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Liz Truss

2010-05-21T14:02:58Z

Debonairchap: /* Early life */

{{Infobox MP
| image =  |
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Elizabeth Truss
| honorific-suffix = [[Member of Parliament| MP]]
| caption =
| constituency_MP = [[South West Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Norfolk]]
| parliament = UK
| term_start = 6 May 2010
| term_end =
| majority = 13,140 (26.7%)<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/e27.stm South West Norfolk], BBC Election 2010 result</ref>
| predecessor = [[Christopher Fraser]]
| successor =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Leeds]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| spouse = Hugh O'Leary
| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| relations =
| children =
| residence = [[Downham Market]]
| alma_mater = [[Merton College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]
| occupation =
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| website = [http://www.elizabethtruss.com/ Official site]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Elizabeth Mary Truss'''<ref>http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/59418/notices/1118281/from=2010-05-06;to=2010-05-19;all=returned+westminster/</ref> (born c.1975), also known as Liz Truss, is a British Conservative politician, first elected as the Member of Parliament for [[South West Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Norfolk]] at the [[UK general election, 2010|2010 general election]].

==Early life==
The daughter of a professor with an interest in mathematical logic, Truss was raised in a left-wing household, "My mum was in the [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament |CND]]",<ref name="Timesprofile">[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6907859.ece "Profile: Elizabeth Truss], ''The Times'', 8 November 2009</ref> she read [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics]] at [[Merton College, Oxford]]. Truss was President of [[Oxford University Liberal Democrats]] and expressed [[Republicanism in the United Kingdom|anti-monarchist]] sentiments at the 1994 [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] conference.<ref name="Timesprofile"/><ref>Jonathan Oliver [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6898340.ece "'Naughty' Tory candidate drives wedge into party"], ''The Sunday Times'', 1 November 2009</ref> After working for Shell and Cable & Wireless, she became the deputy director of [[Reform (think tank)|Reform]] in January 2008.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/elizabeth-truss ''Guardian'' contributor page.]</ref>

==Candidate==
She had previously unsuccessfully fought the parliamentary seats of [[Hemsworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Hemsworth]] in 2001 and [[Calder Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Calder Valley]] in 2005.<ref>[http://www.elizabethtruss.com/about Biography], Elizabeth Truss' official website</ref> Shortly after her selection for the Norfolk seat, revelations<ref>Richard Kay and Michael Seamark [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-387015/A-list-Torys-affair-married-Cameron-high-flyer.html "A-list Tory's affair with married Cameron high-flyer"], ''Daily Mail'', 20 May 2006</ref> about her private life were revived which led Norfolk's so called 'Turnip Taliban'<ref name="Timesprofile"/> to insist her candidature should be terminated,<ref>Nick Britten [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/6495779/Conservative-candidate-Elizabeth-Truss-given-two-weeks-to-save-political-skin.html "Conservative candidate Elizabeth Truss given two weeks to save political skin"], ''Daily Telegraph'', 3 November 2009</ref> but a motion proposed by members of the constituency association, who also felt an 'A' list candidate had been imposed on them, was defeated.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/8363403.stm "Tory woman wins selection battle"], BBC News, 17 November 2009</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{start box}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{incumbent succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[South West Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Norfolk]]
| start = [[United Kingdom general election, 2010|2010]]
| before = [[Christopher Fraser]]
}}
{{end box}}

{{UK-MP-stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truss, Elizabeth}}

[[Category:Conservative MPs (UK)]]
[[Category:Councillors in Greenwich]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2010–]]
[[Category:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford]]
[[Category:People from Leeds]]

Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey

2010-02-21T21:48:38Z

Debonairchap: Added references to bottom of page

{{Infobox AM
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Toby Harris
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| constituency_AM = [[Brent and Harrow (London Assembly constituency)|Brent and Harrow]]
| assembly = London
| term_start = 4 May 2000
| term_end = 10 June 2004
| majority =
| predecessor = ''New constituency''
| successor = [[Robert Blackman]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|10|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| spouse =
| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| occupation =
| profession =
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| footnotes =
}}
'''Jonathan Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey''' (born 11 October 1953) is a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician in the House of Lords.

Educated at [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], he went on to become President of the [[Cambridge Union Society]]. At Cambridge, he was a member of the [[Cambridge University Liberal Club]].<ref>http://keynessociety.wordpress.com/about-the-keynes-society/</ref>

He is a former councillor and leader of [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey Borough Council]], and was Chair of the [[Association of London Government]]. He was made a [[Life Peer]] in 1998 as '''Baron Harris of Haringey''', of Hornsey in the London Borough of Haringey. He was a Haringey councillor for 24 years, and stood down in 2002, two years after being elected to the [[London Assembly]] for [[Brent and Harrow (London Assembly constituency)|Brent and Harrow]] in 2000.

As leader of Haringey Council, he had the job of dealing with the multi-million pound overspending under Bernie Grant's leadership on restoration of [[Alexandra Palace]], which the Council holds in trust for the people of London. He did not accept the decision of the [[Attorney-General]] in 1991 that the politically embarrassing overspending by the Council as trustee was unlawful and so could not be charged to the charity. Instead he maintained that the charity "owed" the Council £30m, charged compound interest on this "debt", and tried to offer the whole Palace for sale, a policy his successors are still trying to carry out despite it being stalled in the High Court in 2007.

One of the criticisms during his leadership was the expenses he incurred. Over the course of one year, his expenses were over £24,000, including over £15,000 spent on taxi fares[http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/archive/display.var.100481.0.taxiloving_peer_lords_it_up_with_expense_account.php] Although the District Auditor's investigation cleared him of any impropriety, they were critical of the flaws of the system he implemented which meant that council executive members were never sent invoices for such expenses and so didn't check the actual amount that the council was being charged. [http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=126736]

Harris stepped down after ten years as Leader of Haringey in May 2000. Nine months later [[Victoria Climbie]] died after systematic cruelty and abuse although she had been on the council's at risk register. The state of Haringey's child protection services were severely criticized in Parliament and in a public inquiry.

[[Image:State of the Net-panel-20070131.jpg|thumb|Lord Harris (left) participating in a State of the Net conference in Washington, D.C.]]
He was the Leader of the Labour Group on the Assembly until he lost his seat at the [[London Assembly election, 2004|2004 Assembly election]]. He was the first chair of the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] from 2000 to 2004, overseeing the introduction of police community support officers and neighbourhood policing. He is now the Home Secretary's representative on the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] with responsibility for overseeing the work of the Metropolitan Police in countering terrorism and in security.

Lord Harris of Haringey is a senior advisor to [[KPMG]], to Transport for London and a number of other public and private sector organisations. He was Director of the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales (then the national statutory body representing users of the NHS) from 1987 to 1998.

He is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and is Treasurer of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee. He is a member of the House of Lords Select Committee looking into "Personal Internet Security". In the House of Lords, he specialises in policing matters, local government, technology and health issues.

==External links==
*[http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/former_members/harrist.jsp Former Members of London Assembly - Toby Harris]
*[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/minutes/981026/ldminute.htm Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords] House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 26 October 1998

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Toby}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Labour Party life peers]]
[[Category:Labour Members of the London Assembly]]
[[Category:Old Haberdashers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society]]
[[Category:Councillors in Haringey]]
[[Category:1953 births]]

Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey

2010-02-21T21:45:52Z

Debonairchap: Added CU Liberal Club membership, with citation

{{Infobox AM
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Toby Harris
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| constituency_AM = [[Brent and Harrow (London Assembly constituency)|Brent and Harrow]]
| assembly = London
| term_start = 4 May 2000
| term_end = 10 June 2004
| majority =
| predecessor = ''New constituency''
| successor = [[Robert Blackman]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|10|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| spouse =
| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| occupation =
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Jonathan Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey''' (born 11 October 1953) is a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician in the House of Lords.

Educated at [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], he went on to become President of the [[Cambridge Union Society]]. At Cambridge, he was a member of the [[Cambridge University Liberal Club]].<ref>http://keynessociety.wordpress.com/about-the-keynes-society/</ref>

He is a former councillor and leader of [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey Borough Council]], and was Chair of the [[Association of London Government]]. He was made a [[Life Peer]] in 1998 as '''Baron Harris of Haringey''', of Hornsey in the London Borough of Haringey. He was a Haringey councillor for 24 years, and stood down in 2002, two years after being elected to the [[London Assembly]] for [[Brent and Harrow (London Assembly constituency)|Brent and Harrow]] in 2000.

As leader of Haringey Council, he had the job of dealing with the multi-million pound overspending under Bernie Grant's leadership on restoration of [[Alexandra Palace]], which the Council holds in trust for the people of London. He did not accept the decision of the [[Attorney-General]] in 1991 that the politically embarrassing overspending by the Council as trustee was unlawful and so could not be charged to the charity. Instead he maintained that the charity "owed" the Council £30m, charged compound interest on this "debt", and tried to offer the whole Palace for sale, a policy his successors are still trying to carry out despite it being stalled in the High Court in 2007.

One of the criticisms during his leadership was the expenses he incurred. Over the course of one year, his expenses were over £24,000, including over £15,000 spent on taxi fares[http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/archive/display.var.100481.0.taxiloving_peer_lords_it_up_with_expense_account.php] Although the District Auditor's investigation cleared him of any impropriety, they were critical of the flaws of the system he implemented which meant that council executive members were never sent invoices for such expenses and so didn't check the actual amount that the council was being charged. [http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=126736]

Harris stepped down after ten years as Leader of Haringey in May 2000. Nine months later [[Victoria Climbie]] died after systematic cruelty and abuse although she had been on the council's at risk register. The state of Haringey's child protection services were severely criticized in Parliament and in a public inquiry.

[[Image:State of the Net-panel-20070131.jpg|thumb|Lord Harris (left) participating in a State of the Net conference in Washington, D.C.]]
He was the Leader of the Labour Group on the Assembly until he lost his seat at the [[London Assembly election, 2004|2004 Assembly election]]. He was the first chair of the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] from 2000 to 2004, overseeing the introduction of police community support officers and neighbourhood policing. He is now the Home Secretary's representative on the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] with responsibility for overseeing the work of the Metropolitan Police in countering terrorism and in security.

Lord Harris of Haringey is a senior advisor to [[KPMG]], to Transport for London and a number of other public and private sector organisations. He was Director of the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales (then the national statutory body representing users of the NHS) from 1987 to 1998.

He is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and is Treasurer of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee. He is a member of the House of Lords Select Committee looking into "Personal Internet Security". In the House of Lords, he specialises in policing matters, local government, technology and health issues.

==External links==
*[http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/former_members/harrist.jsp Former Members of London Assembly - Toby Harris]
*[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/minutes/981026/ldminute.htm Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords] House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 26 October 1998

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Toby}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Labour Party life peers]]
[[Category:Labour Members of the London Assembly]]
[[Category:Old Haberdashers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society]]
[[Category:Councillors in Haringey]]
[[Category:1953 births]]

Lansdowne House

2009-02-08T13:46:05Z

Debonairchap: Cut and pasted some v. specific information into the Lansdowne Club article, where it really belongs

{{coord|51|30|30|N|0|8|44|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}

[[Image:Lansdowne House Greenwood's Map London 1830 edited.jpg|thumb|200px|Lansdowne House is shown on this 1830 map.]]
[[Image:Shelbourne House 1765.jpg|thumb|200px|A plan of the main floor of the house published in 1765.]]

'''Lansdowne House''' is a building to the south west of [[Berkeley Square]] in central [[London]]. It was designed by [[Robert Adam]] as a private house and for most of its time as a residence it belonged to the Petty family, [[Marquesses of Lansdowne]]. Since 1935 it has been the home of the [[Lansdowne Club]]. The positioning of the property was rather unusual. It had a large front garden occupying the whole of the southern side of the square, which it faced side on. This arrangement gave [[Devonshire House]] on [[Piccadilly]] an open aspect to the square.

Famous former owners or residents of Lansdowne House include:
* [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute]], British [[Prime Minister]] (1762-63)
* [[William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne]] (later 1st [[Marquess of Lansdowne]]), British Prime Minister (1782-83)
* [[William Pitt the Younger]], British Prime Minister (1783-1801, 1804-1806)
* [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery]], was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister (1894 - 1895)
* [[Harry Gordon Selfridge]], founder of the [[Selfridges]] [[department store]]

In the 1930s the local council decided to construct a road link from Berkeley Square to [[Curzon Street]]. This necessitated the removal of all the front rooms of Lansdowne House. Adam's Drawing Room was removed and installed at the [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]] and the Dining Room went to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in [[New York City|New York]]. The house's collections, such as the [[Amazon statue types#Lansdowne Amazon|Lansdowne Amazon]] and the [[Lansdowne Hercules]], were also bought by American museums. The facade was rebuilt in a modified form at the front of the truncated house.

A large office block was built on the front garden on the southern edge of the square at what is now Nos. 55-59 Berkeley Square. This new building inherited the name of the old house, while the address No. 9 [[Fitzmaurice Place]] still points to the original location, where the [[Lansdowne Club]] is now undergoing extensive renovations begun in 2000.

On 1st May 1935, the [[Lansdowne Club]] opened as a 'social, residential and athletic Club for members of social standing...'.

==See also==
*[[Bowood House]]

==External links==
*[http://www.lansdowneclub.com/home/about_the_club History of the building from the Lansdowne Club's website]
*[http://www.lansdowneclub.com/ The Lansdowne Club]
*[http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/Houses_hgpm.asp?ID=4665 Lansdowne House entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses]

[[Category:1935 establishments]]
[[Category:Houses in Westminster]]

Almack’s

2009-01-01T21:38:41Z

Debonairchap:

[[Image:Almack's Assembly Rooms inside.jpg|thumb|400px|London's high society at Almack's.]]
'''Almack's [[Assembly Rooms]]''' was one of the first clubs in [[London]] that welcomed both men and women. It was one of a limited number of upper class mixed-sex public social venues in the British capital in an era when the most important venues for the hectic social season were the grand houses of the aristocracy.

Almack's opened in King Street, [[St. James's|St. James]], in [[London]], on [[20 February]] [[1765]].

Traditionally, it is said to have been established by William Macall who, to avoid the onus of a Scottish name, then considered foreign and uncouth, reversed the syllables. (His Almack's Coffee House, opened at the same time, was bought in 1774 to become the [[gentlemen's club (traditional)|gentlemen's club]], [[Brooks's]].) However, Chancellor points out that Almack is as legitimate and common a name as Macall, and may easily have been the man's actual family name.<ref>Chancellor, p.235: "It is generally believed that his original name was Macall and that he changed it, by a process of inversion, to Almack, when he first started as club proprietor, on account of the odium into which anything Scottish had fallen at this period (about the middle) of the eighteenth century. But this is based a good deal on conjecture, and in ''Notes and Queries'' a number of letters and other communications on the subject leave the matter not much clearer than it was before. ... Personally I am inclined to think that no such change was ever attempted. Almack is as common a name as Macall, although neither is frequently met with; and surely if a man had wanted to hide his origin he could have done so more skilfully and more successfully than by merely playing a conjuring trick with the letters of his name. "</ref>

==Ambiguous History==

Some confusion arises from attempting to assign to one time the varying characteristics of almost a century of existence.

Almack's Assembly Rooms first opened in purposeful rivalry to [[Mrs. Cornelys]]' establishment, whose masqued balls were becoming notorious. At first it was described as a "female Brook's"--that is, a gambling club to which women were admitted, though it was always unisex. A unique characteristic of this phase of Almack's was that male members proposed and elected the female members, and women proposed and elected the male members. At this time, like Almack's other establishments, it was meant to make money as what we would call a [[casino]]. It was, like any male club, open any night, and gambling is all that went on, besides a little supper served by Mr. and Mrs. Almack, the latter of whom poured tea in a fashionable sack gown.

As Horace Walpole wrote in 1770, "There is a new Institution that begins to make, and if it proceeds will make, considerable noise. It is a club of both sexes to be erected at Almack's, on the model of that of the men at White's. Mrs Fitzroy, Lady Pembroke, Mrs Meynell, Lady Molyneux, Miss Pelham and Miss Lloyd are the foundresses. I am ashamed to say I am of so young and fashionable society; but as they are people I live with, I choose to be idle rather than morose. I can go to a young supper without forgetting how much sand is run out of the hour-glass." <ref>Chancellor, p. 205-6</ref>

This first phase of Almack's suffered from competition from [[The Pantheon]] or "Winter [[Ranelagh]]" from 1772 until it burned down twenty years later.<ref>Chancellor, p. 206-7</ref> Play seems to have fallen off, as Almack's entered its second phase some time after 1800.

==The Classic Almack's==

Now Almack's Assembly Rooms became governed by a select committee of the most influential and exclusive ladies of the ''ton'', known as the Lady Patronesses of Almacks. At different periods in the club's long history, there were six or seven of them.

In 1814, they were:
[[Image:Almack's Longitude and Latitude.jpg|thumb|400px|''Longitude and Latitude of St Petersburgh'', a caricature of Countess Lieven and a shorter and broader dance partner by [[George Cruikshank]].]]
*[[Anne Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry]], better known as '''Viscountess of Castlereagh'''.
*[[Sarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey]] (not the Regent's old mistress, but her daughter-in-law)
*[[Emily, Lady Cowper]] (later married [[Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]])
*[[Lady Sefton]]
*[[Mrs. Drummond Burrel]] (whose husband, a notable [[dandy]], became [[Baron Gwydyr]] after 1816, and Lord Willoughby de Eresby after 1828)
*[[Dorothea Lieven|Countess de Lieven]] (wife of the Russian ambassador, raised to princely rank only after leaving England)
*[[Countess Esterhazy]] (wife of the Austrian ambassador; again, raised to a princedom afterward)

These "fair arbiters" created a temple of exclusivism for the balls held on Wednesday nights (the only activity of the club) by allowing only those of whom they approved to buy the non-transferrable annual vouchers, costing ten guineas (a guinea being a bit more than a pound sterling). Holding that voucher became the difference between society and Society. To not have it might mean simply that one had not applied. To lose one's voucher, though, meant that one had been tried and found wanting, a social disaster for those dedicated to their place in the ''ton''.

The Lady Patronesses met every Monday night during the London social season (approximately April to August) to decide who, if anyone, might need to be removed for recent ''déclassé'' behavior, and whom they might wish to add to the august membership. Their reign lasted until 1824 or so when exclusivity and strictness of rules both dropped off.

Money was never a key to being a member of Almack's. It existed to exclude the ''nouveau riche'', the mushroom "cits" of England. Title was a recommendation, though breeding and behavior were more important. Only about three-quarters of the hereditary nobility passed muster. Yet a penniless Irish poet like [[Thomas Moore]] could be adjudged to have the right address, the right style, the right ''ton'', to make him a valued member.<ref>Moers</ref>

[[Image:The First Quadrille at Almack's.jpg|thumb|400px|''The First [[Quadrille]] at Almack's'': a French print supposedly representing Lady Jersey, Lady Worcester, Lord Worcester and Clanronald Macdonald, though Gronow says it was danced by Lady Jersey, Lady Susan Ryder, Miss Montgomery and Lady Harriet Butler. with the Count St Aldegonde, Mr Montagu, Mr Montgomery and Mr Charles Standish. <ref>Chancellor, p.212</ref>]]
To avoid any suggestion of impropriety, dances were limited to the [[country dances]] or [[contredanses]], at that time danced with a good deal of energy. (Think [[Scotch reel]] or [[Virginia reel]], as opposed to the now-passé court [[minuets]].) This changed some time after the declaration of the Regency, when first the [[quadrille]] and then the lively [[waltz]] (rather more what we think of as a [[polka]]) were introduced. According to Raikes, these were first danced at Almacks in 1813, to Gronow in 1815, and to ''Dancing'' in the Badminton Library, 1816. In any case, the introduction of the quadrille is strongly associated with Lady Jersey, and the waltz definitely linked to Lady de Lieven.<ref>Chancellor, p.212</ref>

The club took pains not to resemble the expensive private balls by avoiding sumptuous repasts. Refreshments in the supper rooms, described by various authors who were never there as shriveled and stale, in fact consisted of thinly-sliced bread (which has to be a day old to be sliced that thin) with fresh butter, and dry cake (dry meaning unfrosted, without icing, not stale), probably what we know as pound cake. To avoid the drunkenness rampant in society, where many noblemen prided themselves on drinking four or five bottles of port a day, they served only tea and lemonade in the supper rooms.<ref>Moers</ref>

People came to Almack's to see and be seen, to assert their claim to being of the highest social rank, and to network with others of the caste. Secondarily, for gentlemen seeking brides of suitable ''ton'', it served as one of the marriage marts of Society. By 1790, being a [[debutante]], one presented at court, carried very little weight, as the King's court was considered rather fusty. Instead, mothers sought ''éclat'' for a daughter newly presented to society by wangling vouchers at Almack's.<ref>Moers</ref>

==The Physical Almack's==

[[Image:Almack's Assembly Rooms.jpg|thumb|400px|The building was unpretentious.]]
The original building was constructed in the Palladian style. The ballroom, in one ''[[Life in London]]'' print, c. 1821 (at beginning of article), shows tall arch-topped windows with simple draperies, with panels between of delicate decoration in the style of [[Robert Adam]]. <ref>Margetson</ref> A Cruikshank print shows a different crystal chandelier, a carpeted floor, and the walls hung with gigantic mirrors and paintings. <ref>Chancellor</ref>

[[Image:Almack'sCruikshank.jpg|thumb|400px|Cruikshank's view of the ballroom]]

Besides the dancing rooms and the supper rooms, some historians say the later Almack's also provided gaming rooms for those who preferred cards to dancing.{citation?}

In 1871, the new owner of the Assembly Rooms renamed them in his own honour as [[Willis's Rooms]].

A high-rise office building now bears a brass plaque commemorating the existence of Almack's on that spot.

==Almack's in the Media==

Almack's, in its heyday, might appear or be mentioned in any of the "[[silver fork novels]] of the time. These notably included ''[[Almack's_novel|Almack's]]'' by [[Marianne Spencer Hudson]] ([[1827]]) and ''[[Almack's Revisited]]'' by [[Charles White]] ([[1828]]).

Almack’s and its patronesses also appear frequently in the [[Regency romance]]s of [[Georgette Heyer]] (e.g. ''[[Friday's Child]]'') and many other authors of the genre.

==See also==
*[[List of London's gentlemen's clubs]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{commonscat}}
*[http://www.britainexpress.com/History/almacks.htm Almack's at Britain Express]
*E. Beresford Chancellor, M.A.; ''Memorials of St James's Street together with the Annals of Almack's''; London, 1922
*Christopher Hibbert; ''London, the Biography of a City''; 1969; William Morrow, NY
*Stella Margetson; ''Regency London''; 1971; Prawger Publishers, Inc. NY
*Ellen Moers; ''The Dandy: Brummell to Beerbohm''; 1960; The Viking Press, Inc., NY (an excellent text on exclusivism and the ''ton'')

[[Category:Regency London]]
[[Category:Former buildings and structures of Westminster]]
[[Category:entertainment in London]]
[[Category:1867 disestablishments]]
[[Category:1961 disestablishments]]
[[Category:1765 establishments]]
[[Category:1905 establishments]]
[[Category:Defunct clubs and societies]]
[[Category:Defunct organizations]]

[[es:Almack's]]

Champagne Pol Roger

2007-01-06T23:31:56Z

Debonairchap: /* Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill */ corrected this rather exaggerated - and inaccurate - claim. Churchill's preferred tipple, in terms of what he drank for most of the day, was whisky.

'''Pol Roger et Cie''' (founded 1849) is a notable [[List of champagne producers|producer]] of [[champagne (wine)|champagne]]. The brand is still owned and run by the descendants of Pol Roger. Based around the town of [[Épernay]] in the [[Champagne (province)|Champagne region]], the houses annually produces around 110,000 cases of [[sparkling wine]]. <ref name="Fallis pg 166"> K. Gargett, P. Forrestal, & C. Fallis ''The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine'' pg 166 Global Book Publishing 2004 ISBN 1740480503 </ref>

Pol Roger was born on December 24, 1831, the son of a lawyer. Beginning as a wholesaler of wine, he sought to start his own champagne house in 1849, with the first growths released in 1853.

The house's most noted label is the [[vintage]] ''Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill''. They also release a non-vintage ''White foil'' label and a ''Blanc de Chardonnay''. <ref name="Fallis pg 166"> </ref>

Their champagne is typically a blend of 40% [[Chardonnay]] and 60% [[Pinot Noir]]. {{fact}}

== Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill ==

Pol Roger was the favourite champagne label of [[Sir Winston Churchill]]. They produced champagne in pint bottles, solely for Churchill's consumption. After Churchill's death, Pol Roger placed a black border around the labels of Brut NV shipped to the [[United Kingdom]]. {{fact}} In 1984, they renamed and release their finest wine ''Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill''. <ref name="Fallis pg 166"> </ref>

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.polroger.com/pages-uk/index.php?referer=&anim_site=# Official website]

{{wine-stub}}

[[Category:1849 establishments]]
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Christopher Mayhew

2006-07-26T23:37:46Z

Debonairchap:

'''Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew''' ([[June 12]], [[1915]]—[[January 7]], [[1997]]) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] politician who was a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Member of Parliament]] from [[1945]]-[[1950]] and from [[1951]]-[[1974]], when he left the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] to become a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]. In [[1981]], Mayhew received a [[life peerage]] and was raised to the [[House of Lords]] as Baron Mayhew.

Mayhew attended [[Haileybury and Imperial Service College|Haileybury]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford]] as an exhibitioner. While at [[Oxford University|Oxford]], he became President of the [[Oxford Union]]. Mayhew served in the [[British Army]] during the [[Second World War]], rising to the rank of Major.

Mayhew was elected to Parliament from the constituency of [[Norfolk South (UK Parliament constituency)|Norfolk South]] in [[United Kingdom general election, 1945|1945]]. He became Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office where he served under [[Ernest Bevin]] and acquired the strong pro-Arab views that would make him a distinctive figure in British politics. Although Mayhew lost his seat in [[United Kingdom general election, 1950|1950]], he soon returned to [[Parliament]] upon the death of [[Ernest Bevin|Bevin]], when he inherited Bevin's seat of [[Woolwich East (UK Parliament constituency)|Woolwich East]].

In 1955, Mayhew took part in an experiment that was intended to form a [[Panorama (British television programme)|Panorama]] special for BBC TV that was never broadcast. In this, under the guidance of his friend, Dr [[Humphry Osmond]], Mayhew ingested 400mg of [[Mescaline|mescaline hydrochloride]] and allowed himself to be filmed for the duration of the trip. A full transcript of the rushes from the filming is available [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa.html?/sotcaa/hidden/mayhew01.html here]. Samples of the audio were used in the psychedelic dance tracks "Mayhew Speaks Out" and "Christopher Mayhew Says" by British band [[The Shamen]].

During Labour's 13 years in opposition, Mayhew played an important role in presenting the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] on television, both as a commentator on the [[BBC]] and as a presenter on [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] Party Political Broadcasts. He introduced the first Labour broadcast during the [[United Kingdom general election, 1951|1951 election]] in which he talked with [[Hartley Shawcross|Sir Hartley Shawcross]]. Mayhew also became known as one of the fiercest opponents of unilateral [[nuclear disarmament]] in the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]. Mayhew also served as Shadow War Secretary from [[1960]]-[[1961]] and as an Opposition Foreign Affairs Spokesman from [[1961]]-[[1964]].

When Labour took office in [[1964]], Mayhew became [[Minister for the Navy]]. After the [[Harold Wilson|Wilson]] government decided to shift British airpower from carrier-based planes to land-based planes in [[1966]], Mayhew, along with the [[First Sea Lord]], [[Sir David Luce]], resigned.

Mayhew had been feeling increasingly uneasy with Labour policies under [[Harold Wilson]] and in [[1974]], he defected to the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberals]], being the first [[Member of Parliament]] to cross the floor to the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberals]] in more than half a century. In the [[United Kingdom general election, 1974 (October)|October 1974 election]], Mayhew contested [[Bath (UK Parliament constituency)|Bath]], instead of Woolwich East in order not to split his constituency party in Woolwich East. Mayhew lost [[Bath (UK Parliament constituency)|Bath]], which he also unsuccessfully contested in [[United Kingdom general election, 1979|1979]]. In [[1981]], Mayhew became a [[life peer]] and became the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] Spokesman on Defense in the [[House of Lords]] as well.

Mayhew also was active as an advocate for the mentally ill and served as Chairman of MIND ([[National Association for Mental Health]]) from [[1992]]-[[1997]]. Mayhew wrote several books, including his autobiography, Time To Explain, in [[1987]].

Although Christopher Mayhew's career never lived it up to its early promise, he did serve an important role in British political history. Mayhew's defection to the Liberals was to serve as the forewarning of the split within the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] that would occur in [[1981]] with the rise of the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|SDP]]. Mayhew's defection was the first sign of the large rift growing between the Left and Right in the Labour Party and began the process by which the Liberal party and its political heirs, the [[SDP-Liberal Alliance]] and the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] became a major force in British politics.

{{start box}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[South Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|Norfolk South]]
| years = 1945–1950
| before = [[JA Christie]]
| after = [[Peter Baker (UK politician)|Peter Baker]]
}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Woolwich East (UK Parliament constituency)|Woolwich East]]
| years = 1951–1974
| before = [[Ernest Bevin]]
| after = [[John Cartwright (UK politician)|John Cartwright]]
}}
{{end box}}

[[Category:1915 births|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:1997 deaths|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:British MPs|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:UK Labour Party politicians|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:UK Liberal Party politicians|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:UK Liberal Democrat politicians|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:Life peers|Mayhew, Christopher]]
[[Category:Old Haileyburians|Mayhew, Christopher]]

Robert Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart

2006-06-08T16:42:45Z

Debonairchap:

'''Robert Adam Ross Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart''' [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]] (born [[June 26]], [[1936]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]] [[politician]]. He was the last leader of the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP), serving during the negotiations that led to its merger with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] in 1988. He then became joint interim leader of the new party, known as the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD) before later becoming the Liberal Democrats.

Maclennan was educated at [[Balliol College, Oxford]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]. He became [[Member of Parliament|Member of Parliament (MP)]] for the now-former constituency of [[Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness and Sutherland]] in 1966, and serving until 1997; and for [[Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross]] after boundary changes, from 1997 to 2001.

He was first elected as a member of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and served as a junior minister in the Labour government of 1974-1979, but in 1981 defected to become a founder member of the SDP. He was one of the few SDP MPs to keep their seats in the [[1983 general election]]. After his stint as SDP Leader in 1988, he served as a front bench spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, and as their president from 1994 until 1998. He is now the party's spokesman on Europe in the [[House of Lords]].

== External links ==
*[http://www.libdems.org.uk/party/people/lord-maclennan-of-rogart.html Lord Maclennan of Rogart] profile at the site of Liberal Democrats

{{Leaders of the Liberal Democrats}}

{{UK-politician-stub}}


[[Category:1936 births|Maclennan of Rogart, Robert Maclennan, Baron]]
[[Category:British MPs|Maclennan, Robert]]
[[Category:Leaders of the UK Liberal Democrats|Maclennan, Robert]]
[[Category:Life peers|Maclennan, Robert Adam Ross, Baron]]
[[Category:Living people|Maclennan, Robert Adam Ross, Baron]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council|Maclennan, Robert Adam Ross, Baron]]
[[Category:Scottish politicians|Maclennan, Robert Adam Ross, Baron]]
[[Category:UK Labour Party politicians|Maclennan, Robert]]
[[Category:UK Social Democratic Party (SDP) politicians|Maclennan, Robert Adam Ross, Baron]]
[[Category:Presidents of the UK Liberal Democrats|Bob Maclennan]]

Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey

2006-05-28T15:14:03Z

Debonairchap: corrected own typos

'''Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey''' is a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician in the House of Lords.

Educated at [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], he went on to become President of the [[Cambridge Union Society]].

He is a former councillor and leader of the [[London Borough of Haringey]] and Chair of the [[Association of London Government]]. He was made a [[Life Peer]] in [[1998]]. He was a Haringey councillor for 24 years, and stood down in 2002, two years after being elected to the [[London Assembly]] for [[Brent and Harrow]] in [[2000]]. This was unrelated to the row fomented by the local Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties about the expenses he incurred, including over £15,000 spent on taxi fares; this added up to over £40 a day, assuming Harris used a taxi all 365 days of the year. When other expenses were included this total rose to £24,000. [http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/archive/display.var.100481.0.taxiloving_peer_lords_it_up_with_expense_account.php] A District Auditor's investigation cleared him of any inpropriety, although was critical of the flaws of a system which meant that councillors never had to produce any invoices for such expenses. [http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=126736] He was the Leader of the Labour Group on the Assembly until he lost his seat at the [[London Assembly election, 2004|2004 Assembly election]]. He was the first chair of the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] from 2000 to 2004. He is now the Home Secretary's representative on the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]].

He is a senior advisor to [[KPMG]] and a number of other public and private sector organisations.

He is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and is Treasurer of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.

==External link==
*[http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/harrist.jsp Biography from the London Assembly]

[[Category:Life peers|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Members of the London Assembly|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:UK Labour Party politicians|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Councillors in Greater London|Harris, Toby]]

{{UK-politician-stub}}

Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey

2006-05-28T15:12:54Z

Debonairchap: Have restored the reference to expenses to match what is actually said in the article

'''Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey''' is a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician in the House of Lords.

Educated at [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], he went on to become President of the [[Cambridge Union Society]].

He is a former councillor and leader of the [[London Borough of Haringey]] and Chair of the [[Association of London Government]]. He was made a [[Life Peer]] in [[1998]]. He was a Haringey councillor for 24 years, and stood down in 2002, two years after being elected to the [[London Assembly]] for [[Brent and Harrow]] in [[2000]]. This was unrelated to the row fomented by the local Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties about the expenses he incurred, including over £15,000 spent on taxi fares; this added up to over £40 a day, assuming Harris used a taxi all 365 days of the year. When other expenses were included this total rose to £24,000. [http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/archive/display.var.100481.0.taxiloving_peer_lords_it_up_with_expense_account.php] A District Auditor's investigation cleared him of any inpropriety, although was critical of the flaws of a system which meant that the members never had tpo produce any invoices. [http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=126736] He was the Leader of the Labour Group on the Assembly until he lost his seat at the [[London Assembly election, 2004|2004 Assembly election]]. He was the first chair of the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] from 2000 to 2004. He is now the Home Secretary's representative on the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]].

He is a senior advisor to [[KPMG]] and a number of other public and private sector organisations.

He is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and is Treasurer of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.

==External link==
*[http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/harrist.jsp Biography from the London Assembly]

[[Category:Life peers|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Members of the London Assembly|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:UK Labour Party politicians|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Councillors in Greater London|Harris, Toby]]

{{UK-politician-stub}}

Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey

2006-05-14T11:26:22Z

Debonairchap: added a reference, and details from it

'''Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey''' is a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician in the House of Lords.

Educated at [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], he went on to become President of the [[Cambridge Union Society]].

He is a former councillor and leader of the [[London Borough of Haringey]] and Chair of the [[Association of London Government]]. He was made a [[Life Peer]] in [[1998]]. He was a Haringey councillor for over 20 years, and stood down several months after being elected to the [[London Assembly]] for [[Brent and Harrow]] in [[2000]], at the same time as a much-publicised expenses claim to the local council for over £15,000 spent on taxi fares; over £40 a day for 365 days of the year. When other expenses were included, this bill totalled £24,000, prompting Harris' resignation. [http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/archive/display.var.100481.0.taxiloving_peer_lords_it_up_with_expense_account.php] A District Auditor's investigation cleared him of any inpropriety, although was critical of the flaws of a system which allowed him to run up such a bill without the need to produce invoices. [http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=126736] He was the Leader of the Labour Group on the Assembly until he lost his seat at the [[London Assembly election, 2004|2004 Assembly election]]. He was the first chair of the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]] from 2000 to 2004. He is now the Home Secretary's representative on the [[Metropolitan Police Authority]].

He is a senior advisor to [[KPMG]] and a number of other public and private sector organisations.

He is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and is Treasurer of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.

==External link==
*[http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/harrist.jsp Biography from the London Assembly]

[[Category:Life peers|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Members of the London Assembly|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:UK Labour Party politicians|Harris, Toby]]
[[Category:Councillors in Greater London|Harris, Toby]]

{{UK-politician-stub}}