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| Patrick John Mercer OBE (born 26 June 1956) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, representing the constituency of Newark in Parliament. A former Infantry Officer in the British Army and journalist for the BBC, Mercer has recently published his first novel, To Do And Die, based on the real-life story of Anthony Morgan, who fought in the Crimean War. | |||
| Mercer lives just outside Newark with his wife Cait, son Rupert and dog Hector. A historian by training, Mercer's interests include British 18th and 19th Century History, watercolour painting and country sports. | |||
| ⚫ | Born in |
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| ⚫ | Born in Stockport in Cheshire in 1956, Patrick Mercer is the son of Eric Arthur John Mercer, who became Bishop of Exeter. His mother was born in Lincolnshire and his father was trained for the Priesthood at Kelham Theological College near Newark. Patrick was educated at The King's School, Chester and went on to read History at Exeter College, Oxford. He was later commissioned after service at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. | ||
| ==British Army officer== | ==British Army officer== | ||
| Patrick followed his father, who saw wartime service in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment), into the British Army, being commissioned into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment in 1975. During his time in the Army, Mercer completed nine tours in Northern Ireland and latterly commanded his battalion in Bosnia, Canada and Tidworth. Mercer served as an instructor at both the Staff College Camberley and at the Army’s University at Cranfield. | |||
| Mercer was |
Mercer was Mentioned in Despatches in 1983 whilst serving in Northern Ireland and earned a gallantry commendation in 1990 and the MBE in 1992. In 1997 he received the OBE for services in Bosnia. He left the Army in 1999 as a Colonel, having been head of communications and strategy at the Army Training & Recruiting Agency. | ||
| ==Journalist== | ==Journalist== | ||
| Having left the Army, Mercer accepted a post as the Defence Reporter for BBC Radio 4’s "Today Programme". Mercer reported from a number of trouble spots, most notably Kosovo. | |||
| Upon being selected as the Conservative candidate in Newark, Mercer left the BBC and became a freelance journalist writing for the |
Upon being selected as the Conservative candidate in Newark, Mercer left the BBC and became a freelance journalist writing for the Daily Telegraph. | ||
| He now contributes frequently to radio, tv and print media, principally covering security and defence issues. | |||
| ==MP for Newark== | |||
| Mercer was first elected to parliament at the ], defeating the Labour incumbent, ], who had been embroiled in an electoral controversy when she was first elected in 1997. Mercer was appointed to post of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security in June 2003 by the then-Leader of the Conservative Party, ]. | |||
| ==Parliamentary Career== | |||
| The post of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security does not have an immediate equivalent in government. The Rt Hon ], the Minister of State for the Armed Forces whom Mercer scrutinizes as part of his brief, commented in September 2003 that "I note that he calls himself a Shadow Minister, but he is more of a ghost Minister, because he does not have a department to shadow." | |||
| Mercer was first elected to Parliament at the 2001 general election, defeating the Labour incumbent, Fiona Jones, overturning a majority of 3,000 and creating a majority of just over 4,000. | |||
| Upon entering Parliament he initially served as a back-bencher on the Defence Select Committee before becoming Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence. | |||
| ⚫ | In 2004 he |
||
| It wasn’t long before he was appointed to a newly created post of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security, a position which he was given in June 2003 by the then Leader of the Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith. He held this position until March 2007 when he resigned. | |||
| ==Race row resignation== | |||
| On ], ], Mercer made the following statements in an interview in '']'':<ref></ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In 2004 he introduced a Private Member's Bill in response to the publicity surrounding the case of Tony Martin that proposed to give householders greater powers when protecting their property from burglary. | ||
| {{cquote|I came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers who were idle and useless, but who used racism as cover for their misdemeanours. I remember one guy from ] (Nottingham) who was constantly absent and who had a lot of girlfriends. When he came back one day I asked him why, and he would say: 'I was racially abused'. And we'd say: 'No you weren't, you were off with your girlfriends again'. | |||
| In December 2008 Patrick was appointed as Chairman of the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism, to further his work as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. | |||
| I had five company sergeant majors who were all black. They were without exception UK-born, Nottingham-born men who were English - as English as you and me... They prospered inside my regiment, but if you'd said to them: 'Have you ever been called a nigger?' they would have said: 'Yes'. But equally, a chap with red hair, for example, would also get a hard time - a far harder time than a black man, in fact. But that's the way it is in the Army. If someone is slow on the assault course, you'd get people shouting: 'Come on you fat bastard, come on you ginger bastard, come on you black bastard'. | |||
| ==Literary Career== | |||
| In my experience, when you put on the uniform then all differences disappear. If you are a good soldier, you will do well. If you are a bad soldier, you will leave prematurely. There is a degree of colour-blindness among the vast majority of soldiers. I never came across a piece of nastiness inside the battalion that was based exclusively on racism.}} | |||
| In May 2009, Harper Collins published Patrick Mercer’s first novel, a historical fiction entitled To Do and Die, which is a military novel set during the Crimean War. Patrick describes his first fiction as being "a bit like the Sharpe novels, except it’s true – and the action and sex scenes are far better." Harper Collins will shortly be publishing books two and three in the series. | |||
| Mr Mercer was forced to resign, with Tory leader ] responding to the remarks, saying "The comments made by Patrick Mercer are completely unacceptable and I regret that they were made. We should not tolerate racism in the Army or in any walk of life. Patrick Mercer is no longer a shadow minister."<ref></ref> | |||
| A respected historian, Patrick has also published two non-fiction accounts of the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War. | |||
| Mr Mercer was criticised by fellow Tory MP, ], who said he "appeared to be indifferent to the fact that someone was taunted for being black." <ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"></ref> | |||
| However, Mr Mercer's former army colleague, Leroy Hutchinson, a black ex-Corporal defended his remarks saying "He never tolerated racism in the battalion and not a single one of his men would consider him to be racist.", adding "In the forces... name-calling - whether you be black, white, ginger, red, brown - it is part of the establishment." | |||
| <ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/> | |||
| ==Personal life== | |||
| Mercer lives just outside ] with his wife Cait, son Rupert and pet dog Hector. A historian by training, Mercer's interests include British 18th and 19th Century History, watercolour painting and country sports. He has two books published to date and a novel coming out in May 2009 called To Do and Die, which he describes as being "a bit like the Sharpe novels, except it’s true – and the action and sex scenes are far better."<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090502/BLACKDOG-Turning-defence-offence-.html</ref> | |||
| ==Publications== | ==Publications== | ||
| *{{cite book | |||
| | title = To Do And Die | |||
| | last = Mercer | |||
| | first = Patrick | |||
| | isbn = 978-0007302789 | |||
| | year = 2009 | |||
| | publisher = Harper Collins | |||
| }} | |||
| *{{cite book | *{{cite book | ||
| | title = Inkerman, 1845: The Soldier's Battle | | title = Inkerman, 1845: The Soldier's Battle | ||
Revision as of 12:55, 20 July 2009
| Patrick MercerOBE, MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Newark | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Fiona Jones |
| Majority | 6,464 (14.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1956-06-26) 26 June 1956 (age 68) Stockport, Cheshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Cranfield University |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1975-1999 |
| Unit | Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment |
Patrick John Mercer OBE (born 26 June 1956) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, representing the constituency of Newark in Parliament. A former Infantry Officer in the British Army and journalist for the BBC, Mercer has recently published his first novel, To Do And Die, based on the real-life story of Anthony Morgan, who fought in the Crimean War.
Mercer lives just outside Newark with his wife Cait, son Rupert and dog Hector. A historian by training, Mercer's interests include British 18th and 19th Century History, watercolour painting and country sports.
Born in Stockport in Cheshire in 1956, Patrick Mercer is the son of Eric Arthur John Mercer, who became Bishop of Exeter. His mother was born in Lincolnshire and his father was trained for the Priesthood at Kelham Theological College near Newark. Patrick was educated at The King's School, Chester and went on to read History at Exeter College, Oxford. He was later commissioned after service at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
British Army officer
Patrick followed his father, who saw wartime service in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment), into the British Army, being commissioned into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment in 1975. During his time in the Army, Mercer completed nine tours in Northern Ireland and latterly commanded his battalion in Bosnia, Canada and Tidworth. Mercer served as an instructor at both the Staff College Camberley and at the Army’s University at Cranfield.
Mercer was Mentioned in Despatches in 1983 whilst serving in Northern Ireland and earned a gallantry commendation in 1990 and the MBE in 1992. In 1997 he received the OBE for services in Bosnia. He left the Army in 1999 as a Colonel, having been head of communications and strategy at the Army Training & Recruiting Agency.
Journalist
Having left the Army, Mercer accepted a post as the Defence Reporter for BBC Radio 4’s "Today Programme". Mercer reported from a number of trouble spots, most notably Kosovo.
Upon being selected as the Conservative candidate in Newark, Mercer left the BBC and became a freelance journalist writing for the Daily Telegraph.
He now contributes frequently to radio, tv and print media, principally covering security and defence issues.
Parliamentary Career
Mercer was first elected to Parliament at the 2001 general election, defeating the Labour incumbent, Fiona Jones, overturning a majority of 3,000 and creating a majority of just over 4,000.
Upon entering Parliament he initially served as a back-bencher on the Defence Select Committee before becoming Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence.
It wasn’t long before he was appointed to a newly created post of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security, a position which he was given in June 2003 by the then Leader of the Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith. He held this position until March 2007 when he resigned.
In 2004 he introduced a Private Member's Bill in response to the publicity surrounding the case of Tony Martin that proposed to give householders greater powers when protecting their property from burglary.
In December 2008 Patrick was appointed as Chairman of the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism, to further his work as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee.
Literary Career
In May 2009, Harper Collins published Patrick Mercer’s first novel, a historical fiction entitled To Do and Die, which is a military novel set during the Crimean War. Patrick describes his first fiction as being "a bit like the Sharpe novels, except it’s true – and the action and sex scenes are far better." Harper Collins will shortly be publishing books two and three in the series.
A respected historian, Patrick has also published two non-fiction accounts of the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War.
Publications
- Mercer, Patrick (2009). To Do And Die. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0007302789.
- Mercer, Patrick (1998). Inkerman, 1845: The Soldier's Battle. Osprey. ISBN 978-1855326187.
- Mercer, Patrick (1998). Give Them A Volley And Charge!: Battle of Inkerman. Spellmount Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1862270251.
References
External links
- Patrick Mercer official site
- ePolitix.com - Patrick Mercer MP
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Patrick Mercer MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Patrick Mercer MP
- The Public Whip - Patrick Mercer MP voting record
- BBC News - Patrick Mercer profile 10 February, 2005
| Parliament of the United Kingdom |
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