Graham Watson

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Graham Watson 2007

Sir Graham Watson (born March 23, 1956 in Rothesay (Scotland) ) is a British European politician of the Liberal Democrats . From 1994 to 2014 he was a member of the European Parliament and in 2002 he became the group leader of the European Liberal, Democratic and Reform Party . From 2004 to 2009 he was group leader of the group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which was newly formed in 2004 . From 2011 to 2015 Watson was chairman of the ALDE party.

At the beginning of January 2009, Watson announced that he would be aiming for the post of President of the European Parliament after the 2009 European elections . With this announcement he wanted to make the occupation of the office an election campaign topic and thus break away from the otherwise usual "agreements behind closed doors". He also announced that he would strive for a two-party coalition between the Christian Democratic group EPP-ED and the ALDE; however, this did not achieve a majority in the election. In the end, as in 2004, an agreement was reached between the Christian Democratic EPP and the Social Democratic PES to divide the presidency for half a legislative period each. Watson himself then announced that he would not hold any significant offices in parliament for the 2009-14 legislative period.

Activity before Parliament time

Graham Watson was born in Rothesay, Scotland, on the Isle of Bute . His father was an officer in the Royal Navy and his mother a teacher. He attended school in Somerset and then studied at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh , where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in languages ​​in 1979 . He speaks four European languages ​​and worked as an interpreter between 1979 and 1980 . From 1980 to 1983 he worked in the administration of Paisley College .

Watson began his political activities in the International Federation of Liberal Youth whose vice-president he became in 1977. In 1979 he became Secretary General of this organization. Watson was a founding member of the European Youth Forum . Between 1983 and 1993 he was a board member of the European Liberal, Democratic and Reform Party . Between 1983 and 1987, Watson led the private office of the chairman of the British Liberal Party , David Steel . He then worked for HSBC Bank in London and Hong Kong until 1994 .

Work in the European Parliament

4th legislative term

In 1994 he was elected to the European Parliament for the constituency of Somerset and North Devon . Together with Robin Teverson , he was one of the first British liberals in the European Parliament. In parliament he joined the group of the European Liberals, Democratic and Reform Party with Teverson. During his first term through 1999, Watson was a member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and the Budget Committee . From 1994 to 1996 he was also the parliamentary manager of his group.

5th electoral term

With the introduction of proportional representation in the 1999 European elections , Watson's former constituency was also dissolved in favor of the constituency of South West England, for which several people could now be elected to the European Parliament. As the only British Liberal, he managed to get into Parliament with 15.7% of the vote. Between 1999 and 2002 he was chairman of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs . When the then leader of the Liberals, Pat Cox, was elected President of the European Parliament in 2002 , Watson succeeded him as leader of the group.

6th legislative term

In the 2004 European elections , Watson was re-elected with 18.3% of the vote in the constituency of South West England. In the European Parliament, the European Liberals, Democratic and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party then united to form the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe . Watson was elected the first chairman of this new group . He is a member of the Conference of Presidents and the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula . He recently signed the Spinelli Group's manifesto for greater European integration.

7th legislative term

Watson, who announced that he would no longer hold any important offices during this period, is chairman of the delegation for relations with India.

He is a member of the Conference of Delegation Chairs , the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China. He is a deputy in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and in the Delegation for Relations with the Countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Personal

Graham Watson is married with two children and lives in Longport, Somerset .

Publications

  • Graham Watson, Christine Gilmore: The Power of Speech . Bagehot Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-0954574543 .
  • Graham Watson, Simon Titley: Liberalism - Something to Shout About . Bagehot Publishing, 2006.
  • Graham Watson, Katharine Durrant: Liberal Democracy & Globalization . Bagehot Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-0954574529 .
  • Graham Watson, Sarah Kent: EU've Got Mail !: Liberal Letters from the European Parliament . Bagehot Publishing, 2004, ISBN 978-0954574512 .
  • Graham Watson, Sarah Kent: Liberal Language: Speeches and Essays . Bagehot Publishing, 1989-2003, ISBN 978-0954574505 .
  • Graham Watson, Howard Mollet: 2020 Vision 2001.
  • Graham Watson, Joanna Hazelwood: To the Power of Ten: UK Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament . Center for Reform, 2000, ISBN 978-1902622170 .
  • Graham Watson: The Liberals in the North-South dialogue 1980.

Web links

Commons : Graham Watson  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ [1] , Internet profile of the European Parliament, April 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ Graham Watson Papers. (PDF) Historical Archive of the European Union , May 2017, p. 4 , accessed on September 20, 2017 (English): “From 2002–2009, Watson served as President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), and from 2011-2015 was President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE). "
  3. ↑ Euractiv, January 8, 2009: Watson is running for the presidency of the European Parliament
  4. ↑ Euractiv, July 9th, 2009: Liberals are to chair important committees in the new EP .
  5. ↑ List of signatories ( Memento of the original from March 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.spinelligroup.eu
  6. ^ Website of the European Parliament
personal data
SURNAME Watson, Graham
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British European Politician (Lib Dems), MEP
DATE OF BIRTH March 23, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Rothesay (Scotland)