Education
Duffy was educated at the London School of Economics and Columbia University, and served in the Fleet Air Arm in World World War World War II
Duffy was educated at the London School of Economics and Columbia University, and served in the Fleet Air Arm in World World War World War II
He was a Minister of the Navy in the 1970s, and President of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Assembly in the 1980s. He was selected to stand for Sheffield Attercliffe at the 1970 United Kingdom general election following a close selection contest with George Caborn, father of Richard Caborn. He was Opposition Spokesman on Defence 1979-1981 and 1983–1984, and Under Secretary of State for the Royal Navy in Jim Callaghan"s Government 1976-1979.
Duffy was on the Right of the Labour Party.
A staunch pro-European and opponent of unilateral nuclear disarmament. He voted for John Silkin in the 1980 leadership campaign rather than Michael Foot, the successful candidate.
Duffy stood down from Parliament at the 1992 general election. Duffy was also president of the North Atlantic Assembly (the parliamentary arm of North Atlantic Treaty Organization) during the first-time delegations from the Warsaw Pact nations.
In 1991, he served as leader of the first Western parliamentary delegation to the Kremlin and was knighted for his contribution to the Western Alliance.
Duffy also functioned as deputy chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United Kingdom. In 2014 Duffy published his autobiography, Growing Up Irish in Britain, British in Ireland and in Washington, Moscow, Rome & Sydney.
He contested the Parliamentary seat of Tiverton in 1950, 1951 and 1955 before moving to the more promising seat of Colne Valley, which he won in a by-election in 1963, and held until the 1966 general election, when he was defeated by the Liberal Richard Wainwright, despite the national swing to Labour.
42nd United Kingdom Parliament. 43rd United Kingdom Parliament. 45th United Kingdom Parliament.
46th United Kingdom Parliament.
47th United Kingdom Parliament. 48th United Kingdom Parliament.
49th United Kingdom Parliament. 50th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was a Member of Parliament for Colne Valley 1963-1966, and for Sheffield Attercliffe 1970-1992.
Following the death of Bobby Sands in May 1981, Duffy was, according to The New York Times, the sole member of the British House of Commons to condemn Margaret Thatcher.
He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Boards of the Centre of Defence and International Security Studies, Hull University, and the Universities of Lancaster and York Defence Research Institute, and is an associate of the Centre for Defence and International Security Studies, Lancaster University, the International Business Institute, and Azusa Pacific University where he served as a guest lecturer during the fall semester of 2007 and keynote speaker for Azusa Pacific University"s Economic Summit.
