NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Donald Foster (politician)

Donald Michael Ellison Foster, MP, better known as Don Foster (born 31 March 1947) is a British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, representing Bath. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Biography

Foster was born in Preston, Lancashire, and educated at the Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Keele University where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and psychology in 1969 and also received the Certificate in Education the same year. He studied later for his master's degree in education at the University of Bath in 1981. He became a science teacher at the Sevenoaks School in Kent in 1969, before becoming a science project director with the Avon Education Authority in 1975. He became a lecturer in education at the University of Bristol in 1980, becoming a management consultant with Pannell Kerr Forster from 1989 until his election to the House of Commons. Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Lancaster Royal Grammar School (LRGS) is a state grammar day- and boarding school for boys in Lancaster, England. ... Keele University is a research-intensive campus university located near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire in the West Midlands of England between Manchester and Birmingham. ... A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. ... Physics (from the Greek, (phÃºsis), nature and (phusikÃ©), knowledge of nature) is the science concerned with the discovery and understanding of the fundamental laws which govern matter, energy, space, and time. ... Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The Certificate in Education (Cert Ed) is a qualification for teachers in the United Kingdom. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate (or graduate) course of one to three years in duration. ... The University of Bath is a campus university located near Bath, England at . ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... A teachers room in a Japanese middle school, 2005. ... Sevenoaks School is an English independent school, located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The County of Avon was a short-lived non-metropolitan county and ceremonial county in the west of England, named after the River Avon which ran through it. ... A Local Education Authority (LEA) is the part of a council in England or Wales that is responsible for education within that councils jurisdiction. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Lecturer is the name given to university teachers in most of the English-speaking world (but not at most universities in the U.S. or Canada) who do not hold a professorship. ... The University of Bristol is a university in Bristol, England. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

As a local party activist he was a founder member of the Avon Liberal Democrats and was elected as a councillor to the Avon County Council in 1981 for Cabot ward, and was the SDP-Liberal Alliance group leader from 1981-6, he also served as the county's education committee chairman, and he remained a councillor until 1989. He unsuccessfully contested Bristol East at the 1987 General Election where he finished in third place, some 11,659 votes behind the sitting Conservative MP Jonathan Sayeed. He was elected at the 1992 General Election when he famously beat then-Chairman of the Conservative Party Chris Patten at Bath. He won the seat with a majority of 3,768 and remains the MP. He spoke of the World Heritage Site status of Bath and sent his best wishes to Patten in Hong Kong in his maiden speech on May 12, 1992.[1] 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cabot is an area and Council ward that covers the centre of Bristol. ... The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the UK that ran from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal Democrats. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bristol East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Margaret Thatcher Neil Kinnock David Steel Election 1987 Titles The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987 and was the third consecutive victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ... Jonathan Sayeed (born 20 March 1948) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. ... The UK general election, 1992 was held on April 9, 1992, and was the fourth victory in a row for the Conservatives. ... In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. ... Lord Patten of Barnes The Right Honourable Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC (born 12 May 1944) is a prominent British Conservative politician. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Statistics Population: 84,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: ST745645 Administration District: Bath and North East Somerset Region: South West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Somerset Historic county: Somerset Services Police force: Avon and Somerset Fire and rescue: Avon Ambulance: South Western Post office... A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected representative in such bodies as the House of Commons or the United States House of Representatives. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

In parliament Foster became a spokesman on education under the leadership of Paddy Ashdown in 1992 in which capacity he remained until 1999. The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, England is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) meet to conduct their business. ... Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG KBE PC (born 27 February 1941), commonly known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician native of British India. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Foster supports a number of local charities, including Ted's Big Day Out and Julian House. His main national charity is WaterAid and he has seen first hand their work in Ethiopia. Current logo, introduced in 2006 Old logo WaterAid is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. ...

Foster has been married to Victoria Jane Dorcas Pettegree since 1968 and they have a son and a daughter and two grandsons. His other interests include Third World issues; he is a member of Amnesty International and the Child Poverty Action Group. He also enjoys sport, music, ballet, travelling and reading. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Amnesty International symbol Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) comprising a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.[1] Essentially it compares actual practices of human rights with internationally accepted standards and demands compliance where these have not... Child Poverty Action Group is a UK charity. ...

Publications

Contents

Biography

Publications

See also

External links

Contents

Biography GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Publications

See also

External links

Biography