The Lord Mason of Barnsley | |
|---|---|
.png) Mason in 1969 | |
| Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |
| In office 14 July 1979 – 24 November 1981 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan Michael Foot |
| Preceded by | John Silkin |
| Succeeded by | Norman Buchan |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 14 July 1979 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Humphrey Atkins |
| Succeeded by | Brynmor John |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 10 September 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Merlyn Rees |
| Succeeded by | Humphrey Atkins |
| Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 4 March 1974 – 10 September 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Ian Gilmour |
| Succeeded by | Fred Mulley |
| President of the Board of Trade | |
| In office 6 October 1969 – 19 June 1970 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Anthony Crosland |
| Succeeded by | Michael Noble |
| Minister of Power | |
| In office 1 July 1968 – 6 October 1969 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Ray Gunter |
| Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
| Postmaster General | |
| In office 6 April 1968 – 1 July 1968 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Edward Short |
| Succeeded by | John Stonehouse |
| Minister of Defence for Equipment | |
| In office 7 January 1967 – 6 April 1968 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | John Morris |
| Minister of State for Trade | |
| In office 20 October 1964 – 7 January 1967 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Mallalieu |
| Member of Parliament forBarnsley Central Barnsley (1953–1983) | |
| In office 31 March 1953 – 18 May 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Sidney Schofield |
| Succeeded by | Eric Illsley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-04-18)18 April 1924 Royston, England |
| Died | 19 April 2015(2015-04-19) (aged 91) Barnsley, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
Roy Mason, Baron Mason of Barnsley,PC, DL (18 April 1924 – 19 April 2015), was a BritishLabour Party politician and Cabinet minister who wasSecretary of State for Defence andSecretary of State for Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
Mason was born inRoyston,West Riding of Yorkshire, on 18 April 1924,[1] and grew up in Carlton,Barnsley, also in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Mason became a miner at the age of 14. He became a branch official of theNational Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in his early twenties. Aged 26, he studied at theLondon School of Economics as a mature student on aTrades Union Congress (TUC) scholarship.[2] He remained in the coal industry until he was elected asMember of Parliament (MP) for theBarnsley constituency at aby-election in 1953.[3]
Mason was Labour Party spokesman onHome Affairs,Defence and thePost Office, 1960–1964.Minister of State at theBoard of Trade, 1964–1967.Minister of Defence (Equipment), 1967–1968.Minister of Power, 1968–1969.President of the Board of Trade, 1969–1970.Secretary of State for Defence, 1974–1976.Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 1976–1979
A high-profilepolitician, Mason's appointment toNorthern Ireland was unexpected and seemed to indicate a tougher response from theBritish Government than had been pursued by his predecessor,Merlyn Rees. In late 1976, he told the Labour Party conference that "Ulster had had enough of initiatives, White Papers and legislation for the time being, and now needed to be governed firmly and fairly". He rejected both military and political solutions in favour of "justice for all; with equality before the law; and, crucially, with republican terrorism treated as a security problem, and nothing else".[4]
WhileSecretary of State for Defence, Mason had been responsible for the introduction ofSAS units into the 'bandit country' ofSouth Armagh. AtStormont Mason was responsible for the tougher role taken by the security forces and authorised an increase inBritish Army covert tactics with the SAS allowed to operate throughoutNorthern Ireland. Mason's time in Northern Ireland was characterised by a reduction in violence; "in 1976 there were 297 deaths in Northern Ireland; in the next three years the figures were 111, 80, 120.[5] In 1977, he stood up to militant loyalists attempting to repeat their successfulUlster Workers Council strike tactic of 1974. The same year, he twice attempted to get some movement towards a political settlement from the local political parties. In March 1979, theIrish National Liberation Army planned to assassinate Mason, but the plan was aborted.[6]
Mason's policies in Northern Ireland earned the ire of Irish nationalist MPs.[7] That played a part in theMarch 1979 vote of no confidence, which the Labour government lost by one vote, precipitating the1979 general election.[7] The Nationalist MPGerry Fitt abstained in the vote of no confidence and stated that he could not support a government with Mason as its Northern Ireland secretary.[7]
After Labour's election defeat in 1979, Mason came under increasing pressure from some on the left in his constituency party and fromArthur Scargill but did not countenance joining theSocial Democratic Party. Mason received full police protection over 30 years after leaving office. In 1982,Energy SecretaryNigel Lawson suggested toMargaret Thatcher that she should make Mason the nextCoal Board chairman, but she refused by saying that Mason was "Not one of us". Instead,Ian MacGregor was appointed.[8]
After his retirement from theHouse of Commons at the1987 general election, Mason was created alife peer on 20 October 1987 taking the titleBaron Mason of Barnsley, ofBarnsley inSouth Yorkshire.[9] He lived in the same semi-detached house with his wife Marjorie from their marriage until he was aged 84.
Mason died at Highgrove Nursing Home, Stanley Road, Barnsley one day after his 91st birthday, on 19 April 2015. He had suffered fromcerebrovascular disease. He was survived by his wife and his two daughters.[10][11][3]
Lord Mason of Barnsley, former Labour Government Minister, 88
His influence on the British government sharply diminished in 1976 with the advent that year of Mason as Secretary of State. "He's an anti-Irish wee git", Fitt told journalists; but perhaps Mason's worst sin was that he ignored the MP for West Belfast. Fitt took his revenge in the crucial vote on the Labour government's bill for Scottish devolution. He could not bring himself, he explained, to vote for a government with Mason as Ulster Secretary, against a background of alleged police brutality in the province. The government, defeated by one vote, resigned; the radical Gerry Fitt had helped to usher in the rule of Mrs Thatcher.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBarnsley 1953–1983 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forBarnsley Central 1983–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Postmaster General 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Power 1968–1969 | Position abolished |
| Preceded by | President of the Board of Trade 1969–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Defence 1974–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1976–1979 | Succeeded by |
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