Lord Bates of Langbaurgh

I keep an eye, via Technorati, for blog references to Michael Bates, to find out who might be taking my name in vain. Most of the hits on the name are either for the Indian-born British actor, famed for his roles in A Clockwork Orange, Bedazzled, and as Field Marshal Montgomery in Patton (and lesser known as a regular in two British sitcoms -- It Ain't Half Hot, Mum and Last of the Summer Wine) or a conservative pundit named Michael M. Bates. ("As a lad, he distributed Goldwater campaign literature and since then has steadily moved further to the Right.") Occasionally I come across references to Prince Michael Bates of Sealand or the Olympic sprinter and NFL kick returner.

But I was happy to see good news about another political Michael Bates, one I met just a year ago, when he gave me a tour of beautiful Durham and treated me to lunch in the cathedral. I've taken a rooting interest in his career ever since I heard his name (my name!) announced as a winner in the TV coverage of the 1992 UK General Election, and my admiration increased when I came across his writing for the Conservative Christian Fellowship. He lost his seat during Labour's 1997 landslide, but now is back in Parliament.

FORMER Teesside MP Michael Bates has been formally introduced to the House of Lords as Lord Bates of Langbaurgh.

Lord Bates is the newest life peer in the region and he says that education and the economic advancement of the region will be high on his agenda.

He said: "The region has many, many strengths which we need to celebrate, but if we are truly going to be able to compete on the world stage and provide opportunities for our young people then we must exalt academic and entrepreneurial success with the same passion currently reserved for football and entertainment.

"I look forward to using this position to advance that debate."

Upon the announcement of Bates's peerage in May, former Conservative Party leader William Hague, chairman of the CP's Campaign North, said:

"This is great news for the North of England and the Conservative Party, to both of which Michael Bates has already given outstanding service. He will be a strong voice in the House of Lords."

The comments on that ConservativeHome blog entry are filled with accolades from Conservative activists:

Michael Bates is a political giant universally respected across the Conservative Party. Michael has inspired me to seek public office and he is the most brilliant politician of his generation - sadly absent during 11 years in the wilderness. His hard work, determination, humility and willingness to serve others with dedication and without any regard to his own status is a brilliant example to every aspiring MP. Once again Michael will add so much to politics at Westminster. The Party has recognised one of its heroes! Well Done Lord Bates!

Michael Bates is a truly remarkable force in Conservative politics. I have known him since the 1980s and he brings the power of positive thinking and an enthusiastic energy to the campaigns he is involved with. Last year he ran the Sedgefield by-election campaign (in which I was the candidate). He was unflappable, imaginative, genuine, kind and worked every hour God sent. David Cameron was wise to appoint Michael to his role in the North and now he is to become a member of the House of Lords the North will always have the benefit of his voice in Parliament. Well done Michael and thank you for your marvellous support last year.

This is superb news. I remember meeting Michael for the first time in 1992 and once met, never forgotton. He is a man of humility and tenacity and will be a massive asset to the Party at Westminster. Congratulations Michael!

Lord Bates is indeed a sincere, intelligent and highly competent person. Yet with all these wonderful characteristics he is a man that always shows humility and a great sense of humour, and is always there to listen and assist others.

Here are some previous press clippings and links about Lord Bates's party-building efforts as Project Director of Campaign North.

Campaign North home page
Conservative Northern Board home page

ConservativeHome: Party progressing in the North: Full slate of candidates in Yorkshire for first time ever:

We understand that for this year's elections there will be Conservative candidates in every single contested ward in Yorkshire. Much credit is due to the committed activists such as former MP Michael Bates who are working hard to develop the party's presence there.

ConservativeHome: Yorkshire will get the Tories to 45%

Earlier today Michael Bates of the Conservative Party's Campaign North told ConservativeHome that the party understood the scale of the challenge and had already taken a number of steps to steadily rebuild:

* There are Shadow City Ministers in Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside.
* There has been a doubling of the professional staff in the North and the opening of new fully equipped campaign centres in Bradford, Salford and Newcastle.
* The Bradford Campaign Centre opened by Party Chairman, Caroline Spelman in September this year, is the most modern and best equipped political campaigning facility outside of London.

Michael Bates continued:

"Although Prof Travers was right to establish the scale of the task we made huge advances in the local elections in May of this year winning control in Blackpool, East Yorkshire and Chester. As a result the Conservatives now run more councils in the North West and Yorkshire than Labour and the Liberal Democrats combined. That is a fantastic base from which to build. All this activity and resource going into the North has reinvigorated our voluntary support especially amongst the young. The Conservative Future branches in Leeds, Manchester, York, Lancaster and Durham are among the top branches in the country. Support amongst small to medium size businesses is flooding back to the Conservatives as they see how Labour has passively overseen the destruction of our manufacturing and engineering base and heaped burdens of regulation and tax on our entrpreneurs. To this must be added the huge dissatisfaction with Labour in the North of England. There is a pervasive view that they have taken the North for granted for too long and they are failing to respond to the issues which impact most on metropolitan areas, chiefly in ideas for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. We are better prepared for the short-term in the North of England than at any time for a generation, but we are resourced for the long term."

ConservativeHome: Chairman Maude's legacy

The Northern Board has been established under William Hague. It has yet to deliver much but Michael Bates - its effective CEO - has the capacity and skills to succeed if he is properly resourced. All money raised in a region now stays within the region. Yorkshire has, for example, already doubled its fundraising rate because the reward-to-effort link has been restored. The nationwide Party Board now meets outside of London at least twice a year. Bolton, Leeds, Coleshill and Nottingham have all hosted meetings in recent times.

Curly's Corner Shop: Tory party funding doubled in North: William Hague shows midas touch

So the Conservative Party is having a great time raising funds for it's campaigns in the north of England under the captaincy of former leader William Hague and ex MP Michael Bates....

Michael Bates will be a key operator as the party attempts to regain a much needed foothold in the region, he is the former MP for Langbaurgh and he knows this area well. He lives in Durham and is a Director of the Vardy Group of Companies, he was last in South Shields in 2007 for the local association's AGM in St. Peter's Church Hall. I wonder if they can manage to entice William Hague to make the journey to South Shields some time in the future?

Curly's Corner Shop: Conservatives elect officers.

Busy night last night, having spent far too much time snapping away at David Miliband, I was late for the start of this meeting held in St. Peters, church hall, Harton, South Shields. Having missed the main business (the election of the officers and adoption of the balance sheet etc.) I had arrived at what seemed a most inappropriate moment at the back end of a blazing row between a couple of members on the floor and the President (George Smith) who was having a bit of a struggle to maintain order and dignity. It all looked rather embarrassing for their guest Mr. Michael Bates the former Paymaster General and MP for Langbaurgh. Michael is a vice-chairman of the party and the No. 2 of the Northern Board working with William Hague to regain seats in the major cities of the north of England.

Bates himself is a very amusing speaker and retold tales like a professional from" jackanory" without notes and would make excellent company over dinner, his encounter with Margaret Thatcher sounded an absolute giggle whilst his time in office under John Major sounded more of a frustration than a big bag of laughs!

I could sense that Bates could see through the facade of this association and see it's problems in a stark light, he made much of the need to establish more Conservative Future branches in the North-East and highlighted the fact that the two Universities of Durham and Newcastle have memberships of 300 and 200 respectively, amongst the highest in the country! It's certainly time to consider a future for the association in South Shields before it dies of old age, however, with a little pushing and shoving from some of the younger more energetic and enthusiastic participants ,such as Cllr. David Potts and Quintin Smith, there may be enough fresh breath to raise some flames from the embers.

Northern Echo: Bishop's warning over threat of BNP

[Durham Bishop] Dr [N. T.] Wright's warning came as the BNP prepared to field a record 30 candidates in the elections for a new County Durham authority. In his letter, he writes: "The reason the BNP can even gain a foothold in people's affections is because many people in our region feel so disaffected after the last 30 years of national politics that they are in danger of giving up hope in our regular main parties."

Dr Wright has said the parties need to ask: "Why is there a vacuum there that the other parties aren't filling? What frustrations are there that the BNP are exploiting, and what are the wise ways of reacting to, or even meeting, those needs?"

He adds: "It is one thing to point out, as many have already done, the neo-Nazi tendencies of the BNP, and to warn with a shudder against our society even taking a small step in any such direction. It is another to say 'How can we drain the swamp so that this kind of ideology won't breed again?' None of us can be complacent. Opposing the BNP isn't simply a matter of saying the status quo is working fine, so please reject these idiots'. It should be a matter of saying What does a healthy society look like and how can we make it clear to our whole population that we are working in the best ways towards that goal?"...

Phil Wilson, the Labour MP for Sedgefield, County Durham, said: "The mainstream political parties do have a job to do to connect to the people we represent in a better way. We have a duty to get out there in our communities and talk to people and explain how we are working to address their concerns. It's incumbent on all of us - political parties, the churches and community groups - to maintain a united front against the extremists and to show their politics up for what it is - the politics of hate."

Michael Bates, vice-chairman of the Conservative Party in the North, said: "The bishop has raised an important issue, not just for our region, but for the country as a whole."

Tommy Taylor, the leader of the Lib Dems on Wear Valley District Council, said: "With the greatest respect to the Bishop of Durham, his job is to deal with religion, and politics should be left to politicians. It is very rare that the BNP get many votes, and in my opinion, they will never, ever be a major threat."

NOTE 2018/05/22: I found this in my drafts from long ago, decided to clean it up and publish it. I suspect I got distracted with more urgent duties and never got back to it.