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 Order of Merit is a British Order. ... A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ... 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. ... 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. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party that existed as a national party between 1981 and 1990. ...

Early life

Born in Abersychan, Monmouthshire in south-eastern Wales, as an only child, Roy Jenkins 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 an MP, who was Parliamentary 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 Philosophy, Politics 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, Dame Jennifer Jenkins 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 traditional county and principal area in south-east Wales. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English(100%), Welsh(20. ... 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. ... MP or mp can mean any of the following: Member of Parliament Military Police Modus ponens Madhya Pradesh - a state in India Mathematical Physics Microprocessor Machine Pistol Molecular Pathology Multi-port Multi-platform Mission Possible - a Christian based childrens ministry Mission Praise - a Christian hymn book Montgomery-Pfeifer - A... A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a junior role given to British Government MPs to act as the Parliamentary contact of senior Ministers. ... The Right Honourable Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC (3 January 1883 – 8 October 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). ... Cardiff University (Welsh: Prifysgol Caerdydd) is a university in Cardiff. ... College name Balliol College Named after John de Balliol Established 1263 Sister College St Johns Master Andrew Graham JCR President Triona Giblin Undergraduates 403 Graduates 228 Homepage Boatclub Balliol College, founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) is a degree which is one of the most famous and prestigious at the University of Oxford. ... Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (1918-1977) was a British politician and Labour member of Parliament. ... Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey, PC (born 30 August 1917), is a British Labour politician, regarded by many as the best Prime Minister we never had. He was born in Keighley, Yorkshire. ... The Right Honourable Sir Edward (Ted) 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. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... 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 and American cryptographers at Bletchley Park broke a large number of Axis codes and ciphers, including the German Enigma machine. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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 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. Solihull is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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). ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Since 1857, a series of obscenity laws known as the Obscene Publications Acts have governed what can be published. ...

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 decriminalisation 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. This article is about the British politician. ... The Home Secretary (official full title Secretary of State for the Home Department) 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 (link goes to calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Censorship is the use of governmental power to control speech and other forms of human expression. ... David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood KT PC KBE (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. ... Leopold Abse (born April 22, 1917) is a British politician from Wales. ... Since its coining, the term homosexuality has aquired multiple meanings. ... The Puritans were members of a group of radical Protestants which developed in England after the Reformation. ... The permissive society is a label given to a society where social norms are becoming increasingly liberal. ...

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 month's bad trade figures announced a few days before the election and his delivery of a fiscally neutral Budget shortly before the election. 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Right Honourable Gordon Brown, 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. ... The Right Honourable 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. ... Devaluation is reduction in the value of a currency. ... Budget generally refers to a list of all planned expenses and revenues. ...

Jenkins was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party in July 1970, but resigned in 1972 over the party's 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 notionally the highest ranking unelected official within the European Union. ... François-Xavier Ortoli (born February 16, 1925) is a French politician and businessman. ... 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 headquarters of the European Union, as two of its four main institutions have their headquarters in the... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Politics and history In Chinese history, the Gang of Four was a group of Communist politicians based in Shanghai. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party that existed as a national party between 1981 and 1990. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, CH , PC , MD (born July 2, 1938), is a British politician. ... 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. ...

He led the new party from March 1982 until after the 1983 elections, and served as SDP Member of Parliament for Glasgow Hillhead from 1982 to 1987. During the 1983 election campaign his position as the prime minister designate for the SDP-Liberal Alliance was questioned by his close colleagues as his campaign style was regarded as ineffective. 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Glasgow Hillhead was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1997. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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, located in the city of Oxford, 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). ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a social liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... The Democracy Series Liberal democracy History of democracy Representative democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Elections Elections by country Elections by calender Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by ideology Voting systems are methods (algorithms) for groups of... 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. ...

Jenkins wrote 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. The Right Honourable William Ewart Gladstone (29 December 1809–19 May 1898) was a British Liberal statesman 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, FRS PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Andrew Adonis, Baron 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 Dilke: A Victorian Tragedy, Collins 1959
• Mr Balfour's Poodle, Collins 1954

Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 2nd Baronet (September 4, 1843 - January 26, 1911) was an English politician, son of Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 1st Baronet. ...

Frank Soskice, Baron Stow Hill (23 July 1902 - 1 January 1979) was a British lawyer and Labour Party politician. ... The Home Secretary (official full title Secretary of State for the Home Department) 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 (link goes to calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable 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 Right Honourable 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 Right Honourable Gordon Brown, 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. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Right Honourable Iain Macleod, PC (1913 – 1970) was a UK Conservative politician. ... The Rt. ... The Home Secretary (official full title Secretary of State for the Home Department) 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. ... 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). ... Merlyn Rees, Baron Merlyn-Rees, PC (born 1920), was a British Labour party Member of Parliament from 1963 until 1992. ... François-Xavier Ortoli (born February 16, 1925) is a French politician and businessman. ... The President of the European Commission is notionally the highest ranking unelected official within the European Union. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ...