Michael O'Halloran (British politician), Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Michael O'Halloran (British politician)

British politician

Date of Birth: 20-Aug-1933

Place of Birth: County Clare, Munster, Ireland

Date of Death: 29-Nov-1999

Profession: politician, railway worker

Nationality: Ireland, United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Leo


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About Michael O'Halloran (British politician)

  • Michael Joseph O'Halloran (20 August 1933 – 29 November 1999) was an Irish-born British politician.
  • He was brought up in County Clare, Ireland, and being out of work, he "drifted to London" in 1948, aged fifteen, and worked as a railwayman until he entered politics. He stood as a Labour candidate, and was elected as the Member of Parliament for Islington North at a by-election in 1969 following the death of sitting MP Gerry Reynolds.
  • He had previously been the secretary of the Islington North Constituency Labour Party.
  • His selection over Keith Kyle was the subject of an investigation in the early-1970s by The Sunday Times newspaper.
  • They highlighted his background with a local building company and the local Irish community and questioned the propriety of the tactics of his supporters during his selection as candidate.
  • He was a staunch Catholic in his political beliefs, although he made relatively few contributions to parliamentary debates.
  • He frequently drew on his experience as a railwayman when discussing transport policy.In 1976, Keith Veness, a local party member and friend of Jeremy Corbyn, was expelled for saying that O'Halloran was dominated by Irish Catholic influences, but later reinstated by the party's NEC.He was a strong opponent of the legalisation of abortion.
  • His office was invaded by activists in 1977, and he claims that he was punched to the ground and kicked, and was only revived when the police arrived.
  • During the same year, when the Labour Government's parliamentary majority was under threat, he threatened to resign unless the far-left in his constituency party were brought under control.Following pressure from the far-left in his local party, O'Halloran was among the Labour MPs who defected to the newly founded Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981.
  • However, in 1983, the SDP chose John Grant, the MP for Islington Central (which was being abolished in boundary changes), to be their official candidate in Islington North.
  • O'Halloran left the SDP to stand as an Independent Labour candidate at the 1983 general election.
  • The official Labour Party candidate and future leader, Jeremy Corbyn won the seat; whilst O'Halloran came in fourth place with 11% of the vote.
  • Grant finished in third place with 22% of the vote. O'Halloran retired to County Wexford with his wife, and lived there until his death aged 66.

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