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Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo (9 July 1908 – 6 May 1993), commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour Member of Parliament. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons. He was a member of National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 1950–59 and 1960–78, and Chairman of the Labour Party in 1970–1971. He was also chairman of the International Committee of the Labour Party in 1973–78, vice-president of the Socialist International (1978–1983) and honorary president (1983–1993).
Mikardo was a Labour Member of Parliament for Reading 1945–50, Reading South 1950–55, Reading 1955–59, Poplar 1964–74, Bethnal Green and Bow 1974–83 and Bow and Poplar 1983–87. He was Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Nationalised Industries, 1966–70. He issued many pamphlets; the most famous were Keep Left (1947) and Keeping Left with Dick Crossman, Michael Foot and Jo Richardson, 1950. He was also a Fabian essayist, a staunch friend of Israel, as well as friend and mentor to many in the Labour movement, where he made a great impact.
His parents were Jewish refugees from the Tsarist Empire. His mother, Bluma (died 1961, Hampshire) came from a town called Yampil, Khmelnytskyi Oblast in the Volyn region in Western Ukraine. His father, Moshe ("Morris"; died 1940, Hampshire) came from Kutno, a textile-manufacturing town west of Warsaw. They came to East End of London separately around 1900 and married some years later. They worked as tailors and in 1907 moved to Portsmouth where they were employed repairing uniforms for the Royal Navy. Mikardo was born there in 1908. He had two brothers, Sidney Mikardo (1915-1999) and Norman Mikardo. His brother (Neville) Norman Mikardo (1924–2004), a mechanical engineer, was a Labour Party councillor for Tokyngton Ward of Brent South, from 1978–82. His niece Barbara Tayler (1931–2011) was a publisher, writer and political activist. Mikardo became a surrogate father to her after her father died when she was two years old.
When he began school-aged three, his lack of English words made him the butt of jokes. His parents spoke Yiddish. He attended The Old Beneficiary School known as "The Old Benny", in Portsea, Portsmouth, and the Omega Street School in Portsmouth. In 1919, he came top in Portsmouth's pass-list for the 11-plus, and went to Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Boys. From the age of eleven he also attended Aria College, a rabbinical seminary. However the life of a cleric was not for him and he transferred to Portsmouth Grammar School. At this time he followed Portsmouth FC and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of all their matches.
Concerned by injustice and inequality from boyhood, Mikardo was influenced by the works of R. H. Tawney and George Bernard Shaw in his teens. He attended political lectures at various clubs and societies in London in the 1920s, principally amongst the Jewish community. He joined both the Labour Party and Poale Zion, the Zionist workers' movement affiliated to the Labour Party. He was already a Zionist, and had given his first public speech at a meeting of the Portsmouth Zionist Society in 1922, aged 13.
After leaving school, Mikardo settled in Stepney, where he had a variety of jobs. In 1930 he met Mary (b. 1907), the daughter of Benjamin Rosetsky. They married at Mile End and Bow District synagogue on 3 January 1932, and Mary joined the Labour Party and Poale Zion. They had two daughters by 1936. Mary suffered a heart attack in 1959 which was progressively disabling. She died in Cheshire in 1994, a few months after him.
He studied scientific management, but was sceptical and developed his own theories. He became a freelance management consultant and during the Second World War, worked on increasing efficiency in aircraft and armaments manufacturing, principally at Woodley Aerodrome in Reading. He was treasurer of the World Airways Joint Committee of National Air Communications.
After settling in Reading at the end of the war he was selected by the local Constituency Labour Party for the 1945 general election, beating James Callaghan and Austen Albu. On every topic, the National Health Service, education, social deprivation, nationalisation or socialism, he was seen as an inspiration to others. Mik, as he introduced himself, showed he had planned where he was going and the constituency members wanted to go with him. His integrity was obvious and beguiling, quite rare amongst professional politicians.
Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo (9 July 1908 – 6 May 1993), commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour Member of Parliament. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons. He was a member of National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 1950–59 and 1960–78, and Chairman of the Labour Party in 1970–1971. He was also chairman of the International Committee of the Labour Party in 1973–78, vice-president of the Socialist International (1978–1983) and honorary president (1983–1993).
Mikardo was a Labour Member of Parliament for Reading 1945–50, Reading South 1950–55, Reading 1955–59, Poplar 1964–74, Bethnal Green and Bow 1974–83 and Bow and Poplar 1983–87. He was Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Nationalised Industries, 1966–70. He issued many pamphlets; the most famous were Keep Left (1947) and Keeping Left with Dick Crossman, Michael Foot and Jo Richardson, 1950. He was also a Fabian essayist, a staunch friend of Israel, as well as friend and mentor to many in the Labour movement, where he made a great impact.
His parents were Jewish refugees from the Tsarist Empire. His mother, Bluma (died 1961, Hampshire) came from a town called Yampil, Khmelnytskyi Oblast in the Volyn region in Western Ukraine. His father, Moshe ("Morris"; died 1940, Hampshire) came from Kutno, a textile-manufacturing town west of Warsaw. They came to East End of London separately around 1900 and married some years later. They worked as tailors and in 1907 moved to Portsmouth where they were employed repairing uniforms for the Royal Navy. Mikardo was born there in 1908. He had two brothers, Sidney Mikardo (1915-1999) and Norman Mikardo. His brother (Neville) Norman Mikardo (1924–2004), a mechanical engineer, was a Labour Party councillor for Tokyngton Ward of Brent South, from 1978–82. His niece Barbara Tayler (1931–2011) was a publisher, writer and political activist. Mikardo became a surrogate father to her after her father died when she was two years old.
When he began school-aged three, his lack of English words made him the butt of jokes. His parents spoke Yiddish. He attended The Old Beneficiary School known as "The Old Benny", in Portsea, Portsmouth, and the Omega Street School in Portsmouth. In 1919, he came top in Portsmouth's pass-list for the 11-plus, and went to Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Boys. From the age of eleven he also attended Aria College, a rabbinical seminary. However the life of a cleric was not for him and he transferred to Portsmouth Grammar School. At this time he followed Portsmouth FC and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of all their matches.
Concerned by injustice and inequality from boyhood, Mikardo was influenced by the works of R. H. Tawney and George Bernard Shaw in his teens. He attended political lectures at various clubs and societies in London in the 1920s, principally amongst the Jewish community. He joined both the Labour Party and Poale Zion, the Zionist workers' movement affiliated to the Labour Party. He was already a Zionist, and had given his first public speech at a meeting of the Portsmouth Zionist Society in 1922, aged 13.
After leaving school, Mikardo settled in Stepney, where he had a variety of jobs. In 1930 he met Mary (b. 1907), the daughter of Benjamin Rosetsky. They married at Mile End and Bow District synagogue on 3 January 1932, and Mary joined the Labour Party and Poale Zion. They had two daughters by 1936. Mary suffered a heart attack in 1959 which was progressively disabling. She died in Cheshire in 1994, a few months after him.
He studied scientific management, but was sceptical and developed his own theories. He became a freelance management consultant and during the Second World War, worked on increasing efficiency in aircraft and armaments manufacturing, principally at Woodley Aerodrome in Reading. He was treasurer of the World Airways Joint Committee of National Air Communications.
After settling in Reading at the end of the war he was selected by the local Constituency Labour Party for the 1945 general election, beating James Callaghan and Austen Albu. On every topic, the National Health Service, education, social deprivation, nationalisation or socialism, he was seen as an inspiration to others. Mik, as he introduced himself, showed he had planned where he was going and the constituency members wanted to go with him. His integrity was obvious and beguiling, quite rare amongst professional politicians.