Norman Lamont

Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, PC (born 8 May 1942) is a British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames. He is best known for his period serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, from 1990 until 1993. He was created a life peer in 1998. He is also known for the articles he has written for OMFIF regarding financial and monetary topics.

Early life

Lamont was born in the Shetland Islands and raised in Grimsby, where his father was a surgeon. He was educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh, Scotland and read Economics at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association and President of the Cambridge Union Society in 1964. He also took part in the English-Speaking Union's Tour of the United States of America.

At Cambridge he was a contemporary of Michael Howard, Kenneth Clarke, Leon Brittan, and John Gummer all of whom became leading figures in the Conservative Party. The group were sometimes collectively known as the Cambridge Mafia.

Lerwick

Coordinates: 60°09′18″N 1°08′42″W / 60.155°N 1.145°W / 60.155; -1.145

Lerwick is the main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles (160 km) off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland. Lerwick is about 210 miles (340 km) north-northeast of Aberdeen, 230 miles (370 km) west of Bergen in Norway and 230 miles (370 km) south east of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands.

Lerwick, Shetland's only burgh, had a population of about 7,500 residents in 2010 and is the most northerly and most easterly town in Scotland (there are other large settlements more northerly in Shetland, most notably the village of Brae).

One of the UK's coastal weather stations is located at Lerwick.

History

Lerwick is a name with roots in Old Norse and its local descendant, Norn, which was spoken in Shetland until the mid-19th century. The name "Lerwick" means bay of clay. The corresponding Norwegian name is Leirvik, leir meaning clay and vik meaning "bay" or "inlet". Towns with similar names exist in southwestern Norway (Leirvik) and on the Faroe Islands (Leirvík).