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{{AFC comment|1=There is a fair bit of puffery and [[WP:OR]] in this. IE- the statement he "Inspired the creation of the first meeting...." is supported by what appears to be the minutes of that meeting, which was lead by himself. This is pure puffery and has no place on WP. Now- this gentleman is definitely notable enough for an article, so I recommend re-writing this into an encyclopedic style article instead of a publicity blurb and then it would be a good addition. [[User:Nightenbelle|Nightenbelle]] ([[User talk:Nightenbelle|talk]]) 14:27, 26 July 2021 (UTC)}}

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{{COI|date=July 2021}}
{{COI|date=July 2021}}
{{AfC submission|||ts=20210525153924|u=Hallsands|ns=2}}


[[File:Geoff Martin 2010.jpg|thumb|Geoff Martin in 2010]]
[[File:Geoff Martin 2010.jpg|thumb|Geoff Martin in 2010]]


'''Geoff (Thomas Geoffrey) Martin''', born on 26th July 1940, was the longest serving Head of the Representation of the European Commission in the United Kingdom. He led the offices in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh during the years from the completion of the Single Market until after the Maastricht Treaty was ratified (1993 - 2003). He was awarded the [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in 2002. <ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Who's Who|publisher=A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd|year=2015|isbn=978-0-7136-3995-7|location=United Kingdom}}</ref>
'''Geoff (Thomas Geoffrey) Martin''', born on 26th July 1940, was the longest serving Head of the Representation of the European Commission in the United Kingdom. He led the offices in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh during the years from the completion of the Single Market until after the Maastricht Treaty was ratified (1993 - 2003). He was awarded the [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in 2002..<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Who's Who|publisher=A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd|year=2015|isbn=978-0-7136-3995-7|location=United Kingdom}}</ref>


== Early Life and Education ==
== Early Life and Education ==
Line 57: Line 62:


== Personal Life ==
== Personal Life ==
Martin married Gay Brownrigg, a barrister, in July 1968 in the [[Temple Church]], London<ref>{{Cite news|date=1968-07-06|title=Belfast Head of National Students' Union Weds In London|work=The Belfast Telegraph, page 3|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002318/19680706/048/0003?browse=False|access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref>. She practiced at the [[Barristers in England and Wales|English Bar]] and later at the [[Bar of Northern Ireland|Northern Irish Bar]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=1980-09-23|title=EEC man's wife called to Bar|work=The Belfast Telegraph|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002318/19800923/067/0004|access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref>. Later, she joined Clarendon Chambers in the Inner Temple and became Head of the Chambers<ref>{{Cite web|title=A -Z Barrister Chambers – The Barrister Magazine|url=https://www.barristermagazine.com/a-z-barrister-chambers/|access-date=2021-04-11|language=en-US}}</ref> for a period of ten years. During this time she was elected a [[Bencher]] of the [[Inner Temple]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-09|title=Masters of the Bench {{!}} Inner Temple|url=https://www.innertemple.org.uk/who-we-are/how-we-operate/governance/masters-of-the-bench/|access-date=2021-04-10|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-28|title=The Inner Temple Yearbook 2020-2021, page 139|url=https://issuu.com/theinnertemple/docs/innertemple_yearbook2020_web|url-status=live|website=Issuu.com}}</ref>.
Martin married Gay Brownrigg, a barrister, in July 1968 in the [[Temple Church]], London<ref>{{Cite news|date=1968-07-06|title=Belfast Head of National Students' Union Weds In London|work=The Belfast Telegraph, page 3|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002318/19680706/048/0003?browse=False|access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref>. She practiced at the [[Barristers in England and Wales|English Bar]] and later at the [[Bar of Northern Ireland|Northern Irish Bar]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=1980-09-23|title=EEC man's wife called to Bar|work=The Belfast Telegraph|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002318/19800923/067/0004|access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref>. Later, she joined Clarendon Chambers in the Inner Temple and became Head of the Chambers<ref>{{Cite web|title=A -Z Barrister Chambers – The Barrister Magazine|url=https://www.barristermagazine.com/a-z-barrister-chambers/|access-date=2021-04-11|language=en-US}}</ref> for a period of ten years. During this time she was elected a [[Bencher]] of the [[Inner Temple]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-09|title=Masters of the Bench {{!}} Inner Temple|url=https://www.innertemple.org.uk/who-we-are/how-we-operate/governance/masters-of-the-bench/|access-date=2021-04-10|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-28|title=The Inner Temple Yearbook 2020-2021, page 139|url=https://issuu.com/theinnertemple/docs/innertemple_yearbook2020_web|url-status=live|website=Issuu.com}}</ref>


They have four children: Bluebell was born in London in 1976, Poppy in London in 1978, Thomas in Belfast in 1983 and Gabriella in Bangkok in 1986<ref name=":1" />.
They have four children: Bluebell was born in London in 1976, Poppy in London in 1978, Thomas in Belfast in 1983 and Gabriella in Bangkok in 1986.<ref name=":1" />


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 14:27, 26 July 2021

  • Comment: There is a fair bit of puffery and WP:OR in this. IE- the statement he "Inspired the creation of the first meeting...." is supported by what appears to be the minutes of that meeting, which was lead by himself. This is pure puffery and has no place on WP. Now- this gentleman is definitely notable enough for an article, so I recommend re-writing this into an encyclopedic style article instead of a publicity blurb and then it would be a good addition. Nightenbelle (talk) 14:27, 26 July 2021 (UTC)
Geoff Martin in 2010

Geoff (Thomas Geoffrey) Martin, born on 26th July 1940, was the longest serving Head of the Representation of the European Commission in the United Kingdom. He led the offices in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh during the years from the completion of the Single Market until after the Maastricht Treaty was ratified (1993 - 2003). He was awarded the OBE in 2002..[1]

Early Life and Education

Martin was born in the Irish Border town of Newry and lived in and around the townland of Mullaghglass[2] and the linen village of Bessbrook[3] in South Armagh until his late teens. He attended Bessbrook Public Elementary School, Newry Grammar School[4] and Queens University Belfast where he played for the hockey First XI in the Irish Senior League[5]. He graduated with an honours degree in Geography in 1964[1].

NUS involvement

At Queens he was President of the Students Representative Council[6] and a member of the Senate of the University. He was a member of the Executive Committees of both the Union of Students in Ireland and the National Union of Students of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In 1964 he was elected Vice President for International Affairs of the NUS[7] at a time when the Cold War was rife within the international student movement East and West[8]. In that year the NUS was voted out of the International Student Conference by left wing and Communist Party influences within its membership[9].

In 1966 he was elected President of the NUS.[1][10][11] It voted to rejoin the International Conference[12]. Student unrest in universities and colleges was becoming a distraction from NUS negotiations with the Government. Martin then negotiated and signed a Concordat on behalf of the NUS with the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals. In 1967 he was elected Chairman of the Supervision Committee of the International Student Conference[11][13].

Early Career

City Career

Martin went into the City in 1969, joining merchant bank Hill Samuel for two years before being recruited into the new ship broking and insurance company Seascope.[1]

Shelter

In 1972 public office called once more and he was appointed Director of Shelter[1][11] the national housing charity as a reforming decision maker. Trouble ensued, resulting from the introduction of radical internal reforms and redundancies. The voluntary support groups in the country protested and confronted the Shelter Board chaired by Lord Harlech[14][15]. As a result the Director, Martin, was offered a 'golden handshake' for his work. He refused to accept it on grounds of principle and was subsequently dismissed in 1973[16].

Commonwealth Secretariat

In the autumn of 1974 he was invited to join the diplomatic staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat[1] by the then Secretary General, the former Canadian diplomat and Ambassador to Russia, Arnold Smith. He became the political assistant to the Assistant Secretary General Dr James Maraj. He also became involved in the recently established Commonwealth Youth Programme. He inspired the creation of the First Meeting of Young Commonwealth Leaders whose first meeting was held in Ocho Rios in Jamaica in 1975[17]. He became an Assistant Director on the Diplomatic staff and ran a second meeting of Young Commonwealth Leaders in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1977. In subsequent years a number of these young leaders became the Heads of Government in their own countries[18].

European Commission

Northern Ireland Office

In 1977 Martin took part in an open competition to become the inaugural head of the European Commission office in Northern Ireland[19]. He was eventually appointed in 1979[1][11] by the Commission President Roy Jenkins after a hotly contested selection process closely monitored by the governments in London, Belfast and Dublin. In the end he was unanimously supported by the three Northern Ireland MEPs John Hume, Ian Paisley and John Taylor, each of them major political figures in the three opposing political parties of the Province[20].

The office opened early in 1980.[21][22] Martin opened up contacts across the full spectrum of party politics[23] including with the paramilitary organisations and with the direct rule administration in Belfast and the Government of Ireland in Dublin. He believed that the European Commission should be open to all and in spite of a ban on broadcasting and official meetings with Ministers, he agreed to meet a Provisional Sinn Fein delegation in his office, led by its President Gerry Adams[24].

On the tenth anniversary of the accession to the European Community, he hosted a televised dinner in Belfast. The major speakers were the Rt Hon Edward Heath and the Irish Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald, the second Irish Prime Minister ever to have spoken in public in Northern Ireland[25]. The Taoiseach was given a standing ovation before he began his speech, to a cross-section of the entire leadership of the Province.

With the support and assistance of his Commission counterpart Andy Mulligan and the Irish Embassy in Washington DC, and the encouragement of the Cabinet Minister and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Prior in Belfast, he organised a tour of 10 cities in the USA with a delegation of Northern Ireland politicians, journalists and business people including John Hume and Ian Paisley[26].

Delegation of the European Commission to the Association of South East Asian Nations

After five years, early in 1985, Martin was posted to South East Asia, based in Bangkok, to the Delegation of the European Commission to the Association of South East Asian Nations, as the Head of the Press and Information Service[1].

The European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom

Martin was posted to the London Office of the European Commission in 1987, initially as Head of External Relations and Regional Programmes[1]. He opened up a region-wide dialogue with political and business leaders and the media, for the first time since the UK had joined the EEC in 1973, leading up to the completion of the Single Market in 1992[27][28][29].

He was appointed Head of the EU Representation to the UK in 1993 by Jaques Delors, President of the European Commission. The EU London Office was frequently caught up in the press, radio and television. After ten years of European Union-related controversy[30][31] mainly led by the tabloid press[32][33][34] and including Conservative Party infighting over the Maastricht Treaty, the BSE crisis, the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease the resignation of John Major and the election of the Tony Blair Government, which altered the anti-European atmosphere for a time, Martin’s term of office came to an end in 2002[35].

Commonwealth Secretariat

He chose not to go to Brussels but to be seconded by the Commission to the Office of the Commonwealth Secretary General in 2003. This was at the beginning of the Doha Trade Round where it was believed much work could be undertaken in the context of the joint interests of the developing countries and the European Commission[36].

Martin retired from the Commission in 2005 but was asked to stay on in the Office of the Commonwealth Secretary General in order to develop strategic relationships with other global and regional bodies such as the African Union, the Nordic Council, the South Pacific Forum etc[37][38].

Later Career

From the early 2000s he undertook other work as visiting Professor in European Studies at the University of Hull and University of Leeds, was chair of a polling company and established the Johnson Martin Associates[39] consultancy partnership.

He maintains a close interest in European Union Policy and in the evolving political circumstances of Northern Ireland.[40][41][42]

Personal Life

Martin married Gay Brownrigg, a barrister, in July 1968 in the Temple Church, London[43]. She practiced at the English Bar and later at the Northern Irish Bar[44]. Later, she joined Clarendon Chambers in the Inner Temple and became Head of the Chambers[45] for a period of ten years. During this time she was elected a Bencher of the Inner Temple[46][47]

They have four children: Bluebell was born in London in 1976, Poppy in London in 1978, Thomas in Belfast in 1983 and Gabriella in Bangkok in 1986.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Who's Who. United Kingdom: A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd. 2015. ISBN 978-0-7136-3995-7.
  2. ^ "Finding the right note". The Belfast Telegraph, page 10. 1983-10-19. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  3. ^ "Geoff Has A Room With An Aerial View". The Belfast Telegraph, page 10. 1982-03-16. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  4. ^ "Coming Clean!". The Belfast Telegraph, page 10. 1982-07-05. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  5. ^ "QUB Hockey Club 1959-1960". digital-library.qub.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  6. ^ "Unique Status of the S.R.C." The Belfast Telegraph, page 8. 1962-11-26. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  7. ^ Dymond, Percy (1965-03-26). "Students' President Faces a Test". The Belfast Telegraph, page 12. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  8. ^ "Ulster Letter from London - Baptism of Fire". The Belfast Telegraph, page 8. 1967-04-07. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  9. ^ Widgery, David, 1969, “NUS, The Students’ Muffler”, in Alexander Cockburn and Robin Blackburn (eds), Student Power (Penguin). pp119, 139. https://forfanden.wordpress.com/
  10. ^ Parsons, Tan (2006-04-13). "Young and fearless ..." the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  11. ^ a b c d Dorril, Stephen (2000). MI6: Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service. Fourth Estate Limited. pp. 474–475.
  12. ^ "Student Left Wing Routed on World Policy". The Times (London). 1966-04-16. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  13. ^ Cockburn, Blackburn, Alexander, Robin (1969). Student Power: Problems, Diagnosis, Action. Penguin. pp. 146, 147, 158. ISBN 0850360838.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Hebditch, Rachel (1973-05-15). "'Sack The Boss' Call At Shelter". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  15. ^ "'Resign' Call To Charity Boss". The Daily Mirror, page 13. 1973-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  16. ^ "Inquiry Plea Rejected". The Belfast Telegraph, page 1. 1973-11-02. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  17. ^ "Commonwealth Youth Program - Meeting of Young Commonwealth Leaders - Ocho Rios, Jamaica, May 1977 - Report of Australian Delegation Leader". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2021-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Taylor, Paul (1984). The Commonwealth in the 1980s: Challenges and opportunities. The Macmillan Press Limited. ISBN 978-1-349-05693-4.
  19. ^ McCreary, Alf (1979-10-17). "The Still Small Voice". The Belfast Telegraph, page 3. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  20. ^ "Former students' leader gets big EEC post". The Belfast Telegraph, page 8. 1979-10-25. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  21. ^ "An EU presence in Northern Ireland after Brexit". UK in a changing Europe. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  22. ^ suzana.carp (2020-05-10). "For Europe Day 2020, A brief history of the European Commission Office in Northern Ireland". A home for my thoughts, observations and writings from my journey through 21st century societal and political challenges. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  23. ^ "Row Goes On Over EEC's Man In Belfast". The Belfast Telegraph, page 8. 1983-03-16. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  24. ^ "Sinn Fein meet EEC man for housing talks". The Belfast Telegraph, page 4. 1983-04-25. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  25. ^ Watson, David (1983-01-24). "Paisley and Taylor Snub EEC Dinner Invitation". The Belfast Telegraph, page 4. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  26. ^ "New jobs hope as U.S. mission flies out". The Belfast Telegraph, page 4. 1983-09-16. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  27. ^ "View From The Bridges". Newcastle Journal, page 44. 1993-02-10. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  28. ^ Marshall, Steve (1989-04-07). "Top Speakers Give Guide to 1992 for Firms". Reading Evening Post. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  29. ^ "MP Rapped Over Europe". Staffordshire Sentinel. page 20. 1992-09-23.
  30. ^ "Brussels Declares War on the Euro myth-mongers". Irish Independent, page 18. 1994-12-29. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  31. ^ "View From The Bridges". Newcastle Journal, page 45. 1995-11-29. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  32. ^ "BBC News | UK | Papers accused of Euro-phobia". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  33. ^ "Commission's euro pamphlet taunts Tories". the Guardian. 2000-07-12. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  34. ^ "'Paranoid British press is full of jingoistic rubbish'". The Independent. 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  35. ^ "MOVERS & SHAKERS". POLITICO. 2002-06-12. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  36. ^ "Press corner". European Commission - European Commission. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  37. ^ Simpson, Claire (2020-11-23). "Brexit will see greater economic links between north and Republic, as a united Ireland is put on 'the back burner'". The Irish News. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  38. ^ "Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth - From The Round Table Journal archives". The Round Table. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  39. ^ "Martin, (Thomas) Geoffrey, (born 26 July 1940), Partner, Johnson Martin Associates, since 2003". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U26842. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  40. ^ "Geoffrey Martin, Author at The Federal Trust". The Federal Trust. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  41. ^ Martin, Geoffrey (2020-10-02). "The unprecedented change facing Northern Ireland". The New European. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  42. ^ Martin, Geoffrey (2021-04-21). "A United Ireland - An Empty Slogan?". The Federal Trust. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  43. ^ "Belfast Head of National Students' Union Weds In London". The Belfast Telegraph, page 3. 1968-07-06. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  44. ^ "EEC man's wife called to Bar". The Belfast Telegraph. 1980-09-23. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  45. ^ "A -Z Barrister Chambers – The Barrister Magazine". Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  46. ^ "Masters of the Bench | Inner Temple". 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  47. ^ "The Inner Temple Yearbook 2020-2021, page 139". Issuu.com. 2020-09-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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