Nick Bourne
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Henry Bourne is a Welsh
Conservative
politician. He served as the Leader of the Welsh Conservative Party
and as a member of the National Assembly for Wales
for the Mid and West Wales electoral region from August 1999 until May 2011. During the 2011 assembly elections
he unexpectedly lost his regional list seat, due to Conservative gains at constituency level.
; and Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he was President of Cambridge University Lawyers and Treasurer of Cambridge University Conservative Association.
He is also a fluent speaker in Welsh and French.
, National Trust, and the British Heart Foundation.
Bourne has campaigned for rural communities, opposing wind farm
developments, the closure of post office
s and small schools, and supporting improved health care provision in non-urban areas. He also campaigns on issues such as the need for a referendum on plans to give the assembly law making powers, the future of the National Botanic Garden, and on the growing cost of government in Wales.
He was presented with the Local Campaigner of the Year Award, by BBC AM.PM show 2005; he also won AM of the Year 2005 from ITV.
. He was a member of the National Assembly Advisory Group, the body which set up the institution's working arrangements. He also contested Chesterfield in the 1983 general election.
First elected to the National Assembly for Wales
in 1999, and re-elected in 2003 and 2007
, Bourne sits on the Assembly's European and External Affairs committee and is the party's spokesman on constitutional matters. He has been leader of the Welsh Conservatives since August 1999, and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly since July 2007. Following a minor reshuffle in June 2008, Bourne also became the Shadow Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery in addition to his role as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly until 22 October 2008.
Bourne is also the Honorary President of Aberystwyth University Conservative Future
.
.
Bourne initially disassociated himself from the dossier, claiming Conservative Group staff had issued it without his knowledge or authorisation. Bourne was forced to admit later that he had signed off the dossier for publication.
For a brief period Bourne's future as Leader of the Conservative Group in the National Assembly for Wales was "in the balance" with media reports that Cardiff North Conservative Assembly Member Jonathan Morgan
reportedly challenging Bourne for the Leadership. This speculation was heightened by Morgan refusing a change of posts in Bourne's February 2009 reshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet in the Welsh Assembly with Morgan being left without a place on Bourne's front bench. However Bourne remains leader.
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...
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...
politician. He served as the Leader of the Welsh Conservative Party
Welsh Conservative Party
The Welsh Conservatives & Unionists , informally the Welsh Conservatives or Welsh Tories, are the part of the Conservative Party which operates in Wales...
and as a member of the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
for the Mid and West Wales electoral region from August 1999 until May 2011. During the 2011 assembly elections
National Assembly for Wales election, 2011
The National Assembly for Wales election 2011 was the most recent election for the National Assembly. The poll was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 and decided the incumbency for all the assembly's seats...
he unexpectedly lost his regional list seat, due to Conservative gains at constituency level.
Education
Bourne was the first of two children of the late, John Morgan Bourne and his wife, Joan Edith Mary Bourne. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Chelmsford; University of Wales, AberystwythUniversity of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
; and 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...
, where he was President of Cambridge University Lawyers and Treasurer of Cambridge University Conservative Association.
Professional career
A former Professor of Law, Bourne has been Assistant Principal of Swansea Institute of Higher Education, is also a visiting lecturer at Hong Kong University and an author.He is also a fluent speaker in Welsh and French.
Political interests
His political interests include the economy, foreign affairs, health and education. Bourne is also a supporter of charities and organizations in Wales, including the NSPCCNSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
, National Trust, and the British Heart Foundation.
Bourne has campaigned for rural communities, opposing wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
developments, the closure of post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
s and small schools, and supporting improved health care provision in non-urban areas. He also campaigns on issues such as the need for a referendum on plans to give the assembly law making powers, the future of the National Botanic Garden, and on the growing cost of government in Wales.
He was presented with the Local Campaigner of the Year Award, by BBC AM.PM show 2005; he also won AM of the Year 2005 from ITV.
Political career
Formerly, the Conservatives' Chief Spokesman in Wales and was the Conservative Party candidate in the 1984 Chesterfield by-electionChesterfield by-election, 1984
The Chesterfield by-election, 1984 was held on 1 March 1984 for a seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom to represent Chesterfield in Derbyshire...
. He was a member of the National Assembly Advisory Group, the body which set up the institution's working arrangements. He also contested Chesterfield in the 1983 general election.
First elected to the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
in 1999, and re-elected in 2003 and 2007
National Assembly for Wales election, 2007
The 2007 National Assembly election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament election took place...
, Bourne sits on the Assembly's European and External Affairs committee and is the party's spokesman on constitutional matters. He has been leader of the Welsh Conservatives since August 1999, and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly since July 2007. Following a minor reshuffle in June 2008, Bourne also became the Shadow Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery in addition to his role as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly until 22 October 2008.
Bourne is also the Honorary President of Aberystwyth University Conservative Future
Conservative Future
Conservative Future, abbreviated to CF, is the youth movement of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom for members aged up to 30 years old.Founded in 1998, Conservative Future is the largest political organisation on British campuses...
.
Scandals
Bourne has been involved in two notable scandals. In September 2008 the Conservatives in the Welsh Assembly published a dossier that contained personal attacks on Welsh First Minister Rhodri MorganRhodri Morgan
Hywel Rhodri Morgan is a Welsh Labour politician who, as First Secretary for Wales, and subsequently First Minister, was leader of the Welsh Assembly Government from 2000 to 2009. A former leader of Welsh Labour, he was the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011...
.
Bourne initially disassociated himself from the dossier, claiming Conservative Group staff had issued it without his knowledge or authorisation. Bourne was forced to admit later that he had signed off the dossier for publication.
For a brief period Bourne's future as Leader of the Conservative Group in the National Assembly for Wales was "in the balance" with media reports that Cardiff North Conservative Assembly Member Jonathan Morgan
Jonathan Morgan (Welsh politician)
Jonathan Morgan, is a Welsh Conservative politician, who served as a Conservative AM for South Wales Central from 1999–2007 and AM for Cardiff North from 2007-2011...
reportedly challenging Bourne for the Leadership. This speculation was heightened by Morgan refusing a change of posts in Bourne's February 2009 reshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet in the Welsh Assembly with Morgan being left without a place on Bourne's front bench. However Bourne remains leader.
Trivia
- Known in the Assembly as “Choad” Bourne, though he is Professor Nicholas Bourne, LLB LLM, law lecturer and barrister.
- Member of the Legislation Committee of the Assembly, and of the Standards of Conduct Committee.
- Stood in Brecon and Radnor but was beaten by the Lib Dem Kirsty Williams. But as no.1 on the Conservative regional list for Mid and West Wales, he won a top-up seat.
- Leader of the 9 Tories in the National Assembly (at a time when there are no Welsh Tories at Westminster), he was elected to the post after the resignation of Rod Richards. He made a small reshuffle of spokesmanships. He opposed the construction of a new Assembly chamber.
- He was formerly the chief spokesman for the Tories in Wales, appointed by William Hague, and had been beaten by Rod Richards in an earlier leadership contest. He was then seen as the moderate, more conciliatory candidate, but his Englishness (he was born in Newark) was held against him. The contest was fairly acrimonious. He was not in Richards’ campaign team, though he was given the Finance portfolio after the election.
- He had previously led the unsuccessful “Just Say NO” campaign against Welsh devolution during the 1997 referendum. He has had much experience of campaigning, having stood three times for Westminster. After the referendum he served on the National Assembly Advisory Group which drew up the ground rules for the Assembly.
- He is a member of the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body. Also member of : British Heart Foundation, Institute of Directors, Society of Authors, national Trust, NSPCC
- Active in Tory party at Cambridge (Treasurer of CUCA, president of CU Tory Lawyers), St Marylebone and in the Gower.
- Bourne, admitted during his time at Cambridge, that he was 'pro- Thathcer- in reference to, .
- Bourne is also 'pro-Europe. However he said, " I have never wavered on that, though I wouldn’t call myself fanatically pro-Europe by any means. But it has always seemed to me to be the right thing for Britain to be in the European Union".