William Michie (24 November 1935 – 22 September 2017) was a British politician. When he stood down, he was Labour Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley from 1983 to 2001. He was a member of the

Socialist Campaign Group The Socialist Campaign Group, also simply known as the Campaign Group, is a UK parliamentary caucus of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party including Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Uni ...

of MPs and the Parliamentary Humanist Group. After his death, the

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described him as "a stalwart of Sheffield politics."

Early life

Michie was born in Sheffield to Arthur Michie, a Turner, and his wife, Violet. He was educated at the city's Abbeydale secondary school and Sheffield Polytechnic.

Career

Michie worked as a maintenance electrician and laboratory technician until he was made redundant in 1981 and was then unemployed until he entered parliament in

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

. He was "a life-long member" of the AEU. He joined the Labour Party in 1965, and in 1970 he was elected to

Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the local authority for the City of Sheffield, a metropolitan borough with city status in South Yorkshire, England. The council consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. ...

. Would serve on the council until 1984 with spells as chairman of its planning (1974-1981) and employment (1981-1983) committees. He was also Labour's chief whip and group secretary on the council for nine years. From 1974 until 1986, the duration of its existence, he also served on South Yorkshire County Council, chairing its area planning committee from 1974 until 1981. In her obituary of Michie, Julia Langdon noted that he was "among an energetic group of young Labour activists who emerged in Sheffield in the 1970s" when the area was part of what was labeled “ The People's Republic of South Yorkshire.” Originally intended as a criticism of the radical politics pursued by Labour in the region, it came to be embraced by Michie and others. Elected the same day as Michie was future Labour cabinet member

David Blunkett David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Employment from 1997 to 2001, Home Secretary from 2001 to 2004 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in 2005. ...

. Michie himself would personally raise the red flag above

Sheffield Town Hall Sheffield Town Hall is a municipal building on Pinstone Street in the Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by Sheffield City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. It is a Grade I liste ...

. Michie was elected to parliament for Sheffield Heeley at the 1983 general election, significantly bettering the result of his Labour predecessor in an election when his party struggled nationally. In 1985 he became vice-chairman of the Yorkshire group of Labour MPs and, in 1987, became treasurer of the

Campaign Group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

. According to the obituary of Michie in ''

The Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

,'' opponents in the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

called him "Labour's most Left-wing politician" during his time as an MP. Fellow Labour MP

Richard Caborn Richard George Caborn (born 6 October 1943) is a British politician who served as Minister of Sport from 2001 to 2007 and later as the prime minister's ambassador for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid. He previously served as a junior ministe ...

, who considered Michie, a "very dear friend," said he was always associated with the left of the Labour Party and "always on the side of the minorities."

Personal life

Michie was married twice. His first marriage, which produced two sons, ended in divorce in 1982. He married his second wife, Judith, in 1987, and the marriage lasted until she died in 2016. He was a supporter of Sheffield Wednesday.

References

Sources

* * 1935 births 2017 deaths Amalgamated Engineering Union-sponsored MPs Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 European democratic socialists Councillors in Sheffield People educated at Abbeydale Grange School Trade unionists from Sheffield {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub