Defence (defense in the United States) in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, defensemen, D, D-men or "blueliners" (the latter a reference to the blue line in ice hockey which represents the boundary of the offensive zone; defencemen generally position themselves along the line to keep the puck in the zone).

In regular play, two defencemen complement three forwards and a goaltender on the ice. Exceptions include overtime during the regular season and when a team is shorthanded (i.e. has been assessed a penalty), in which two defencemen are typically joined by only two forwards and a goaltender.

Distinguished defencemen

Each year the NHL, the premier ice hockey league in the world, presents the James Norris Memorial Trophy to the best defenceman in the league. Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins – an eight-time Norris Trophy recipient – is often considered to be the greatest defenceman in NHL and ice hockey history. In addition to his Norris Trophy honours, he is the only defenceman in NHL history to capture the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. In 1998, Orr was selected as the best defenceman of all-time (second overall behind Wayne Gretzky) in The Hockey News' Top 100 NHL Players of all-time.

Conversely, according to the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team (also chosen by The Hockey News), the greatest defencemen to play in IIHF-sanctioned international competition are Vyacheslav Fetisov and Börje Salming.

'Stay-at-home' and 'Offensive defence'

Defence players are often described by the amount they participate in the offence. The extreme of non-participation in offence is a ''Stay-at-home'' defender, who takes few risks and does not score much, instead focusing on defending against the opposing team. A good example is Rod Langway, who won the Norris Trophy while scoring only 3 goals that season, as the award winners preceding him were primarily offensive defencemen such as Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin, and Larry Robinson.

The extreme of participation is an ''offensive defencemen'', who gets aggressively involved in the team's offence. To accomplish this, the offensive defence player often pinches in to keep the play from going offside and moves towards the halfboards and high-slot area for scoring opportunities. This makes it difficult for the opposing team to protect their net from being scored upon if the team can maintain control of the puck. However, this can lead to more odd man rushes and breakaway opportunities for the opposing team if the defender does not succeed. Bobby Orr's end-to-end rushing allowed him to defend effectively as well as attack. By contrast, Paul Coffey enjoyed a high offensive production but his defensive play is considered mediocre.

Defensive zone play

When in the defensive zone, the defence player is responsible for keeping the opposing forwards' opportunities to a minimum when they are on a rush, forcing them to the corners and blocking both passing and shooting lanes. When the opposing offence is putting pressure on the defence's team, the defence skater usually plays closer to the goal, attempting again to block shooting lanes but also ensure that the goalie is not screened (prevented from being able to see the puck at all times). It is especially critical for the defenceman to keep opposing forwards from being able to move effectively in front of the net. If a shot on net is made, an unguarded forward can often redirect it too quickly for the goalie to adjust or else score on a rebound.

Neutral zone play

In the neutral zone, the defence hangs back towards his or her own blue line, usually playing the puck up to other teammates. According to Jay Leach, who writes for NHL.com's "learn to play hockey" section, the defence must "Move the puck hard and quick to the open man. Join the rush, [but] do not lead it." Because of this responsibility, defencemen must read the other team's defensive strategy effectively in order to make an effective first pass that furthers the offensive momentum without leaving the defenceman out of position should his team lose control of the puck.

Offensive zone play

In the offensive zone, the defence skaters usually "play the blue line." It is their duty to keep the puck in the offensive zone by stopping it from crossing the blue line that demarcates where the offensive zone begins. Should the puck cross this line, the offense cannot touch the puck in their opponent's zone without stopping play (see offside). Defencemen must be quick to pass the puck around, helping their forwards to open up shooting lanes, or taking open shots themselves when they become available. The defence must also be able to skate quickly to cut off any breakaways, moving themselves back into the defensive zone ahead of the onrushing opponent.

Essentially in all three zones of the rink, the defence is the backstop for the puck. It should never go behind the defence, unless the player lets it. The defence keeps the momentum of play squarely directed towards the opposing goal or at least, away from his own.

Because defencemen are often expected to shoot on the opposing net from long range, these players often develop the hardest and most accurate slapshots. This is because taking a more stationary position on the blueline rewards pure accuracy and patience, rather than the adept hand-eye coordination attributed to forwards. Al MacInnis, who was seven times decorated with "Hardest Shot" in NHL skills competitions was able to score frequently from the blueline because his slapshot was simply too fast to block effectively.

When a team is on a power play, a defence player can set up plays in the offensive zone, and distribute the puck to the teammate that he or she feels is in the best position to score, similar to a point guard in basketball and a quarterback in American football and Canadian football. For this reason, a defenceman will often be described as the power play "quarterback".

Faceoffs

During faceoffs in the defensive zone, most teams have their defence players pair up with opposing forwards to tie them up while leaving the team's forwards open to move the puck, though this is at the discretion of the individual coach. In the offensive zone, the defence player acts in his or her usual role, keeping control of the puck as the forwards fight for position.

In the first organised ice hockey, (see Amateur Hockey Association of Canada), defencemen used to line up in an "I" formation behind the rover (defunct) as ''point'' and ''coverpoint''. Defence is still referred to as "playing the point".

Skating

Defencemen must also be adept at skating backwards with a higher skill level than offensive players. This allows them to face the offensive players as they rush down the ice.

See also

Defence player

Centre

Winger

Forward

Rover

Goaltender

List of NHL players

References

External links

List of NHL Defencemen, present players and recently retired

Category:Ice hockey people Category:Ice hockey strategy

cs:Obránce (lední hokej) fr:Défenseur (hockey sur glace) it:Difensore (hockey su ghiaccio) lv:Aizsargs (hokejs) ru:Защитник (хоккей с шайбой) simple:Defenceman sl:Branilec (hokej na ledu)

Coordinates	34°8′2.77″N118°19′18.10″N
name	Vir Sanghvi
birth date	July 05, 1956
birth place	Mumbai
occupation	Journalist, Writer
website	http://www.virsanghvi.com/ }}

Vir Sanghvi ( ) (born 5 July 1956) is an Indian print and television journalist, columnist, and talk show host. Currently, he is an Advisor, at HT Media.

At 23, he was the founder-editor of the ''Bombay'' magazine, before moving on to edit ''Imprint'', and finally editing ''Sunday'' magazine, which he did for over 12 years.

In 2010 he was in the news for his role in the Nira Radia tapes controversy.

Early life and education

Vir Sanghvi was born in London and brought up in Mumbai and London. He was educated at the Mayo College, Ajmer, and the Mill Hill School, London. He won the Inlaks scholarship to study international media studies at Brasenose College, Oxford.

Niira Radia tapes

In 2010, Sanghvi was connected to the Nira Radia tapes It was claimed that Sanghvi had been lobbied by Radia to show Mukesh Ambani in a favorable light." In the audio tape Sanghvi was heard asking "What kind of story do you want?" It is alleged that he made the points suggested by Radia in his article titled 'Time for some transparency' under Sanghvi's column "Counterpoint". In the call, he also allegedly offers to stage a scripted and rehearsed interview with Niira Radia's client Mukesh Ambani. Sanghvi denied all allegations. On 27 November 2010, Sanghvi released a detailed statement, clarifying his role, and also raising the possibility of the tapes being edited. In December 2010 HT Media announced that Sanghvi was re-designated as advisor, a change designed to reflect the fact that Sanghvi had no influence on the group’s editorial policies. Due to the heightened media interest in him Sanghvi temporarily suspended his weekly article "Counterpoint".

Books By Vir Sanghvi

''Men of Steel - India''s business leaders in candid conversation with Vir Sanghvi'', Roli Books Pvt Ltd, India (Jan 2007) ISBN 8-17-436474-7

''Rude Food: The Collected Food Writings of Vir Sanghvi'', Penguin Putnam (2004) ISBN 0-14-303139-2

''India Then and Now : Now/Vir Sanghvi. New Delhi, Roli, 2006, 274 p., $120. ISBN 81-7436-397-1.

''26/11:The Attack on Mumbai'', Penguin, 2009, ISBN 9780143067054

''Madhavrao Scindia: A life'', Penguin, 2009, ISBN 9780670082544

Further reading

The rotting of New India A scandalous collusion involving politicians and the media has exposed India's ethical deficit

Vir Sangvi columns Rediff.com

Vir Sangvi columns Mint

Vir Sangvi columns Hindustan Times

Rude Food - The Collected Food Writings of Vir Sanghvi Hindustan Times

Counterpoint Hindustan Times

External links

Vir Sanghvi's Website

References

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Indian journalists Category:Indian writers Category:Indian food writers Category:Indian critics Category:Indian columnists Category:Indian newspaper editors Category:Indian television personalities Category:Old Mayoites Category:Old Millhillians Category:Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Category:Indian Jains

Coordinates	34°8′2.77″N118°19′18.10″N
Honorific-prefix	The Right Honourable
Name	Dr Liam Fox
Honorific-suffix	MP
Office	Secretary of State for Defence
Primeminister	David Cameron
Term start	12 May 2010
Predecessor	Bob Ainsworth
Office2	Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Leader2	David Cameron
Term start2	6 December 2005
Term end2	11 May 2010
Predecessor2	Michael Ancram
Successor2	Bob Ainsworth
Office3	Shadow Foreign Secretary
Leader3	Michael Howard
Term start3	10 May 2005
Term end3	6 December 2005
Predecessor3	Michael Ancram
Successor3	William Hague
Office4	Chairman of the Conservative Party
Leader4	Michael Howard
Alongside4	The Lord Saatchi
Term start4	6 November 2003
Term end4	4 May 2005
Predecessor4	Theresa May
Successor4	Francis Maude
Office5	Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Leader5	William HagueIain Duncan Smith
Term start5	15 June 1999
Term end5	6 November 2003
Predecessor5	Ann Widdecombe
Successor5	Tim Yeo
Office6	Member of Parliament for North SomersetWoodspring (1992-2010)
Term start6	9 April 1992
Predecessor6	Constituency Created
Majority6	7,862 (13.6%)
Birth date	September 22, 1961
Birth place	East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Spouse	Jesme Baird
Party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of Glasgow
Occupation	Physician
Religion	Christian (Roman Catholicism)
Website	Conservative Party website }}

Dr Liam Fox, MP (born 22 September 1961) is a British Conservative Party politician who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Defence in the British cabinet and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Somerset constituency (previously Woodspring) since 1992.

Fox was born in East Kilbride, Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow. Fox worked as an NHS general practitioner (GP) in Nailsea, Somerset and served as a Civilian Army Medical Officer, which enabled him to see army life first-hand . He was elected as the Conservative MP for Woodspring at the 1992 general election. After holding several ministerial roles in John Major's Conservative government, Fox entered the shadow cabinet in 1999, holding the positions of Shadow Health Secretary (1999-2003), Conservative Party chairman (2003-05), Shadow Foreign Secretary (2005) and Shadow Defence Secretary (2005-10).

He stood in the 2005 Conservative leadership election, but was eliminated in the second round of voting. When the Conservatives entered government in 2010, Fox was appointed the Secretary of State for Defence

Early life

Fox was born and raised in East Kilbride, Scotland and brought up in a council house that his parents later bought. The along with his brother and two sisters he was educated in the state sector, he attended St. Bride's High School. He studied medicine at the University of Glasgow Medical School, graduating with MB ChB degrees in 1983. Fox is a general practitioner (he was a GP in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, before his election to Parliament), a former Civilian Army Medical Officer and Divisional Surgeon with St John Ambulance. He is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Whilst studying at the University of Glasgow, he was a member of the Dialectic Society and became president of the Glasgow University Conservative Association. From there he advanced through the Conservative ranks. Fox contested the Hairmyres Ward of East Kilbride District Council in May 1984, coming second – 210 votes – to the incumbent Labour Councillor, Ed McKenna.

While studying medicine at Glasgow University in the early 1980s, Fox resigned his position on the university's Students Representative Council (SRC) in protest at the council passing a motion condemning the decision of the university's Glasgow University Union (GUU) not to allow a gay students society to join the union. The SRC motion called both the union's decision and the explanations given for it "bigoted". The GUU maintained its stance regardless and the controversy was reported in the national media while leading to many other university student unions up and down the country, including Edinburgh, cutting ties with their Glasgow counterparts. Explaining his decision to resign from the SRC and support the GUU's position, Fox was quoted as saying "I'm actually quite liberal when it comes to sexual matters. I just don't want the gays flaunting it in front of me, which is what they would do." When asked about the controversy in 2008, Fox remarked that "fortunately most of us have progressed from the days when we were students more than a quarter of a century ago".

Member of Parliament

His first attempt to get elected as an MP for a Scottish constituency ended in failure when he contested Roxburgh and Berwickshire in the 1987 general election. Thereafter, he sought and won nomination for the English constituency of Woodspring and was successful in being elected MP for that constituency at the 1992 general election.

In government

A little over a year after his election in 1992, Fox was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary, Michael Howard, in June 1993. Thereafter, in July 1994, he was appointed an Assistant Government Whip. Following a limited government reshuffle in November 1995, he was appointed a Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury – a Senior Government Whip. He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1996 to 1997.

In 1996, he brokered an accord in Sri Lanka, called the Fox Peace Plan, between Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge’s PA and the opposition UNP of Ranil Wickremesinghe, on a bipartisan approach for ending the ethnic war. However, little has happened since then to suggest that the various parties have acted in good faith in the interests of peace.

In opposition

Shadow Cabinet

In June 1997, Fox was appointed Opposition Front Bench Spokesman on Constitutional Affairs. Between 1999 and 2003 he was the Shadow Secretary of State for Health.

In November 2003, Fox was appointed campaign manager for Michael Howard following the no-confidence vote against the Conservative leader, Iain Duncan Smith. Fox was made co-chairman of the party by Michael Howard when he became party leader in November 2003. After the 2005 general election he was promoted within the Shadow Cabinet to become Shadow Foreign Secretary. On 7 December 2005 he was moved to Defence by new Leader of the Opposition David Cameron MP.

Leadership bid

In September 2005, Fox announced he would join the contest to be the next leader of the Conservative party.

His campaign theme for the 2005 leadership race was based on the "broken society" theme, which he says Conservatives can address by returning emphasis to marriage and reforming welfare.

In the initial ballot of Conservative MPs, on 18 October, he gained enough support (42 votes) to avoid coming last, and put himself through to the second ballot to be held two days later.

He was eliminated with 51 votes in third place behind David Cameron (90 votes) and David Davis (57 votes). Cameron, who eventually won the leadership election, gave Fox the role of Shadow Defence Secretary.

Secretary of State for Defence

He was appointed as Secretary of State for Defence in the cabinet of David Cameron on 12 May 2010 and that weekend flew out to Afghanistan with the Foreign Secretary, William Hague and the International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell to see first hand the issues facing the troops based there.

In July 2010 he said that the dire state of the public finances meant the Armed Forces could no longer be equipped to cover every conceivable danger. He said that the strongest signal that it will have to give up one or more of these capabilities, which have been maintained at the same time as contributing to collective security pacts such as NATO. “''We don’t have the money as a country to protect ourselves against every potential future threat,''” he said. “''We have to look at where we think the real risks will come from, where the real threats will come from and we need to deal with that accordingly. The Russians are not going to come over the European plain any day soon,''” he added. Dr Fox’s admission casts doubt on the future of the 25,000 troops currently stationed in Germany. The Defence Secretary has previously said that he hoped to withdraw them at some point, leaving Britain without a presence in the country for the first time since 1945.

The Ministry of Defence is facing budget cuts of up to 8% over the next five years, according to some analysts, and the department is already grappling with a £37bn shortfall on programmes it has signed up to. The results of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) are expected around the same time as the cross-Government comprehensive spending review, which will be published on 20 October. The defence industry is very concerned that the review is being led by budget concerns rather than military need. Speaking in September 2010 Fox said on the possibility of sharing aircraft carriers with the French Navy that "''I think it is unrealistic to share an aircraft carrier but, in other areas like tactical lift we can see what we can do,''" Liam Fox, said at a meeting in Paris with Herve Morin. "''I can't deny that there is an element of urgency added by budget concerns.''"

In September 2010 Fox in a private letter to David Cameron, Fox refuses to back any substantial reduction in the Armed Forces. He says it risks seriously damaging troops’ morale. The letter was written the night before a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). In the letter Fox wrote that: "''Frankly this process is looking less and less defensible as a proper SDSR (Strategic Defence and Strategy Review) and more like a "super CSR" (Comprehensive Spending Review). If it continues on its current trajectory it is likely to have grave political consequences for us''". Fox continued saying that "''Our decisions today will limit severely the options available to this and all future governments. The range of operations that we can do today we will simply not be able to do in the future. In particular, it would place at risk''"

In February 2011 Fox launched an attack on “ballooning” spending in his own department as figures show projects are running at least £8.8 billion over budget. The top 15 major procurement projects are now running at £8.8 billion over budget and, between them, are delayed by a total of 32 years. That includes the A400M transporter aircraft order that is £603 million over budget and six years behind schedule. He will criticise what he calls a “conspiracy of optimism based on poor cost-estimation, unrealistic timescales” at the MoD and in industry. “These practices in the MOD would simply not be tolerated in the private sector, and they will no longer be tolerated in the MoD.” A “new, frank and honest relationship between Government and industry” is needed and Mr Fox will signal that change must come.

In March 2011 Fox defended the decision to make 11,000 redundancies in the armed forces, insisting that personnel who have recently returned from Afghanistan will not be sacked. Cameron has conceded that axing around 5,000 personnel from the army, 3,300 from the Navy and 2,700 from the RAF will be ''difficult'' for those affected. Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) set out plans for reducing the size of the armed forces by 17,000 in total. Some of that number will be met by not replacing people who were retiring or leaving for other reasons. Defence officials said 11,000 personnel still face being redundant on a compulsory or voluntary basis. Dr Fox said it was essential that service personnel were made "fully aware of the options available and the timescales involved". "That means that a timetable needs to be adhered to for the sake of themselves and their families," he said. "It would simply be wrong to alter that timetable for the convenience of the Government.

In light of the 2011 Libyan protests Fox warned that Libya could end up split in two as Colonel Muammar Gaddafi unleashed the full fury of his military arsenal, sending warplanes and ground troops to attack rebel-held positions across the country. "We could see the Gaddafi forces centred around Tripoli," Dr Fox said. "We could see a de facto partition of the country."

In May 2011 Dr Fox, opposed plans to sharply increase Britain's aid budget, in a direct challenge to David Cameron's authority. In a leaked letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Fox said he could not accept plans to increase the development budget to 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product. The aid pledge, made in the Conservative election manifesto last year, was at the heart of Mr Cameron's attempts to change his party's image. It has gained opponents among Right–wing Tories, many of whom voted for Dr Fox when he fought Mr Cameron for the party leadership in 2005. "I cannot support the proposal in its current form," Dr Fox told the Prime Minister. Dr Fox suggested that development funding should be diverted to the defence budget, writing that reneging on the aid pledge would release more public money to be spent on "other activities or programmes rather than aid". The letter is the second significant private message from Dr Fox to Mr Cameron that has leaked. Last year, The Daily Telegraph obtained a letter in which the Defence Secretary warned the Prime Minister that "draconian" cuts in the defence budget could cripple the Armed Forces. Dr Fox's rejection of the aid commitment and the leaking of his letter will fuel suspicion among Mr Cameron's allies that the Defence Secretary is trying to undermine the Prime Minister and may one day seek the Conservative leadership again. He finished third in the 2005 contest, behind Mr Cameron and David Davis.

After negative comments by Sir Simon Bryant and Sir Mark Stanhope, Secretary Fox said admirals and air marshals who have voiced concerns were giving strength to Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. He also warned that high-ranking members of the Armed Forces were facing the sack because the Government wanted to reduce bureaucracy by cutting “the star count”. The Daily Telegraph has learnt that the redundancies will include up 500 starred officers, equivalent to the rank of an Army brigadier and above. Dr Fox said: “We must be very careful, those of us who have authority in defence, when discussing the sustainability of a mission. People’s lives are at stake and there can only be one message that goes out on Libya.” Admiral Sir John “Sandy” Woodward, a former deputy chief of the defence staff, suggested Dr Fox was trying to blame military chiefs for “his own failings”. He said: “Of course the service chiefs should not be talking outside the MoD, but when politicians have got it so wrong they have no other choice.”

Levene report

On 27 June Fox announced that Baron Levene had completed his report on the reform of the MoD and suggested that will cut the number of senior officers and could also lead to ministerial posts being axed. The army, navy and air force will each be run by a single chief. Currently, the services have two commanders, one in charge of strategy, the second in charge of day-to-day operations. The reforms would see operational control pushed down the chain of command. In addition, the three service chiefs will be removed from the defence board, a powerful committee the defence secretary chairs. The overall head of the military, the chief of the defence staff, currently General Sir David Richards, will represent them. A committee chaired by an independent non-executive director, chosen by the defence secretary, will be in charge of appointments to the services' top ranks. The MoD is expected to axe up to 8,000 civil servants in 2012. Senior commanders would be given more overall control of their budgets and internal appointments. The report also suggested that a new joint forces command structure should be created with senior appointments in the MoD lasting longer than every two years by making sure people stay in post for longer. Levene says that "finance and the need for affordability are not regarded as sufficiently important throughout the organisation." He says that the "lack of trust" which pervades the MoD has led to a tendency for those at the top to try to micromanage, while the individual services look out for themselves rather than thinking of defence as a whole. This has led to a "predisposition to overcomplicate ... and a culture of reinventing the wheel".The role of the chief of the defence staff should also be enhanced so that "he alone will be responsible for representing the military voice." Levene says that the new defence board "should be the primary decision-making body for non-operational matters", and should meet 10 times a year. It will have nine members, but only one will be from the military, the chief of the defence staff, currently General Sir David Richards.

Defence and Security Review

In a speech on the future of the Armed Forces to the House of Commons on 19 October 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron set out plans that would mean cuts 7,000 jobs go in the British Army; 5,000 in the Royal Navy; 5,000 in the Royal Air Force; and 25,000 civilian jobs at the Ministry of Defence. In terms of equipment, the RAF will lose the Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft programme, the entire Harrier jump-jet fleet will be scrapped, and bases will be turned over to the Army. The Army will have its tanks and heavy artillery cut by 40%, and half of the soldiers in Germany will return to the UK by 2015, with the rest brought home by 2030 and housed in former RAF bases. The Navy will have its destroyer and Frigate fleet cut from 23 to 19 (by cutting the type 22 frigates) and will be provided with less expensive frigates. It will also be affected by the loss of the Harriers. Overall, the defence budget is to be cut by 8% but Mr Cameron insisted that Britain would continue to meet the Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. In the same speech Cameron announced a national cyber security programme, costing £500m, "to fix shortfalls in cyber infrastructure", while more focus will be given to tackling terrorists such as Al Qaeda and dissident Irish republicans in what he said would be "continuing investment in our world class intelligence agencies". Army numbers will fall to 95,500 by 2015 - 7,000 fewer than today - but ground forces will continue to have vital operational role in the future, he said.

Positions

Iraq

He voted for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As Shadow Defence Secretary he has supported the Government’s position of maintaining British troops in Iraq until the security situation on the ground allows for a withdrawal of troops but has been critical of the lack of post-invasion planning and poor equipment initially provided to British troops. He supported the idea of the American Surge and believes that it has been successful. Since becoming Shadow Defence Secretary he has visited Iraq on a number of occasions.

Afghanistan

He has been an outspoken supporter of the war in Afghanistan and the British presence there. He has been critical towards some of the European NATO partners whom he believes are not contributing enough to the effort in the more dangerous southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan. Since becoming Shadow Defence Secretary he has visited Afghanistan on five occasions.

In July 2010 Fox said that an early withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan would risk a return of civil war and act as a "shot in the arm to jihadists" across the world, the defence secretary, Liam Fox, warned.In marked contrast to David Cameron, who pledged over the weekend to withdraw all British troops by 2015, Fox said Britain would be betraying the sacrifices of its fallen soldiers if it left "''before the job is finished''". British forces would be among the last to leave Afghanistan, he added, because they are stationed in Helmand, one the most dangerous provinces in the country. He said that "Were we to leave prematurely, without degrading the insurgency and increasing the capability of the Afghan national security forces, we could see the return of the destructive forces of transnational terror," he said. "Not only would we risk the return of civil war in Afghanistan, creating a security vacuum, but we would also risk the destabilisation of Pakistan with potentially unthinkable regional, and possibly nuclear, consequences."

British troops in the Sangin area of Afghanistan's Helmand province are to be replaced by US forces, the UK's Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said. The UK has suffered its heaviest losses in the area, with 99 deaths since 2001. About 1,000 Royal Marines are expected to leave and be redeployed to central Helmand by the end of 2010. Dr Fox told MPs UK forces had made "good progress" in Sangin, but the move would enable Britain to provide "more manpower and greater focus" on Helmand's busy central belt, leaving the north and south to the US. "The result will be a coherent and equitable division of the main populated areas of Helmand between three brigade-sized forces, with the US in the north and the south, and the UK-led Task Force Helmand, alongside our outstanding Danish and Estonian allies, in the central population belt," he told the House of Commons.

On 19 July 2010 Fox said that within four years the Afghan army and police should take responsibility for security, leaving British troops to work only as military trainers. The date is a full year earlier than the deadline suggested by David Cameron this month, who said he wanted most troops back by 2015. Dr Fox said: "It has always been our aim to be successful in the mission and the mission has always said that the Afghan national security forces would be able to deal with their own security by 2014. We recognise that there will be further work to do in terms of training and improving the quality of those forces beyond that, which is why we have said training forces may be available after that date. But we have made it very clear that that will not be combat forces."

Iran

He has spoken on a number of occasions regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and believes that all options, including the use of military force, have to be on the table. He is opposed to an Iran with a nuclear weapons capability. In July 2007 he travelled to Iran.

NATO

He has very strong Atlanticist views. He believes that NATO is the cornerstone of the United Kingdom and Europe’s defence and that NATO must have primacy over the European Union including the right of first refusal for all matters relating to the defence of continental Europe. He has been critical of the common funding mechanism within NATO and has called for a system to be used that allows for more proportionate burden sharing between NATO member states for NATO led military operations.

The European Union

He is considered to be staunchly Eurosceptic and opposed to European defence integration as well as European political integration. He is opposed to the European Commission having any role in defence policy. He believes that the European Security and Defence Policy duplicates and takes away scarce national resources from NATO. He specifically opposes the defence provisions in the Lisbon Treaty.

Capital punishment

He does not support capital punishment.

Abortion

Dr. Fox is critical of abortion and has called for "huge restriction, if not abolition" on the UK's "pro-abortion laws" . In an interview with Morgan and Platell, Dr. Fox elaborated on these views, stating that he would "like to see [abortion limits] brought down...well below 20 weeks; I'd like to see us look at limits more akin to some of the European countries at 12 or 14 weeks."

He went on to state that "a society that actually aborts 180,000 unborn children every year is a society that needs to be asking a lot of questions about itself. For me it's a simple personal belief. It says, "thou shall not kill", it doesn't say, thou shall not kill unless Parliament says it's OK. For the same reason I'm against the death penalty. However, I do accept...that if the majority of the population decide that it's something they find acceptable, I've got to live with that. But I'm not going to be quiet and I'm not going to pretend that my views are other than they are for the sake of political convenience."

Military welfare

He has claimed on a number of occasions that the Military Covenant is broken and that the British Armed Forces are being asked to do too much for what they are resourced to do.

Along with the leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, he established the Military Covenant Commission headed by Frederick Forsyth with the aim of finding ways to improve the welfare of service members, veterans, and their families under a future Conservative Government. Fox has a particular interest in mental health issues and has criticised the current British Government for failing to adequately address the problem.

Israel

Fox is a strong supporter of Israel and is a member of Conservative Friends of Israel. In 2006 he said, "Israel’s enemies are our enemies and this is a battle in which we all stand together or we will all fall divided." In January 2009, referring to Israel, he also said, "British support for any ally is never unqualified. International law and values must always be obeyed." In May 2011, Fox was booed at the ''We Believe in Israel'' event for saying that Israeli settlements "are illegal and an obstacle to peace".

Nuclear deterrent

Fox believes that Britain should maintain its continuous at sea, independent, submarine based strategic nuclear deterrent based on the Trident missile system. Fox believes that Britain is vulnerable to an electromagnetic pulse that would disable electrical circuits after the detonation of a nuclear device in the atmosphere.

Defence procurement

Fox has pledged to restructure the defence procurement process in the Ministry of Defence. He has also stated that it would be a matter of policy to see Britain’s share of global defence exports increasing under a Conservative Government.

Elevated bilateral defence relationships

Fox believes that it is in Britain’s national interest to build bilateral defence relations with key strategic partners. Fox has mentioned the United States, France, Norway, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States.

The United States of America

He is a strong believer in the Special Relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. He is the UK Director and founding member of The Atlantic Bridge. A UK based charity that aims to preserve and promote the Special Relationship.

Fox was able to retain a good relationship with the administration of George W. Bush, despite a five year break down in relations between the Conservative and Republican parties over the Iraq War. He led the Conservative delegation to the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Expenses

In March 2010 Fox appealed Sir Thomas Legg's decision that he had over claimed £22,476 in mortgage interest payments. Fox immediately repaid the money, then appealed the decision. Fox's appeal was rejected and the decision was upheld by Sir Paul Kennedy, a former high court judge.

Fox stated that his decision to remortgage his second home to pay for redecorations and claim the higher interest repayments on his expenses represented value for money because he could have charged the taxpayer for the decorating bills directly. In his response, Sir Paul Kennedy stated: "What you claimed was not recoverable under the rules then in force. I entirely accept that, like many others, you could have made other claims if the fees office had rejected your claims for mortgage interest, and that you may well have spent some of what you raised by increasing your mortgage on your constituency home, but the evidence is imprecise, and my terms of reference only allow me to interfere if I find special reasons in your individual case showing that it would not be fair and equitable to require repayment, either at all or at the level recommended." This reportedly made him the Conservative Shadow Cabinet member with the largest over-claim on expenses, and as a result, he has been forced to repay the most money.

It was reported in June 2009 that Fox claimed expenses of more than £19,000 over the last four years for his mobile phone. Fox claimed the high bill was due to regular trips overseas, in his capacity as Shadow Defence Secretary and said he was looking for a cheaper tariff.

Breaches of parliamentary rules

In March 2010, Fox admitted breaking parliamentary rules on two occasions by visiting Sri Lanka on a trip paid for by the Sri Lankan government without declaring the trip in the Register of Members' Financial Interests in the required time of 30 days and failing to declare an interest in Sri Lanka when asking ministers how much UK aid had been given to Sri Lanka. In fact, Fox has declared all of his trips to Sri Lanka paid for by the Sri Lankan government in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. However, one trip he took in November 2007 was declared two months late. Fox blamed a "changeover of staffing responsibilities" for this error.

Of the five trips to Sri Lanka mentioned in the BBC article only three were paid for fully by the Sri Lankan government. Those not paid in full by the Sri Lankan government were paid for by the Sri Lankan Development Trust.

In a statement, Dr Fox said: "I have been involved in attempts to promote peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, involving all sides of the ethnic divide, since I was a foreign minister in 1997. During my most recent visit I spoke at a press conference to outline my reasons for being there. The declaration of the visit you refer to in November 2007 was highlighted in an end-of-year audit following a changeover of staffing responsibilities. The registrar was immediately notified and my register entry was updated accordingly. All visits have been fully declared on the House of Commons Register of Members' Interests and are therefore public knowledge and entirely legitimate.I do, however, recognise that when asking one question in 2008, I should have noted an interest and will be writing to the registrar to make this clear".

Finances

Dr Fox is a registered shareholder of the medical educational firm Arrest Ltd. His estimated wealth is £1m.

Fox accepted a £50,000 donation from Jon Moulton, whose investment firm, Better Capital, later went on to own Gardner Aerospace, an aerospace metallic manufactured details supplier which includes component parts for both military and civilian aircraft. This potentially exposed Dr Fox to conflict of interest but neither Fox nor Moulton violated any rules with this donation. Since all Members of Parliament are required to state in what capacity they receive any donation Fox stated in his entry in the Register of Members’ Interests that he accepted the cash “in my capacity as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence”.

Personal life

On 10 June 2005, he announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Dr Jesme Baird, 37, a fellow doctor who works at the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and is also an alumna of the University of Glasgow. They married at St Margaret's Church opposite Parliament on 17 December 2005.

Styles

Mr Liam Fox (22 September 1961-1983)

Dr Liam Fox (1983-9 April 1992)

Liam Fox MP (9 April 1992-13 May 2010)

The Right Honourable Liam Fox MP (13 May 2010– )

See also

Cameron Ministry

References

External links

Dr Liam Fox MP ''official constituency website''

Profile at the Conservative Party

Profile: Liam Fox, ''BBC News'',_16_October 2002

Profile: Liam Fox, ''BBC News'',_10_November 2003

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Coordinates	34°8′2.77″N118°19′18.10″N
honorific-prefix	The Honourable
name	Paul Theodore Hellyer
honorific-suffix	PC
riding1	Trinity
term start1	1958
term end1	1974
predecessor1	Edward Lockyer
successor1	Aideen Nicholson
riding2	Davenport
term start2	1949
term end2	1957
predecessor2	John Ritchie MacNicol
successor2	Douglas Morton
party	Canadian Action
birth date	August 06, 1923
birth place	Waterford, Ontario
spouse	Ellen Jean Hellyer (deceased)
children	2 sons, 1 daughter
residence	Toronto
profession	Engineer }}

Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC (born 6 August 1923) is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.

Early life

Hellyer was born and raised on a farm near Waterford, Ontario. Upon completion of high school he studied aeronautical engineering at the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute of Aeronautics in Glendale, California, graduating in 1941. While studying he also obtained a private pilot's licence.

After graduation, Hellyer was employed at Fleet Aircraft in Fort Erie, Ontario, which was then making training craft for the Royal Canadian Air Force as part of Canada's war effort in World War II. He attempted to become an RCAF pilot himself, but was told no more pilots were necessary, after which he joined the Royal Canadian Artillery as a private for the duration of the war.

Hellyer earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in 1949.

Early political career

First elected as a Liberal in 1949 federal election in the riding of Davenport, he was the youngest person ever elected to that point in the Canadian House of Commons. He served a brief stint as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of National Defence, and made a good impression. He was then named Associate Minister of National Defence in the cabinet of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent. This post was short-lived, though, as Hellyer lost his seat when the St. Laurent government lost the 1957 election two months later.

Hellyer returned to parliament in a 1958 by-election in the neighbouring riding of Trinity, and became an effective opposition critic of John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservative government.

Cabinet minister and Liberal leadership candidate

When the Liberals returned to power in the 1963 election, Hellyer became Minister of National Defence in the cabinet of Lester B. Pearson. This was the most notable period in Hellyer's political career. As Minister of Defence, he oversaw the drastic and controversial integration and unification of the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force into a single organization, the Canadian Forces.

Hellyer contested the 1968 Liberal leadership election, placing second on the first ballot, but slipped to third on the second and third ballots, and withdrew to support Robert Winters on the fourth ballot, in which Pierre Trudeau won the leadership. He served as Trudeau's Transport Minister, and was Senior Minister in the Cabinet, a position similar to the current position of Deputy Prime Minister.

A political nomad, 1969–1988

In 1969, Hellyer issued a major report on housing and urban renewal in which he advocated incremental reforms rather than new government programs. He called for greater flexibility in Canada's mortgage loan system, and encouraged corporate pension funds to invest more money in housing programs. His approach did not meet with universal acceptance. Some provincial and municipal governments were openly skeptical, and Heward Grafftey, a left-leaning Progressive Conservative with an interest in housing, called for a more radical approach. Hellyer believed that both the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties were embracing globalization, and that the New Democratic Party was no longer able to provide a credible alternative. CAP also embraced Hellyer's proposals for monetary reform: that the government should become more involved in the direction of the economy by gradually reducing the creation of private money and increasing the creation of public money from the current ratio of 5% public / 95% private back to 50% public and 50% private.

His party remained a little-noticed minor party, and Hellyer lost bids for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the 1997 and 2000 elections.

Following the 2000 election, and a resurgence for the New Democratic Party, Hellyer approached NDP leadership to discuss the possibility of merging the two parties into 'One Big Party'. This process was furthered by the passage of a unanimous motion at the CAP's convention in 2003.

In early 2004, after several extensions of the merger deadline, the NDP rejected Hellyer's merger proposal which would have required the NDP to change its name. Hellyer resigned as CAP leader, but remains a member of the party. Rumours that he might run for the NDP in the 2004 election proved to be unfounded.

Peace in space and UFO advocacy

On 3 June 1967, Hellyer flew in by helicopter to officially inaugurate an Unidentified flying object landing pad in St. Paul, Alberta. The town had built the landing pad as its Canadian Centennial celebration project, and as a symbol of keeping space free from human warfare. The sign beside the pad reads:

"The area under the World's First UFO Landing Pad was designated international by the Town of St. Paul as a symbol of our faith that mankind will maintain the outer universe free from national wars and strife. That future travel in space will be safe for all intergalactic beings, all visitors from earth or otherwise are welcome to this territory and to the Town of St. Paul.

Throughout his life, Hellyer has been opposed to the weaponization of space. He supports the Space Preservation Treaty to ban space weapons.

In early September 2005, Hellyer made headlines by publicly announcing that he believed in UFOs. On 25 September 2005, he was an invited speaker at an exopolitics conference in Toronto, where he told the audience that he had seen a UFO one night with his late wife and some friends. He said that, although he had discounted the experience at the time, he had kept an open mind to it. He said that he started taking the issue much more seriously after watching ABC's Peter Jennings' UFO special in February 2005.

Watching Jennings' UFO special prompted Hellyer to finally read U.S. Army Colonel Philip J. Corso's book The Day After Roswell, about the Roswell UFO Incident, which had been sitting on his shelf for some time. Hellyer told the Toronto audience that he later spoke to a retired U.S. Air Force general, who confirmed the accuracy of the information in the book. In November 2005, he accused U.S. President George W. Bush of plotting an "Intergalactic War". The former defence minister told an audience at the University of Toronto:

"The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning...The Bush Administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide."

Hellyer told the audience that in December 2004, he had enjoyed reading and had endorsed a book by Alfred Webre entitled "Exopolitics - Politics, Government and Law in the Universe". He ended his 30 minute historical talk with a standing ovation by stating:

"To turn us in the direction of re-unification with the rest of creation the author is proposing a “Decade of Contact” – an “era of openness, public hearings, publicly funded research, and education about extraterrestrial reality”."

In 2007, the ''Ottawa Citizen'' reported that Hellyer is demanding that world governments disclose alien technology that could be used to solve the problem of climate change:

"I would like to see what (alien) technology there might be that could eliminate the burning of fossil fuels within a generation...that could be a way to save our planet...We need to persuade governments to come clean on what they know. Some of us suspect they know quite a lot, and it might be enough to save our planet if applied quickly enough."

In 2010, Hellyer accused Stephen Hawking of spreading misinformation about threats from aliens. Hawking has warned humanity against contacting aliens. According to Hawking, if human beings tried to contact aliens, they could invade us and take away our most important resources. Hawking had also said that though most extraterrestrial life could be only in the form of small animals, there could also be "nomads, looking to conquer and colonize" other planets. Hellyer told the Canadian Press that

"the reality is that they (aliens) have been visiting earth for decades and probably millennia and have contributed considerably to our knowledge."

Blaming Hawking for scaring mankind about aliens, he said, "He (Hawking) is indulging in some pretty scary talk there that I would have hoped would not come from someone with such an established stature."

Writings, and personal life

Hellyer has written several books on Canada and globalization, including ''One Big Party: To Keep Canada Independent'', in which he promoted the merger of the CAP, NDP and various left-wing activists to save Canada from the effects of globalization, and possible annexation by the United States.

He was an early investor in the ''Toronto Sun'', and for a time a columnist for the newspaper.

Paul Hellyer currently resides in Toronto. He has three children and five grandchildren.

Books

''Agenda, a Plan for Action'' (1971)

''Exit Inflation'' (1981)

''Jobs for All: Capitalism on Trial'' (1984)

''Damn the Torpedoes'' (1990)

''Funny Money: A common sense alternative to mainline economics'' (1994)

''Surviving the Global Financial Crisis: The Economics of Hope for Generation X'' (1996)

''Evil Empire : Globalization's Darker Side'' (1997)

''Stop: Think'' (1999)

''Goodbye Canada'' (2001)

''One Big Party: To Keep Canada Independent'' (2003)

''A Miracle in Waiting'' (2010), update of ''Surviving the Global Financial Crisis''

''Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Survival Plan for the Human Species'' (2010)

References

External links

Category:1923 births Category:Living people Category:People from Norfolk County, Ontario Category:Canadian Ministers of Transport Category:Canadian military personnel of World War II Category:Canadian non-fiction writers Category:Canadian columnists Category:UFO conspiracy theorists Category:Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidates Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Ontario Category:Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada Category:Members of the United Church of Canada Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Category:University of Toronto alumni Category:Ufologists

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