David Anthony Atkinson (24 March 1940 – 23 January 2012) was a British
Conservative
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 i ...
politician who served as
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for
Bournemouth East
Bournemouth East is a parliamentary constituency in Dorset represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative.
Constituency profile
The seat is mostly home to White British people and covers ...
from a
1977 by-election until he stepped down at the
2005 general election.
Early life
Born in
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 m ...
, Atkinson attended
St George's College, Weybridge
St George's Weybridge is an independent mixed Roman Catholic co-educational Josephite day school in Surrey, taking pupils from 3 to 18. St George's Weybridge is made up of St George's Junior School (3–11) and St George's College (11–18).
...
and Southend College of Technology. He later trained at the
Chelsea College of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
in Chelsea where he gained a Diploma in Automobile Engineering and Motor Trade Management. From 1963–72, he was Director of Chalkwell Motor Co. Ltd in
Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509.
Geography
Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
, and from 1973–77 he worked for David Graham Studios Ltd in printing, marketing, artwork and design.
Parliamentary career
Atkinson was national chairman of the
Young Conservatives from 1970 until 1971, more right-wing than the long line of his moderate predecessors and successors. He contested the
Newham North West constituency in
February 1974
The following events occurred in February 1974:
February 1, 1974 (Friday)
* A fire killed 177 people and injured 293 others in the 23-story Joelma Building at São Paulo in Brazil. Another 11 later died of their injuries. The blaze began on ...
and
Basildon
Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159.
It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...
in
October 1974.
Atkinson became an MP at the
1977 Bournemouth East by-election
The Bournemouth East by election was a by election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom held on Thursday, 24 November 1977 after the resignation of John Cordle following his criticism by a Select committee for business links to corrupt archite ...
, retaining the seat for his party. He served as PPS to
Paul Channon
Henry Paul Guinness Channon, Baron Kelvedon, (9 October 1935 – 27 January 2007) was Conservative MP for Southend West for 38 years, from 1959 until 1997. He served in various ministerial offices, and was a Cabinet minister for 3½ years, as ...
and was a vociferous supporter of corporal punishment and was nearly dismissed for voting against the Government in its support.
He supported local causes such as
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
during their financial troubles. Atkinson was vocal in his criticism of the Soviet Union and active in a number of international forums aimed at highlighting communist abuse of human rights. He was less critical of South Africa's apartheid regime, calling for the lifting of sanctions and objected to the pressures being placed upon the South African Government.
''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' reported that Atkinson was invited on a visit to South Africa by Strategy Network International, the lobby group fronted by
Derek Laud
Derek George Henry Laud (born 9 August in Chelsea, London) is a British banker with wide business interests. He is the Chairman of the Foundation Board of Lucy Cavendish College at the University of Cambridge, and the first elected male honora ...
, the ex
Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club (usually known as the Monday Club) is a British political pressure group, aligned with the Conservative Party, though no longer endorsed by it. It also has links to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unioni ...
member and protege of Michael Brown: "John Carlile, Mr Colvin and David Atkinson, who led an SNI delegation to observe the Angolan peace process in 1992, a year before the firm closed."
Personal life
Atkinson married Susan Pilsworth in 1968 and divorced in 1992. They had a son and a daughter. He came out as
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
and entered into a
civil partnership
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
in 2011. His wife discovered he had been in a relationship with footballer
Justin Fashanu
Justinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu ( ; 19 February 1961 – 2 May 1998) was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was known by his early clubs to be gay, and came out publicly later in his career, beco ...
when Fashanu came out as gay and said he had had an affair with an unnamed, married Conservative MP whom he had met in a London gay bar. After confronting Atkinson, he revealed he was gay and had been in a series of gay relationships.
His son, Anthony, at first accused him of being a sexual predator and said
Geoffrey Dickens
Geoffrey Kenneth Dickens (26 August 1931 – 17 May 1995) was a British Conservative politician. He was MP for Huddersfield West from 1979 until the seat was abolished in 1983. He was then elected for Littleborough and Saddleworth and held t ...
had stayed at the Atkinson family home. He said he believed his father had been named in the missing
Westminster paedophile dossier
A dossier on paedophiles allegedly associated with the British government was assembled by the British Member of Parliament Geoffrey Dickens, who handed it to the then-Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, in 1984. The whereabouts of the dossier is unknown ...
compiled by Dickens.
Anthony Atkinson later qualified his statement to say his father had not been engaged in activity that equated to the scope and scale of
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. During his lifetime, he was well known ...
's alleged activities, saying he had no evidence that his father ever had relations with anyone under-aged.
Death
In 2011, Atkinson underwent an operation after he was diagnosed with
bowel cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
. He died on 23 January 2012 at the age of 71.
References
External links
*
They Work For You - David Atkinson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, David
1940 births
2012 deaths
Deaths from cancer in England
Deaths from colorectal cancer
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
English Roman Catholics
People educated at Alleyn Court School
People educated at St George's College, Weybridge
People from Westcliff-on-Sea
Place of death missing
English LGBT politicians
Gay politicians
UK MPs 1974–1979
UK MPs 1979–1983
UK MPs 1983–1987
UK MPs 1987–1992
UK MPs 1992–1997
UK MPs 1997–2001
UK MPs 2001–2005
LGBT members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Politicians from Bournemouth
21st-century LGBT people