Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, OM, PC (November 11, 1920–January 5, 2003) was a British politician and a prominent Labour MP in the 1960s and 1970s and founding member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The Order of Merit is a British Order (decoration). ... This article concerns the British Sovereigns Privy Council. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... 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. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party that existed between 1981 and 1990. ...

Early life

Born in Abersychan, Monmouthshire in south-eastern Wales, as an only child. He was the son of an National Union of Mineworkers official, Arthur Jenkins, who was wrongly imprisoned during the 1926 General Strike for his supposed involvement in a riot, and later a MP, who was Parlianmentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee and briefly a minister in the 1945 government. His mother, Hattie Harris was the daughter of a local steelworks manager. Jenkins was educated at Abersychan County School, University College, Cardiff, and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he took First Class Honours in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE). University colleagues included Tony Crosland, Denis Healey, and Edward Heath. During World War II he served with the Royal Artillery and then at Bletchley Park. He married Jennifer Morris in 1945. Abersychan is an urban district in Wales, in the northern parliamentary division of Torfaen near to Newport. ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is a county in south-east Wales. ... For alternate meanings, see Wales (disambiguation) National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Official languages: English and Welsh Capital: Cardiff First Minister: Rhodri Morgan AM Area  - Total:  - % water: Ranked 3rd UK 20,779 km² xx% Population  - Total (2001):  - Density: Ranked 3rd UK 2,903,085 140/km² NUTS... The National Union of Mineworkers is a trade union for coal miners in the United Kingdom. ... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... PPS may stand for: The PPSh Type 41 soviet WWII era submachine gun designed by Shpagin Parliamentary Private Secretary The chemical poly(p-phenylene sulfide) Polska Partia Socjalistyczna or Polish Socialist Party Partido Popular Socialista or Brazils Peoples Socialist Party Purchasing Power Standard This is a disambiguation page... Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH (January 3, 1883 – October 8, 1967) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Full name Balliol College Motto - Named after John de Balliol Previous names - Established 1263 Sister College St Johns College, Cambridge Master Andrew Graham (academic) Location Broad Street Undergraduates 403 Graduates 228 Homepage Boatclub Balliol College, founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army It is made up of a number of regiments. ... During World War II, British cryptographers at Bletchley Park broke a large number of Axis codes and ciphers, including the German Enigma machine. ...

MP and Minister

Having previously failed to win in Solihull in 1945, he entered the British House of Commons in 1948 as representative for Southwark; owing to constituency boundary changes this seat was due to be abolished, however. In 1950 he became MP for Stetchford, Birmingham and represented the division until 1977. Jenkins was principal sponsor, in 1959, of the bill which became the Obscene Publications Act, which was responsible for establishing the liable to "deprave and corrupt" criteria as a basis for a prosecution of suspect material and literary merit as a defence. 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also includes the Sovereign and the House of Lords. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Borough or Southwark(e) (pronounced suthuk or suthark) is the area of London immediately south of London Bridge and part of the larger London Borough of Southwark. ... In the United Kingdom, the four Boundary Commissions are responsible for determining the boundaries of House of Commons constituencies. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

At first Minister for Aviation in the Wilson government elected in 1964, he was Home Secretary from 1965 to 1967, where he was responsible for the relaxation of the laws relating to divorce, abolition of theatre censorship and gave government support to David Steel's Private Member's Bill for the legalisation of abortion and Leo Abse's bill for the toleration of homosexuality. Wilson, with his puritan background, was not especially sympathetic to these developments, however. Jenkins' replied to public criticism by asserting that the so called permissive society was in reality the civilised society. From 1967 to 1970 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing James Callaghan following the devaluation of the pound in November 1967. He quickly gained a reputation as a particularly tough chancellor, although he was hesitant about increasing taxes and reducing expenditure. It is though, generally assumed that Labour's defeat in 1970 was partly the consequence of one months bad trade figures announced a few days before the election and his delivery of a fiscally neutral Budget shortly before the election. James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, PC (March 11, 1916 – May 24, 1995) was one of the more successful Labour Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and a 1960s icon. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage, which can be contrasted with an annulment which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody and distribution of property. ... Censorship is the systematic use of group power to broadly control freedom of speech and expression, largely in regard to secretive matters. ... David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT (born March 31, 1938), is a British and Scottish politician and a Liberal Democrat member of the UK House of Lords. ... A Private Members Bill is a proposed law introduced by a member of parliament, whether from the government or the opposition side, to that legislature or parliament. ... Abortion, in its most common usage, refers to the voluntary or induced termination of a pregnancy, generally through the use of surgical procedures or drugs. ... Homosexuality may refer to: A sexual orientation characterized by aesthetic attraction, romantic love, and sexual desire exclusively or almost exclusively for members of the same sex or with the same gender identity (e. ... The permissive society is a label given to a society where social norms are becoming increasingly liberal. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Right Honourable Gordon Brown, PC, MP, current Chancellor of the Exchequer The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the ancient title held by the British cabinet minister whose responsibilities are akin to the posts of Minister for Finance or Secretary of the Treasury in other jurisdictions. ... James Callaghan is also a former MP for Heywood & Middleton. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Budget generally refers to a list of all planned expenses. ...

Jenkins was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party in July 1970, but resigned in 1972 over the parties european policy; his position had been undermined the previous year by his decision to lead sixty-nine Labour MPs through the division lobby in support of the Heath's government's motion to take Britain in to the (then) EEC. 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... A Division is a procedure by which the votes of the members of a legislature may be recorded, as opposed to a voice vote, wherein votes are unrecorded. ... The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

When Labour returned to power he was made Home Secretary again, serving from 1974 to 1976. In this period he undermined his previous liberal credentials to some extent by pushing through the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act, which, among other things, extended the length of time suspects could be held in custody and instituted exclusion orders. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Prevention of Terrorism Acts were a series of Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1989, which conferred emergency powers upon police forces where they suspected terrorism. ...

President of the European Commission

Although he was tempted to challenge for leadership of Labour in March 1976 he instead was the first ever British subject to be President of the European Commission, succeeding François-Xavier Ortoli, remaining in Brussels until 1981. 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The President of the European Commission is the nominally highest ranking unelected official within the European Union. ... Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, French: Bruxelles, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium and is considered by many to be the de facto capital of the European Union, as two of its three main institutions have their headquarters... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

The Social Democratic Party (SDP)

On November 22, 1979 Jenkins delivered the annual Dimbleby Lecture which he called "Home Thoughts from Abroad", detailing what he saw as the reasons for Britain's persistent underperformance as a failure of adaptability and the two party system. More importantly he advocated a new "radical centre" and called for a new political grouping. As one of the so-called "gang of four", he was a founder of the SDP in January 1981 with David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams. He led the new party from March 1982 until after the 1983 elections, and served as SDP MP for Glasgow Hillhead from 1982 to 1987. 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party that existed between 1981 and 1990. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, PC (born July 2, 1938), is a British politician. ... William Thomas Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, PC (born 1928), 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. ... Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, PC (born July 27, 1930), is a British politician. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January-February January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British... 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow is Scotlands largest city, located on the River Clyde in West Central Scotland. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January-February January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the House of Lords

From 1987, Jenkins remained in politics as a member of the House of Lords as Lord Jenkins of Hillhead. Also in 1987, Jenkins became Chancellor of Oxford University. In 1993, he was appointed to the Order of Merit. He was leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords until 1997. In December 1997 he was appointed chair of an independent commission, which became known as the "Jenkins Commission", to consider alternative voting systems for the UK. The Jenkins Commission reported in favour of a mixed system called "Alternative vote top-up" or "limited AMS" in October 1998. No action had been taken on this recommendation at the time of Jenkins' death from a heart attack in 2003. 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The University of Oxford, situated in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... 1993 is 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) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... The Independent Commission on the Voting System, popularly known as the Jenkins Commission after its chairman Roy Jenkins, was a commission into possible reform of the United Kingdom electoral system. ... Voters at the voting booths in the US in 1945 Voting systems are methods (algorithms) for groups of people to select one or more options from many, taking into account the individual preferences of the group members. ... The Alternative Vote Plus (AV+) or Alternative Vote Top-up is a voting system intended for use in elections to an assembly or legislature. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ...

Jenkins is the author of 19 books, including a biography of Gladstone (1995), which won the 1995 Whitbread Award for Biography, and a much-acclaimed biography of Winston Churchill (2001). His official biographer, Andrew Adonis, was to have finished the Churchill biography had Lord Jenkins not survived heart surgery he underwent towards the end of its writing. William Ewart Gladstone (29 December 1809–19 May 1898) was a British Liberal politician and Prime Minister (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886 and 1892–1894). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Book of the Year Kate Atkinson, Behind the Scenes at the Museum Childrens Book Winner: Michael Morpurgo, The Wreck of the Zanzibar Shortlist: Elizabeth Arnold, The Parsley Parcel Philip Ridley, Kasper in the Glitter First Novel Winner: Kate Atkinson, Behind the Scenes at the Museum Shortlist: Stephen Blanchard, Gagarin... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and politician, Churchill is generally regarded as... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr. Andrew Adonis (born c. ...

Selected bibliography

• Churchill: A Biography, Macmillan 2001, ISBN 0374123543.
• Gladstone, Random House 2002, ISBN 0812966414.
• A Life at the Centre, Macmillan 1992
• European Diary 1977-81, HarperCollins 1991
• Truman, HarperCollins 1986
• Baldwin, HarperCollins 1984
• Asquith, Collins 1964
• Sir Charles Dike: A Victorian Tragedy, Collins 1959
• Mr Balfour's Poodle, Collins 1954

Frank Soskice, Baron Stow Hill (23 July 1902 - 1 January 1979) was a British lawyer and Labour Party politician. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... James Callaghan is also a former MP for Heywood & Middleton. ... James Callaghan is also a former MP for Heywood & Middleton. ... The Right Honourable Gordon Brown, PC, MP, current Chancellor of the Exchequer The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the ancient title held by the British cabinet minister whose responsibilities are akin to the posts of Minister for Finance or Secretary of the Treasury in other jurisdictions. ... Iain Macleod (1913 - 1970) was a UK Conservative politician. ... The Rt. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... Merlyn Rees, Baron Merlyn-Rees, PC (born 1920), was a British Labour party Member of Parliament from 1963 until 1992. ... The President of the European Commission is the nominally highest ranking unelected official within the European Union. ... Gaston Egmond Thorn (born September 3, 1928), Luxembourg politician, was President of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Community, from 1981 to 1985. ...