The Rt Hon. Michael Howard

Michael Howard, QC (born 7 July 1941) is a British politician and former Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party from November 2003 to December 2005. Since becoming an MP at the 1983 General Election, he also held a number of positions in successive Conservative governments until their electoral defeat in 1997, most notably Home Secretary under John Major. This image is used with permission courtesey of the Conservative Party - see Wikipedia:Pictures from conservatives. ... This image is used with permission courtesey of the Conservative Party - see Wikipedia:Pictures from conservatives. ... Cherie Booth QC wearing her ceremonial robes (including full-bottomed wig) as Queens Counsel at the Bar of England and Wales. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... The Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (the body in Parliament recognized as the Official Opposition). ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ... 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. ... 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. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, known as the Home Secretary, is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order (except in Scotland). ... Sir John Major, KG, CH (born 29 March 1943) is an English politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. ...

Early life

Howard was born in Gorseinon, Wales, where his Romanian Jewish shopkeeper father Bernard Hecht had moved as an economic migrant [1]. His mother, Hilda Kershion, was Welsh-born and of Eastern European Jewish ancestry. When Howard was six, the family name Hecht was anglicised to Howard [2]. He attended Llanelli Grammar School and Peterhouse, Cambridge and was President of the Cambridge Union Society in 1962. Howard was one of a cluster of bright Conservative students at Cambridge around this time, sometimes referred to as the Cambridge Mafia, many of whom went on to hold high government office under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. (See Cambridge University Conservative Association) Gorseinon is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a town in the City and County of Swansea, South Wales. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales for ever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd... This article describes some ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity; for a consideration of the Jewish religion, refer to the article Judaism. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales for ever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd... Eastern Europe is, by convention, a region defined geographically as that part of Europe covering the eastern part of the continent. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Hecht is the surname of several people: Ben Hecht, prolific Hollywood screenwriter Chic Hecht, former U.S. Senator from Nevada and U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas. ... Anglicized refers to foreign words, often surnames, that are changed from a foreign language into English. ... Howard is the name of a number of places in the United States of America: Howard, Kansas Howard, New York Howard, Ohio Howard, Rhode Island Howard, South Dakota Howard, Wisconsin Howard City, Michigan Howard County, Arkansas Howard County, Indiana Howard County, Maryland Howard County, Texas Howard is also part of... Full name Peterhouse Motto - Named after St Peter Previous names The Scholars of the Bishop of Ely St Peter’s College Established 1284 Sister College(s) Merton College Master The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn Location Trumpington Street Undergraduates 253 Postgraduates 125 Homepage Boatclub The chapel cloisters, through which Old Court... 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). ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG OM FRS PC (born 13 October 1925) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. ... Sir John Major, KG, CH (born 29 March 1943) is an English politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. ... The Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) is a long-established political society going back to the nineteenth century, founded as a Conservative branch for students at Cambridge University. ...

He was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1964 and specialised in employment law and planning issues. In the 1966 election he fought the safe Labour seat of Liverpool Edge Hill, which led to his support for Liverpool F.C.. The late 1960s saw his promotion within the Bow Group where he became Chairman in 1970 shortly after the general election in which he was again defeated at Edge Hill. At the Conservative Party conference of 1970, he made a notable speech commending the government for attempting to curbe trade union power. The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England, to which barristers belong and where they are called to the Bar. ... The UK general election in 1966 was called by Harold Wilson because his government, elected in the 1964 election, had an unworkably small majority. ... Liverpool Edge Hill is a constituency within the city and metropolitan borough of Liverpool, in the English county of Merseyside. ... Liverpool Football Club is a football club based in Liverpool, in the north west of England. ... The Bow Group is the oldest centre-right think tank in the United Kingdom. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 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 examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

At this time Howard was a leading advocate of British membership of the Common Market (EEC) and served on the board of the cross-party Britain in Europe group. The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 by representatives from all EU Member States The European Union (EU) is an intergovernmental and supranational union of 25 democratic member states. ... Britain in Europe is the main British pro-European pressure group. ...

Howard was named as co-respondent in the high profile divorce case of former 1960s model Sandra Paul. She and Howard subsequently married in 1975 (her fourth marriage); their son Nicholas was born in 1976 and daughter Larissa in 1977. Unlike his many Cambridge contemporaries, Howard found it difficult to find and be selected for a winnable parliamentary seat and so continued his career at the Bar where he became a Queen's Counsel in 1982. In June 1982, Howard was finally selected for the constituency of Folkestone and Hythe in succession of the retiring the Sir Albert Costain. He won his seat in the general election of 1983 without difficulty. Sandra Howard in 1969 Sandra Claire Howard (née Paul) was born in 1941. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Cherie Booth QC wearing her ceremonial robes (including full-bottomed wig) as Queens Counsel at the Bar of England and Wales. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Folkestone and Hythe is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 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. ...

Career in Government

Howard very quickly rose in the ranks of Government, becoming Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry in 1985 with responsibility for regulating the financial dealings of the City of London. This junior post became very important, as he oversaw the Big Bang introduction of new technology in 1986. After the 1987 election he became Minister for Local Government. On behalf of the Government, he accepted the amendment which would become Section 28, and defended its inclusion. The Department of Trade and Industry is a United Kingdom government department. ... The UK general election, 1987 was held on June 11, 1987 and was the third victory in a row for Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives. ... Sir Ian McKellen with Michael Cashman at the 1988 Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28. ...

Howard then guided through the House of Commons the Local Government Finance Act 1988. This act brought in Margaret Thatcher's new system of local taxation, officially known as the Community Charge but almost universally nicknamed the poll tax. Howard personally supported the tax and won the respect of Mrs Thatcher for minimising the rebellion against it within the Conservative Party. After a period as Minister for Water and Planning in 1988/89 during which he was responsible for implementing water privatization in England and Wales, Howard was promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Employment in January 1990 with the resignation of Norman Fowler (who left "to spend more time with his family"). Howard subsequently guided through legislation abolishing the closed shop and campaigned vigorously for Mrs Thatcher in the first ballot of the leadership contest in November 1990. He retained his cabinet post under John Major and campaigned against trade-union power during the 1992 general election campaign. A poll tax, soul tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). ... Water privatization is a short-hand for the privatization of water services, althougth more rarely it refers to privatization of water resources themselves. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Minister of Labour re-directs here. ... 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. ... A closed shop is a business or industrial establishment whose employees are required to be union members or to agree to join the union within a specified time after being hired. ... The 1990 Conservative Party leadership election in the United Kingdom took place in November 1990 following the decision of former Trade and Industry Secretary Michael Heseltine to stand against the incumbent Conservative leader and Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. ... The UK general election, 1992 was held on April 9, 1992, and was the fourth victory in a row for the Conservatives. ...

His work in the campaign led to his appointment as Secretary of State for the Environment in the reshuffle after the election. In this capacity he encouraged the United States to participate in the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, but he was soon after appointed as Home Secretary in a 1993 reshuffle initiated by the sacking of Norman Lamont. His tenure as Home Secretary was especially notable for his tough approach to crime, which he summed up in the soundbite, "prison works". Howard repeatedly clashed with judges and prison reformers as he sought to clamp down on crime through a series of "tough" measures. Under his tenure, recorded crime fell for the first time in over 30 years. The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position. ... The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit (or, in Portuguese, Eco 92) was a major conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia (PFL) Area    - City 1,260 km² Population    - City (2005) 5,613,000 [1]  - Density 4. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, known as the Home Secretary, is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order (except in Scotland). ... 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. ...

Infamous interview on Newsnight

His reputation was dented on 13 May 1997 when a critical inquiry into a series of prison escapes was published. In advance of the publication Howard made statements to assign blame to the prison service. A further controversy came when a television interviewer, Jeremy Paxman, relentlessly asked him the same question (12 times in all, and not the widely believed 14 times) during an edition of the Newsnight programme [3]. Asking whether Howard had intervened when Derek Lewis sacked a prison governor, Paxman asked: "Did you threaten to overrule him?" Howard did not give a direct answer, instead repeatedly saying that he "did not overrule him", and ignoring the "threaten" part of the question. The BBC subsequently revealed that the prolonged period where the question was repeated was in fact a "filler" to extend the interview, as technical reasons meant the next segment of that night's Newsnight was not ready for broadcast. While some praised the interview for journalistic toughness, others, including some in the BBC, criticised it as a theatrical stunt. The interview remains one of the most infamous in broadcasting history. In the longer term its precise impact on Howard's reputation remains disputed. Some suggest that it highlighted his arrogant refusal to answer the question; others suggest that it highlighted his resilience and refusal to be bullied, even by one of Britain's toughest interviewers. However, in the same interview, an incredulous Paxman also asked Michael: 'do you seriously expect to be leader of your party?'. In a November 2004 interview (see below) Paxman returned to his question from 1997. Mr Howard was surprised, remarking: "Come on Jeremy, are you really going back over that again? As it happens, I didn't. Are you satisfied now?" [4] This was confirmed in 2005, when under the Freedom of Information Act the Conservative Party obtained documents proving that Howard did not threaten to overrule Derek Lewis.^{[citation needed]} May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jeremy Paxman presents Newsnight on BBC Two. ... Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22. ...

First attempt to become Conservative leader

After the 1997 resignation of John Major, Howard and William Hague announced they would be running on the same ticket, with Howard as leader and Hague as Deputy Leader and Party Chairman. However, the day after they agreed this, Hague decided to run on his own. Howard also stood but his campaign was marred by attacks on his record as Home Secretary. This article is about the British politician William Hague; there is also a fictional character in sci-fi series Babylon 5 known as General William Hague. ...

Howard came in last out of five candidates with the support of only twenty-three MPs in the first round of polling for the leadership election. He then withdrew from the race and endorsed the eventual winner William Hague. Howard served as Shadow Foreign Secretary for the next two years but would retire from the Shadow Cabinet in 1999 (though re remained an MP). The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition (or the leader of other smaller opposition parties) form an alternative cabinet to the governments, whose...

"Something of the night about him," claims Widdecombe

Six days after the Derek Lewis incident on Newsnight, Ann Widdecombe, his former minister of state in the Home Office, made a statement in the House of Commons about the dismissal of then director of the Prison Service, Derek Lewis, and famously remarked of Howard that "there is something of the night about him", a widely quoted comment that fatally damaged his 1997 bid for the Conservative Party leadership. The comment was taken as a reference to his dour demeanour, which she implied was sinister and almost Dracula-like, and related to his Romanian ancestry. Melanie Phillips felt there was a hint of anti-semitism about the remark^[1]. The Right Honourable Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born October 4, 1947, in Bath, Somerset) is a British Conservative Party politician. ... For other uses, see Dracula (disambiguation). ... Melanie Phillips (born June 4, 1951) is a British journalist and author, best known for her column about political and social issues which currently appears in the Daily Mail. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ...

Conservative Leader

After the 2001 General Election Howard was recalled to frontline politics when the Conservatives' new leader Iain Duncan Smith appointed him as Shadow Chancellor. His performances as Shadow Chancellor won him much praise, indeed under his guidance the Conservatives decided to debate the economy on an 'Opposition Day' for the first time since coming to power. After Duncan Smith was removed from the leadership, Howard was elected unopposed as leader of the party in November 2003. As leader, he faced much less discontent within the party than any of his three predecessors and was seen as a steady hand. He avoided repeating such managerial missteps as Duncan Smith's firing of David Davis as Conservative Party Chairman, and imposed discipline quickly and firmly; he removed the party whip from Ann Winterton following her telling of a racist joke. His performances against Tony Blair at the despatch box were more effective than those of his predecessor as leader. He was perhaps helped in all this by the Conservative Party's exhaustion after thirteen years of party turmoil following Margaret Thatcher's overthrow, years which had left the party more willing to unite and rally round a leader. 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. ... Rt. ... David Michael Davis(born December 23, 1948) is a Britishpolitician, ConservativeMPfor Haltemprice and Howdenand ShadowHome Secretary. ... Lady Jane Ann Winterton (born March 6, 1941 as Jane Ann Hodgson in Sutton Coldfield) is the British Member of Parliament for Congleton, and was first elected as a Conservative MP in 1983. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1], known as Tony Blair, is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North...

In February 2004, Howard called on PM Tony Blair to resign over the Iraq war, for failing to ask "basic questions" regarding WMD claims and misleading Parliament [5]. In July the Conservative leader stated that he would not have voted for the motion that authorised the Iraq war had he known the quality of intelligence information on which the WMD claims were based. At the same time, he said he still believed in the Iraq invasion was right because "the prize of a stable Iraq was worth striving for". [6] His criticism of Blair did not earn Howard sympathies in Washington DC, where President Bush refused to meet him. Karl Rove is reported to have told Howard, "you can forget about meeting the president. Don't bother coming." [7] Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush. ...

Michael Howard was named 2003 Parliamentarian of the Year by The Spectator and Zurich UK. This was in recognition of his performance at the despatch box in his previous role as Shadow Chancellor. The Spectator is a conservative British political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. ... Richard Bacon addresses the UK House of Commons from the oppositions despatch box. ... The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters. ...

Crossing swords with Paxman

In November 2004, Newsnight again concentrated on Howard with coverage of a campaign trip to Cornwall and an interview with Jeremy Paxman. The piece, which purported to show that members of the public were unable to identify Howard and that those who recognized him did not support him, was the subject of an official complaint from the Conservative Party. The complaint claimed that the Newsnight team only spoke to people who held opinions against either Michael Howard or the Conservatives, and that Paxman's style was bullying and unnecessarily aggressive. Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22. ... Cornish Flag Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county in South West England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ... Jeremy Paxman presents Newsnight on BBC Two. ...

2005 Election

In the May 2005 general election Michael Howard's party failed to unseat the Labour Government, although the Conservatives did gain 33 seats -- five from the Liberal Democrats -- and Labour's majority shrank from 167 to 66. The Conservative share of the national vote only ticked up by 0.6% from 2001 and 1.6% from 1997. However, because of the first past the post British voting system, the seats won in parliament for all parties did not reflect their proportionate overall share of the national vote. Commentators pointed to the state of Britain's constituency boundaries -- that heavily discriminated in favour of the Labour Party. It is estimated that changes proposed by the Boundary Commission for England would result in a gain of 10-20 seats for the Conservatives with no change in the vote. The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 and won by the Labour Party, led by Tony Blair. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. ... The plurality voting system, also known as first past the post, is a voting system used to elect a single winner in a given election. ... In the United Kingdom, the four Boundary Commissions are responsible for determining the boundaries of House of Commons constituencies. ...

The day after the election, Howard stated in a speech in the newly-gained Conservative seat in Putney that he would not lead the party into the next General Election as he would be "too old", and that he would stand down "sooner rather than later", following a revision of the Conservative leadership electoral process. Despite the election of a third consecutive Labour government, Howard described the election as "the beginning of a recovery" for the Conservative party after Labour's landslide victories in 1997 and 2001. Putney is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Howard's own constituency of Folkestone and Hythe had been heavily targeted by the Liberal Democrats as the most sought after prize of their "decapitation" strategy of seeking to gain the seats of prominent Conservatives. Yet Howard almost doubled his majority to 11,680, whilst the Liberal Democrats saw their vote fall. Folkestone and Hythe is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ...

Criticism of 2005 campaign

During the 2005 campaign, Howard was criticised by some commentators for conducting a campaign which addressed the issues of immigration, asylum seekers and travellers, when he himself was the descendant of immigrants. Others point out that the continued media coverage of such issues created most of the controversy and that Howard merely defended his views when questioned at unrelated policy launches. Some evidence suggested that the public generally supported policies proposed by the Conservative Party when they were not told which party had proposed them, indicating that the party still had an image problem.^{[citation needed]} Many middle class voters found Howard's perceived election campaign emphasis to be disagreeable: amongst key ABC1 voters (e.g. doctors, lawyers, students, managers), the party's lead over Labour disappeared, compared with a 30-percentage-point lead under John Major in 1992. [8] Irish Travellers are a nomadic or itinerant people of Irish origin living in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... The NRS social grades are a system of demographic classification used in the United Kingdom. ... Sir John Major, KG, CH (born 29 March 1943) is an English politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. ...

The focus on immigration was widely believed to be influenced by Howard's election adviser Lynton Crosby, who has been described as using similar tactics in Australian elections. [9] Whether the hiring of Crosby was a good idea or not in hindsight, his organisation of the campaign was credited with making the Conservative election drive much more professional and organised than at the previous election. Lynton Crosby is an Australian campaign strategist who has been given much credit for Australian Prime Minister John Howards four election victories. ...

During the campaign, Howard continued to impose strong party discipline, controversially forcing the deselection of Danny Kruger (Sedgefield), Adrian Hilton (Slough) and Howard Flight (Arundel & South Downs). Adrian Hilton (born 10 January 1964) is a British Conservative politician who gained media attention during the 2005 general election. ... Howard Emerson Flight (born 16 June 1948) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. ...

Final months as party leader

Despite announcing after the 2005 General Election that he would vacate the role of party leader, Howard performed a substantial reshuffle of the party's front bench on the 10th May in which several rising star MPs were given their first shadow portfolios, in particular George Osborne and David Cameron. This move cleared the way for David Cameron (who had worked for Howard as Policy Advisor when Howard was Home Secretary) to run for the Conservative Party leadership. George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born 23 May 1971 in London) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and has been Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001. ... 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. ...

The reforms to the party's election process took a number of months and Howard held power as leader for six months of the new parliament. During that period, he enjoyed a fairly pressure-free time, often making joking comparisons between himself and Tony Blair, both of whom had declared they would not stand at the next General Election. He also oversaw Blair's first parliamentary defeat, when the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats and sufficient Labour Party rebels voted against government proposals to extend to 90 days the period that terror suspects could be held for without charge. Howard stood down as leader in December of 2005 and was replaced by David Cameron. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the main democratic socialist [1] political party in the United Kingdom. ... Terrorist redirects here. ...

Howard announced on 17th March 2006 that he will be standing down as MP for Folkestone and Hythe at the next election, expected to be held in 2009 or 2010 [10]. The next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before 3 June, 2010. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the film, see 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ...

Trivia: Howard shares a birthday with British MP Michael Ancram, his deputy when he was Leader of the Conservative Party. Michael Ancram The Most Honourable Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, PC, QC (born 7 July 1945), known as Michael Ancram, is a UK Conservative Party politician. ... Leaders of the Conservative Party since 1834. ...

See also

• List of the core beliefs of the Conservative Party of 2004
• Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)

On January 2, 2004, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom published [1] a party political advertisement listing the core beliefs for the party in the form a personal credo of the partys leader, Michael Howard, who had been chosen by the party only two months prior to this... The Official Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet (normally referred to simply as The Shadow Cabinet) is, in British parliamentary practice, a group of members from Her Majestys Loyal Opposition whose job it is to scrutinise their opposite numbers in government and come up with alternative policies. ...

References

1. ^ The chosen person, Melanie Phillips, Jewish World Review, November 10, 2003

Melanie Phillips (born June 4, 1951) is a British journalist and author, best known for her column about political and social issues which currently appears in the Daily Mail. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Michael Howard MP official site
• NMP Management Book Michael Howard for after-dinner and conference speaking
• Conservative Party: Michael Howard official profile of the Party Leader
• ePolitix.com - Michael Howard profile
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Michael Howard MP
• They Work For You: Michael Howard MP
• The Public Whip - Michael Howard MP voting record
• BBC News - Michael Howard profile 17 October, 2002
• Open Directory Project - Michael Howard directory category
• (PDF) First 8 pages of Lord Saatchi's If this is Conservatism, I am a Conservative and ordering information