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Panel: Lord Michael Bates of Langbaurgh
'Return of the Sacred Truce at the Olympic Games Walk for Truce'
Radio
Streaming Broadcast: June 12, 2012 (Original Broadcast December, 2011)
Lord Michael Bates of Langbaurgh
Lords Michael Walton Bates, Baron Bates
(born 26 May 1961, Gateshead) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom serving in the House of Lords since
2008 having previously represented the constituency of Langbaurgh in the House of Commons from 1992 to 1997.
At the 1992 general election, he was elected
MP for Langbaurgh – defeating Labour's Ashok Kumar who had gained the seat in a by-election
in 1991. His constituency was abolished for the 1997 general election, when he stood in the similar seat of Middlesbrough
South and Cleveland East, but lost to Ashok Kumar. Bates was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the
Rt. Hon. Nicholas Scott MP, Minister of State, Department of Social Security in October, 1992.
In November 1993 he voted against a government proposal to increase
MP's salaries at a time when other public sector employees were receiving no increase and as a result was forced to resign
his junior post in the government as a ministerial aid.
In May 1994 he returned to the government as
a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Sir John Wheeler MP, Minister of State in the Northern Ireland Office and
two months later was appointed to his first full ministerial role as an Assistant Government Whip whip from 1994 to 1995,
and Government Whip and Lord Commissioner to Her Majesty's Treasury from 1995–1996, appointed Paymaster General in the
Cabinet Office from 1996 to 1997 and a Sponsor Minister for the north east of England.
Educational
Background
Attended Heathfield Senior High School and
Gateshead College. In 1987 he was part of a team who bid successfully for a City Technology College to be located in Gateshead
and in 1990 Emmanuel College was formerly opened. Bates later served as director of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation from
2008–2010 and a director of Bede Academy, Blyth; Trinity Academy, Doncaster and King's Academy, Middlesbrough.
After losing the election in 1997 Bates
attended the Said Business Business School, University of Oxford graduating from Wadham College, Oxford in 1998 with a Master's
degree in Business Administration (MBA). Bates served as a member of the Business Advisory Forum of the Said Business School
from 1999 until 2011.
Between
1998 and 2005 he served as Director of Consultancy & Research at Oxford Analytica.
Between 2006 and 2008 Bates commenced a
doctoral research degree (researching ethics and foreign policy) at the School of Government and International Affairs,
University of Durham and served as a non-resident tutor at St John's College, University of Durham.
Campaign North:In 2006 Bates was appointed Deputy
Chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for the North of England (North East, North West, Yorkshire
& Humber regions). Bates served as a deputy to Rt Hon William Hague MP, Chairman of the Northern Board of the Conservative
Party and Head of Campaign North.
Charity Work
In 2009 Bates was appointed Patron of
Tomorrow's People (North East) a charity specialising in getting 'hard to reach' young people into work or training. Bates
undertook two sponsored walks called 'Walk for Tomorrow' for them in 2009 and 2010, raising
over £25,000. In 2011 he was nominated for a Dods Charity Champion Award by Tomorrow's People and shortlisted.
Walk for Truce "Bringing Resolution to Reality"
The Olympic Truce accompanies each Olympic
and Paralympic Games. Since 1993 this Truce has been given the status of a Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly,
proposed jointly by the International Olympic Committee and the host government of the Games.
The United Nations Resolution (A/RES/48/11) which “Urges
all Member States to take the initiative to abide by the Truce, individually and collectively, and to pursue in conformity
with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations the peaceful settlement of all international conflicts.”
All 193 Member States of the United Nations
sign up to the UN Resolution unanimously, but there is absolutely no record of any signatory to the Resolution ever taking
any ‘initiative to abide by the Truce, individually or collectively’.
Truce takes two: there is no question of the Resolution suggesting
that one side in a conflict lay down their arms unilaterally. It does suggest that the offer for a pause in the conflict
be made in good faith.
London 2012
The Resolution for the London 2012 Games
will be proposed by the United Kingdom Government and we are urging the proposer and signatories to do things differently
in London 2012 and make efforts to take this UN Resolution seriously.
Our aim is for the UK government to be able to announce a credible series of initiatives
which it plans to take in observance of the truce when it appears before the UN General Assembly to propose the Resolution
for London 2012 in October, 2011.
Our
belief is that if the UK government, as proposer, were to show that it was going to take the truce seriously then the other
192 member states may follow suit.
London
is a unique host city for the Games with more reason than most to take to take the truce seriously (insert link to London
unique city). It would be appropriate if the legacy of London may be that it was the place where the ancient ideal
of truce was rediscovered.
Walk for Truce - Introduction
"The whole House will want to congratulate Lord Bates on his great feat. We will promote a fresh resolution
at the UN calling for the continued observance of the Olympic truce for the 2012 games. We wish to make the most of that
historic opportunity, [and] we are considering other international initiatives to promote the spirit of the truce."
