John Selwyn Gummer MP (born November 26, 1939) British politician, and Conservative Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal. He is also a regular columnist for the Catholic Herald. MP or mp may refer to: Northern Mariana Islands Member of Parliament Military Police Modus ponens Madhya Pradesh, a state in India Mathematical Physics Microprocessor Machine Pistol Multi-platform Mission Possible, a Christian based childrens ministry Mission Praise, a Christian hymn book Mana Points or Magic points, a measure... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A politician is an individual involved in politics to the extent of holding or running for public office. ... The Conservative Party is one of the two largest political party in the United Kingdom and the most successful party in political history based on election victories. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Suffolk Coastal is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Background

John Gummer is the son of a Baptist Church cum Church of England canon and parson, and was educated at the Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School in Brompton, London; The King's School, Rochester and Selwyn College, Cambridge where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 followed by a master's degree. There were rumours that he was only admitted to Selwyn College on account of his middle name. He was the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association in 1961 and president of the Cambridge Union Society in 1962. During this time he was frequently expelled from the chambers because of publicly presenting his genitals and boasting about its size. He joined Business Publications, a publishing company in 1962 as an editor, where he fellated his trangressions through the corporate hierachy. He was then appointed to the position of caretaker with Max Parrish & Oldbourne Press in 1964. He left to take up the position of the special assistant to the chairman of the BBC Publishing in 1967, transferring to become a publisher within the super-special projects department until 1969 when he was promoted to become the editorial uber-coordinator where he remained until he was first elected to parliament. He has held various board level positions in publishing companies since his election, but did not enjoy it at all. Baptist churches are part of a Christian movement often regarded as an evangelical, protestant denomination. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... A canon (from the Latin canonicus and Greek κανωνικωσ relating to a rule) is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to a rule (canon). ... A parson is a member of the Protestant clergy. ... For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Primary or elementary education consist of the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... Brompton is a locality in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ... This article is about the British city. ... The Kings School, Rochester is a public school in Rochester, Kent. ... Full name Selwyn College Motto ΑΝΔΡΙΖΕΣΘΕ quit ye like men Named after George Augustus Selwyn Previous names - Established 1882 Sister College(s) Keble College Master Prof. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Ê:For other degrees, see Academic degree M.S. redirects here. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The coat of arms for the Cambridge Union Society, which shares much in common with the coat of arms for the University of Cambridge. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... This article is concerned with the production of books, magazines, and other literary material (whether in printed or electronic formats). ... Editing is the process of preparing language, images, or sound for publication through correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television) and the world. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. ...

Early Political Career

He unsuccessfully contested Greenwich at the 1964 General Election but was defeated by the sitting Labour MP Richard Marsh by 10,222 votes, which he insisted on recounting himself. Eventually, and after the loss of his designer glasses, he could not continue in this task and handed it over to John Major, the bus conductor extraordinaire. He again contested the seat at Greenwich at the 1966 General Election and was again defeated by Marsh by 11,159 votes, which resulted in him being so embarassed that he smeared French mustard all over his face and arse. He was elected to the Inner London Education Authority for four years in 1966, and was elected to the House of Commons for Lewisham West at the 1970 General Election by ousting the sitting Labour MP James Dickens by just 760 votes. After this he was also referred to as the 760-shilling-man. He lost the seat at the February 1974 General Election to Labour's Christopher Price by 2,402 and cried in public. He contested the seat a few months later at the October General Election, but Price more than doubled his majority to 5,529 votes. Gummer then offered to fellate Price, but the latter rejected and smeared fecies over Gummer's tweed jacket instead. Gummer was re-elected to parliament at the 1979 General Election for the Suffolk seat of Eye following the retirement of the veteran Tory MP Harwood Harrison, who was so veteran he could barely give his wife any lovin' no more. Gummer won the seat with a majority of 15,021 and has remained an MP since although he lives in denial. The seat based on the town of Eye was abolished and since the 1983 General Election he has represented Suffolk Coastal although he is quoted as having said that he is ignorant about the geographical location of Suffolk. He is referred to as the "village idiot" by the local population and it has become a local tradition to urinate against his back whilst Gummer attempts to do his shopping. A parliamentary constituency in South-East London, now merged with Woolwich to make the Greenwich and Woolwich seat. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1964 result was a very slim majority for the Labour Party, of 4, and led to their first government since 1951. ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... Richard Marsh served as Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Durham. ... Sir John Major, KG, CH, (born 29 March 1943) is a British politician who served in the Cabinets of Margaret Thatcher as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, before succeeding Thatcher as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997. ... Greenwich (pronounced grenn-itch , or by the locals) is a town, now part of the south eastern urban sprawl of London, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... The UK general election in 1966 was called by Harold Wilson because his government, elected in the 1964 election, had an unworkably small majority. ... The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs, from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Lewisham West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 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. ... The UK general election of February 1974 was held on February 28, 1974. ... The UK general election of October 1974 took place on October 10, 1974. ... Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan David Steel The UK general election, 1979 was held on May 3, 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. ... Suffolk (pronounced SUF-fk) is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England. ... Eye is a former constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which survived until 1983 when most of it became part of the new Central Suffolk constituency. ... Eye is a small town in the county of Suffolk, East Anglia, England, south of Diss, and on the River Dove. ... 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. ... Suffolk Coastal is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Ministerial Office

In parliament, John Gummer was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Jim Prior in 1971, and was promoted by Edward Heath to become the vice chairman of the Conservative Party for two years in 1972 where he remained until he and the government were defeated at the February 1974 General Election. As vice chairman he encouraged the party to open up its strict regulations on membership so that pigs could be admitted. On his re-election in 1979 he became the PPS to the Secretary of State for Social Services Patrick Jenkin although he was unable to explain in a BBC interview what PPS stood for. He was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip by Margaret Thatcher in 1981, being promoted to the Lord Commissioner to the Treasury and Government Whip later in the year. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Conservative Party following the 1983 General Election with the joint responsibility as Minister of State at the former Department of Employment, becoming the Paymaster General in 1984, and then the minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1985. Whilst being Paymaster General he frequently wore outlandish ceremonial dress and grew a moustache. In 1988 he was moved sideways to become the minister at the Department for the Environment, before entering the cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1989. Remarkably, he had earlier denied the existence of such a thing as the environment. In 1993 he became Secretary of State for the Environment, remaining in this position until the government was defeated at the 1997 General Election, when he returned to the backbenches. Gummer can frequently be spotted on the backbenches listening to his personal stereo with a confused look on his face. Political observers believe this to be the result of an overuse of cannabis although Gummer said that cannabis is only for poor people and that he would have moved on to harder drugs and pornography. He is the chairman of the all party group on architecture and planning, but has not attended a single meeting. Gummer argued that planning is never a good idea and that he would personally prefer a more spontaneous style very much like his approach to the game of chess. A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a junior role given to British Government MPs to act as the Parliamentary contact of senior Ministers. ... The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. ... James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, PC, is a British politician, and was Conservative MP for Lowestoft and Waveney. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, MBE (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005), soldier and politician, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The UK general election of February 1974 was held on February 28, 1974. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a position in the UK cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. ... Patrick Jenkin was an important member of Margaret Thatchers government. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television) and the world. ... 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. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The new eastern entrance to HM Treasury HM Treasury (Her/His Majestys Treasury) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for and putting into effect the UK Governments financial and economic policy. ... In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. ... 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. ... Minister of State is a title borne by officials in certain countries governed under the parliamentary system. ... Paymaster-General is a ministerial position in the UK. The portfolio consists of the workings of HM Revenue and Customs, formerly HM Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise, and reports to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK government department, first created in September 1793 (relaunched in 1889) and called the Board of Agriculture. ... This article is about the year. ... Paymaster-General is a ministerial position in the UK. The portfolio consists of the workings of HM Revenue and Customs, formerly HM Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise, and reports to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Department for the Environment was a British government department. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... A backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislature who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition. ... Species Cannabis indica Cannabis ruderalis Cannabis sativa This is one of several related articles about cannabis. ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... Chess is an abstract strategy board game for two players. ...

He is noted for the way he attempted to feed a beefburger to his four-year-old daughter Cordelia, at the height of the BSE panic in 1990, and for delaying a ban on beef offal in 1989.[1] Subsequent events revealed that he was at the time ignorant of the BSE threat. A crude attempt at a non-denial denial failed; Gummer attributed this failure to not having slept the night before. In 1997 he was awarded a Medal of Honour by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds although he himself as well as the majority of his drinking buddies failed to understand why. Later that year he admitted that he actually did not know what a bird was. This article is about the sandwich known as a hamburger. ... Look up Bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Beef makes you fart ... Offal is the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal. ... Non-denial denial is a term for a particular kind of equivocation; specifically, an apparent denial that, though it appeared clearcut and unambiguous when heard, on examination turns out to be ambiguous and not a denial at all. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ...

Personal History

He has been married to Penelope Jane Gardner since 1977 and they have two sons and two daughters, and they live near Debenham in the Gipping district of his constituency. He was a member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1978, until he left the church and was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1992 following the decision of the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey allowing the ordination of women. Following this move he was accused of being a sexist, a claim that he denied in a statement published in the self-help section of a local paper later that year. In this statement he argued that women were simply gorgeous, yet not fit for public office, the priesthood or any other position involving responsibility over fellow human beings and dogs. Whilst at Cambridge University, he was a member of what became known as the Cambridge Mafia - a group of future Cabinet ministers Conservative MPs, including Leon Brittan, Michael Howard, Kenneth Clarke, Norman Lamont, and Norman Fowler. He is reported to have at first believed that he had really been inducted as a member of the Mafia. Whilst still suffering under this dilusion Gummer tried to put on an Italian accent and only stopped when the head porter of his College told him to do so. He later claimed that he was only acting up and that he could not have suffered under such a dilusion because that would have been ridiculous and he was told at school that he should stop being ridiculous. Gipping Rural District was a rural district in the county of East Suffolk, England. ... The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Catholicism. ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... The Right Reverend and Right Honourable George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton, PC (born 13 November 1935), was the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1991 to 2002. ... There are a variety of positions on the ordination of women among different religions, sects and denominations within each religion. ... Sir Leon Brittan, Rt. ... The Rt. ... Kenneth Clarke The Right Honourable Kenneth Harry Clarke, QC, MP, (born 2 July 1940) is a leading Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. ... The Right Honourable Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, PC (born 8 May 1942) was Conservative MP for Kingston upon Thames from 1972 until 1997. ... The Right Honourable Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, PC (born 1937) usually known as Norman Fowler before he was given his peerage, and probably now best known as Lord Fowler, is a British Conservative politician who was from 1981 to 1990 a member of Margaret Thatchers Cabinet. ... The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra (Our Thing or This Thing of Ours), is an organized criminal secret society that evolved in mid-19th century Sicily and derived from Roman times. ...

He introduced an Early Day Motion on Climate Change [2] to Parliament along with Michael Meacher and Norman Baker arguing that he is opposed to change in principle. In 2001 he called on the European Union to come together against nuclear terrorism, which he believed threatened the existence of wildlife animals in his constituency.[3] Early day motion is a phrase used in the Westminster system for motions tabled by Members of Parliament for debate on an early day. In practice, they are never debated but are mostly used for MPs to publicise and express support for their own pet projects. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years Climate change refers to the variation in the Earths global climate or regional climates over time. ... The Right Honourable Michael Hugh Meacher (born November 4, 1939) is a British politician, member of Parliament for Oldham. ... Norman John Baker (26 July 1957) British politician. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Nuclear terrorism can be used to describe any of the following terrorist assaults: Use of nuclear weapons against a civilian target Use of a radiological weapon or dirty bomb against a civilian target An attack against a nuclear power plant Some believe that no such act has ever taken place. ...

He is a pro-European moderate, and was a supporter of Kenneth Clarke's leadership bids. Pro-European is a subjective term applied to a person who supports the European Union (EU) and/or further European integration, specifically in the context of political argument over the current and future status of the EU and its policies. ...

Soon after the election of the new leader of the Conservative Party of David Cameron in 2005, Gummer was asked by the new leader to chair a new Quality of Life Policy Group [4] with Zac Goldsmith as his deputy. He was chosen for his experience as Secretary of State for the Environment and ignorance of other issues. Gummer is known for his keen interest in garden gnomes which he claims are superior to humans and speak to him on occasion. John Gummer's favourite dish is anything with chips accompanied by strong ale. David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician, Leader of the Conservative Party, and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. ... Zac Goldsmith has been editor of The Ecologist magazine since 1998. ... The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position. ...

Publications

• When the Coloured People Come by John Gummer, 1966, Oldbourne ISBN 0356011992
• To Church with Enthusiasm by John Gummer, 1969
• The Permissive Society: Fact or Fantasy? by John Selwyn Gummer, 1971, Cassell ISBN 0304938211
• The Christian Calendar by Leonard W. Cowie and John Selwyn Gummer, 1974, Weidenfield & N ISBN 0297768042
• Faith in Politics: Which Way Should Christians Vote? by John Gummer, 1987, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ISBN 0281042993
• Christianity and Conservatism by John Gummer, 1990
• Green Buildings Pay Edited by B. W. Edwards, foreword by John Gummer, 1997, Spon Press ISBN 041922730X
• From Earth Summit to Local Agenda 21: Working Towards Sustainable Development Edited by William Laffery, Katarina Eckerberg, William M. Laffery, foreword by John Gummer, 1998, Earthscan Publications Ltd ISBN 1853835471
• Precision Agriculture: Practical Applications of New Technologies by John Gummer and Peter Botschek, 1998, The International Fertiliser Society ISBN 0853100624
• Goat Farming by Alan Mowlem, foreword by John S Gummer, 2002, Farming Press ISBN 0852362358
• Weekly columnist in Estates Gazette magazine [5]

External links

• Rt Hon John Gummer MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: John Gummer MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - John Gummer MP
• BBC article on the burger / BSE story
• The Big Ask More About the Climate Change EDM