ERIC LUBBOCK
I got into blogging through following the career of my very distant relative Eric Lubbock, whose Blog is at: http://ericavebury.blogspot.com
Quite apart from a fascinating family history link, I have always been an enormous admirer of Eric’s ethics and politics. And we have common interests in humanism, social democracy and Buddhism.
So I was chuffed to see a photo on his Blog of Maori doing the haka at a recent UKLGIG celebration at Sissinghurst, Kent. Let me introduce you then to this lovely, hard-working and self-less man.
Eric Reginald Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury (born 29 September 1928) is an English politician. A Liberal Member of Parliament from 1962 to 1970, he joined the House of Lords as Baron Avebury in 1971. In 1999, when the House of Lords was reformed, he was elected as a Liberal Democrat representative peer.
Having joined the Liberal Party in 1960 and become a councillor the following year, Eric won a sensational by-election victory at Orpington, Kent on 15 March 1962, with a majority of 7,855. This was a swing of nearly 22% from the Conservatives and brought the number of Liberal MPs to seven.
Many commentators speculated that the Liberals would make a substantial breakthrough at the following general election and this by-election was taken as the start of a Liberal revival. However, the party was hampered by organisational difficulties and progress was slow, with a loss of votes and seats under Harold Wilson’s Labour government.
As the MP for Orpington, he was appointed Chief Whip by Jo Grimond in 1963, a post he held until 1970.
When the party leader Jo Grimond resigned in 1967 Eric Lubbock was one of the three Liberal MPs who stood for the position. Jeremy Thorpe, however, won with six votes to Emlyn Hooson’s and Lubbock’s three apiece.
In the Commons he was on the Speaker’s Commission on Electoral Law in 1964-1966, and proposed STV in multi-member constituencies, only to be voted down by 18-1. He also proposed reducing the voting age to 18, on which two Labour Members supported him.
In 1970, Orpington reverted to its Tory origins. On losing the seat Lubbock said
"In 1962 the wise, far-seeing people of Orpington elected me as their Member; in 1970 the fools threw me out".
He sat on the Royal Commission on Standards of Conduct in Public Life and in 1976 founded the Parliamentary Human Rights Group, which he chaired for the next 21 years.
He is currently a member of the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Team, speaking frequently on conflict resolution and human rights. He was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at Balliol College in 2004.
Lord Avebury is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association. He frequently raises matters related to British nationality law in Parliament. He has been a strong supporter of the citizenship rights of the solely British ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, and has fought for their rights.
He is also President of the Peru Support Group, and advocates on human rights issues in Peru.
In 2009, Lord Avebury was awarded (with Dr Evan Harris MP) the National Secular Society's Secularist of the Year Award in recognition of his role in the abolition of the common law offense of Blasphemous Libel.
So I’ll make reference to a couple of his recent posts to give you an idea of his wide interests and boundless commitment to social justice across the globe.
ERIC AND SOMALILAND
Eric writes:
Warmest congratulations to Opposition leader Ahmad Muhammad Mahmoud "Silanyo", leader of the Peace, Unity and Development Party (Kulmiye), who has been elected president in the Somalilland Presidential elections.
The National Electoral Commission invited all the political leaders, election observers, officials, media representatives, Guurti, Sultans, elders etc to the announcement of the results, which were as follows:
Kulmiye 2,66906 - 49.59%
Udub 17,8881 - 33.23%
Ucid 92,459 - 17.18%
This is a great achievement for the people of Somaliland, and an example to the region, including particularly to the people of neighbouring Somalia.
How can the UK, the European Union, and of course the African Union, best demonstrate their friendship for Somalilanders and their admiration for the free, peaceful and democratic elections they have staged?
Many people would like to see Somaliland's independence re-recognised, and if the newly elected President raises the matter, let’s hope the African Union will give him a sympathetic hearing.
And again about the UKLGIG.
CELEBRATING WITH THE UK LESBIAN AND GAY IMMIGRATION GROUP
UKLGIG Group Manager Erin Power read the following citation for Eric’s work at the celebration in Sissinghurst:
"The work of UKLGIG has always had an important political component and we could not have achieved our successes without strong political backing.
Lord Avebury has done much outstanding work in tackling social injustice in relation to immigration. His energy is equally, and strongly, spread across many significant issues - however politically appealing or isolating they may be. It is impossible to do justice to his contribution and achievements in a few words.
On wider immigration issues, he led a great deal of the scrutiny of the UK Borders Bill – for example, the automatic deportation provisions would have received little scrutiny without him.
On the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, he was one of the few, if not the only one, to raise concerns about 'Special Immigration Status', which places asylum seekers who are not protected by the Refugee Convention but can't be returned to their countries of origin, in permanent limbo and destitution.
He was instrumental in retaining discretion with regards to the HC321 (automatic bans); and played a major role in achieving concessions with regards to: the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2008; the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 (Duty to Share Information and Disclosure of Information for Security Purposes) Order 2008; and Immigration (Biometric Registration) Regulations 2008.
He has been consistently vocal on welfare of children and detainees.
On behalf of lesbian and gay asylum seekers, he has been tireless in raising awareness of the perverse situation whereby countries in which gay men and lesbians are known to be persecuted, are nonetheless deemed ‘safe’ by the Home Office.
He continues to fight for the ‘safe’ designation to be lifted and we know will continue to do so under the new government.
Only yesterday he was raising in the House of Lords the very real concern that Refugee and Migrant Justice (formerly the refugee legal centre) may close, leaving many more asylum seekers unrepresented.
Lord Avebury, UKLGIG would like to acknowledge your work on our behalf. Please accept your award for selfless long-term commitment to the pursuit of justice"
POSTSCRIPT – THE FAMILY HISTORY CONNECTION
Eric is a descendant of William Lubbock (1701–54). He is the son of the Honourable Maurice Fox Pitt Lubbock (the sixth son of John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury) and the Honourable Mary Katherine Adelaide Stanley, daughter of Arthur Lyulph Stanley, 5th Baron Sheffield and Stanley of Alderley. His cousin John Lubbock, 3rd Baron Avebury died without a male heir in 1971, and Eric succeeded him.
Eric's eldest son Lyulph is a family history buff and has attempted a fairly comprehensive ‘bang-tail’ muster of all living Lubbocks.
As my father’s mother was born Constance Maud Mary Lubbock, I emailed Lyulph and to my considerable astonishment he was able to furnish me with a Family Tree that included Constance and her marriage to Harry ‘Johnson’ (we now know of course that Harry’s original surname was Shorrocks).
Lyulph was able to tell me that the earliest references to the Lubbock name centre around the parish of Erpingham in Norfolk – and that there is a strong likelihood that we are all related to a single founder – a Hansa Merchant from Lubeck who must have settled in Norfolk, after representing the Hanseatic League in the English wool – Baltic herring trade.
He also pointed out that there are 3 known historic connections between my branch of the family and his own (the North Walsham branch):
1) Barbara Lubbock in my chart married Richard Lubbock in his
2) Webster Lubbock was the son of William Lubbock and Alice Webster. Alice was the sister of his 6 x great grandmother Elizabeth Lubbock (nee Webster)
3) Mary Lubbock, Webster’s wife was he believes from his chart.
He notes that his branch of the family resided in North Walsham for at least two and a half centuries, and that for most of that time they were simply yeoman farmers, if somewhat more well off than many. In the eighteenth century, this branch achieved sufficient prosperity to acquire a large house called Scarborough Hill House in the town.
This house still exists, as a hotel. It was cousins of this branch who had moved slightly south, to the parish of Lammas, who became much wealthier by establishing a family banking house, gaining distinction in the sciences and eventually being awarded the title.
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