From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jonathan Fryer
Jonathan Fryer
Jonathan Fryer Fryer had won an Open Exhibition award to St Ed-
mund Hall, Oxford, where he started to read Geography,
Liberal Democrats candidate for before switching to Oriental Studies (Chinese with Ja-
Poplar and Limehouse
panese). He returned to the Far East for a year in
Election date 1971-1972, studying part-time at the University of Hong
6 May 2010 Kong and in Tokyo.
Opponent(s) Tim Archer (Conservative) As a mature student, he has been working on an MSc
Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour) in Development and Environmental Education.
George Galloway (Respect)
Incumbent Jim Fitzpatrick Career
Personal details Fryer joined Reuters news agency as a graduate trainee
Born Manchester, England after university, serving for just over a year in London
and Brussels. On receiving his first book contract (for The
Nationality British Great Wall of China) he went freelance, but kept Brussels
Political party Liberal Democrats as his base for seven years, travelling widely in Europe,
Africa and the Middle East. He returned to England in
Residence London, United Kingdom
1981, settling in London, largely to develop his political
Alma mater Oxford University interests. As a freelance writer on international affairs,
he has worked mainly for the BBC (Radio 4 and World
Profession Politician, writer
Service), but has also contributed to the Guardian, Inde-
pendent, Economist, Spectator, Oldie, Tablet, Society Today and
Jonathan Fryer (born 5 June 1950) is a British writer,
Liberal, amongst others.
broadcaster, lecturer and Liberal Democrat politician.
For a decade, he regularly appeared on the Today Pro-
He was the LibDem candidate for the constituency of
gramme’s ‘Thought for the Day’, as a Quaker (having
Poplar and Limehouse in the 2010 general election, com-
joined the Religious Society of Friends after his experi-
ing in fourth.
ences in Vietnam), but in recent years has become better
known for his despatches in From Our Own Correspondent.
Early life He has travelled to 160 countries, reporting, researching
Fryer was born in Manchester on 5 June, 1950, under the or making radio documentaries.
name Graham Leslie Morton. Following the divorce of his Since 1993, Fryer has taught part-time at London
natural mother, he was adopted as an infant by a local University’s School of Oriental and African Studies
businessman and his wife, who later spent much of their (SOAS), currently Humanities, and more recently began
time in South Africa. He has one natural sister and one teaching at City University (Writing Non-Fiction).[1] He
adopted one. lectures frequently on cruise ships, notably around the
Mediterranean and the Red Sea, as well as to groups and
associations in the UK. Through the British Council and
Education the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, he has given sem-
After private primary education in Eccles, Fryer obtained inars on democracy-building and the media in locations
a place at Manchester Grammar School, which he hated. such as Egypt, Ethiopia and Uruguay. He is a Consultant
He spent the summer of 1967 in Tours, at the Institut with Public Affairs International (London).
Tourain, perfecting his French. He left school before the
end of his final year (having acquired ‘A’ levels in English Politics
Literature, French and Geography) and travelled over-
land to Vietnam, where he reported on the war for the Fryer joined the Young Liberals after Jo Grimond came to
Manchester Evening News and the Geographical his school during the 1964 general election. He was suc-
Magazine. His overland journey back to England in cessively Vice-Chairman of the North West Young Liberal
September 1969 gave him his first introduction to the Federation and Secretary of the Oxford University Liber-
Middle East, which has remained an abiding interest. al Club. He was elected a London borough councillor (in
Bromley) 1986-1990, and fought three general elections:
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jonathan Fryer
Chelsea 1983, Orpington 1987 and Leyton 1992. His main
political focus has always been the European Parliament,
References
for which he stood in 1979, 1984 and 1994 (London South [1] Jonathan Fryer | Non-Academic - Teaching | SOAS
East), 1999 and 2004 (London), coming within 0.6 per cent [2] http://www.biographersclub.co.uk/members/
of winning a seat on the last occasion. He was the No. fryer.shtml
2 candidate on the LibDem London list for the European
parliamentary elections (June 2009).
He has held a wide variety of positions within the Lib-
External links
eral Democrats and predecessor parties, including chair- • "Wilde deserves better" - The Spectator
ing policy panels on international development (current- • "Pagan meets Puritan" - Telegraph
ly Chairman of the Liberal International British Group), a • "Buried in Oscar’s Tomb" - New York Times
member of the LibDems’ international relations commit- • "Jonathan Fryer chosen for Poplar and Limehouse" -
tee, an elected member of the governing Council of the Tower Hamlets
European Liberal Democrats (ELDR) and is on the party’s • "The House that Wren never really lived in" -
Interim Peers’ List. As Chairman of the Liberal Interna- Camden New Journal
tional British Group, he is automatically a Vice-President • "Turkey must sort out its Kurd issues" - Public
of Liberal International worldwide. Service
He is the LibDem Prospective parliamentary candi- • "Francophonia comes into vogue" - BBC
date for his home constituency of Poplar and Limehouse. • "Launch Event for the Mercy Mission to Vanni" -
Tamil National
• "European spokesperson Jonathan Fryer outlines the
Books Liberal Democrat approach to the environment" -
• The Great Wall of China (1975) Tower Hamlets
• Isherwood (1977) • "Jonathan Fryer’s Speak up Europe speech" - LDEG
• Brussels As Seen by Naif Artists (1979, with Rona • "Leading Lib Dems sign international pledge for gay
Dobson) rights" - DELGA
• Food for Thought (1981) • "Youngsters grill Enfield politicians on local issues" -
• George Fox and the Children of the Light (1991) Enfield Independent
• Eye of the Camera (1993) Persondata
• Dylan (1993)
Name Fryer, Jonathan
• The Sitwells (1994, with Sarah Bradford and John
Pearson) Alternative names
• André & Oscar (1997) Short description
• Soho in the Fifties and Sixties (1998) Date of birth 5 June 1950
• Robbie Ross (2000)
Place of birth Manchester, England
• Wilde (2005)
• Fuelling Kuwait’s Development (2007)[2] Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jonathan_Fryer&oldid=452444248"
Categories:
• 1950 births
• Living people
• English non-fiction writers
• People from Manchester
• Liberal Democrat (UK) councillors
• British Quakers
• British reporters and correspondents
• British radio personalities
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