Simon Mackay, Baron Tanlaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Tanlaw
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 21 May 1971 – 3 November 2017 as a life peer |
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| Born |
Simon Brooke Mackay
30 March 1934 |
| Nationality | British |
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| Children | 6 |
Simon Brooke Mackay, Baron Tanlaw (born 30 March 1934), is a British politician and businessman. He was a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. He was known as a "life peer," meaning he was given a special title and a seat in the House of Lords for his lifetime.
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Lord Tanlaw's Background
Simon Mackay is the fourth son of Kenneth Mackay, who was the 2nd Earl of Inchcape. His mother, Leonora Margaret Brooke, was the daughter of Sir Charles Vyner Brooke. Sir Charles was the last "White Rajah" of Sarawak, a historical kingdom in Southeast Asia.
Early Life and Family
Simon Mackay served in the military as a second lieutenant. He was with the 12th Royal Lancers in Malaya from 1952 to 1954.
He married Joanna Susan Hirsch in 1959. They had two sons, James Brooke and Joshua Alexander, and two daughters, Iona Heloise and Rebecca Alexandra. They later divorced. In 1974, he married his second wife, Rina Siew Yong, from Malaysia. They have a son, Brooke Brooke Mackay, and a daughter, Asia Brooke. Lord Tanlaw has eight grandchildren.
Business and Interests
Lord Tanlaw has always been very interested in the Far East, especially Malaysia. For many years, he was a director at his family's company, Inchcape plc. This company had many business interests in that part of the world.
He currently owns Fandstan Electric Group Ltd, which is a company focused on railways and engineering.
Lord Tanlaw was also the Chancellor of the University of Buckingham from 2010 to 2013. This role is like being the head of the university. He has also been involved with the Sarawak Association and is a member of several clubs in London.
Political Journey
Simon Mackay first tried to become a Member of Parliament in 1959. He was a candidate for the Liberal Party in a place called Galloway. Later, in 1971, he was made a "life peer." This meant he was given the title of Baron Tanlaw and a permanent seat in the House of Lords.
Role in the House of Lords
Lord Tanlaw sat in the House of Lords for many years. He started as a "crossbencher," which means he didn't belong to any specific political party. Later, he joined the Conservative Party. He regularly attended meetings and voted on important issues.
He was especially interested in topics like saving energy, global warming, and protecting the environment. He retired from the House of Lords on November 3, 2017.
The Lighter Evenings Bill
Lord Tanlaw is very interested in how time works, especially clocks and time zones. He is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Horological Institute.
In 2005, he introduced a special proposal called the Lighter Evenings (Experiment) Bill. This bill suggested that the United Kingdom should move its clocks forward by one hour. This would mean lighter evenings, especially in winter.
Lord Tanlaw believed this change would help reduce accidents because it would be brighter when people are out and about in the evenings. Groups like the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents supported his idea. However, some people worried it would make mornings much darker, especially in Scotland and northern England. A similar experiment was tried before, between 1968 and 1971, but it was stopped.
Even though the government didn't support his proposal, Lord Tanlaw continued to argue for lighter evenings. He often brought up the topic in the House of Lords, even if it wasn't directly related to the main discussion.
Arms
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