Geraldine Smith
Encyclopedia
Maria Geraldine Smith is a British
Labour Party
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Morecambe and Lunesdale from 1997
to 2010.
on Dallam Avenue and Lancaster and Morecambe College
on Morecambe Road in Lancaster, where she gained a Diploma in Business Studies. Her first campaign was supported by the Communication Workers Union
, for whom she was formerly an officer. Prior to becoming an MP she was a Lancaster City Council
lor and worked for the Royal Mail
from 1980-97.
poor showing in the local government elections of 4 May 2006 she was linked to a campaign http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-05-06T143435Z_01_L06365172_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-BLAIR.xml on a timetable for Tony Blair's
departure as Prime Minister and also expressed a preference for Gordon Brown
to succeed him. She also found "outrageous" the survival of John Prescott
as a government minister following the reshuffle.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/06/ulabour1.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/05/06/ixportaltop.html. For this criticism of the Deputy Prime Minister
's behavior, as well as for her defence of the Chinese Cockle Pickers
rights in her Morecambe
constituency, Richard Littlejohn
described her as a "heroic MP" on the BBC
's Question Time programme on 4 May 2006. She has said that she believes William Hague
will be the next Conservative
Prime Minister
rather than David Cameron
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080311/debtext/80311-0008.htm#080311109000288. In August 2009 she criticised the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
which conferred legal parenthood on a biological mother's female partner, saying "To have a birth certificate with two mothers and no father is just madness."http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/31/lesbian-partners-birth-certificates Smith is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Flag Group
On Wednesday 17 September 2008, Geraldine Smith was interviewed by Tony Livesey on BBC Radio Lancashire's Breakfast Show, when she attacked the so-called "Lancashire Mafia" for their plot against Prime Minister Gordon Brown and accused those behind the scenes of being cowards.
On 21st February 2010, the Daily Mail alleged that Ms Smith partook in an expenses funded 'drinking contest' with fellow Labour MP Bill Etherington
whilst in Paris.
Geraldine Smith lost her seat to the Conservative David Morris in the general election in May 2010.
Support Group.
Geraldine Smith is the President of 455 (Morecambe and Heysham) Squadron Air Training Corps a youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force for local youth between the ages of 13 and 18 giving them opportunities to learn new skills and support their local community.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Morecambe and Lunesdale from 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
to 2010.
Early life
She is former pupil of Morecambe High SchoolMorecambe High School
Morecambe Community High School is located in Morecambe, Lancashire, England and was founded as Morecambe Grammar School in 1919, moving to its current site on Dallam Avenue in 1938 on a former golf links course. The land was previously owned by Mr Joseph Walmsley Ward...
on Dallam Avenue and Lancaster and Morecambe College
Lancaster and Morecambe College
Lancaster and Morecambe College is a further education College situated on Torrisholme Road, halfway between Lancaster and Morecambe, Lancashire, England...
on Morecambe Road in Lancaster, where she gained a Diploma in Business Studies. Her first campaign was supported by the Communication Workers Union
Communication Workers Union (UK)
The Communication Workers Union is the main trade union in the United Kingdom for people working for telephone, cable, DSL and postal delivery companies, with 215,000 members....
, for whom she was formerly an officer. Prior to becoming an MP she was a Lancaster City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
lor and worked for the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
from 1980-97.
Parliamentary career
After the Labour Party'sLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
poor showing in the local government elections of 4 May 2006 she was linked to a campaign http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-05-06T143435Z_01_L06365172_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-BLAIR.xml on a timetable for Tony Blair's
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
departure as Prime Minister and also expressed a preference for Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
to succeed him. She also found "outrageous" the survival of John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
as a government minister following the reshuffle.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/06/ulabour1.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/05/06/ixportaltop.html. For this criticism of the Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
's behavior, as well as for her defence of the Chinese Cockle Pickers
2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster
The Morecambe Bay cockling disaster occurred on the evening of 5 February 2004 at Morecambe Bay in North West England, when at least 21 cockle pickers were drowned by an incoming tide off the Lancashire/Cumbrian coast....
rights in her Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
constituency, Richard Littlejohn
Richard Littlejohn
Richard William Littlejohn is an English author, broadcaster and journalist. He is noted for his Conservative views and currently writes a twice-weekly column for the Daily Mail....
described her as a "heroic MP" on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Question Time programme on 4 May 2006. She has said that she believes William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
will be the next Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
rather than David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080311/debtext/80311-0008.htm#080311109000288. In August 2009 she criticised the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
The Bill's discussion in Parliament did not permit time to debate whether it should extend abortion rights under the Abortion Act 1967 to also cover Northern Ireland...
which conferred legal parenthood on a biological mother's female partner, saying "To have a birth certificate with two mothers and no father is just madness."http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/31/lesbian-partners-birth-certificates Smith is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Flag Group
On Wednesday 17 September 2008, Geraldine Smith was interviewed by Tony Livesey on BBC Radio Lancashire's Breakfast Show, when she attacked the so-called "Lancashire Mafia" for their plot against Prime Minister Gordon Brown and accused those behind the scenes of being cowards.
On 21st February 2010, the Daily Mail alleged that Ms Smith partook in an expenses funded 'drinking contest' with fellow Labour MP Bill Etherington
Bill Etherington
William "Bill" Etherington is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Sunderland North from 1992 to 2010.-Early life:...
whilst in Paris.
Geraldine Smith lost her seat to the Conservative David Morris in the general election in May 2010.
Personal life
Geraldine Smith is the Patron of the Morecambe Bay National Osteoporosis SocietyNational Osteoporosis Society
The National Osteoporosis Society, established in 1986, is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. It is based in Camerton, Somerset, England. The income of the charity was about £3.5 million in 2010...
Support Group.
Geraldine Smith is the President of 455 (Morecambe and Heysham) Squadron Air Training Corps a youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force for local youth between the ages of 13 and 18 giving them opportunities to learn new skills and support their local community.
External links
- The Labour Party - Geraldine Smith MP official biography
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Geraldine Smith MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Geraldine Smith MP
- BBC Politics page
News items
- Her views on Prescott in May 2006
- Safeguarding the Bittern in August 2005
- European money for Morecambe in June 2004
- Wanting a tribute to Thora Hird in March 2003