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Alan John Watson, Baron Watson of Richmond (born 3 February 1941) is a UK-based
broadcaster,
Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology.
Active parties
Former parties
See also
*Liberal democracy
*Lib ...
politician and
leadership
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
communications
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
consultant.
Early life and education
Lord Watson of Richmond is the son of the Rev. John William Watson and Edna Mary Peters. He was educated at the
Diocesan College
The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established on ...
,
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in South Africa and
Kingswood School
(''In The Right Way Quickly'')
, established =
, closed =
, type = Independent
, religious_affiliation = Methodist
, president =
, head_label = Headmaste ...
in
Bath. He was an Open Scholar in history at
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...
1959, a State Scholar 1959 and was awarded an MA in 1963. He was the
Vice-President of the Cambridge Union.
Watson's German-born wife Karen is an artist: they have two sons, Stephen and Martin.
Career
Broadcasting
Watson joined the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
after graduating from
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
in 1963, and later became a regular presenter for ''
The Money Programme
''The Money Programme'' is a finance and business affairs television programme on BBC Two which ran between April 1966 and November 2010. It was first broadcast on 5 April 1966 and presented by "commentators" (financial journalists) William Davis ...
'' on
BBC Two and ''
Panorama'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
. He also reported on
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
,
Radio 4 and the
BBC World Service, and wrote and presented award-winning documentaries over many years.
He was one of the studio contributors to the BBC's June 1970 ''Election Night'' television programme.
He is a Fellow and Former Chairman of the
Royal Television Society. From 1976 to 1980 he was responsible for media at the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
.
Politics
In politics, Watson's notable role was as President of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
. He was appointed
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1985 and, on 23 July 1999 was elevated to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
with a
Life Peerage as Baron Watson of Richmond, of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. He is a member of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
Select Committee on the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
.
He stood for election four times: as the Liberal candidate for
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
in the general elections of
October 1974 and
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, and as the Liberal candidate (
SDP-Liberal Alliance) for
Richmond and Barnes in the general elections of
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
and
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
. On all four occasions, he came in second place, losing to the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
.
Outside of the United Kingdom, Lord Watson is Chair of the
Albanian British Chamber of Commerce
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
and is a Member of the
European Parliament's High Level Group on
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. His political interests are the "worldwide use of English,
EU enlargement
The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ( ...
and
transatlantic relationship".
Leadership communications
Lord Watson was Chairman of
CTN Communications until retirement, a
creative communications agency based on
St Martin's Lane in central London. He advises the leaders of major UK and international companies on their communications, with clients including
BP,
BAE Systems and
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
.
Board memberships
Business
* Executive Chairman,
CTN Communications
* Executive Chairman,
Havas Media
Havas Media Group is the media division of the global marketing and communications group Havas. It incorporates the media assets of Havas, which includes predominantly entities which were formerly known as Media Planning Group (MPG). MPG was crea ...
* Chairman, Nexus Partnerships
* Chairman,
Coca-Cola European Advisory Board
* Non-Executive Chairman,
I-COMP
Not-for-profit
* Chairman,
The Council of Commonwealth Societies
* Chairman,
The European Movement UK
* Chairman,
The Father Thames Trust
* Chairman,
The Arcadia Advisory Board
* British Chairman, Königswinter Anglo-German Conference
* President,
British-German Association
The British-German Association (BGA) is a nonprofit, membership organisation based in London, UK. Its mission is to promote understanding and forge links between Britain and Germany.
Background
Founded in 1951, the BGA is currently chaired by ...
* Co-Chair,
Jamestown 1607-2007 British Committee Jamestown often refers to:
*Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas
Jamestown may also refer to
Places
Australia
*Jamestown, South Australia
Barbados
*Holetown, Saint James, Barbados; sometimes called its fo ...
* Non-Executive Chairman,
Raisin Social (a wine importer)
* Member, The Executive Committee of the
Pilgrims Society
The Pilgrims Society, founded on 16 July 1902 by Harry Brittain, Sir Harry Brittain KBE CMG, is a British-American society established, in the words of American diplomat Joseph Choate, 'to promote good-will, good-fellowship, and everlasting peace b ...
* Member,
The Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...
Business Leaders' Forum
* Patron,
The Richmond Society
* Patron,
Museum of Richmond
The Museum of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is located in Richmond's Old Town Hall, close to Richmond Bridge. It was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 October 1988.
An independent museum and a regis ...
* Patron,
The Richmond in Europe Association
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
* International Chairman Emeritus,
The English-Speaking Union
* Chairman Emeritus,
Royal Television Society
* Former Executive Board Member,
UNICEF UK
UNICEF UK, also known as the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF, is one of 36 UNICEF national committees based in industrialised countries. The national committees raise funds for the organisation's worldwide emergency and development work. In 2 ...
* President, The European-Atlantic Movement (TEAM)
Positions at educational institutions
Lord Watson holds a range of visiting and honorary posts at universities in the United Kingdom and abroad.
United Kingdom
*
High Steward,
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
* Visiting Fellow,
Oriel College, Oxford University
* Honorary Fellow,
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...
* Chairman,
Cambridge University Chemistry Advisory Board
* Life Patron,
Cambridge's Churchill Archives Centre
* Chairman,
The Cambridge Foundation
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
* Honorary Professor,
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
* Trustee, The American International University in London
* Former Chairman, Governors at
Westminster College, Oxford
Westminster College was a teacher training college and college of higher education in England. The college was founded in London in 1851 as a training institute for teachers for Wesleyan Methodist schools, but moved to Oxford in 1959. Before t ...
* President, The British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education
Overseas
* Honorary Doctor,
St Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in the Canton (village), New York, village of Canton in St. Lawrence County, New York. It has roughly 2,400 undergraduate and ...
, USA
* Visiting Professor,
Leuven, Belgium
* Honorary Professor,
Saint Petersburg State University, Russia
* Honorary Professor,
Korea University, South Korea
* Trustee, The
Centre for British Studies,
Humboldt University
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiati ...
, Berlin
Publications
''Europe at Risk''
''Europe at Risk'' was Lord Waton's first publication, released in 1972.
''The Germans: Who Are They Now?''
''The Germans: Who Are They Now?'' is a non-fiction book, first published in 1992.
''Eminent Europeans: personalities who shaped contemporary Europe''
''Eminent Europeans: personalities who shaped contemporary Europe'' is a collection of 17 essays on the personalities who have shaped modern Europe, for which Lord Watson contributed the essay entitled ''Thatcher and Kohl: Old Rivalries Revisited''. The book was published in 1996, and edited by Martyn Bond, Julie Smith and William Wallace.
''Jamestown: The Voyage of English''
Published in 2007, ''Jamestown: The Voyage of English'' is an exploration of the global significance of the arrival of the
Godspeed, the
Susan Constant
''Susan Constant'', possibly ''Sarah Constant'', captained by Christopher Newport, was the largest of three ships of the English Virginia Company (the others being ''Discovery'' and '' Godspeed'') on the 1606–1607 voyage that resulted in the fo ...
and the
Discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discover ...
on
America's East Coast in 1607. These three ships carried the ideas and the language which would shape the modern world. Lord Watson tells the story of a precarious venture that nearly failed. But it succeeded against the odds, planting the seeds of
representative government, capitalism and the
rule of law. These ideas were expressed in a language which had just reached a peak of power and vitality – the English of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
,
Tyndale
William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – ) was an English biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his executi ...
and
Cranmer's Prayer Book. The year 1607 marks the start of the voyage of English from the language of 4 million inhabitants of the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
to its role as today's working language of the global village used by almost 2 billion people world-wide.
''The Queen and the USA''
''The Queen and the USA'' is a non-fiction book published in March 2012 by Dementi Milestone Publishing. During 2012,
Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the
60th anniversary of her role as Queen of the United Kingdom. This book explores and celebrates the special relationship between the American and British people during this period, and honours Queen Elizabeth II for her role and contribution to a friendship recognised throughout the world. Co-authored by Horace Edward "Chip" Mann,
the book is highly visual, and includes photographs of the Queen with twelve
US Presidents
The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government a ...
.
''Churchill's Legacy, Two Speeches to Save the World''
Published in 2016
''Churchill's Legacy, Two Speeches to Save the World''is a non-fiction book published in September 2016 by
Bloomsbury Publishing to mark the 70th anniversary of Churchill's speeches in 1946, first in March in
Fulton, Missouri
Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...
, often known as the Iron Curtain speech, and then in September in Zurich, Switzerland, often known as the United States of Europe speech.
Honours and awards
Below is a list of Lord Watson's most notable awards. For educational honours, please see the above section, ''Positions at Educational Institutions''.
*
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
, 1985
*
Federal Cross of Merit (Germany), 1995 (for his "significant and enduring contribution" to understanding between Germany and Britain)
*
Grand Cross of Merit (Germany), 2001
*
Commander's Grand Cross of the Romanian Order of Merit, 2004
*
Churchill Medal, 2005
* The Loyola Schools Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Promotion of English by
Manila University, 2005
*
Knights Grand Cross of the German Order of Merit, 2007
*
Knight of Honor of the Order of St. George, 2016
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Alan Baron Watson of Richmond
Watson of Richmond
Watson of Richmond
Alumni of Diocesan College, Cape Town
Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge
Watson of Richmond
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania
Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Watson of Richmond
People educated at Kingswood School, Bath
People from Port Elizabeth
Presidents of the Liberal Party (UK)
Life peers created by Elizabeth II