Russell Deacon
Encyclopedia
Professor Russell Deacon currently has a part time post in Modern Welsh Political History at the University of Wales, Trinity St David, in their Department of History. He was born in Newbury
, Berkshire in 1966 to Garry Raymond Deacon and Margaret (Mandy) Jean Deacon (nee Smith). His father, Garry, was a serving police officer who later rose to the rank of superintendent. His mother Mandy was then a finance clerk who went on to spend a long career in the NHS. He has one brother, Gavin, who served a military career which included action in Sierra Leone, Kosova and the second Gulf War. Professor Deacon has lived in the Rhondda Valley, Cardiff
and Pontypridd
in the 24 years he has lived in Wales. He currently lives with his wife Tracey, a Principal Public Health Specialist for Public Health Wales, in Caerphilly
with their daughter Alexandra.
, then to Reading and Aylesbury Colleges. He studied Business Studies, Accountancy and Law at vocational and A level. He went onto work for a number of major companies in a finance role, including Equitable Life
, Granada TV and Medicare. In 1987 he spent a period living in Memphis, Tennessee
and has been a regular visitor to the United States in the following decades. Professor Deacon has now visited 26 of the 50 states. In the same year as he lived in Memphis Professor Deacon became an undergraduate on the BA (Hons) Public Administration degree programme in the University Glamorgan where he met his future wife Tracey. This was a four year degree and he spent the sandwich year working in the European Affairs Division of the Welsh Office. After graduating from the University of Glamorgan
he spent a further year undertaking postgraduate study at Cardiff University. In 1999 he was also awarded a Ph.D from the University of Glamorgan on ‘The Welsh Office and the Policy Process’.
Professor Deacon’s was also been closely associated with the running of the ERASMUS programme in UWIC. This programme has seen around 200 students experience study abroad either in UWIC or in one of the Department’s many European partners. Professor Deacon has become an expert in the ERASMUS study programme and its academic impact on the learning process. In this respect he has also presented at academic conferences and published in academic journals. Professor Deacon is committed Europhile and is also well travelled in European. He has visited 36 European countries, only one of these Bulgaria, however, did he do for the first time through ERASMUS.
Professor Deacon has also had a long period directly involved in politics specifically for the Welsh Liberal Democrats
. In 1992 and 1997 he was the agent in the Rhondda Valley, the later time for Dr Rodney Berman
the current leader of Cardiff City Council. Although he stood for council office 15 times he was only successful twice, he currently serves on Van Community Council as the only elected Liberal Democrat in the Caerphilly County Borough area. In the 1997 referendum Professor Deacon served on the Board of the Yes for Wales Campaign, directed by Leighton Andrews
. On the night of the referendum itself he provided the expert media coverage for ITN. In 1998 he worked for a while in Westminster in support of the Welsh Liberal Democrats during the drafting of the Government of Wales Act 1998
under the late Lord Richard Livsey. In 1999 he was seconded to the National Assembly for Wales for one year to help set up the administrative structures. There he worked directly to Lord German, the then leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
Professor Deacon has made numerous media appearances for BBC programmes such as AM/PM, the Politics Show, television series such as Coming Home and The History of Wales, as well as radio programmes on Radios 2, 4 and Radio Wales. Professor Deacon became the Chair of the Campaign for a Welsh Parliament between 2005-2008. He also serves on the Boards of the National Library of Wales
Political Archives, the Welsh Council of the European Movement, History Research Wales and the Liberal History Society. In addition Professor Deacon is the convenor of the British Liberal Political Studies Group, part of the Political Studies Association
.
Professor Deacon was an advisor to the Electoral Reform Society
on the referendum in May 2011 on the Alternative Vote. He has appeared as an expert witness before many Westminster and Welsh Assembly Commissions on electoral and political reform. In recent years Professor Deacon has also advised the WJEC
on the syllabus for the Welsh AS and A level programmes in Politics. His political advice has been sought by a number different organisations and individuals including some members of the present Westminster government’s Cabinet.
, the WJEC politic students’ conference and at a number of European Universities including the University of Gent, Johan Guttenberg University in Mainz and the University of Plovdiv in Bulgaria. In 2010 Professor Deacon was made a royal fellow when he was elected to the Royal Historical Society.
Professor Deacon has written around 80 articles, book chapters and books. The main books he had written in the last decade are:
Devolved Great Britain: the New Governance of England, Scotland and Wales, with Dylan Griffiths and Peter Lynch, Sheffield Hallam University Press, 2000
‘God Bless the Prince of Wales’, with Steve Belzak, Centre for Reform in Wales, 2000
The Welsh Office and the Policy Process (1964–1999), Welsh Academic Press, 2002
Devolution in Britain Today, Manchester University Press, 2006
Devolved Great Britain: the New Governance of England, Scotland and Wales with Alan Sandry, Edinburgh University Press, 2007
Forthcoming
The Welsh Liberal Tradition, A History of the Welsh Liberal Party 1867–2008, Welsh Academic Press, 2011
Devolution in Great Britain, Edinburgh University Press, 2012
Newbury
-In the United Kingdom:* Newbury, Berkshire**Newbury **Newbury Racecourse**Newbury F.C.**A.F.C. Newbury**Newbury R.F.C.**Newbury Building Society**Newbury Weekly News**Newbury College**Newbury railway station...
, Berkshire in 1966 to Garry Raymond Deacon and Margaret (Mandy) Jean Deacon (nee Smith). His father, Garry, was a serving police officer who later rose to the rank of superintendent. His mother Mandy was then a finance clerk who went on to spend a long career in the NHS. He has one brother, Gavin, who served a military career which included action in Sierra Leone, Kosova and the second Gulf War. Professor Deacon has lived in the Rhondda Valley, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
in the 24 years he has lived in Wales. He currently lives with his wife Tracey, a Principal Public Health Specialist for Public Health Wales, in Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
with their daughter Alexandra.
Education
Professor Deacon went to Denefield SchoolDenefield School
Denefield School is a secondary school located in Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, England. The school was founded in 1976 and opened with 180 students in Year 7. Since then Denefield has continued to grow, with approximately 1,200 students attending during the 2005-2006 school year...
, then to Reading and Aylesbury Colleges. He studied Business Studies, Accountancy and Law at vocational and A level. He went onto work for a number of major companies in a finance role, including Equitable Life
Equitable Life
The Equitable Life Assurance Society , founded 1762, is a life insurance company in the United Kingdom. The world's oldest mutual insurer, it pioneered age based premiums based on mortality rate laying “the framework for scientific insurance practice and development” and “the basis of modern life...
, Granada TV and Medicare. In 1987 he spent a period living in Memphis, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and has been a regular visitor to the United States in the following decades. Professor Deacon has now visited 26 of the 50 states. In the same year as he lived in Memphis Professor Deacon became an undergraduate on the BA (Hons) Public Administration degree programme in the University Glamorgan where he met his future wife Tracey. This was a four year degree and he spent the sandwich year working in the European Affairs Division of the Welsh Office. After graduating from the University of Glamorgan
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...
he spent a further year undertaking postgraduate study at Cardiff University. In 1999 he was also awarded a Ph.D from the University of Glamorgan on ‘The Welsh Office and the Policy Process’.
Academic career
Professor Deacon’s professional career at UWIC started in 1992 when he was employed to teach public affairs to the National Council for Journalists professional training courses. He served in the Business School for the next 8 years finishing their as the director of research on the MBA programme. In 2001 he helped start the Humanities courses at UWIC in the School of Lifelong Learning. The first cohort had around 45 students, the degree programmes now, in the School of Education, have around 350 students connected with the Humanities pathways. In 2006 he became Head of the newly formed Department of Humanities. Then in 2008 he became the Acting Director of Research for the School of Education. In April 2010 he was awarded a personal chair by UWIC and made his inorgaral lecture on Politics and Humour in February 2011. Professor Deacon left UWIC in July 2011 and from the Autumn of 2011 has worked with the Deaprtment of History at the University of Wales Trinity St DavidsProfessor Deacon’s was also been closely associated with the running of the ERASMUS programme in UWIC. This programme has seen around 200 students experience study abroad either in UWIC or in one of the Department’s many European partners. Professor Deacon has become an expert in the ERASMUS study programme and its academic impact on the learning process. In this respect he has also presented at academic conferences and published in academic journals. Professor Deacon is committed Europhile and is also well travelled in European. He has visited 36 European countries, only one of these Bulgaria, however, did he do for the first time through ERASMUS.
Professor Deacon has also had a long period directly involved in politics specifically for the Welsh Liberal Democrats
Welsh Liberal Democrats
The Welsh Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties of the federal Liberal Democrats and operate within Wales, the others being the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England....
. In 1992 and 1997 he was the agent in the Rhondda Valley, the later time for Dr Rodney Berman
Rodney Berman
Rodney Berman, a Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Plasnewydd ward, is leader of Cardiff Council .A Glaswegian by birth, Rodney studied at the University of Glasgow where he helped run Glasgow University Liberal Democrats before moving to Wales to study towards a PhD.He has stood for election to...
the current leader of Cardiff City Council. Although he stood for council office 15 times he was only successful twice, he currently serves on Van Community Council as the only elected Liberal Democrat in the Caerphilly County Borough area. In the 1997 referendum Professor Deacon served on the Board of the Yes for Wales Campaign, directed by Leighton Andrews
Leighton Andrews
Leighton Andrews is a Welsh Labour politician, currently the National Assembly for Wales member for Rhondda since 2003...
. On the night of the referendum itself he provided the expert media coverage for ITN. In 1998 he worked for a while in Westminster in support of the Welsh Liberal Democrats during the drafting of the Government of Wales Act 1998
Government of Wales Act 1998
This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998 This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998...
under the late Lord Richard Livsey. In 1999 he was seconded to the National Assembly for Wales for one year to help set up the administrative structures. There he worked directly to Lord German, the then leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
Professor Deacon has made numerous media appearances for BBC programmes such as AM/PM, the Politics Show, television series such as Coming Home and The History of Wales, as well as radio programmes on Radios 2, 4 and Radio Wales. Professor Deacon became the Chair of the Campaign for a Welsh Parliament between 2005-2008. He also serves on the Boards of the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
Political Archives, the Welsh Council of the European Movement, History Research Wales and the Liberal History Society. In addition Professor Deacon is the convenor of the British Liberal Political Studies Group, part of the Political Studies Association
Political Studies Association
The Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom is an association of political scientists that exists to develop and promote the study of politics in the United Kingdom...
.
Professor Deacon was an advisor to the Electoral Reform Society
Electoral Reform Society
The Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.-Aims:...
on the referendum in May 2011 on the Alternative Vote. He has appeared as an expert witness before many Westminster and Welsh Assembly Commissions on electoral and political reform. In recent years Professor Deacon has also advised the WJEC
WJEC
WJEC is an examination board that provides examinations, assessment, professional development, educational resources, support for adults who wish to learn Welsh and access to youth arts activities...
on the syllabus for the Welsh AS and A level programmes in Politics. His political advice has been sought by a number different organisations and individuals including some members of the present Westminster government’s Cabinet.
Publications
Professor Deacon has developed his research in both contemporary politics and history and has therefore published numerous articles and books related to this. In particular he has written on the topics of devolution and the history of the Liberal Party in Wales and the UK. Professor Deacon has also been a key note speaker at the Lloyd George SocietyLloyd George Society
The Lloyd George Society is an organisation connected to, but not formally affiliated to, the United Kingdom political party the Liberal Democrats. It is named after David Lloyd George, the Welsh Liberal politician who was British prime minister from 1916-1922. The Society was founded in the late...
, the WJEC politic students’ conference and at a number of European Universities including the University of Gent, Johan Guttenberg University in Mainz and the University of Plovdiv in Bulgaria. In 2010 Professor Deacon was made a royal fellow when he was elected to the Royal Historical Society.
Professor Deacon has written around 80 articles, book chapters and books. The main books he had written in the last decade are:
Devolved Great Britain: the New Governance of England, Scotland and Wales, with Dylan Griffiths and Peter Lynch, Sheffield Hallam University Press, 2000
‘God Bless the Prince of Wales’, with Steve Belzak, Centre for Reform in Wales, 2000
The Welsh Office and the Policy Process (1964–1999), Welsh Academic Press, 2002
Devolution in Britain Today, Manchester University Press, 2006
Devolved Great Britain: the New Governance of England, Scotland and Wales with Alan Sandry, Edinburgh University Press, 2007
Forthcoming
The Welsh Liberal Tradition, A History of the Welsh Liberal Party 1867–2008, Welsh Academic Press, 2011
Devolution in Great Britain, Edinburgh University Press, 2012