Bernard Donoughue, Baron Donoughue

Last updated

The Right Honourable
The Lord Donoughue
Official portrait of Lord Donoughue crop 2.jpg
Official Parliamentary Portrait
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Farming and the Food Industry
In office
2 May 1997 –29 July 1999
Children4
Alma mater

Bernard Donoughue, Baron Donoughue (born 8 September 1934) is a British Labour Party politician, academic, businessman and author. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

According to his autobiography, Donoughue was born into poverty. He is the son of Thomas Joseph Donoughue and Maud Violet Andrews. [3] He was educated at Campbell Secondary Modern School [ citation needed ] and Northampton Grammar School. [4] He studied at the University of Oxford, first at Lincoln College, [4] where he obtained 1st class honours in Modern History in 1957, [3] then at Nuffield College, where he graduated with a D.Phil. on the American Revolution. [3] The early stages of his research were pursued as Charles and Julia Henry Fellow at Harvard. [3] Donoughue moved into an academic career at the London School of Economics (LSE) (Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Reader: 1963–1974). [3] [5]

Journalism

The Economist

Donoughue went into politics to be "associated with Labour governments which defended the interests of working people and underprivileged people." [6] Always at the centre of London, the capital and of politics, education and business, Donoughue was a member of the editorial staff of The Economist in 1959 and 1960 when a young Labour activist supporting Hugh Gaitskell. He was senior research officer of the Political and Economic Planning Institute between 1960 and 1963. [7]

The Times

Out of government from 1979 to 1981, Donoughue was development director of the Economist Intelligence Unit, and in 1982-83 was assistant editor of The Times until his dismissal by a new right-wing owner Rupert Murdoch. He gave his opinion in an interview with the New Statesman :

I’m very proud of that fact I was sacked by Murdoch. That’s an honour! There are quite a number of us with that honour, of course.

Donoughue was at the Times during Rupert Murdoch's takeover and in his first year as proprietor, and he holds the media mogul responsible for what he dubs "a diminution in the values of our society". News International were in the throes of a business revolution in Fleet Street: at its hub was the end of a closed shop for the skilled craftsmen of the print 'chapters' who zealously guarded their trade secrets. Murdoch's actions broke up the old union grip on the news print media; former journalists like Tony Benn were incensed but the Labour party were helpless to resist the changes from opposition. [8] At the time he lived in Hampstead & Highgate where John McDonnell was the party's candidate for a seat won by the Conservatives in the 'landslide' election of 1983. [9]

Politics

Head of the policy research unit

For a long time a lecturer close to young people, he was asked by the Wilson government to join the founding Sports Council, an advisory body to harness amateur physical recreation. Twenty years later he would make his first speech in the Lords on Sporting Events (controls) bill. [10]

Wilson took notice of Donoughue's communication skills, displayed in his career at the LSE and in his journalism, when he was appointed head of the policy research unit in 1974. [11] Two years before that, there had been a flurry of questions in both houses about whether these unaccredited "political" advisers were paid from public funds. Wilson expanded the department in No.10, and it had a profound influence on policy formation. [12] For the first time the Official Report published the salaries; and as being part of the Civil Service department. [13]

He continued to head the policy research unit under Wilson's successor, James Callaghan, and he held the office until the defeat of the Labour Party in 1979. [14] He was an admirer and close friend of Callaghan, whose relaxed 'beer and sandwiches' approach to political interaction contrasted to the intensity of successive prime ministerial conceited wisdom [ clarification needed ] that demanded heavy studying.[ citation needed ]

House of Lords

On 21 May 1985, he was created a life peer as Baron Donoughue, of Ashton in the County of Northampton . [15] [2]

Donoghue was an Opposition Labour spokesman for Energy, Heritage and Treasury matters from 1991 to 1992. [2] In 1997, Tony Blair appointed him a junior minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in which role he served until 1999. [2] He later joined the Countryside Alliance against New Labour's policy on Hunting with Dogs, and the Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.[ clarification needed ]

From November 1995, shortly after the Eurosceptics had been defeated by the Major government, Donoughue, still a staunchly Labour peer, was appointed to the Lords Works of Arts committee. He was not removed from this duty when a different civil dispensation came to power in 1997, until a clash with the New Labour leadership, but he was later appointed a trustee of the Victoria County History.

Donoghue is a climate change denialist and a trustee of the Global Warming Policy Foundation (a climate denialist think tank). [16]

He is a member of Labour Friends of Israel. [17]

Whitehall source for Yes Minister

In the early 1980s, he was one of the sources inside Whitehall used by the writers of the comedy series Yes Minister , the other one being Baroness Falkender. [18]

Other roles

Finance industry

He was head of research and investment policy of Grieveson Grant and Co Stockbrokers from 1982 to 1986 and head of international research and director of Kleinwort Grieveson Securities Ltd from 1986 to 1988, a branch arm of the investment bank. [19] Following this, Donoughue was executive vice-chair of LBI from 1988 to 1991 and director of Towcester Racecourse Ltd from 1992 to 1997. [20]

Horse racing

Donoughue helped found the British Horse Industry Confederation in 1999 [21] [22] and was a Consultant Member until 2003. [2] This coincided with appointment that September with co-option onto the joint Lords and Commons committee tasked with the responsibility of drafting a new Gambling bill. The outcome would be the licensing of so-called Big Casinos and a general release of universal internet betting rights. On 22 Dec 2015 he declared a gift to the bookmakers union. [23] The radical change to the status quo proved a revolution in working people's experience of gaming that would indirectly cause remedial action on payday loans. [2]

Donoughue became chairman of the SPRC when it was founded in 2003, and as of 2016 was still in that role. [24] The SPRC is a non-profit organisation operating on a cost recovery basis that

is responsible for the integrity of the starting price (SP). The majority of bets on British horseracing struck with bookmakers in betting shops and other off-course outlets are paid out according to the SP. The job of the Commission is to ensure that the returned price accurately reflects the price available on-course at the off. [24]

Education

He is an honorary fellow of the LSE, [25] and was a visiting professor of Government there from 2000 to 2011/2012. [26]

Personal life

Donoughue was married to Carol Ruth Goodman from 1959 until their divorce in 1989; they have two sons and two daughters. He married Sarah, Lady Berry, widow of Sir Anthony Berry, in 2009. [27]

Donoughue was chairman of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1991, patron from 1989 to 1995, and has been an associate since 2000.

Bibliography

Books

Critical studies and reviews of Donoughue's work

Downing Street diary

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Jenkins</span> British politician (1920–2003)

Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, was a British politician and writer who served as the sixth President of the European Commission from 1977 to 1981. At various times a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and a peer for the Liberal Democrats, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary under the Wilson and Callaghan Governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Wilson</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1964–1970, 1974–1976)

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, was a British statesman and Labour Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 1974 to 1976. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1963 to 1976, Leader of the Opposition twice from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1970 to 1974, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1983. Wilson is the only Labour leader to have formed administrations following four general elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Callaghan</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979

Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was a British statesman and Labour Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is the only person to have held all four Great Offices of State, having also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1964 to 1967, Home Secretary from 1967 to 1970 and Foreign Secretary from 1974 to 1976. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Castle</span> British politician (1910-2002)

Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1979, making her one of the longest-serving female MPs in British history. Regarded as one of the most significant Labour Party politicians, Castle developed a close political partnership with Prime Minister Harold Wilson and held several roles in the Cabinet. She remains to date the only woman to have held the office of First Secretary of State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield</span> English socialist economist (1859–1947)

Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, was a British socialist, economist, supporter of Stalinism, and reformer, who co-founded the London School of Economics. He was an early member of the Fabian Society in 1884, joining, like George Bernard Shaw, three months after its inception. Along with his wife Beatrice Webb and with Annie Besant, Graham Wallas, Edward R. Pease, Hubert Bland and Sydney Olivier, Shaw and Webb turned the Fabian Society into the pre-eminent politico-intellectual society in Edwardian England. He wrote the original, pro-nationalisation Clause IV for the British Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Williams</span> British politician and academic (1930–2021)

Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in the Labour cabinet from 1974 to 1979. She was one of the "Gang of Four" rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981 and, at the time of her retirement from politics, was a Liberal Democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Strang</span> Scottish politician (born 1943)

Gavin Steel Strang is a Scottish Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh East from 1970 until 2010. He served as a minister in the 1974–79 Labour government under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, as well as in the Cabinet under Tony Blair. By the time of his retirement at the 2010 general election, he was the longest-serving Scottish MP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Sheldon, Baron Sheldon</span> British politician (1923–2020)

Robert Edward Sheldon, Baron Sheldon PC was a British Labour Party politician and life peer who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton under Lyne from 1964 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Crick</span> British political theorist and democratic socialist (1929–2008)

Sir Bernard Rowland Crick was a British political theorist and democratic socialist whose views can be summarised as "politics is ethics done in public". He sought to arrive at a "politics of action", as opposed to a "politics of thought" or of ideology, and he held that "political power is power in the subjunctive mood." He was a leading critic of behaviouralism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum</span>

The United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum, also known variously as the Referendum on the European Community (Common Market), the Common Market referendum and EEC membership referendum, was a non-binding referendum that took place on 5 June 1975 in the United Kingdom (UK) under the provisions of the Referendum Act 1975 to ask the electorate whether the country should continue to remain a member of, or leave, the European Communities (EC) also known at the time as the Common Market — which it had joined as a member state two-and-a-half years earlier on 1 January 1973 under the Conservative government of Edward Heath. The Labour Party's manifesto for the October 1974 general election had promised that the people would decide through the ballot box whether to remain in the EC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Short, Baron Glenamara</span> British politician and life peer

Edward Watson Short, Baron Glenamara, was a British Labour Party politician and deputy leader of the Labour Party. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and served as a minister during the Labour governments under Harold Wilson, before being appointed to the House of Lords shortly after James Callaghan became Prime Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd</span> British politician (1918–2001)

Malcolm Newton Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd, Baron Shepherd of Spalding, was a British Labour politician and peer who served as Leader of the House of Lords under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan and member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gilbert, Baron Gilbert</span> British politician (1927–2013)

John William Gilbert, Baron Gilbert, was a British Labour Party politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcia Williams</span> British civil servant and peer (1932–2019)

Marcia Matilda Williams, Baroness Falkender, CBE, also known as Marcia Falkender, was known as the private secretary for, and then the political secretary and head of political office to, UK Labour prime minister Harold Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Shore</span> British politician

Peter David Shore, Baron Shore of Stepney, was a British Labour Party politician and Cabinet minister, noted in part for his opposition to the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai</span> British economist and politician (born 1940)

Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai, Baron Desai is an Indian-born naturalised British economist and former Labour politician. He stood unsuccessfully for the position of Lord Speaker in the House of Lords in 2011. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, in 2008. He is a Professor Emeritus of the London School of Economics.

Eric Petro Deakins is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Walthamstow West from 1970 to February 1974, and Walthamstow from that election until 1987. He has also worked as an international public affairs consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Clinton-Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis</span> British politician (1928–2023)

Stanley Clinton Clinton-Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis, was a British politician and solicitor. A member of the Labour Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney Central from 1970 to 1983, and was a minister in the Labour governments of Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. He was European Commissioner in the Delors Commission (1985–1989). In 1990, he became a life peer, sitting on the Labour benches in the House of Lords until his retirement in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labour government, 1974–1979</span> Government of the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1979

The Labour Party governed the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1979. During this period, Harold Wilson and James Callaghan were successively appointed as Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II. The end of the Callaghan ministry was presaged by the Winter of Discontent, a period of serious industrial discontent. This was followed by the election of Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

The Central Policy Review Staff (CPRS), nicknamed the "Think-Tank", was an independent unit within the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom tasked with developing long term strategy and co-ordinating policy across government departments. It was established by Edward Heath in February 1971 but was later disbanded by Margaret Thatcher following the 1983 general election.

References

  1. ↑ Donoughue in Debrett's People of Today
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lord Donoughue". UK Parliament.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Who's Who 2007 , London: A & C Black, 2007: p. 624
  4. 1 2 The Baron Donoughue, Burke's Peerage
  5. ↑ B. Donoughue, British Politics and the American Revolution: The Path to War 1773–75, London: Macmillan, 1964: p. viii
  6. ↑ B.D. interview with Stephen Bush on 17 Dec 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  7. ↑ which became the Policy Studies Institute in 1976. About PSI Office Page
  8. ↑ Harold Evans. Good Times, Bad Times. Athaeneum (1984). Chapters 12–13.
  9. ↑ Stephen Bush interview. Retrieved on 3 August 2016.
  10. ↑ HL Deb 03 February 1965 vol 262 cc1180-2;
  11. ↑ Hattersley, Roy (10 July 2005). "No one likes a sneak". The Observer. London.
  12. ↑ HL Deb 03 July 1974 vol 353 cc281-4
  13. ↑ "MINISTERIAL ADVISERS". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 2 May 1974.
  14. ↑ Dennis Kavanagh for The Telegraph , 29 May 2003. "Some unfinished business at No 10"
  15. ↑ "No. 50136". The London Gazette . 28 May 1985. p. 7379.
  16. ↑ Ward, Bob. "Climate change 'sceptics' know they have lost the argument, but they are still churning out propaganda". Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "LFI Supporters in Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  18. ↑ J. Lynn. Comedy Rules: From the Cambridge Footlights to Yes, Prime Minister. Faber & Faber, Aug 18, 2011 ISBN   9780571277971 .: 98 
  19. ↑ Interview in Marxism Today , November 1987 City Strategies
  20. ↑ LSE List of Honorary Fellows [ permanent dead link ]
  21. ↑ "bhic.co.uk". www.bhic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  22. ↑ Westminster, Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Lords. "Lords Hansard text for 13 May 1999 (190513-01)". publications.parliament.uk.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ Federation of Course Bookmakers, 22 December 2015.http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-donoughue/2709.
  24. 1 2 Starting Price Regulatory Commission, June 2012. Starting Price Regulatory Commission Report 2011 Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ↑ LSE List of Honorary Fellows [ permanent dead link ]
  26. ↑ "Mile End Group, Next Event". Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 2013-02-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) —Mile End Group at Queen Mary, University of London (archived)
  27. ↑ Andy McSmith for The Independent . 24 October 2009. "Village people: 24/10/2009"
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Donoughue		Followed by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.