivalent is a resigned attitude to Britain's continuous post-war economic decline.'

In fact Owen disagreed with them as the nationalisation was a 'confication' rather than an 'invasion', never the less the whole affair convinced him that 'politicians... able to stand up for Britains interests even in the age of Imperial decline' and 'brought home' to him the 'robustness about the British people's character which is often underestimated by... the chattering classes'.

Member of Parlimant

In 1960, Owen joined the Vauxhall branch of the Labour Party and the Fabian Society. He qualified as a doctor in 1962 and began work at the Royal Waterloo Hospital. In 1964, he contested the Torrington seat as the Labour candidate against the Conservative incumbent, losing in what was a traditional Conservative-Liberal marginal. Vauxhall is an inner city area of south London in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Fabian Society is a British socialist intellectual movement, whose purpose is to advance the socialist cause by gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary means. ... Torrington was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Torrington in Devon. ... The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party is currently 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 the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ...

At the next general election, in 1966, Owen returned to his home town and was elected Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for the Plymouth Sutton constituency. In the February 1974 general election he became Labour MP for the adjacent Plymouth Devonport constituency, winning it from the Tory incumbent Dame Joan Vickers by a slim margin (fewer than 500 votes). He managed to hold on to it in the 1979 general election, again by a narrow margin (1001 votes). From 1981, however, his involvement with the SDP meant he developed a large personal following in the constituency and thereafter he was re-elected (as an SDP candidate) with safe margins. He remained as MP for Plymouth Devonport until his elevation to a peerage in 1992. The UK general election in 1966 was called by Harold Wilson because his government, elected in the 1964 election, had an unworkably small majority. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Plymouth Sutton is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... The UK general election of February 1974 was held on February 28, 1974. ... Plymouth, Devonport is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Dame is the female equivalent of address to Sir for a British knighthood. ... Joan Helen Vickers, Baroness Vickers, DBE (3 June 1907 - 23 May 1994) was a Conservative politician. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. ... For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ...

From 1968 to 1970, Owen served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Navy in Harold Wilson's first government. After Labour's defeat in the 1970 General Election, he became the party's Junior Defence Spokesman until 1972 when he resigned with Roy Jenkins over Labour's opposition to the European Community. On Labour's return to government in March 1974, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health before being promoted to Minister of State for Health in July 1974. A Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, in the United Kingdom government structure, is a minister who is junior to a Minister of State who is then junior to a Secretary of State. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on June 18, 1970, and resulted in a surprise loss of power for Labour under Harold Wilson, who was replaced as Prime Minister by the Conservative leader, Edward Heath. ... Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, OM, PC (November 11, 1920 – January 5, 2003) was a British politician and a prominent Labour Member of Parliament in the 1960s and 1970s, and founding member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). ... The Department of Health is a department of the British Government. ...

In Government

In September 1976, Owen was appointed by the new Prime Minister of five months, James Callaghan, as a Minister of State at the Foreign Office and was consequently admitted to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Five months later, however, the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Crosland died suddenly and Owen was appointed his successor. Aged thirty-eight, he became the youngest Foreign Secretary since Anthony Eden in 1935 and was seen as the youthful dynamic face of Labour's next generation. A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005), was Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979. ... The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (29 August 1918 - 19 February 1977) was a member of the Labour Party and an important socialist theorist. ... For the eponymous hat, see Anthony Eden hat. ...

As Foreign Secretary, Owen was identified with the Anglo/American plan for what was then Rhodesia which formed the basis for the Lancaster House Agreement, negotiated by his Tory successor, Lord Carrington in December 1979. The Contact Group sponsored UN Resolution in 1978 on which Namibia moved to independence twelve years later. He wrote a book entitled Human Rights and championed that cause in Africa and in the Soviet Union. He has admitted to at one stage contemplating the assassination of Idi Amin while Foreign Secretary but settled instead to backing with money for arms purchases to President Nyerere of Tanzania in his armed attack on Uganda which lead to the exile of Amin to Saudi Arabia. This article is about the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... The Lancaster House Agreement was the independence agreement for Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. ... Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, KG, GCMG, CH, MC, PC, JP, DL (born June 6, 1919), was British Foreign Secretary (1979–1982) and Secretary-General of NATO (1984–1988). ... The Contact Group is the name for an informal grouping of influential countries that have a significant interest in policy developments in the Balkans. ... Idi Amin Dada (mid-1920s[1]–16 August 2003) was an army officer and president of Uganda. ... Julius Kambarage Nyerere (April 13, 1922 - October 14, 1999) was President of Tanzania, and previously Tanganyika, from the countrys founding in 1964 until his retirement in 1985. ...

However, 18 months after Labour lost power in 1979, the staunchly left-wing politician Michael Foot was elected party leader, despite vocal opposition from Labour Party moderates (including Owen), sparking a crisis as to the party's future. Left wing redirects here. ... Michael Mackintosh Foot (born 23 July 1913) is an English politician and writer. ...

Social Democratic Party and Liberal-SDP Alliance

Michael Foot's election as Labour party leader indicated that the party was likely to become more rather than less left-wing and in 1980 committed itself to coming out of the EEC without even the referendum which Labour had carried out in 1975. Also, Labour endorsed unilateral nuclear disarmament and introduced an electoral college, for leadership elections, with 40% of the college going to the block vote of the trade unions. Early in 1981, Owen and three other senior moderate Labour politicians – Roy Jenkins, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams – announced their intention to break away from the Labour Party to form a "Council for Social Democracy". The announcement became known as the Limehouse Declaration and the four as the "Gang of Four". The council they formed became the Social Democratic Party (SDP), with a collective leadership. Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, OM, PC (November 11, 1920 – January 5, 2003) was a British politician and a prominent Labour Member of Parliament in the 1960s and 1970s, and founding member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). ... William Thomas Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, PC (born 1928), usually known as William Rodgers but also often known as Bill Rodgers, was one of the Gang of Four of senior British Labour Party politicians who defected to form the Social Democratic Party (or SDP). ... The Baroness Williams of Crosby Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, PC (born July 27, 1930), is a British politician. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party which existed between 1981 and 1990. ... In Chinese history, the Gang of Four was a group of Communist politicians based in Shanghai. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ...

Twenty-eight other Labour MPs and one Conservative MP (Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler) joined the new party. In late 1981, it formed the SDP-Liberal Alliance with the Liberal Party to strengthen both parties' chances in the UK's "first past the post" electoral system. In 1982, uneasy about the Alliance, Owen challenged Jenkins for the leadership of the SDP, but was defeated by 26,256 votes to 20,864. In the following year's General Election, the Alliance gained 25% of the vote, only slightly behind the Labour Party, but because of the "first past the post" system, it won only 23 out of 650 seats. Although elected, Jenkins resigned the SDP leadership and Owen succeeded to it without a contest among the 6 SDP MPs. Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler (born 13 January 1934) was a British politician, most notable for being the sole Parliamentary defector from the Conservatives to the Social Democrats. ... The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the UK that ran from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal Democrats. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... An example of a plurality ballot. ... 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. ...

SDP Leadership

Owen is widely regarded as having been, at the very least, a competant Party Leader. He succeaded in keeping the Party in the public eye and in maintaining it's independance from the Liberals for the entirety of the 1983 Parliment. Moreover under him the SDP increased its representation from 6 to 8 seats via by-election victories with Mike Hancock, Portsmouth South (1984) and Rosie Barnes, Woolwich (1987).

However the Progress of the Alliance as a whole was hampered with policy splits between the two parties, first over the miners strike (1984-5) where Owen and most of the SDP favored a fairly tough line but the Liberals favored compromise and regotiation. More significantly the Alliance nearly split completely over a dispute over the future of Britains Independent Nuclear Deterent. Here Owen and the SDP favoured replacing of Polaris with Trident as a matter of some import, where most Liberals were either indifferant to the issue or commited disarmers. On economic policy the SDP favoured a radical 'Social Market' aproach while the Liberals mostly favoured a more interventionist, corporate style approach. The cumulative affect of these divisions was to make the Alliance appear less credible as a potential government in the eyes of the electorate.

Moreover, Owen, unlike Jenkins, faced an increasingly moderate Labour Party under Neil Kinnock and a less unpopular Conservative government. The 1987 general election was as disappointing for the Alliance as the 1983 election and it lost one seat. Nevertheless, it won over 23% of the vote, the second largest third force vote in British politics since 1929. Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock, PC (born 28 March 1942) is a British politician. ... Margaret Thatcher David Steel Election 1987 Titles The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987 and was the third consecutive victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher. ...

Full parties merger

In 1987 immediately after the election, the Liberal leader David Steel openly suggested a full merger of the Liberal and SDP parties and was supported for the SDP by Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers. Owen rejected this notion outright, on the grounds that he and other Social Democrats wished to remain faithful to social democracy as it was practiced within Western Europe, and it was unlikly that any merged party would be able to do this, even if it was under his leadership. Never the less the majority of the SDP membership supported the idea. The Liberal and SDP parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD), soon renamed as the Liberal Democrats, whilst Owen continued to lead a much smaller re-formed SDP with three MPs. The party polled well at its first election, its candidate coming a close second in the 1989 Richmond by-election, but thereafter a string of poor and ultimately disastrous by-election results followed, including coming behind the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in a by-election, prompting Owen to wind up the party in 1990. Some branches, however, continued to function using the SDP name- notably Bridlington which continues in 2006. David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC (born 31 March 1938) is a British and Scottish politician and a Liberal Democrat member of the UK House of Lords. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, is a liberal political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1988 by the merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had already been in an alliance for seven years prior to this, since not long... This entry is about the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the political party in the United Kingdom led by David Owen that operated after the merger of the original SDP with the Liberal Party in 1988 until its dissolution in 1990. ... Richmond, North Yorkshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... The Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and anti-politician David Sutch, also known as Screaming Lord Sutch (1940-1999). ... The Social Democratic Party is a small political party in the United Kingdom. ... Bridlington beach, from the North Pier Bridlington is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. ...

Retirement from Parliament

After winding up the re-formed SDP, Owen announced his intent to stand down as an MP at the next General Election. He then served the remainder of his term as an independent MP and after the 1992 General Election was made a life peer with the title Baron Owen, of the City of Plymouth. As a member of the House of Lords, he is called "Lord Owen" and sits as a crossbencher. The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. ... In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). ... This article is about the city in England. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... A cross-bencher is a member of the British House of Lords who is not aligned to any particular party. ...

During the April 1992 election campaign, Owen in the Mail on Sunday advised voters to vote Liberal Democrat where they had a chance of victory and otherwise to vote Conservative rather than let Neil Kinnock become Prime Minister. He maintained his long standing position that he would never join the Conservative Party, although the memoirs of at least three of John Major's cabinet ministers refer to Major being quite keen to appoint Owen to his cabinet, but threats of resignation from within the Cabinet prevented him from doing so. When asked in a conversation with Woodrow Wyatt on 18 December, 1988 whether she would have Owen in her government if approached by him, Margaret Thatcher replied: "Well, not straight away. I don't think I would do it straight away. He was very good on the Northern Ireland terrorist business. He's wasting his life now. It's so tragic. He's got real ability and it ought to be used".^[1] In another conversation with Wyatt on 4 June 1990 Thatcher said Owen's natural home was the Conservative Party.^[2] This article is about the album. ... The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party is currently 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 the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ... Woodrow Lyle Wyatt, Baron Wyatt of Weeford (July 4, 1918 – December 7, 1997), was a British Labour politician, published author, journalist and broadcaster. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and only woman to hold either post. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

In September 2007, it was widely reported in the British press that Lord Owen had met with the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown and afterwards had refused to rule out supporting Labour at the next general election. ^[3] For others with the same or similar names, see Gordon Brown (disambiguation). ...

Subsequent International Role

In August 1992, Owen was British Prime Minister John Major's choice to succeed Lord Carrington as the EU co-chairman of the Conference for the Former Yugoslavia, along with Cyrus Vance, the former U.S. Secretary of State as the UN co-chairman. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Private Eye, the British satirical magazine, playfully alluded towards Owen's legendary tendency towards self-destruction. "It's a lost cause", says the bubble emanating from Major's mouth. "I'm your man", says the bubble from Owen's mouth. The Labour Shadow Foreign Minister, Jack Cunningham, greeted Major's appointment of Owen in the British House of Commons by saying that the Prime Minister's choice "was regarded as somewhat eccentric by [MPs] and myself - he [Owen] is known for many qualities, but not as a mediator. Indeed he has Balkanised a few political parties himself" [Unfinest Hour :Britain and the Destruction of Bosnia [2001] Brendan Simms p137] Private eye may mean: Look up Private eye on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Private Eye a fortnightly British satirical magazine-newspaper, edited by Ian Hislop (as of 2005) A private investigator, a private detective for hire (see also crime fiction and detective fiction) Private Eye, a song by Alkaline Trio... The Right Honourable John Anderson Jack Cunningham, Baron Cunningham of Felling, PC, DL (born 4 August 1939) is a British Labour politician and was Member of Parliament for Copeland until 2005. ... Dr. Brendan Simms is an historian, writer, and Newton-Sheehy teaching fellow at the University of Cambridge in the Centre of International Studies. ...

Owen became a joint author of the Vance-Owen Peace Plan [VOPP], in January 1993 which made a heroic effort to move away from the presumption of ethnic partition. [Balkan Tragedy (1995) Susan L. Woodward p304]. According to America¹s last Ambassador to Yugoslavia the Bosnian Government were ready to accept the VOPP but unfortunately the Clinton Administration delayed in its support for the Plan thus missing a chance to get it launched. [Origins of the Catastrophe (1999) Warren Zimmermann p222]. The VOPP was eventually agreed in Athens in May 1993 under intense pressure by all parties including Bosnian Serb leader Karadžić [but then rejected later by the Bosnian-Serb Assembly meeting in Pale, after Karadžić insisted that the Assembly had the right to ratify the agreement]. After Vance's withdrawal, Owen and Thorvald Stoltenberg brokered the EU Action Plan of December 1993. They both helped the Contact Group of the US/UK/France/Germany and Russia to present its plan in the summer of 1994. Radovan Karadžić during a visit to Moscow in 1994. ... Thorvald Stoltenberg (born July 8, 1931) is a Norwegian politician. ...

By this time Owen was already losing his authority : in early 1994, the European Parliament had voted by 160 votes to 90, with 2 abstentions, for Owen's dismissal. There was a perception in America that Owen was "not fulfilling his function as an impartial negotiator.." [Unfinest Hour, p167]. Owen was made a Companion of Honour for his services in the former Yugoslavia in 1994. Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP) Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP) Gérard Onesta (Greens – EFA) Edward McMillan-Scott (ED) Mario Mauro (EPP) Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez (PES) Luigi Cocilovo (ALDE) Mechtild... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ...

In January 1995 Lord Owen wrote to President François Mitterrand as President of the EU to say that he wished to step down before the end of the French Presidency. At the end of May 1995, he was replaced by the former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt. The irony over his resignation from EU co-Chairman was that, while Owen was famous for his exits, he'd fumbled this latest one. "Had I been younger, I would probably have resigned when the Americans ditched the Vance-Owen Peace Plan" [Unfinest Hour p157-8]. So marginalised was Owen by June 1995, that Edward Mortimer in the Financial Times was able to put it as "[Owen's departure] may have surprised some who did not realise he was still in the job." [Unfinest Hour, p 171-2]   IPA: (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, elected as representative of the Socialist Party (PS). ...   (born July 15, 1949) is a Swedish politician and diplomat, currently serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt. ... Edward Mortimer ; Born 22 December 1943 in Burford) is the Director of Communications in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. ... The Financial Times (FT) is a British international business newspaper. ...

He testified in the trial of former Yugoslavian president [Slobodan Milošević].

Owen is currently the Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, a post he has held for over ten years. The University of Liverpool is a university in the city of Liverpool, England. ...

Europe

Owen is a strong supporter of Britains membership of the EU, but also opposes many of the more dramatic proposals for integration. As chairman of New Europe, was the co-leader of the 'no to the euro' campaign with Business for Sterling, which ceased when the UK Government declared in 2005 that euro membership was off the agenda following the defeat of the EU Constitution in referendums in France and Holland. He has also called for a referendum before Britains ratification of the Lisbon treaty, and expressed concerns about proposals for the creation of a European 'Rapid Reaction Force'. He is a self described Anti-Federalist.

Personal Life

He married Deborah Owen (née Schabert), an American literary agent, in 1968. They have two sons and one daughter. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Notes

Further reading

• David Owen, The Politics of Defence (Taplinger Pub. Co, 1972)
• David Owen, Human Rights (W.W. Norton & Company, 1978)
• David Owen, Face the Future (Greenwood Press, 1981)
• David Owen, Balkan Odyssey (Victor Gollancz, 1995)
• David Owen, Time to Declare (Michael Joseph, 1992)
• David Owen and Kenneth Harris, Personally Speaking (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1987)
• David Owen, The Hubris Syndrome: Bush, Blair and the Intoxication of Power (Politico's, 2007)

Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

• The David Owen Archive at the University of Liverpool
• David Owen resigns as SDP leader (BBC News On This Day webpage, including news report footage)
• Lord Owen's entry in the United Kingdom Parliament's alphabetical list of members of the House of Lords.
• Lord Owen's listing at dodonline.co.uk (online version of Dod's Parliamentary Companion).

v • d • e Foreign Secretaries of the United Kingdom
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Fox  · Grantham  · Fox  · Temple  · Leeds  · Grenville  · Hawkesbury  · Harrowby  · Mulgrave  · Fox  · Howick  · Canning  · Bathurst  · Wellesley  · Castlereagh  · Canning  · Dudley  · Aberdeen  · Palmerston  · Wellington  · Palmerston  · Aberdeen  · Palmerston  · Granville  · Malmesbury  · Russell  · Clarendon  · Malmesbury  · Russell  · Clarendon  · Stanley  · Clarendon  · Granville  · Derby  · Salisbury  · Granville  · Salisbury  · Rosebery  · Iddesleigh  · Salisbury  · Rosebery  · Kimberley  · Salisbury  · Lansdowne  · Grey  · Balfour  · Curzon  · MacDonald  · Chamberlain  · Henderson  · Reading  · Simon  · Hoare  · Eden  · Halifax  · Eden  · Bevin  · Morrison  · Eden  · Macmillan  · Lloyd  · Home  · Butler  · Gordon Walker  · Stewart  · Brown  · Stewart
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Stewart  · Douglas-Home  · Callaghan  · Crosland  · Owen  · Carrington  · Pym  · Howe  · Major  · Hurd  · Rifkind  · Cook  · Straw  · Beckett  · Miliband The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... Statue of Charles James Fox in Bloomsbury Square, erected 1816. ... Thomas boob, 2nd Baron pop (1738-1786), British politician and statesman, was the son of Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham. ... Statue of Charles James Fox in Bloomsbury Square, erected 1816. ... George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham (17 June 1753 - 1813) was a British statesman; he was the second son of George Grenville and a brother of William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville. ... Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds (29 January 1751 – 31 January 1799, was a British politician. ... William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (October 25, 1759 - January 12, 1834), was a British statesman and Prime Minister. ... The son of George IIIs close adviser Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool and his part-Indian first wife, Amelia Watts, Robert Jenkinson was educated at Charterhouse School and Christ Church, Oxford. ... Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby (1762-1847), the eldest son of Nathaniel Ryder, 1st Baron Harrowby (d. ... Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave (14 February 1755 - 7 April 1831) was a British statesman and politician. ... Statue of Charles James Fox in Bloomsbury Square, erected 1816. ... The Right Honourable Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC (13 March 1764–17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig statesman and Prime Minister. ... George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst (22 May 1762 - 27 July 1834), the elder son of the second earl. ... Richard Wellesley ,1st Marquess Wellesley The Most Honourable Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (20 June 1760 - 26 September 1842), was the eldest son of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, an Irish peer, and brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. ... Lord Castlereagh Foreign Secretary 1812–1822 Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC (18 June 1769 in Dublin – 12 August 1822 at Loring Hall, Kent), known until 1821 by his courtesy title of Viscount Castlereagh, was an Anglo-Irish politician born in Dublin who represented the United Kingdom... George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... John William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley PC (9 August 1781 – 6 March 1833), became the 4th Viscount Dudley and Ward in 1823. ... The Right Honourable George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, PC (January 28, 1784–December 14, 1860) was a Tory/Peelite politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855. ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. ... Italic text His Grace Field Marshal the Most Noble Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. ... The Right Honourable George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, PC (January 28, 1784–December 14, 1860) was a Tory/Peelite politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855. ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. ... The Earl Granville Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG , PC (11 May 1815 – 31 March 1891) was a British Liberal statesman. ... The Rt Hon. ... John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. ... George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (January 12, 1800 - June 27, 1870), was an English diplomat and statesman. ... The Rt Hon. ... John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. ... George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (January 12, 1800 - June 27, 1870), was an English diplomat and statesman. ... The Rt Hon. ... George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (January 12, 1800 - June 27, 1870), was an English diplomat and statesman. ... The Earl Granville Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG , PC (11 May 1815 – 31 March 1891) was a British Liberal statesman. ... The Rt Hon. ... Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and Prime Minister on three occasions, for a total of over 13 years. ... The Earl Granville Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG , PC (11 May 1815 – 31 March 1891) was a British Liberal statesman. ... Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and Prime Minister on three occasions, for a total of over 13 years. ... Archibald Primrose redirects here. ... The Rt Hon. ... Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and Prime Minister on three occasions, for a total of over 13 years. ... Archibald Primrose redirects here. ... John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826-1902), English statesman, was born on 7 January 1826, being the eldest son of the Hon. ... Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and Prime Minister on three occasions, for a total of over 13 years. ... The Most Honourable Henry Charles Keith Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE (14 January 1845 – 3 June 1927) was a British politician and Irish peer who served successively as Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for... Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon (April 25, 1862 – September 7, 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey was a British politician and ornithologist. ... For the steel manufacturer, see Arthur Balfour, 1st Baron Riverdale. ... The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925) was a British Conservative statesman who served as Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary. ... James Ramsay MacDonald (12 October 1866 – 9 November 1937) was a British politician and three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, KG (October 16, 1863 – March 17, 1937) was a British statesman, politician, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. ... The Right Honourable Arthur Henderson (September 13, 1863 – October 20, 1935) was a British politician and union leader. ... Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (10 October 1860 - 30 December 1935) was a British politician and jurist. ... John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon GCSI GCVO OBE PC (1873-1954) was a British politician and statesman. ... Samuel John Gurney Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood GCSI , GBE , CMG , PC (24 February 1880 – 7 May 1959), more commonly known as Sir Samuel Hoare, was a British Conservative politician who served in various capacities in the Conservative and National governments of the 1920s and 1930s. ... For the eponymous hat, see Anthony Eden hat. ... Cover of Time Magazine April 12, 1926 Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, known as Lord Irwin from 1926 until 1934, (1881-1959) was a British Conservative politician. ... For the eponymous hat, see Anthony Eden hat. ... Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 - 14 April 1951) was a British labour leader, politician, and statesman best known for his time as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour government. ... Herbert Morrison For others named Herbert Morrison, see Herbert Morrison (disambiguation). ... For the eponymous hat, see Anthony Eden hat. ... Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. ... John Selwyn Brooke Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd (28 July 1904 - 18 May 1978), known for most of his career as Selwyn Lloyd, was a British Conservative politician. ... Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel,[1] KT, PC (2 July 1903 - 9 October 1995) 14th Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British Conservative (actually SUP) politician, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a year from October 1963 to October... Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG, CH, PC, DL (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician. ... Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker CH (7 April 1907 – 2 December 1980) was a British Labour Party politician. ... The Right Honourable Captain Robert Maitland Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham, PC (November 6, 1906, Bromley - March 13, 1990) was a British Labour politician who served twice as Foreign Secretary in the first cabinet of Harold Wilson. ... George Alfred Brown, later George Alfred George-Brown, Baron George-Brown, PC (2 September 1914 – 2 June 1985) was a British politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1960 to 1970, and was a senior Cabinet minister (including as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) in... The Right Honourable Captain Robert Maitland Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham, PC (November 6, 1906, Bromley - March 13, 1990) was a British Labour politician who served twice as Foreign Secretary in the first cabinet of Harold Wilson. ... Image File history File links Her_Majesty's_Government_Coat_of_Arms. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... The Right Honourable Captain Robert Maitland Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham, PC (November 6, 1906, Bromley - March 13, 1990) was a British Labour politician who served twice as Foreign Secretary in the first cabinet of Harold Wilson. ... Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel,[1] KT, PC (2 July 1903 - 9 October 1995) 14th Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British Conservative (actually SUP) politician, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a year from October 1963 to October... Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005), was Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979. ... Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (29 August 1918 - 19 February 1977) was a member of the Labour Party and an important socialist theorist. ... Lord Carrington wearing his robes as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, in procession to St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle for the annual service of the Order of the Garter. ... Popular conservative British politician Francis Pym, during his Cambridge years Francis Leslie Pym, Baron Pym, MC and Bar, PC (born 13 February 1922) is a British Conservative Party politician and former member of the Cabinet. ... Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, CH, PC, QC (born 20 December 1926), known until 1992 as Sir Geoffrey Howe, is a senior British Conservative politician. ... For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ... Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC (born 8 March 1930), is a senior British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995. ... Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind, KCMG, QC (born 21 June 1946) is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kensington and Chelsea. ... Robert Finlayson Cook (28 February 1946 – 6 August 2005) was a politician in the British Labour Party. ... For other uses, see Jack Straw (disambiguation). ... Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943) is a British Labour politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby South. ... David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is a British politician who is the current Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [1] and Member of Parliament for the constituency of South Shields, Tyne and Wear. ...