Paul Rose (British politician)

Paul Bernard Rose (26 December 1935 – 3 November 2015) was a British Labour Party politician and a leading campaigner against the politics of the National Front.^[1]

Rose was educated at Bury Grammar School and Manchester University. He was chairman of the Manchester Federation of Young Socialists. He became a barrister, called to the bar by Gray's Inn in 1958.

He became Chairman of the Manchester Left Club and edited a youth page for "labour's Northern Voice" and led the Suez Demonstrations in Manchester in 1956. His main interests were industrial safety, Northern Ireland and civil liberties and he was active in the field of human rights not least in relation to Greece under the rule of the Colonels.

Rose was elected Member of Parliament for Manchester Blackley in 1964.^[2] He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Barbara Castle at the Ministry of Transport and after 1970 spoke for the Labour opposition on industrial relations. He was also a member of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.^[3] He stepped down in 1979, and later joined the Social Democratic Party in the 1980s.

Rose noted discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland and in the early 60's was one of the first to predict The Troubles.^[4] He became Chairman of the Campaign for Democracy in Ulster,^[5] Chairman of the North West Sports Council, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party Home Office Group. He served on the Council of Europe and was Vice-Chairman of Labour Campaign for Europe. He was also founder and Chairman of the anti-cult organization Family Action Information and Rescue.^[6] He became a coroner in the south of London. He was a Deputy Circuit Judge and a Part Time Immigration and Political Asylum Adjudicator. An atheist and humanist, Rose was a member of the British Humanist Association, which later invited him to be one of its patrons.^[3]

Rose was the editor of six books on law, politics and history including Backbencher's Dilemma, A History of the Fenians In England and The Moonies Unmasked after publishing The Manchester Martyrs. He also contributed many articles to newspapers and magazines on History, Law and politics.

He died on 3 November 2015,^[3] aged 79.

References

1. Bowling, Benjamin (1999) Violent Racism: Victimization, Policing and Social Context, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-829878-6, p. 44
2. Crossman, Richard (1977) The Diaries of a Cabinet Minister: Secretary of State for Social Services, 1968-70 v. 3, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 978-0-241-89482-8, p. 60
3. "BHA mourns its patron Paul Rose, former MP and campaigner". British Humanist Association. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
4. "Paul Rose, Labour MP - obituary". Daily Telegraph. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
5. Gallagher, Tom & O'Connell, James (1983) Contemporary Irish Studies, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-0919-8, p. 81
6. Mullan, Bob (1983) Life as Laughter: Rajneeshes of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Routledge & Kegan Paul Books, ISBN 978-0-7102-0043-3, p. 148