David Hart (UK political activist)
Encyclopedia
David Hart was a British writer, businessman, and adviser to Margaret Thatcher
.
, a legal philosopher, and Charles Hart
, a lyricist.
Hart was educated at Eton
. After an early period in which he made avant garde
films (in the circle of Bruce Robinson
who made Withnail and I
), he moved into property, a field in which he became a millionaire by the late 1960s. He declared himself bankrupt in 1974, though this was discharged in 1978. A later inheritance restored his fortunes.
politics and the Centre for Policy Studies
think-tank. He wrote speeches for Archie Hamilton
MP, a friend from Eton.
In the early 1980s Lady Thatcher involved Hart in negotiations with the Ronald Reagan
US administration regarding their "Star Wars" Strategic Defence Initiative.
During the miners' strike of 1984–85
he was an unpaid advisor to Thatcher, the National Coal Board
and its chair Ian MacGregor
. He was a controversial figure during the 1984–5 miners strike and was instrumental in organising and funding the anti-strike campaign in the coalfields, including funding a breakaway miners union, the Union of Democratic Mineworkers
. His involvement in aiding working miners extended to employing former members of the SAS
to protect the families of working miners and using the resources of 'the secret state'. Hart's involvement was eventually a source of bitterness for the UDM's leader Roy Lynk.
In 1987 he formed the Campaign for a Free Britain
, “an extreme right wing organization”, funded by Rupert Murdoch
which at one point called for “the legalization of all drugs”, and which used “anti-gay material during their anti-Labour campaign in 1987”.
Towards the end of Hungarian communism, David Hart channelled support from the West to a Hungarian political movement known as Fidesz, which at the time was a ragtag collection of students and activists. Within a year, Hungarian communism fell and members of Fidesz were part of the new government.
In the autumn of 1993 he was appointed as a personal advisor to Malcolm Rifkind
, Secretary of State for Defence, a position Hart retained when Michael Portillo
succeeded Rifkind. Reportedly a long-standing Portillo contact, Hart is credited with writing the 'Who Dares Wins' conclusion to Portillo's 1995 Conservative Party Conference speech. He was also involved in the 2005 plan to install 40 telephones and fax machines in a Lord Smith Street house for a Portillo leadership challenge to Prime Minister John Major
which never emerged.
In the 2000s he was involved in the international defence industry – including being a lobbyist for BAE
and Boeing
. In 2004 an arrest warrant for Hart was issued concerning his alleged involvement in that year's coup attempt
in Equatorial Guinea
. In 2007 The Guardian
newspaper alleged Hart had received £13million in secret payments from BAE Systems
, via Defence Consultancy Ltd, an anonymously registered company based in the British Virgin Islands
. While BAE was under investigation for corruption at the time, Hart himself was not thought to have done anything illegal.
published the novel GB84, a “fiction based on a fact” of the miners strike. The book’s most controversial feature was Stephen Sweet, who is referred to throughout by his driver as "The Jew", a vain and obsessive character allegedly based on David Hart.
However in Francis Beckett
and David Henckes’ study on the miners' strike, Marching to the Fault Line, Hart features more as light relief.
, first at Coldham Hall
, near Stanningfield
, Bury St Edmunds and then at nearby Chadacre Hall in Shimpling
.
The father of five children by four women, in an article for The Daily Telegraph
in June 2009, Hart revealed he had been living with primary lateral sclerosis
, a form of motor neurone disease
since 2003. He died on 5 January 2011.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
.
Early life
David Hart was the eldest of the two sons of Anglo-Jewish businessman Louis Albert Hart, the founder of the Henry Ansbacher merchant bank. Hart came from a prominent Anglo-Jewish family which has contributed to public life in the U.K. Other noted public figures from his family include his uncle, Ferdinand Mount as well as Professor H. L. A. HartH. L. A. Hart
Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart was an influential legal philosopher of the 20th century. He was Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University and the Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford. He authored The Concept of Law....
, a legal philosopher, and Charles Hart
Charles Hart (lyricist)
Charles Hart is a British lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for re-writing the lyrics to, and contributing to the book of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical The Phantom of the Opera. He also co-wrote the lyrics to Lloyd Webber's 1989 musical Aspects of Love...
, a lyricist.
Hart was educated at Eton
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"....
. After an early period in which he made avant garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
films (in the circle of Bruce Robinson
Bruce Robinson
Bruce Robinson is an English director, screenwriter, novelist and actor. He is arguably most famous for writing and directing the cult classic Withnail and I , a film with comic and tragic elements, set in London during the 1960s which drew on his experiences as 'a chronic alcoholic and resting...
who made Withnail and I
Withnail and I
Withnail and I is a British black comedy made in 1986 by HandMade Films. It was written and directed by Bruce Robinson and is based on his life in London in the late 1960s. The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail and “I” who live in a squalid flat in Camden in 1969 while...
), he moved into property, a field in which he became a millionaire by the late 1960s. He declared himself bankrupt in 1974, though this was discharged in 1978. A later inheritance restored his fortunes.
Political advisor
By the late 1970s he was involved in Conservative PartyConservative 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...
politics and the Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies is a British right wing policy think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence...
think-tank. He wrote speeches for Archie Hamilton
Archie Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom
Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, PC is a British Conservative Party politician.-Background and education:...
MP, a friend from Eton.
In the early 1980s Lady Thatcher involved Hart in negotiations with the Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
US administration regarding their "Star Wars" Strategic Defence Initiative.
During the miners' strike of 1984–85
UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
he was an unpaid advisor to Thatcher, the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
and its chair Ian MacGregor
Ian MacGregor
Sir Ian Kinloch MacGregor, KBE was a Scottish-American metallurgist and industrialist, most famous in the UK for his controversial tenure at British Steel and his conduct during the 1984-1985 miner's strike while managing the National Coal Board.-Early life:Born in Kinlochleven, Scotland, his...
. He was a controversial figure during the 1984–5 miners strike and was instrumental in organising and funding the anti-strike campaign in the coalfields, including funding a breakaway miners union, the Union of Democratic Mineworkers
Union of Democratic Mineworkers
The Union of Democratic Mineworkers is a British trade union not recognised by the TUC or the Labour party for coal miners, which is based in Nottinghamshire, England...
. His involvement in aiding working miners extended to employing former members of the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
to protect the families of working miners and using the resources of 'the secret state'. Hart's involvement was eventually a source of bitterness for the UDM's leader Roy Lynk.
In 1987 he formed the Campaign for a Free Britain
Committee for a Free Britain
The Committee for a Free Britain was a right-wing political pressure-group in the United Kingdom...
, “an extreme right wing organization”, funded by Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
which at one point called for “the legalization of all drugs”, and which used “anti-gay material during their anti-Labour campaign in 1987”.
Towards the end of Hungarian communism, David Hart channelled support from the West to a Hungarian political movement known as Fidesz, which at the time was a ragtag collection of students and activists. Within a year, Hungarian communism fell and members of Fidesz were part of the new government.
In the autumn of 1993 he was appointed as a personal advisor to Malcolm Rifkind
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
, Secretary of State for Defence, a position Hart retained when Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
succeeded Rifkind. Reportedly a long-standing Portillo contact, Hart is credited with writing the 'Who Dares Wins' conclusion to Portillo's 1995 Conservative Party Conference speech. He was also involved in the 2005 plan to install 40 telephones and fax machines in a Lord Smith Street house for a Portillo leadership challenge to Prime Minister John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
which never emerged.
In the 2000s he was involved in the international defence industry – including being a lobbyist for BAE
BAE
BAE Systems, a British defence, security and aerospace companyBAE may also refer to:*British Aerospace , a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer...
and Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
. In 2004 an arrest warrant for Hart was issued concerning his alleged involvement in that year's coup attempt
2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt
The 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt, also known as the Wonga coup, was an alleged coup attempt against the government of Equatorial Guinea in order to replace President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with exiled opposition politician Severo Moto, carried out by mercenaries and organised...
in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
. In 2007 The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper alleged Hart had received £13million in secret payments from BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
, via Defence Consultancy Ltd, an anonymously registered company based in the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
. While BAE was under investigation for corruption at the time, Hart himself was not thought to have done anything illegal.
Novelist and playwright
Hart wrote numerous plays including Victoriana, The Little Rabbi, The Ark & the Covenant, and two novels, The Colonel and Come to the Edge.Cultural depictions
In 2004 the author David PeaceDavid Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
published the novel GB84, a “fiction based on a fact” of the miners strike. The book’s most controversial feature was Stephen Sweet, who is referred to throughout by his driver as "The Jew", a vain and obsessive character allegedly based on David Hart.
However in Francis Beckett
Francis Beckett
Francis Beckett is an English author, journalist, biographer, and contemporary historian. He has written biographies of Aneurin Bevan, Clement Attlee, Harold Macmillan, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. He has also written on education for the New Statesman, The Guardian and The Independent...
and David Henckes’ study on the miners' strike, Marching to the Fault Line, Hart features more as light relief.
Personal life
Hart lived in some style in SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, first at Coldham Hall
Coldham Hall
Coldham Hall is a Grade I listed building, built in 1574, that is located in the parish of Stanningfield in Suffolk. The Hall is very close to the village of Lawshall, and part of the Coldham estate is located within this parish.-Description:...
, near Stanningfield
Stanningfield
Stanningfield is a village in the parish of Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield, in the St Edmundsbury District, in the English county of Suffolk. The village also consists of the area Hoggard's Green...
, Bury St Edmunds and then at nearby Chadacre Hall in Shimpling
Shimpling
Shimpling is a village and civil parish in south Suffolk, England. Located around 7 miles from Bury St Edmunds, it is part of Babergh district. The village is essentially split into two halves, the newer Shimpling Street and around 2 miles away the actual village of Shimpling...
.
The father of five children by four women, in an article for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
in June 2009, Hart revealed he had been living with primary lateral sclerosis
Primary lateral sclerosis
Primary lateral sclerosis is a rare neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness in the voluntary muscles. PLS belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases...
, a form of motor neurone disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
since 2003. He died on 5 January 2011.