Patten, ('Chris') Christopher Francis (b. 12 May 1944)
Politician; Conservative Party MP; Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) 1983-85; Chairman of the Independent Commission on Police 1998-99

A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, Chris Patten entered politics when he became a full-time research officer with the Conservative Party in Britain and later served as Director of its Research Department. In 1979 Patten was elected MP for Bath (1979-92) and although employed as a speech writer for Margaret Thatcher, then leader of the Conservative Party, he was never close politically to her. As a result his ministerial career took time to develop, with Patten's first appointment not coming until 1983, when he was given a post at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) (1983-85). During his time at the NIO, Patten was widely regarded as a competent figure although his decision to allow Derry City Council to change its official name from Londonderry to Derry angered many unionists. After leaving Northern Ireland Patten went onto hold a number of other junior positions before in 1989 joining the Cabinet as Environment Secretary (1989-90). In 1990 he was appointed as Chairman of the Conservative Party and took charge of the campaign that saw it returned to power after the 1992 general election. But having lost his own parliamentary seat, Patten was made the last Governor of Hong Kong (1992-97) and oversaw its hand over to China in 1997.

In 1998 in the wake of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in Northern Ireland Patten was invited by Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, to chair an Independent Commission on the future of policing. In September 1999 this body produced its final report, which became known as the Patten Report, which recommended fundamental changes to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Within Northern Ireland the political response was mixed with unionists alleging the proposed changes had gone too far whilst for nationalists and republicans, the report was viewed as not being radical enough. In the end however many of the reforms proposed by Patten became the basis for the Police (Northern Ireland ) Bill which passed through Westminster to become law in November 2000. Since September 1999 Patten has served as one of Britain's representatives on the European Commission and has responsibility for foreign affairs and external relations.

Book References:
Elliott, Sydney. and Flackes, W.D. (1999), Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-1999. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.
Ramsden, John (ed.) (2002), The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century British Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Web Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1170144.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1345210.stm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/commissioners/patten/general/cv.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/ruc_reform/443036.stm
[Entry written by B.Lynn - 20 December 2002]

Pike, Hew (Lieutenant General) (b.1943)
British Army Soldier; General Officer Commanding (GOC) Northern Ireland 1997-2000
[Entry to be included at a later date]

Powell, Enoch John (b. 16 June 1912)
Politician; Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP 1974-1987

Before becoming directly involved in Northern Ireland politics, Enoch Powell had served as Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West (1950-74) and from 1960 to 1963 as Minister for Health. His relationship with the party leadership however had not recovered since his dismissal in 1963 over controversial comments concerning race relations. If anything this relationship had grown worse with his public opposition to Britain joining the European Economic Community (EEC). As a result Powell refused to stand as a Conservative candidate at the February 1974 general election. Having displayed support and sympathy for the Unionist position in Northern Ireland he was approached by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) to represent the party in the constituency of South Down at the general election of October 1974. In the subsequent contest he won the seat (1974-87) and over the next few years proved to be a controversial figure within the UUP.

Whilst elements of the party sought to secure the return of some form of devolved government back to Northern Ireland Powell instead argued against such a move. Instead he called for greater integration with the rest of the United Kingdom and to the anger of some within the UUP, it was believed that his view seemed increasingly to win the support of James Molyneaux, then leader of the UUP. By the general election of 1987 his majority in South Down was coming under increasing pressure and after a series of close results, Powell lost the seat to Eddie McGrady the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) candidate. After his defeat he did however maintain links with South Down Unionists and continued to issue warnings of an "Anglo-American plot" to establish a united Ireland within the North Atlantic Treaty.

Book References:
Elliott, Sydney., and Flackes, W.D. (1999), Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-1999. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.
Shepherd, Robert. (1996), Enoch Powell. London: Hutchinson.
[Entry written by B.Lynn - 28 March 2003]

Prior, ('Jim') James Michael Leathes (Life Peerage 1987) (b. 11 October 1927)
Politician; Conservative Party MP; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland September 1981 - September 1984

Jim Prior was educated at Charterhouse and Pembroke College, Cambridge, from where he was to graduate with a degree in Estate Management. In 1959 Prior was elected to the House of Commons as the Conservative MP for the constituency of Lowestoft (1959-83) and also went onto represent the seat of Waveney (1983-87). His ministerial career began as a member of the government of Edward Heath (1970-74) and he served in the Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture (1970-72) and as Leader of the Commons (1972-74). When the Conservative Party returned to power following the 1979 general election Prior was appointed as Employment Minister (1979-81). In this role however he was soon to come into conflict with Margaret Thatcher, then Prime Minister, over many aspects of the government's social and economic policy. By the middle of 1981 the relationship had deteriorated to the extent that in September 1981 he was moved, against his wishes, to a new position as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1981-84).

On his arrival Prior made clear that he was determined to make progress towards reaching a political solution but was faced immediately by more pressing problems. Although the hunger strike by republican prisoners was coming to an end, its aftermath was to see an upsurge in Republican paramilitary activity. The perceived inability of Prior to counteract this with a tough security response, led to growing resentment from within the unionist community and he was to come under a great deal of criticism. In spite of these setbacks he did however decide to press on with his goal of securing a political breakthrough that would allow devolved power to return to Northern Ireland. On this front, his initial plan was based on a model closely related to the manner in which the President of the United Sates of America formed his cabinet. In other words Prior proposed establishing a local administration to which he would then appoint individuals to fill the ministerial positions. When this proposal received little support he dropped it in favour of an alternative which soon became known as 'Rolling Devolution'.

In essence under this scheme a new assembly would be elected for Northern Ireland but with limited powers. Over time however if it proved capable of managing its affairs on a 'cross-community basis' then it would be given increased responsibility. Unfortunately the plan did not win the overwhelming support of Northern Ireland politicians. To begin with unionists soon voiced their concerns that what was being proposed was merely yet another attempt to introduce power-sharing. In addition they remained wary of any effort by the British government to also encompass into the scheme some form of Irish dimension. As for Northern nationalists, the lack of any firm of commitment from Prior to ensure that power-sharing and an Irish dimension would be introduced, made them very sceptical. Further problems then arose when it became clear that the authorities in Dublin would not give their backing to the plan and within his own government there was only lukewarm support for his proposals. But he remained determined to press ahead with his plan for 'rolling devolution' and in October 1982 the elections to the Assembly took place.

Right from the outset however it soon became clear that Prior's plan was doomed to failure. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the largest party representing nationalist opinion in Northern Ireland, made it clear that under no circumstances would they be taking their seats. Thus even though pro-unionist parties were prepared to participate without the presence of the SDLP it was obvious that the Assembly would never secure the necessary cross-community support. As a result by the time Prior left his post as Northern Ireland Secretary in September 1984 his scheme had not succeeded in ending the political stalemate. He never again held ministerial office and before the 1987 general election he announced his intention to resign as an MP. Later in 1987 he was awarded a life peerage and took the title of Lord Prior of Brampton.

Book References:
Arthur, Paul. (2000), Special Relationships: Britain, Ireland and the Northern Ireland Problem. Belfast: Blackstaff.
Elliott, Sydney. and Flackes, W.D. (1999), Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-1999. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.
Hennessey, Thomas. (1997), A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.
Prior, James. (1986), A Balance of Power. London: Hamilton.
Ramsden, John (ed.) (2002), The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century British Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[Entry written by B.Lynn - 20 December 2002]

Pym, Francis (Life Peerage 1983) (b. 13 February 1922)
Politician; Conservative Party MP; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland November 1973 - February 1974

After a government reshuffle by Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, Francis Pym was appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in November 1973. He took up this new post in the wake of the Sunningdale Conference and it fell to him to oversee the establishment of the new power-sharing executive in January 1974. But his stay in Northern Ireland was to be ended in February 1974 when the Conservative Party lost power following the general election result. He did however later return to the cabinet and served as Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary under Margaret Thatcher. Prior to the 1983 election Pym announced his intention to stand down as an MP and later that year was awarded a life peerage, taking his seat in the House of Lords as Lord Pym of Sand.

Book References:
Elliott, Sydney. and Flackes, W.D. (1999), Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-1999. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.
Pym, Francis. (1984), The Politics of Consent. London: Hamish Hamilton.
Ramsden, John (ed.) (2002), The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century British Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[Entry written by B.Lynn - 20 December 2002]