Mark Fisher
Encyclopedia
Mark Fisher is a British
Labour Party
politician. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Stoke-on-Trent Central from 1983
to 2010 and Minister for the Arts
between 1997-98.
, the former Conservative
MP for Surbiton and Lady Gloria Vaughan, daughter of the 7th Earl of Lisburne
. He is the stepson of Ulster Unionist MP Patricia Ford
, which makes him the brother-in-law of Conservative MP Sir Michael Grylls
and uncle of explorer Bear Grylls
.
After the retirement of Tam Dalyell
in 2005, Fisher became the only Labour MP to have been educated at Eton College
. He read English Literature
at Trinity College, Cambridge
. After completing his education in 1966, he became a film producer
and screenwriter
, but in 1975 Fisher became the principal of the Tattenhall
Centre of Education in Cheshire
, where he remained until his election to Westminster
.
Before leaving University, Fisher had numerous low-paying jobs, including: working in a Cyril Lord
carpet
factory
in Northern Ireland
, as a waiter, as a kitchen porter, as a caddy
on a golf course
, insulating roofs
, on a travelling fairground
and as a folk
singer and guitarist
.
His film work consisted of writing screenplay
s for Harry Saltzman
and two stage plays
: in 1974 for the new Arts Council Horseshoe Theatre in Basingstoke
and, in 1988, for the Theatre Upstairs, at the Royal Court
in London
.
at the 1979 general election
but was defeated by David Knox
by 10,571 votes. He was elected as a councillor to the Staffordshire County Council in 1981 and remained a councillor until he stood down in 1985.
He was elected as an MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central at the 1983 general election
following the retirement of the sitting Labour MP Robert Cant
. Fisher held the seat with a majority of 8,250.
In parliament, Fisher served on the Treasury
Select Committee for three years from 1983. In 1985 he was appointed as an Opposition Whip
by Neil Kinnock
for a year in 1985. Following the 1987 General Election
he became the opposition spokesman on arts and media and following the 1992 general election
he became the spokesman on the Citizen's Charter
, a year later in 1993, however, he was back as a spokesman at the newly named Department for National Heritage. In 1992 he introduced the 'Right to Know Bill', a Private member's bill
, which, though unsuccessful, became the fore runner of the Freedom of Information Bill
.
After the Labour victory at the 1997 general Election
, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
as the Arts Minister by new prime minister
Tony Blair
. He rebelled against the government by voting against the party whip on the Competition Act 1998
, later he was sacked by Blair in his first reshuffle in 1998, and Fisher returned to the backbenches.
He has served as the Patron for the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged since 1986, and was a member of the BBC
General Advisory Council for ten years from 1987. He also served as a council member of the Institute for Policy Studies
1985-1995, and was the deputy Pro Chancellor of Keele University
from 1989 until his entry to government in 1997. In 2000 he was a visiting fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford.
In June 2009, Fisher called on Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
to resign. In the expenses scandal
he claimed over £17,000, none of which he was required to pay back. The bulk of this sum was spent mortgage and utility payments on his second home. Some of his more bizarre expenses claims include a 34 pence Kit Kat
bar, a bottle of Toilet Duck
and a pack of chunky crayons and face painting kit.
On 10 March 2010, Fisher announced that, due to health reasons, he would stand down as an MP at the 2010 General Election. He suffers from hydrocephalus
, commonly known as water on the brain.
and the Scottish National Party
's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.
He also opposes foundation hospitals and the Trident
system, voting against these issues in the House of Commons. He also opposed the 42 day detention without charge policy and the 10p tax.
Fisher believes that Parliament has become too much of a rubber stamp for government policy. He chaired the 'Parliament First' group, which seeks to restore the balance of power to Parliament.
His particular interest of the arts has led him to criticize the Blair administration
for what he called its obsession with "popular music, youth culture and new technologies" and "art created for and by young people", instead he wished for a more "balanced" cultural policy.
, as well as taking over the upbringing of Hunt's two children by her previous marriage, the musician Crispin Hunt and the actress Francesca Hunt
. The couple divorced in 1999. He is self-effacing and has compared himself to looking like Humpty Dumpty
. He has lived in the Stoke-on-Trent district of Hartshill since first running for Parliament.
Fisher refused the offer of a peerage
ahead of the 2001 General Election.
Fisher's 2004 book Britain's Best Museums and Galleries listed what were, in his opinion, the 350 best museums in the country.
In October 2009, it was revealed that Fisher is paid £67,000 a year as an adviser to a museum in the Middle East. The Qatar Museums Authority
pay Fisher this sum for three board meetings a year.
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. He was 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 Stoke-on-Trent Central from 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
to 2010 and Minister for the Arts
Minister for the Arts
In the United Kingdom government, the Minister for the Arts is a ministerial post, usually a low to middle-ranking minister to the much senior Secretary of State, who runs the entire department and is ultimately responsibility for the department's brief....
between 1997-98.
Early life
Mark Fisher is the son of Sir Nigel FisherNigel Fisher
Sir Nigel Thomas Loveridge Fisher MC was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Fisher was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was in the Welsh Guards of the British Army during World War II, serving as a major in north west Europe. He was awarded the...
, the former 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 for Surbiton and Lady Gloria Vaughan, daughter of the 7th Earl of Lisburne
Earl of Lisburne
Earl of Lisburne is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for Wilmot Vaughan, 4th Viscount Lisburne. He notably represented Cardiganshire and Berwick-upon-Tweed in the House of Commons and held minor governmental office. His younger son, the third Earl, sat as Member of...
. He is the stepson of Ulster Unionist MP Patricia Ford
Patricia Ford
Patricia Ford is an American model of multi-ethnic ancestry .-Career:...
, which makes him the brother-in-law of Conservative MP Sir Michael Grylls
Michael Grylls
Sir William Michael John Grylls, known as Michael Grylls, was a British Conservative politician. He was implicated in the cash-for-questions affair, a poitical scandal of the 1990s...
and uncle of explorer Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls is an English adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, known as Born Survivor in the United Kingdom...
.
After the retirement of Tam Dalyell
Tam Dalyell
Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch, 11th Baronet , known as Tam Dalyell, is a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow.-Early life:...
in 2005, Fisher became the only Labour MP to have been educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. He read English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. After completing his education in 1966, he became a film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, but in 1975 Fisher became the principal of the Tattenhall
Tattenhall
Tattenhall is a village and civil parish, 8 miles south-east of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was recorded as 1,986.-History:...
Centre of Education in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, where he remained until his election to Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
.
Before leaving University, Fisher had numerous low-paying jobs, including: working in a Cyril Lord
Cyril Lord
Cyril Lord was a British entrepreneur known principally for the manufacture of carpets during the 1960s. Born at Droylsden, Lancashire, Lord spent his early years living in a community of textile mill-workers....
carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, as a waiter, as a kitchen porter, as a caddy
Caddy
In golf, a caddy is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin...
on a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, insulating roofs
Building insulation
building insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...
, on a travelling fairground
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
and as a folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
His film work consisted of writing screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s for Harry Saltzman
Harry Saltzman
Harry Saltzman was a Canadian theatre and film producer best known for his mega-gamble which resulted in his co-producing the James Bond film series with Albert R...
and two stage plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
: in 1974 for the new Arts Council Horseshoe Theatre in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
and, in 1988, for the Theatre Upstairs, at the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Political career
Fisher unsuccessfully contested LeekLeek (UK Parliament constituency)
Leek was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
but was defeated by David Knox
David Knox (UK politician)
Sir David Laidlaw Knox is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Conservative MP for Leek, Staffordshire from 1970 to 1983, and for Staffordshire Moorlands from 1983 to 1997, when he retired....
by 10,571 votes. He was elected as a councillor to the Staffordshire County Council in 1981 and remained a councillor until he stood down in 1985.
He was elected as an MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central at the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
following the retirement of the sitting Labour MP Robert Cant
Robert Cant
Robert Bowen Cant was a British Labour politician.-Early life:Cant was educated at Middlesbrough High School for Boys and the London School of Economics, and served with the Royal Corps of Signals...
. Fisher held the seat with a majority of 8,250.
In parliament, Fisher served on the Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
Select Committee for three years from 1983. In 1985 he was appointed as an Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
by Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
for a year in 1985. Following the 1987 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
he became the opposition spokesman on arts and media and following the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
he became the spokesman on the Citizen's Charter
Citizen's Charter
The Citizen's Charter was a British political initiative launched by the then Prime Minister, John Major, on 22 July 1991, less than a year into his premiership.It aimed to improve public services in the UK by:...
, a year later in 1993, however, he was back as a spokesman at the newly named Department for National Heritage. In 1992 he introduced the 'Right to Know Bill', a Private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
, which, though unsuccessful, became the fore runner of the Freedom of Information Bill
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public "right of access" to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United Kingdom on a national level...
.
After the Labour victory at the 1997 general Election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
as the Arts Minister by new prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. He rebelled against the government by voting against the party whip on the Competition Act 1998
Competition Act 1998
The Competition Act 1998 is the current major source of competition policy in the UK along with Enterprise Act 2002. The act provides an updated framework for identifying and dealing with restrictive business practices and abuse of a dominant market position....
, later he was sacked by Blair in his first reshuffle in 1998, and Fisher returned to the backbenches.
He has served as the Patron for the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged since 1986, and was a member of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
General Advisory Council for ten years from 1987. He also served as a council member of the Institute for Policy Studies
Institute for Policy Studies
Institute for Policy Studies is a left-wing think tank based in Washington, D.C..It has been directed by John Cavanagh since 1998- History :...
1985-1995, and was the deputy Pro Chancellor of Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
from 1989 until his entry to government in 1997. In 2000 he was a visiting fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford.
In June 2009, Fisher called on Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
to resign. In the expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
he claimed over £17,000, none of which he was required to pay back. The bulk of this sum was spent mortgage and utility payments on his second home. Some of his more bizarre expenses claims include a 34 pence Kit Kat
Kit Kat
Kit Kat is a chocolate-coated wafer confection that was created by Rowntree's of York, England, and is now produced worldwide by Nestlé, which acquired Rowntree in 1988, except in the United States where it is made under licence by The Hershey Company. Each bar consists of fingers composed of three...
bar, a bottle of Toilet Duck
Toilet Duck
Toilet Duck is a brand name toilet cleaner noted for the duck-shape of its bottle, so shaped to assist in dispensing the cleaner under the rim. The design was patented in the 1980s by Walter Düring from Dällikon, Switzerland. It is now produced by S. C. Johnson & Son.Toilet Duck suppliers are...
and a pack of chunky crayons and face painting kit.
On 10 March 2010, Fisher announced that, due to health reasons, he would stand down as an MP at the 2010 General Election. He suffers from hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
, commonly known as water on the brain.
Political views
On 31 October 2006, Fisher was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
and the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.
He also opposes foundation hospitals and the Trident
Trident
A trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...
system, voting against these issues in the House of Commons. He also opposed the 42 day detention without charge policy and the 10p tax.
Fisher believes that Parliament has become too much of a rubber stamp for government policy. He chaired the 'Parliament First' group, which seeks to restore the balance of power to Parliament.
His particular interest of the arts has led him to criticize the Blair administration
Premiership of Tony Blair
The Premiership of Tony Blair began on 2 May 1997 and ended on 27 June 2007. While serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Blair concurrently served as the First Lord of the Treasury, the Minister for the Civil Service, the Leader of the Labour Party , and a Member of Parliament for the...
for what he called its obsession with "popular music, youth culture and new technologies" and "art created for and by young people", instead he wished for a more "balanced" cultural policy.
Personal life
Fisher married Ingrid Geech Hunt in 1971 and fathered two children, Rhydian Fisher, and the actress India FisherIndia Fisher
India Fisher is a British actress born in 1974. Her father is the ex-MP Mark Fisher. She is also the stepsister of musician Crispin Hunt and of actress Francesca Hunt, who appears with her in the play Other Lives....
, as well as taking over the upbringing of Hunt's two children by her previous marriage, the musician Crispin Hunt and the actress Francesca Hunt
Francesca Hunt
Francesca Hunt is a British actress. She has starred in two television drama series for the BBC, Roughnecks and Strathblair, as well as the sitcom A Prince Among Men and several one-off dramas including Over Here. In between TV appearances, she has also managed to play some of Britain's most...
. The couple divorced in 1999. He is self-effacing and has compared himself to looking like Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English language nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an egg and has appeared or been referred to in a large number of works of literature and popular culture...
. He has lived in the Stoke-on-Trent district of Hartshill since first running for Parliament.
Fisher refused the offer of a peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
ahead of the 2001 General Election.
Fisher's 2004 book Britain's Best Museums and Galleries listed what were, in his opinion, the 350 best museums in the country.
In October 2009, it was revealed that Fisher is paid £67,000 a year as an adviser to a museum in the Middle East. The Qatar Museums Authority
Qatar Museums Authority
The Qatar Museums Authority is the peak body of museums in Qatar. The QMA was founded in late 2005, its CEO is Abdullah Al-Najjar. and since 2008 its director is Roger Mandle. The QMA was the bid leader for Qatar's successful candidature to join the UNESCO heritage panel in 2011...
pay Fisher this sum for three board meetings a year.
External links
- Official Website
- Voting Record publicwhip.org.uk
- Profile at theyworkforyou.com
- BBC Politics Profile
- Contact Details guardian.co.uk