Alun Michael

The Right Honourable Alun Michael MP JP
First Secretary for Wales
In office 12 May 1999 – 9 February 2000
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Rhodri Morgan
Leader of Welsh Labour
In office 12 May 1999 – 9 February 2000
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Rhodri Morgan
Secretary of State for Wales
In office 27 October 1998 – 27 July 1999
Preceded by	Ron Davies
Succeeded by	Paul Murphy
Member of the Welsh Assembly for Mid and West Wales
In office 12 May 1999 – 1 May 2000
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Delyth Evans
Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 June 1987
Preceded by	James Callaghan
Majority	4,710 (10.6%)
Personal details
Born	22 August 1943 (1943-08-22) Bryngwran, Wales, United Kingdom
Political party	Labour Co-operative
Alma mater	Keele University
Religion	Church in Wales
Website	Official website

Alun Edward Michael (born 22 August 1943) is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff South and Penarth since 1987. He was formerly First Minister of Wales and leader of the Welsh Labour Party from 1999 to 2000.

Education

Michael was born at Bryngwran Anglesey, son of Leslie and Betty Michael. He attended Colwyn Bay Grammar School and Keele University.

Professional career

He was a youth and community worker from 1971 to 1987; having previously been a Reporter on the South Wales Echo, he became a JP in 1972 and chaired the Cardiff Juvenile Bench before entering Parliament. He was a Cardiff City councillor from 1973 to 1989.

Political career

He became an MP at the 1987 general election, inheriting a safe Labour seat from former Prime Minister James Callaghan. Michael retained his seat in the 2005 general election and also the 2010 general election.

Home affairs career

Michael held the Shadow Home Affairs position while in opposition, prior to becoming Minister of State and Deputy Home Secretary in the Home Office following Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election. His rhetoric when coming to office differed from the delivery. as Home Office minister, he pledged there would be 'no hiding place for paedophiles' as there would 'be cases where the public will have to be told directly that a paedophile is in their area. Several frightening cases in recent months have hammered it home that we must act.' . This policy was not realised, and following the tragic case of eight-year-old Sarah Payne and calls for his original policy to be introduced, Michael agreed with the soft approach being taken by then Dyfed Powys Chief Constable Terence Grange, who said such a plan would drive paedophiles underground, rather than assert his original opinion. He said "(Grange) warned of the dangers of having open access leading to paedophiles disappearing and therefore posing an even greater risk" . Nearly ten years later, after the measure still wasn't introduced, one of Michael's own constituents who could have benefited from 'Sarah's law' fell victim to a paedophile attack. A 17-year-old female sex offender was let out prison in May 2009 after serving 11 months of a two-year sentence for the sexual assault of a little boy. In 2010, this offender attacked a boy in Michael's constituency, aged just nine where he was subjected to horrific beatings and a depraved sexual assault. Michael appeared to defend his failure to introduce Sarah's law saying, "These are extremely difficult issues and people are understandably very upset, but there is a danger of serious mistakes being made and this has been shown on a number occasions." . After the 2010 election Michael was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee, but has made no progress on this matter.

Even with the little progress made on child protection issues, Michael was however, responsible for steering the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 through the House of Commons. Amongst other things, this Act introduced ASBOs or Anti-social Behaviour Orders and statutory crime reduction partnerships. He was also responsible for the Government policy on the voluntary and community sector, and introduced the "compact" process to achieve partnership between Government and that sector. Michael later became a member of the Justice Select Committee from November 2007 to May 2010. While on the committee he took part in enquiries into restorative justice, devolution ten years on, the role of the prison officer, and the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Wales career

In 1998, following the resignation of Ron Davies, Michael was made Secretary of State for Wales following a contentious leadership battle, which was an episode that led to him being described as a "famously tetchy Millbank-backed candidate" . While he was the favoured candidate of the Westminster government for this role, he was less popular within Wales. His appointment to the role was described by Peter Kellner "another fix" in order "to ensure Alun Michael became Labour's leader in Wales" which Keller observed "offended so many voters that it lost some of its safest seats, including Rhondda, to Plaid Cymru." . Tony Blair's favourable treatment of Michael was later described as a "determination to foist Alun Michael on the people of Wales", which, "produced a spectacular collapse of support" . This eventually led to the very outcome Tony Blair had wanted to prevent, the election of Rhodri Morgan as leader of the Welsh Assembly, after Michael resigned due to his unpopularity, just avoiding an opposition vote of "no confidence" over the availability of Objective 1 funding from the European Union by doing so. Michael was fortunate however to get the chance to sit on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee from November 2007 to May 2010. In that time they ran enquiries on cross Border Provision of Public Services, Globalization, and Digital Inclusion.

Environment career

In 2001, he was appointed Minister of State for Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality, a post within DEFRA. He was the minister most closely connected with a ban on hunting with dogs, for which he attracted much criticism from hunt supporters. Michael was criticized for citing the research of Sir Patrick Bateson as "incontrovertible proof" of the need for a total ban. Sir Patrick said, "Only somebody who was scientifically illiterate could argue that evidence from a new area of research was 'incontrovertible'" but Michael claimed that Bateson had misunderstood the way his work had been cited.

Hunting Act

In 2004, he presided over the enactment of the Hunting Act which banned hare coursing, beagling, fox hunting, mink and stag hunting in the UK from February 2005. At the time this law was being debated, and immediately after it was passed, Michael maintained his visits to rural areas despite threats and protest, but withdrew from the event to launch the "Right to Roam" stating that access to the countryside was too important to be interrupted by pro-hunt protestors whose plans could put the public at risk. Michael maintained that hunting was a "peripheral issue" citing social and economic issues in rural areas as "the day job". In 2004, he formally approved the order designating the New Forest as a National Park.

Trade and Business

In 2005 Michael was moved to a ministerial post in the Department of Trade and Industry as Minister of State for Industry and the Regions, where he served only a year before he was ousted in the Cabinet reshuffle in May 2006.

Bibliography

• Dragon on Our Doorstep: New Politics for a New Millennium in Wales by Alun Michael (University of Wales,Aberystwyth, 2000) ISBN 0-9537829-0-5
• Labour in Action: Tough on Crime, Tough on the Causes of Crime - a Collection of Essays edited by Alun Michael (Fabian Society, 1997) ISBN 0-7163-3033-4
• Building the Future Together (Labour Party, 1997)

External links

• Rt Hon Alun Michael MP official constituency website
• Alun Michael MP Welsh Labour Party profile
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by James Callaghan	Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth 1987–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Ron Davies	Secretary of State for Wales 1998–1999	Succeeded by Paul Murphy
New office	First Minister of Wales 1999–2000	Succeeded by Rhodri Morgan
Party political offices
New office	Leader of Welsh Labour 1999–2000	Succeeded by Rhodri Morgan
National Assembly for Wales
New constituency	Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales 1999–2000	Succeeded by Delyth Evans