Mike Thomas (politician)
Mike Thomas | |
---|---|
Geoffrey William Rhodes | |
Succeeded by | Nick Brown |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Stuart Thomas 24 May 1944 |
Political party | 'Continuing' SDP (1988–90) |
Spouse |
Maureen Kelly (m. 1976) |
Michael Stuart Thomas (born 24 May 1944) is a former British politician, identified with the Labour Party until 1981 and thereafter with the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He became well known for his role in both the establishment of the SDP and then in the SDP's subsequent demise. The SDP's leader, Roy Jenkins, referred to Thomas as the "pint-sized Pavarotti", on the basis of his stocky build and beard together with his ebullient manner.
Early life
Thomas was educated at the
Early political career
He initially made a career in political and social research, acting as head of the Co-operative Party's research department from 1966 to 1968 and as a research associate with the predecessor body of the Policy Studies Institute from 1968 to 1973.[3] He stood as the Labour and Cooperative Party candidate for the constituency of East Hertfordshire in the 1970 general election. On that occasion, Thomas lost to the Conservative Party candidate by a 14,000 vote margin.[4]
Thomas continued in his quest to find a seat in Parliament and eventually succeeded at
He went on to be elected as the Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Newcastle East with a 6,000 vote majority over his Conservative opponent in the October 1974 general election.[6]
The Social Democratic Party
As a new Labour MP, Thomas served as
Once established as an MP, Thomas soon became associated with the
He played a prominent role in the new party's successful launch in March 1981. As a member of the SDP's national steering committee he advised on the selection of SDP candidates for the forthcoming general election and led negotiations with the Liberal Party concerning the sharing out of constituency candidacies between the two centrist parties. The terms of an SDP/Liberal alliance was critical to the electoral success of both. Thomas quickly became known for his obduracy in the seat negotiations with the Liberals. In July 1981 it was reported that :
- "Senior Liberals were quietly seething... at the suggestion from Mike Thomas that half the prospective parliamentary candidates already adopted by local Liberal associations should stand down in favour of SDP members."[8]
Many Liberals perceived Thomas's approach as being "... a cynical electoral deal imposed from above." Thomas sought re-election at Newcastle East in the 1983 general election as the SDP candidate, but could only come in third place. Labour's Nick Brown won with a majority of 7,000 votes over his Conservative opponent.[9] Thomas stood for Parliament as an SDP/Alliance candidate in Exeter in 1987 but failed to be elected.
The SDP held its annual conference at Portsmouth in September 1987 and, by a 998–21 vote majority, delegates decided to open negotiations with the Liberal Party over a merger of the two parties. Thomas and some other high-profile SDP members were opposed to this merger.[10] Thomas provided an iconic image for the demise of the SDP when he engaged in a heated face to face exchange with SDP President Shirley Williams over the use of a room at the conference centre for a meeting of those SDP members opposed to the merger. In full view of TV cameras, Williams refused Thomas access to the room on grounds that his group's meeting was not an official SDP function. Thomas initiated another heated disagreement at the Conference when he demanded access to the SDP's central membership list in order to facilitate his campaign to keep the SDP as an independent party. This provoked a further confrontation with Shirley Williams and Thomas moved a motion of no confidence in her chairmanship of the Conference.[11] In March 1988 a ballot of SDP members approved a merger with the Liberals by an 18,872 - 9,929 vote majority.[12]
Thomas became Vice-President of the
Later career
After losing his seat in Parliament in 1983, Thomas developed a portfolio of interests in journalism, corporate communications and management consulting. He worked on a number of the
He remained a prominent member of the SDP until that party's final demise in 1990. After 1990, unlike many former SDP leaders, Thomas did not immediately identify with any other political party. However, in 2009 he became site moderator of the Charter 2010 website which anticipated the result of the 2010 General Election and provided support for the political basis on which the Coalition Government of 2010-2015 was founded.[15] In 2010 he joined the Liberal Democrats because he supported their decision to enter coalition government with the Conservatives.
Personal life
Thomas married his current wife, Maureen Kelly, in 1976. He has one son (Paul, born 1973) by a previous marriage.
References
- ^ KSM alumnus account
- ^ Latymer Upper School website
- ^ Debrett's biography of Mike Thomas
- ^ Political resources 1970 general election results Archived 4 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ New Statesman, 'End of the Road for the SDP', 17 October 1987
- ^ Political resources October 1974 general election results Archived 4 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Times, 'Mike Thomas leaves the PLP', 14 February 1981.
- ^ The Times, 'Liberals hogging the best seats, SDP man says', 24 July 1981
- ^ Not updated: UK General Election results: June 1983
- ^ Guardian 27 August 1987 SDP gulf widens
- ^ New Statesman, 'End of the Road for the SDP', 17 October 1987
- ^ The Alliance : A Chronology Mark Pack
- ^ The Times, 'SDP still seeking pre-election pacts with other parties' 19 September 1989
- ^ Who's Who, 2016 edition
- ^ Charter 2010 website history
- Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1983*
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs