Paddy Ashdown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG CH KBE PC
Official portrait, 2005
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
In office 16 July 1988 – 9 August 1999
President	Ian Wrigglesworth Charles Kennedy Robert Maclennan The Baroness Maddock
Deputy	Russell Johnston Alan Beith
Preceded by	David Steel (Liberal) Robert Maclennan (SDP)
Succeeded by	Charles Kennedy
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office 27 May 2002 – 31 January 2006
Preceded by	Wolfgang Petritsch
Succeeded by	Christian Schwarz-Schilling
European Union Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office 3 June 2002 – 31 January 2006
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Christian Schwarz-Schilling
Chair of the Liberal Democrat General Election Committee
In office 26 September 2012 – 7 May 2015
Leader	Nick Clegg
Preceded by	Willie Rennie (2010)
Succeeded by	Greg Mulholland
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Life peerage 10 July 2001 – 22 December 2018 Member of Parliament for Yeovil In office 9 June 1983 – 14 May 2001 Preceded by John Peyton Succeeded by David Laws
Personal details
Born	Jeremy John Durham Ashdown (1941-02-27)27 February 1941 New Delhi, British India
Died	22 December 2018(2018-12-22) (aged 77) Bristol, England
Resting place	Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton Sub Hamdon
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Other political affiliations	Labour (before 1975) Liberal (1975–1988)
Spouse	Jane Courtenay ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Bedford School
Occupation	Diplomat MP
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	Royal Marines
Years of service	1959–1972
Rank	Captain
Unit	Special Boat Service
Battles/wars	Borneo Confrontation Operation Banner
n.b.

Paddy Ashdown (born Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, 27 February 1941 – 22 December 2018) was a British politician and diplomat. He was best known for leading the Liberal Democrats political party from 1988 to 1999.

He also played a big role on the world stage. From 2002 to 2006, he was the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This important job involved helping to rebuild the country after a war.

Before politics, Ashdown served in the Royal Marines and the elite Special Boat Service. He was also an intelligence officer. Later, he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Yeovil in 1983. He retired from Parliament in 2001.

Paddy Ashdown was recognized for his work with several special honors. These included the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George and the Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. He could speak many languages, including Mandarin Chinese.

Early Life and Military Service

Paddy Ashdown was the oldest of seven children. He was born in New Delhi, British India, on 27 February 1941. His family had a history of serving in the military and working in India.

He grew up mostly in Northern Ireland. His father bought a farm there in 1945. Ashdown went to local schools and later to Bedford School in England. At Bedford, his Northern Irish accent earned him the nickname "Paddy."

Joining the Royal Marines

In 1959, Ashdown joined the Royal Marines. He served until 1972, reaching the rank of captain. He served in places like Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and the Persian Gulf.

In 1965, he became a Swimmer Canoeist. This led him to join the special forces unit called the Special Boat Service. He commanded a section in the Far East. In 1967, he went to Hong Kong to learn Chinese. He returned to the UK in 1970 and commanded a Royal Marine company in Belfast.

Working in Intelligence and Diplomacy

After leaving the Royal Marines, Ashdown joined the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). To hide his real job, he worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was a diplomat at the United Kingdom mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

At the UN, he worked with various UN groups. He helped negotiate international agreements, including parts of the Helsinki Accords in 1975.

Entering the World of Politics

While in the Marines, Ashdown supported the Labour Party. But in 1975, he switched to the Liberal Party. He had a comfortable life in Switzerland with his family. However, he felt a strong desire to enter politics. He wanted to help the UK after a difficult period in the 1970s.

In 1976, he became the Liberal Party's candidate for Yeovil. This was his wife's hometown. He worked hard to gain support in the area. He also took jobs with local companies and later worked with young unemployed people.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 1983 general election, Ashdown won the Yeovil seat. This was a big achievement because the seat had been held by the Conservatives for a long time. His hard work and local campaigning paid off.

In Parliament

Once in the House of Commons, Ashdown became a spokesperson for trade and industry, and later for education. He spoke out against certain government policies. For example, he opposed the sale of state-owned factories. He also criticized the government for allowing the United States to bomb Libya from UK bases.

Leading the Liberal Democrats

Ashdown campaigning in Chippenham during the 1992 general election.

In 1988, the Liberal Party joined with the Social Democrats. They formed a new party called the Social and Liberal Democrats. Ashdown was chosen as the leader of this new party. He became a Privy Councillor in 1989.

Ashdown led the Liberal Democrats in two general elections, in 1992 and 1997. In the 1997 election, the Liberal Democrats won 46 seats. This was their best result since the 1920s.

He also had secret meetings with Tony Blair, the leader of the Labour Party. They discussed working together in a coalition government. However, Labour won the 1997 election by a large margin, so a full coalition was not needed. Still, they set up a committee to work on shared goals, especially about changing how the government worked.

Stepping Down from Leadership

Ashdown in 2016.

Paddy Ashdown announced he would step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats on 20 January 1999. He left the role on 9 August that year. Charles Kennedy took over as leader.

After leaving Parliament, he was made a Life Peer in 2001. This meant he became Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon and could sit in the House of Lords.

In 2015, Ashdown famously said he would "eat his hat" if an exit poll prediction about the Liberal Democrats' election results was correct. The poll turned out to be very accurate. The next day, on a TV show, he was given a chocolate hat, which he ate.

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ashdown (second from right) with US secretary of state Colin Powell in 2004.

Ashdown accepting an award from US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2004.

After leaving British politics, Ashdown took on a major international role. On 27 May 2002, he became the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This job was created to help Bosnia and Herzegovina rebuild after its war.

During his time from 2002 to 2006, he worked to strengthen the country's government. He helped create new legal bodies and brought the two separate armies under one central command. His efforts helped move Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to joining the European Union. Some people called him "the Viceroy of Bosnia" because of his strong influence.

Testifying at the Milošević Trial

In 2002, Ashdown gave evidence at the trial of Slobodan Milošević. Milošević was on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Ashdown said he saw Serbian forces shelling villages in Kosovo in 1998. Later, a defense witness questioned if Ashdown could have seen those areas due to hills and woods. Ashdown then provided maps and coordinates to show he could indeed see the locations.

Other Important Roles

Ashdown was asked to lead the international effort in Afghanistan. However, he later decided not to take the role.

He was also a member of the Governing Council of Interpeace. This is an organization that works to build peace around the world. He also served as President of Chatham House, a well-known research center for international affairs.

In 2016, Ashdown helped start a political movement called More United. This group aims to bring together people from different parties who share liberal and progressive ideas.

Personal Life

Ashdown married Jane Courtenay in 1962. They had two children, Simon and Katharine, and three grandchildren.

He was a fan of Yeovil Town football club. He was also a member of the National Liberal Club.

Illness and Death

Portrait of Lord Ashdown by Chris McAndrew, March 2018.

Paddy Ashdown was diagnosed with bladder cancer in October 2018. He passed away on 22 December 2018, at the age of 77. His funeral was held in Somerset, and he was buried in the church cemetery. A special service was held for him at Westminster Abbey in September 2019.

Honours and Awards

Honours

Ribbon	Description	Date
	Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)	31 December 2014
	Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)	31 December 2005
	Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE)	16 June 2000

Appointments

• Life peer as Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon in the House of Lords (10 July 2001).

Published Works

Paddy Ashdown was also an author. He wrote several books, including his own autobiography and books about historical events.

• Ashdown (2000). The Ashdown Diaries 1988–1997. 1. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-029775-8.
• Ashdown (2002). The Ashdown Diaries 1997–1999. 2. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-029776-6.
• Ashdown (2008). Swords and Ploughshares: Building Peace in the 21st Century. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-85303-9.
• Ashdown (2010). A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown. London: Aurum. ISBN 978-1-84513-419-8.
• Ashdown (2015). The Cruel Victory: The French Resistance, D-Day and the Battle for the Vercors 1944. London: William Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-752081-7.
• Ashdown (2012). A Brilliant Little Operation: The Cockleshell Heroes and the Most Courageous Raid of World War 2. London: Aurum. ISBN 978-1-84513-701-4.
• Ashdown (2017). Game of Spies – The Secret Agent, the Traitor and the Nazi. London: William Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-814084-7.
• Ashdown (2018). Nein!: Standing Up to Hitler 1935–1944. London: William Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-825704-0.

See also

• Hong Kong Watch, former Patron