Adrian Slade
Encyclopedia
Adrian Carnegie Slade, CBE, born 25 May 1936, is a British
Liberal Democrat politician and advertising agency founder.
He was educated at Trinity College
, Cambridge, where he became President of the Footlights
, and famously recruited Peter Cook
to the society.
He was a Liberal Party
parliamentary candidate in the 1960s and 1970s,
contesting Putney
in 1966
, February 1974
and October 1974
. He stood as an SDP–Liberal Alliance candidate in Wimbledon
in 1987
.
He scored an upset win in the 1981 elections
to the Greater London Council
(GLC), winning the Richmond seat from the Conservatives
by just 115 votes. He became Leader of the SDP–Liberal Alliance group on the GLC, and remained so until the GLC's dissolution in 1986.
He served as the last ever President of the Liberal Party
, from 1987 to 1988, conducting its merger negotiations with the SDP
. He was vice-president of the Liberal Democrats
1988-9.
He is also known within Liberal Party circles as a pianist and singer, talents which he shared with his brother Julian Slade
. There is a third brother, Sir Christopher Slade (Lord Justice of Appeal, 1982–1991) and a sister.
He has two children, Nicola and Rupert, with his wife Sue.
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...
Liberal Democrat politician and advertising agency founder.
He was educated at Trinity College
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...
, Cambridge, where he became President of the Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
, and famously recruited Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
to the society.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
parliamentary candidate in the 1960s and 1970s,
contesting Putney
Putney (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections 1950–1979:-Elections 1918–1945:-Notes and references:...
in 1966
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, 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,...
and October 1974
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
. He stood as an SDP–Liberal Alliance candidate in Wimbledon
Wimbledon (UK Parliament constituency)
Wimbledon is one of two parliamentary constituencies in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first-past-the-post voting system....
in 1987
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 scored an upset win in the 1981 elections
Greater London Council election, 1981
Turnout: 2,250,118 people voted. All parties shown.This was the last election to the GLC. The Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher took the decision to abolish the council in the mid-1980s. For more information on this see the article, Greater London Council. Following the abolition of...
to the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
(GLC), winning the Richmond seat from the Conservatives
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...
by just 115 votes. He became Leader of the SDP–Liberal Alliance group on the GLC, and remained so until the GLC's dissolution in 1986.
He served as the last ever President of the Liberal Party
President of the Liberal Party (UK)
This is a list of people who served as President of the British Liberal Party. The Liberal Party merged into the Liberal Democrats in 1988.The post was established in 1877 as President of the National Liberal Federation...
, from 1987 to 1988, conducting its merger negotiations with the SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
. He was vice-president of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
1988-9.
He is also known within Liberal Party circles as a pianist and singer, talents which he shared with his brother Julian Slade
Julian Slade
Julian Penkivil Slade was an English writer of musical theatre best known for the show Salad Days, which he wrote in six weeks in 1954 and became the UK's longest-running show of the 1950s with over 2,288 performances....
. There is a third brother, Sir Christopher Slade (Lord Justice of Appeal, 1982–1991) and a sister.
He has two children, Nicola and Rupert, with his wife Sue.