A catalogue of the political papers of Stanley Orme is now available through the Archives Catalogue|. The collection covers Orme's ministerial career from the Northern Ireland Office, Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), his roles as Opposition Spokesman on Trade and Industry, Energy, and latterly as Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The collection contains a wealth of information relating to the 1984-1985 miners' strike, and will provide important material for students of British politics, union history, and industrial relations.
Stanley Orme's Parliamentary career began with his election to Salford West in 1964. He had previously worked as an engineer at Trafford Park, and had become a prominent activist in the Amalgamated Engineering Union. Orme quickly established himself as an important figure in the Parliamentary Labour Party, becoming Chairman of the Tribune group of MPs in the late 1960s. As Opposition Spokesman on Energy, Orme was very closely involved with the miners' strike of 1984-1985, and was praised widely for his persistent efforts to encourage a negotiated settlement between the National Union of Mineworkers and the National Coal Board. The collection contains an unpublished memoir of the strike written by Orme, and correspondence and papers from all the key individuals and organizations involved in the strike. Following the end of the strike, Orme campaigned against privatizations, increased nuclear power supply, and the closure of collieries. Orme increased his majority in the 1987 election, and was elected chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party. He retired as a member of Parliament in 1997, and was made a life peer, taking the title Lord Orme of Salford.