Nick Palmer
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| Dr Nick Palmer MP | |
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Member of Parliament
for Broxtowe |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Lester |
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| Majority | 2131 |
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| Born | 5 February 1950 London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Fiona née Hunter |
| Children | none |
| Residence | Attenborough, Nottinghamshire |
| Alma mater | Universities of Copenhagen, London and MIT |
| Occupation | Medical computing |
| Profession | Computer scientist |
| Website | http://www.broxtowelabour.org/ |
Dr Nicholas Douglas Palmer is a British politician and Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe since 1997.[1] He is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State, Malcolm Wicks, in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and also serves as a member of the Justice Committee.
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[edit] Early life
Nicholas Palmer is the son of Reginald Palmer, a translator/editor and Irma Markin, a language teacher, being born in London on 5 February 1950. He has a cleft palate but speaks six languages and is the first person to enter Parliament with this handicap.[1]
He attended International Schools in Copenhagen and Vienna. He received his MSc at Copenhagen University and PhD in Mathematics at Birkbeck College, University of London. He also studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he researched artificial intelligence and language translation.[1]
As a computer scientist, he developed the COMPACT clinical trials package for the Medical Research Council. Joining the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Ciba-Geigy, he became head of Novartis Internet Service when Ciba-Geigy merged with Novartis.[1]
He married Fiona Hunter in 2000, having proposed to her on the terrace of the House of Commons. The ceremony took place on his birthday in the ornate 14th century Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. Ms Hunter was then age 32 and an editor at the publisher Dorling Kindersley.[2].[3]
[edit] Political career
Nick Palmer joined the Labour Party on his twenty-first birthday and was the Labour candidate for Chelsea in the 1983 general election.[1] He subsequently fought other elections until being selected to contest Broxtowe. During this period, he edited and published a magazine to represent the views of ordinary Labour party members - Grass Roots.[4]
He is a diligent constituency MP, responding promptly to constituents' letters[5] and engaging with matters of local concern such as open-cast mining and the development of the local Nottingham tramway.[6] He regularly canvasses the area and sends frequent newsletters to his constituents.[7] This steady hard work is expected to build an unusually large personal vote[8] and his re-election in 2001 with a significantly increased majority indicated that he had done a very respectable job of representing his constituency.[9]
In the party, he is part of the East Midlands Labour Group and serves upon the Executive of the Labour Friends of Israel.
He was PPS to the Minister of State, Margaret Beckett, in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
He has served upon the following Select Committees:
He belongs to the following All-Party Parliamentary Groups:
- Animal Welfare - Vice-Chairman
- Denmark
- Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
- Germany
- Internet - Vice-Chairman
- World Government - Vice-Chairman
He helped organise the visit of the Dalai Lama to Britain in 2008, organising meetings and a special exhibit of a mandala in the House of Commons.[10]
[edit] Bills introduced
- Acquisition and Possession of Air Weapons Restriction - raising the age for possession of air weapons, especially to prevent malicious use against pets.[11][12]
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology - he introduced an amendment to require that counselling be provided in cases of foetal abnormality. This was based upon his own personal experience of being born with a cleft palate, which was successfully reconstructed by pioneering surgeon Archibald McIndoe, who had advised his parents.[13]
- Identity Cards - introduced a private member's bill and then brokered a deal with the Lords to get the government's version through.[14]
- Pedal Bicycle Safety - he campaigned for five years for bells to be fitted to all new bicycles in response to a petition from his constituents. A bill was passed making them compulsory from 1 May 2004.[15]
- Road Traffic Signs - to require all road traffic signs warning of speed enforcement cameras to show the speed limit in force."[16]
- Small Print - to require a minimum size of print in documents, especially those relating to advertising and contracts.[17]
- TV Licence exemption for over-75s - He suggested this measure which was then adopted by the government, along with similar measures like free bus passes for the elderly.[18]
[edit] Constituency work
- He organised a bus service to link Kimberley with the Nottingham tram at Phoenix Park.[19]
[edit] Quotes
- On abortion counselling: "I was born with a cleft palate, and my parents were advised by the surgeon that I could still have a decent quality of life so long as I did not make the mistake of choosing a career that involved public speaking."[20]
- On his proudest achievement in parliament since 2001: "As a member of the animal welfare core group, helping insist on delivering the ban on hunting with dogs."
- On badger culling: "...hon. Members whose solution to animal welfare issues is “If in doubt, kill something”"[21]
- By constituent and commentator, Philip Cowley: "No one in Broxtowe can complain that Palmer doesn't tell them what he is doing or why he thinks what he thinks."[8]
- On fox hunting: "I spoke to a supporter the other day and he said that, in 40 years of hunting, he had seen only two foxes killed. If we were trying to deal with insect pests and succeeded in deterring one wasp every 20 years, we would not feel that we were using a very effective deterrent.”[22]
- On the green belt: "Labour stands for sustained, planned development of affordable housing with good public transport available, not for rewarding speculative greed"”
- On prisoners: "I do not think you can sensibly or even reasonably say that prisoners should get a pay rise of 38%."[23]
- On small print: "... the consumer deserves protection against manipulation in the small print"[17]
[edit] Hobbies and other interests
With his secretary Philippa Coughlan and fellow MP, Liz Blackman, he compiled a book of recipes favoured by MPs. For example, Tony Blair's recipe was for Meatball and Tomato Sauce while speaker Betty Boothroyd preferred Stewed Oxtail. Nick Palmer's own recipe was for Swiss-style potatoes - Berner Roesti.[4]
He is a frequent contributor to the website Politicalbetting.com where he is known for his frank commentary on election prospects.
He has written three books on conflict simulation games and still attends international conventions, winning the Diplomacy championship at the World Boardgaming Championships in 2007. He co-founded and edited Flagship magazine from 1983.
He is a keen and successful card player, representing the House of Commons at bridge.
He is fond of animals, being a Patron of his favourite charity Cats Protection[4], and keeps several pets including a dog called Magic and several fancy rats.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Roth, Andrew (1997). New MPs of '97. Parliamentary Profiles. ISBN 0900582383.
- ^ Candidate Nick Palmer. BBC. Retrieved on 11 June 2008.
- ^ MP weds at the House, Nottingham Evening Post, 07 February 2000, <http://www.newsuk.co.uk>
- ^ a b c Philippa Coughlan (1998). Parliamentary Portions. ISBN 1902301064.
- ^ MP Responsiveness League Table. Retrieved on 23 May 2008.
- ^ Tram webchat - the transcript. BBC (24/03/07).
- ^ Nick Palmer's - Newsletters. StaplefordWeb. Retrieved on 18 May 2008.
- ^ a b Philip Cowley (07 March 2005), Will envelopes die in vain?, New Statesman, <http://www.newstatesman.com/200503070008>
- ^ Byron Criddle, Robert Waller. Almanac of British Politics, 192. ISBN 0415268338.
- ^ MP hosts special exhibition at Westminster, Beeston Express, May 23, 2008, <http://www.beestonexpress.co.uk/images/beestonexpress/May23pdfs/May23p5.pdf>
- ^ The Cats Protection League backs Air Rifle Bill, Cats Protection League, <http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=42583>
- ^ Select Committee on Home Affairs Second Report, Parliament Publications & Records, 23 June 1999, <http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmhaff/95/9508.htm>
- ^ Jenny Percival (Monday May 19 2008), Amendment could cut number of late abortions, Guardian, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/19/health.stemcells>
- ^ Debate, Hansard, 29 Mar 2006, <http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060329/debtext/60329-46.htm>
- ^ Welcome back, bicycle bell. BBC (Thursday, 29 April, 2004).
- ^ Debate. Hansard (13 Dec 2005).
- ^ a b Debate, Hansard, 26 Feb 2008, <http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080226/debtext/80226-0006.htm>
- ^ Brian D (Feb 23, 2006). FOCUS - Nick Palmer. Face Forward.
- ^ £500,000 bus boost for Kimberley, Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser, <http://www.eastwoodadvertiser.co.uk/news/500000-bus-boost-for-Kimberley.3879446.jp>
- ^ Daily Hansard. Parliament Publications & Records (20 May 2008).
- ^ DEFRA questions. Hansard (31 Jan 2008).
- ^ Debate on Hunting with Dogs bill. Hansard (18 March 2002).
- ^ Planned prison pay rise abandoned. BBC (Wednesday, 30 April 2008).
[edit] External links
- BBC profile
- Broxtowe Labour Party
- Newsletters at Stapleford Web
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Nick Palmer MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Nick Palmer MP
- Nick Palmer MP with Dalai Lama
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Lester |
Member of Parliament for Broxtowe 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
