Chris Mullin (politician)
A tenacious left-wing journalist and MP who exposed a major British miscarriage of justice, freeing the wrongly convicted Birmingham Six.
Born 1947 (age 79)·British Labour politician·Birthday: December 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Chris Mullin carved a unique path through British public life, wielding a reporter's notebook and a politician's mandate with equal force. A Labour Party activist from his youth, he first made his name as an investigative journalist for the BBC and newspapers. His dogged pursuit of the truth in the Birmingham pub bombings case, detailed in his book 'Error of Judgement', was instrumental in exposing the flawed evidence that had imprisoned six innocent men for 16 years. Elected as MP for Sunderland South in 1987, he brought his crusading spirit to Parliament, often as a thorn in the side of his own party's leadership. A diarist of rare candor, his published volumes offer an unvarnished, witty look at the corridors of power. In later years, he stepped back from frontline politics, returning to writing and campaigning, a lifelong skeptic of authority.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Chris was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- His investigative journalism was pivotal in the campaign that led to the release of the Birmingham Six, wrongfully convicted for the 1974 IRA bombings.
- Served as a Labour Member of Parliament for Sunderland South for 23 years, from 1987 to 2010.
- Authored the acclaimed political diaries 'A View From the Foothills' and 'Decline & Fall', chronicling the New Labour era.
- Chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee from 1999 to 2003.
Did You Know?
He was the model for the crusading journalist in the television drama 'Who Bombed Birmingham?', played by John Hurt.
He turned down a ministerial job from Tony Blair three times, preferring a backbench role.
Before politics, he worked as a reporter for the BBC's 'World at One' and 'Newsnight' programs.
He is a committed environmentalist and served as Chairman of the Forestry Commission.
“The price of liberty, like the price of justice, is eternal vigilance.”
