John Roper, Baron Roper: Difference between revisions

The Right Honourable
The Lord Roper
The Right Honourable; The Lord Roper
Member of Parliament; for Farnworth
	In office; 1970–1983
Preceded by	Ernest Thornton
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Chief Whip, Social Democrat Party
	In office; 1981–1983
Director, Institute for Security Studies of Western European Union
	In office; April 1990 – September 1995
Chief Whip, Liberal Democrats
	In office; 2001 – May 2005
Personal details
Born	9 October 1935 (age 89)
Political party	Labour Party (1970-81); Social Democratic Party (1981-88); Liberal Democrats (1988-)
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford; University of Chicago

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Revision as of 19:33, 14 September 2012

John Francis Hodgess Roper, Baron Roper (born 10 September 1935) is a British politician.

John Roper was educated at William Hulme's Grammar School (Manchester), Reading School, Magdalen College, Oxford (studying PPE) and the University of Chicago.

Roper started his career as an economics lecturer at the University of Manchester. He then went into politics and was elected Member of Parliament for Farnworth. He sat as a Labour Co-operative MP (1970–81) and for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 1981 to 1983, when he was also the party's Chief Whip. His Farnworth seat was subsequently abolished, and he contested Worsley at the 1983 general election, finishing third in a three-way marginal.

Since 2000 he has been a Life peer as Baron Roper, of Thorney Island in the City of Westminster. He was the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the House of Lords until 2005. He was subsequently appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. In 2008, he was elected Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees.

He has controversially been accused by Anthony Glees of being a Stasi "agent of some influence" during his time at Chatham House.^[1]^[2] Lord Roper rejects the charge indignantly. He says he was engaged in building bridges with East Germany in the 1980s as part of a Foreign Office-approved policy of thawing relations.

"He was deceived, he says, about the background of an undercover Stasi officer he employed as a research fellow when he was director of studies at Chatham House." ^[3]

References

^ "History on the rack", The Guardian, July 5, 2003
^ "The Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf" by Hayden B. Peake, Central Intelligence Agency, April 14 2007
^ "The history men fall out over tales of spying, betrayal and buffoonery" by David Leigh, The Guardian, June 11, 2003

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Roper
Lord Roper profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
Whos Who 2002 entry

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Ernest Thornton	Member of Parliament for Farnworth 1970–1983	Constituency abolished

Template:Persondata

[1] "History on the rack", The Guardian, July 5, 2003

[2] "The Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf" by Hayden B. Peake, Central Intelligence Agency, April 14 2007

[3] "The history men fall out over tales of spying, betrayal and buffoonery" by David Leigh, The Guardian, June 11, 2003

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 Since 2000 he has been a [[Life peer]] as '''Baron Roper''', of Thorney Island in the [[City of Westminster]]. He was the [[Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]] Chief Whip in the [[House of Lords]] until 2005. He was subsequently appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]. In 2008, he was elected Principal Deputy [[Chairman of Committees (House of Lords)|Chairman of Committees]].
-He has controversially been accused by [[Anthony Glees]] of being a [[Stasi]] "[[espionage|agent]] of some influence" during his time at [[Chatham House]].<ref>[http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,991533,00.html "History on the rack"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', July 5, 2003</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol47no4/article09.html"The Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf"] by [[Hayden B. Peake]], ''[[Central Intelligence Agency]]'', April 14 2007</ref> Lord Roper rejects the charge indignantly. He says he was engaged in building bridges with East Germany in the 1980s as part of a Foreign Office-approved policy of thawing relations.
+He has controversially been accused by [[Anthony Glees]] of being a [[Stasi]] "[[espionage|agent]] of some influence" during his time at [[Chatham House]].<ref>[http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,991533,00.html "History on the rack"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', July 5, 2003</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol47no4/article09.html"The Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf"] by Hayden B. Peake, ''[[Central Intelligence Agency]]'', April 14 2007</ref> Lord Roper rejects the charge indignantly. He says he was engaged in building bridges with East Germany in the 1980s as part of a Foreign Office-approved policy of thawing relations.
 "He was deceived, he says, about the background of an undercover Stasi officer he employed as a research fellow when he was director of studies at Chatham House." <ref>[http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/artsandhumanities/story/0,,975079,00.html "The history men fall out over tales of spying, betrayal and buffoonery"] by David Leigh, ''[[The Guardian]]'', June 11, 2003</ref>