William Molloy, Baron Molloy

William "Bill" John Molloy, Baron Molloy FRGS (* 26. October 1918 in Swansea ; † 26. May 2001 ) was a British trade union functionary and politician of the Labor Party , who for fifteen years a Member of the House of Commons and at times a member of the European Parliament and in 1981 when Life Peer became a member of the House of Lords under the Life Peerages Act 1958 .

Life

Second World War, union official and local politician

Molloy, son of an Irish - Catholic Marine engineer, won after visiting the St. Thomas Elementary School in Swansea while a scholarship to the traditional London drama school Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), this however not visited yet, but graduated from the University College Swansea . In addition, he began his union involvement between 1936 and 1946 as a member of the transport workers union TGWU ( Transport and General Workers' Union ). In 1938 he began his military service with the Royal Engineers and served with them during the Second World War until 1945, where he last participated in combat missions in Germany .

After the end of the war, Molloy became an employee of the Foreign Office and during this time he was active as a union official, chairing the workers' side in its Joint Industrial Council, known as the Whitley Council , and as editor of the Civil Service Review , the union newspaper for the public Service.

In 1952, Molloy left the civil service and became secretary of the Association of Clothing Contractors and was also the editor of their bimonthly trade magazine . During this time he became a member of the Labor Party and was as its candidate in 1954 as a member of the municipal council of Fulham ( Fulham Borough Council elected) and in 1959 also chairman of the local Labor Party. He was a member of the Fulham Borough Council for eight years until 1962.

Member of the House of Commons

Molloy began his career in national politics when he in the general election of October 15, 1964, the constituency of Ealing North, held by John Barter from the Conservative Party since the May 26, 1955 elections, as "unwinnable" by only 27 votes won. While Molloy received 20,809 votes (43.24 percent), Barter received 20,782 votes (43.19 percent). This unexpected election victory contributed to the narrow majority of just five seats for the Labor Party, which then, Harold Wilson , was able to provide prime minister for the first time after thirteen years of opposition . He used his personal election victory for self-expression by saying: “I am the Labor majority!” ('I am Labor's majority!'). Molloy represented the constituency after several re-elections until his defeat in the general election on May 3, 1979 .

In 1965 he became a member of the National Executive of the Labor Party, but achieved only 27th place among elected board members with 33,000 votes from 33 constituency organizations. During his membership in the House of Commons, he became a member of the Estimates Committee in 1968 and, because of his pro-Arab stance, chaired the British- Tunisian Liaison Committee. In addition, he was involved in the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) and the Parliamentary Association of the Commonwealth of Nations ( Commonwealth Parliamentary Association ).

Molloy, the 1967 Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) was served during the tenure of Prime Minister Wilson from October 1, 1969 to June 19, 1970 as Parliamentary Private Secretary ( Parliamentary Private Secretary ) to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications ( Minister for Posts and Telecommunications ), John Stonehouse .

In addition to his membership of the House of Commons, he was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union (WEU) from 1969 to 1973 .

Member of the European Parliament and opponent of James Callaghan

In his election campaigns, he campaigned, partly with high publicity, for a ban on the custody of minors in police custody, but also for an improvement in working conditions for nurses. In 1974 he became an advisor to the COHSE ( Confederation of Health Service Employees ) and in 1975, as chairman of the Labor Party's parliamentary group on social services, advocated stronger action against organized fraud.

After Great Britain joined the European Communities (EC), Molloy was also a member of the European Parliament between 1976 and 1979 .

While he was a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, he openly opposed his successor, James Callaghan , and led a public protest against his intention to cut child benefits.

Election defeat and member of the House of Lords

In the general election of May 3, 1979, Molloy suffered a significant defeat and was eliminated from the House of Commons after his challenger from the Conservative Tories , Harry Greenway , received 27,524 votes (46.04 percent), while he only received 26,044 votes (43, 57 percent).

By letters patent dated May 12, 1981, Molloy was raised to the nobility as a life peer with the title Baron Molloy , of Ealing in Greater London, under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and was a member of the House of Lords until his death.

Its official launch ( House of Lords ) took place on 13 May 1981 with the support of Donald Bruce, Baron Bruce of Donington , and William McCarthy, McCarthy Baron .

Web links

• William Molloy at Hansard (English)
• Entry in Cracroft's Peerage
• Entry in Leigh Rayment Peerage
• William John Molloy, Baron Molloy, on thepeerage.com , accessed September 12, 2016.
• Lord Molloy: Labor politician with a talent for dramatic oratory . In: The Guardian, June 7, 2001

Individual evidence

1. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 48581, HMSO, London, April 13, 1981, p. 5513 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2014, English).
2. ↑ London Gazette . No. 48612, HMSO, London, May 15, 1981, p. 6811 ( PDF , accessed on February 23, 2014, English).
3. ↑ Entry in Hansard (May 13, 1981)