Des Wilson
{{Short description|British author (born 1941)}}
{{other people|Des Wilson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2016}}
Des Wilson (born 5 March 1941){{Citation
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}} is a New Zealand-born British campaigner, political activist, businessman, sports administrator, author and poker player. He was one of the founders of the British homelessness charity Shelter and was for a while an activist in, and President of, the British Liberal Party.
Background
From a working-class family in New Zealand, Wilson attended Waitaki Boys' High School, leaving at 15 to become a reporter on the local newspaper. After periods working for the Otago Daily Times and the Evening Star in Dunedin, and the Melbourne Star{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} in Melbourne, Australia, Wilson moved to the United Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 19.
Over the next few years he took a range of jobs before becoming a journalist.[http://www.palgrave.com/pdfs/033392939X.pdf prelims2.qxd] He became the founding director of the housing charity Shelter in 1966,{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Andreas Whittam |date=2 September 1996 |title=When she needed Shelter, you were there |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/when-she-needed-shelter-you-were-there-1361476.html |access-date=18 August 2010}} and then became a columnist for The Observer newspaper. He also spent two years as director of public affairs for the Royal Shakespeare Company.{{Cite web |url=http://www.panmacmillan.com/Authors%20Illustrators/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=Individual%20Contributor&ContributorID=72047&RLE=Author |title=Pan Macmillan biography |access-date=12 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016040925/http://www.panmacmillan.com/Authors%20Illustrators/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=Individual%20Contributor&ContributorID=72047&RLE=Author |archive-date=16 October 2006 |url-status=dead }} He edited the magazine Social Work Today for the British Association of Social Workers. He then returned to campaigning, running Friends of the Earth and the Campaign for Freedom of Information and CLEAR, the Campaign for Lead Free Air.
File:DesWilson1987.jpg party, holding as symbol of his office a copy of John Milton's Areopagitica]] In December 1968, Wilson was Michael Parkinson's 'castaway' on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.{{cite episode| title= Des Wilson | series= Desert Island Discs| credits= Presenter: Roy Plomley| station= BBC Radio 4| url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009y1gv| airdate= 9 December 1968| accessdate= 23 September 2016 }}
In many ways an anti-establishment radical, he joined the Liberal Party in order to stand in the 1973 Hove by-election. Although unsuccessful, he stayed involved in the Liberal Party and in 1986 he became its President, a position which allowed him to act as its Campaign Director in the 1987 General Election. He later wrote a book, The Battle For Power, about the strained relationship between the Liberals and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during that campaign, the last general election fought as the SDP–Liberal Alliance. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the merger between the two parties in 1988 and became Campaign Manager for the new party the Liberal Democrats under Paddy Ashdown in the 1992 General Election.{{cite news|title=Straight-up guys|author=Holden, Anthony|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1794669,00.html|work=The Observer|location=London|date=11 June 2006|accessdate=11 August 2008}}
Somewhat disillusioned with party politics after that campaign, Wilson then moved on to become Director of Corporate and Public Affairs for BAA plc. He became chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board's corporate affairs and marketing committee in 2003,{{cite web | url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdencricketer/content/story/137729.html | title=Des Wilson – Power broker | publisher=ESPN Sports Media Ltd | work=ESPNcrickinfo | date=February 2004 | accessdate=22 January 2015 | author=Stern, John}} but resigned in 2004 over the controversy related to England touring Zimbabwe.{{Cite web |date=28 April 2004 |title=Tour row claims ECB scalp |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/3665463.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040607185918/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/3665463.stm |archive-date=June 7, 2004 |access-date=22 January 2015 |website=BBC Sport}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Des
| author-link =
| year = 1983
| title = The Lead Scandal
| publisher = Ashgate
| location =
| isbn = 0-435-83946-2
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Des
| author-link =
| year = 1984
| title = Secrets File: The Case for Freedom of Information in Britain Today
| publisher = Heinemann Educ.
| location =
| isbn = 0-435-83939-X
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Des
| author-link =
| year = 1984
| title = The Environmental Crisis: A Handbook for All Friends of the Earth
| publisher = Ashgate
| location =
| isbn = 0-435-83944-6
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Des
| author-link =
|author2=Andrews, Leighton
| year = 1994
| title = Campaigning: The A to Z of Public Advocacy
| publisher = Thorogood
| location =
| isbn = 1-85418-036-3
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Des
| author-link =
| year = 2006
| title = Swimming with the Devilfish... Under the Surface of Professional Poker.
| publisher = Macmillan
| location =
| isbn = 1-4050-8952-0
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Des
| author-link =
| year = 2007
| title = Ghosts at the Table: The amazing story of Poker... the world's most popular game.
| publisher = Mainstream Publishing
| location =
| isbn = 9781845962081
}}
- {{cite book | author-last= Wilson | author-first= Des | title= Memoirs of a Minor Public Figure |publisher= Quartet Books |date=3 March 2011 | isbn=978-0704372054| edition= Hardcover }}
References
Sources
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/11/newsid_3037000/3037650.stm BBC article, Shelter in 1969]
External links
- [http://www.deswilson.com/ Official website]
- [https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,2205454,00.html Poker]: The Guardian 5 November 2007
- [https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,2191115,00.html Poker]: The Guardian 15 October 2007
- [http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/artsandentertainment/0,,1794726,00.html]
- [https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,1803982,00.html]
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{{succession box | title=President of the Liberal Party | before=David Penhaligon | after=Adrian Slade | years=1986–1987}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Des}}
Category:British male journalists
Category:New Zealand emigrants to England
Category:New Zealand expatriates in Australia
Category:New Zealand activists
Category:New Zealand journalists
Category:People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School
Category:Presidents of the Liberal Party (UK)