Bruce George
Encyclopedia
Bruce Thomas George is a British
Labour Party
politician, who served as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Walsall South from February 1974
until April 2010.
George was born in Wales
in 1942 and was educated at the Mountain Ash
Grammar School
and the University of Wales, Swansea where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts
degree
in political theory
and government. He finished his education at the University of Warwick
where he earned a Master's degree
in comparative politics
. He was an assistant lecturer in social studies at the Glamorgan Polytechnic
from 1964-1966. He lectured in politics at the Manchester Polytechnic
from 1968 until he became a senior politics lecturer at the Birmingham Polytechnic in 1970. He left this post when he was elected to Parliament in 1974. He was also a tutor with the Open University
from 1970 until 1973.
George unsuccessfully contested Southport
at the 1970 general election
but was defeated by the sitting Conservative
MP Ian Percival
, coming third in the poll. He was elected to the House of Commons for Walsall South at the February 1974 general election
when he won the seat from the Conservative Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid
by 1,580 votes, and has remained the MP there since.
George served as a member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee from 1979 until 2005, serving as Chairman of the Committee from 1997-2005. He became a member of the Privy Council
in 2001.
Although he was an MP since 1974, George was never on the frontbench
. He is seen as a supporter of NATO and a strong military. He is Leader of the UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and was elected Vice President of the Assembly in November 2007. In 2002, he was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
, and was re-elected in 2003. Between 2004 and June 2006, he served as President Emeritus and Special Advisor on Mediterranean Affairs. He also regularly acts an election monitor, most recently in the disputed Presidential elections in Ukraine
and Georgia
.
George has been married to Lisa Toelle since 1992. He is an Honorary Political Advisor to The Royal British Legion
and Vice-President of the UK's largest professional security organisation, The Security Institute
. In 1981 he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Essex
. He is a supporter of Walsall F.C.
and a Visiting Professor, University of Portsmouth, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies.
On 18 February 2010, George announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election. He was succeeded in his constituency by Valerie Vaz
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, who served as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Walsall South from February 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
until April 2010.
George was born in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1942 and was educated at the Mountain Ash
Mountain Ash, Wales
Mountain Ash is a town and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, deep in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. Mountain Ash is situated in the Cynon Valley and has a population of 7,039...
Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and the University of Wales, Swansea where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in political theory
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
and government. He finished his education at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
where he earned a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in comparative politics
Comparative politics
Comparative politics is a subfield of political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on "the how but does not specify...
. He was an assistant lecturer in social studies at the Glamorgan Polytechnic
University of Glamorgan
The University of Glamorgan is a university based in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales with campuses in Treforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern and Cardiff...
from 1964-1966. He lectured in politics at the Manchester Polytechnic
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
from 1968 until he became a senior politics lecturer at the Birmingham Polytechnic in 1970. He left this post when he was elected to Parliament in 1974. He was also a tutor with the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
from 1970 until 1973.
George unsuccessfully contested Southport
Southport (UK Parliament constituency)
Southport is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
at the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
but was defeated by the sitting Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Ian Percival
Ian Percival
Sir Walter Ian Percival QC , known as Ian Percival, was a British Conservative Party politician.Percival was educated at Latymer Upper School and St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. He was commissioned from Sandhurst into The Buffs in 1941 and served in World War II in North Africa and Burma,...
, coming third in the poll. He was elected to the House of Commons for Walsall South at the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
when he won the seat from the Conservative Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid
Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid
Major-General Sir Henry Joseph "Harry" d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet DSO, MC, DL, TD , was a British army officer, company director and politician....
by 1,580 votes, and has remained the MP there since.
George served as a member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee from 1979 until 2005, serving as Chairman of the Committee from 1997-2005. He became a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 2001.
Although he was an MP since 1974, George was never on the frontbench
Frontbencher
In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then known as being on the frontbench and are described as...
. He is seen as a supporter of NATO and a strong military. He is Leader of the UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and was elected Vice President of the Assembly in November 2007. In 2002, he was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
, and was re-elected in 2003. Between 2004 and June 2006, he served as President Emeritus and Special Advisor on Mediterranean Affairs. He also regularly acts an election monitor, most recently in the disputed Presidential elections in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
George has been married to Lisa Toelle since 1992. He is an Honorary Political Advisor to The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion , sometimes referred to as simply The Legion, is the United Kingdom's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants.-History:The British Legion was...
and Vice-President of the UK's largest professional security organisation, The Security Institute
The Security Institute
The Security Institute is a United Kingdom based professional body for security professionals.Membership of the Institute is open to security professionals, with other individuals with an interest in security being able to become affiliated. Based on validation of experience, training,...
. In 1981 he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
. He is a supporter of Walsall F.C.
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
and a Visiting Professor, University of Portsmouth, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies.
On 18 February 2010, George announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election. He was succeeded in his constituency by Valerie Vaz
Valerie Vaz
Valerie Carol Marian Vaz is a British politician and lawyer. A member of the Labour Party, she has served as the Member of Parliament for Walsall South since the 2010 general election.-Background:Vaz was born in Aden, Yemen...
.
Publications
- The State of the Alliance Co-Authored by Bruce George, 1987, Westfield Press Inc, ISBN 0-8133-7404-9
- Jane's NATO Handbook Edited by Bruce George, 1990, Jane's Information Group ISBN 0-7106-0598-6
- Jane's NATO Handbook Edited by Bruce George, 1991, Jane's Information Group ISBN 0-7106-0976-0
- The British Labour Party and Defence by Bruce George, 1992, Greenwood Press ISBN 0-275-94202-3
- Military Lessons of the Gulf War Co-Authored by Bruce George, 1993, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-136-3
- Worth Saving: The Story of the Staffordshire Regiment's Fight for Survival by Bruce George and Nick Ryan, 1996, Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd ISBN 1-85825-070-6
- Private Security by Mark Button and Bruce George, 2000, Perpetuity Press Ltd ISBN 1-899287-70-1