Stanley Newens
Encyclopedia
Arthur Stanley Newens, known as Stan Newens, (born 4 February 1930) is a former British
Labour Co-operative
politician. He is a former Member of Parliament
(MP) and Member of the European Parliament
(MEP).
Newens received a History degree at University College, London and became a schoolteacher. In 1949 he Joined the Labour Party, and is still a member. At UCL, he met Anil Moonesinghe
, a Sri Lanka
n Trotskyist, who was later to become a Cabinet Minister in Sri Lanka
) and joined the Socialist Review Group led by Tony Cliff
, a former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), which later became the Socialist Workers Party
(SWP). He left this group in 1959. He held several posts in the National Union of Teachers
and was chairman of the Movement for Colonial Freedom
and president of the London Co-operative Society
.
Newens represented Epping
1964-70 and Harlow
1974-83 in Parliament. He became an MEP for London
in 1984, sitting until 1999. He held several senior positions including Vice Chair of the PLP
Foreign Affairs Group; Chair and Deputy Leader of the Labour Group of MEPs. He was generally seen as a prominent left-winger, campaigning against the Vietnam War
and for other international causes.
Newens has been an active trade unionist and co-operator and has written numerous pamphlets and books, including "The Case Against Nato" (1972), "Third World: Change or Chaos" (1977), "A History of Struggle: 50th Anniversary of Liberation, formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom" (2004) andNicolae Ceausescu: The Man, His Ideas and His Socialist Achievements (1972). He is also a local historian of Essex and East London; his book "A History of North Weald Bassett & Its People" was published in 1985 and his study of Arthur Morrison
was published at Loughton
in 2008.
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 Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
politician. He is a former 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) and Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP).
Newens received a History degree at University College, London and became a schoolteacher. In 1949 he Joined the Labour Party, and is still a member. At UCL, he met Anil Moonesinghe
Anil Moonesinghe
Anil Moonesinghe was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist revolutionary politician and trade unionist. He became a Member of Parliament, a Cabinet Minister, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a Diplomat. He authored several books and edited newspapers and magazines. He was Chairperson and General Manager of...
, a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Trotskyist, who was later to become a Cabinet Minister in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) and joined the Socialist Review Group led by Tony Cliff
Tony Cliff
Tony Cliff , was a Trotskyist who was a founding member of the Socialist Review Group which went on to become the Socialist Workers Party...
, a former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), which later became the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
(SWP). He left this group in 1959. He held several posts in the National Union of Teachers
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
and was chairman of the Movement for Colonial Freedom
Movement for Colonial Freedom
The Movement for Colonial Freedom was a UK based political civil rights advocacy group founded in the United Kingdom in 1954. It had the support of many MPs including Harold Wilson, Barbara Castle with Tony Benn as treasurer. It had support also amongst celebrities such as Benjamin Britten and in...
and president of the London Co-operative Society
London Co-operative Society
The London Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative society in the United Kingdom.The Society was formed in September 1920 by the amalgamation of the Stratford Co-operative Society and the Edmonton Co-operative Society, two of the largest societies in the London Metropolitan area...
.
Newens represented Epping
Epping (UK Parliament constituency)
Epping was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
1964-70 and Harlow
Harlow (UK Parliament constituency)
Harlow is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
1974-83 in Parliament. He became an MEP for London
London (European Parliament constituency)
London is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :The constituency corresponds to Greater London, in the south east of the United Kingdom....
in 1984, sitting until 1999. He held several senior positions including Vice Chair of the PLP
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body....
Foreign Affairs Group; Chair and Deputy Leader of the Labour Group of MEPs. He was generally seen as a prominent left-winger, campaigning against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and for other international causes.
Newens has been an active trade unionist and co-operator and has written numerous pamphlets and books, including "The Case Against Nato" (1972), "Third World: Change or Chaos" (1977), "A History of Struggle: 50th Anniversary of Liberation, formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom" (2004) andNicolae Ceausescu: The Man, His Ideas and His Socialist Achievements (1972). He is also a local historian of Essex and East London; his book "A History of North Weald Bassett & Its People" was published in 1985 and his study of Arthur Morrison
Arthur Morrison
Arthur George Morrison was an English author and journalist known for his realistic novels about London's East End and for his detective stories....
was published at Loughton
Loughton
Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
in 2008.