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Dictionary definition: Ashdown, Paddy
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Political Biography
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Copyright© A Dictionary of Political Biography 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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Ashdown, Paddy
(b. 24 Feb. 1941) British; leader of the Liberal Democrats 1988–99 (knighted in 2000 and made a peer in 2001). Paddy Ashdown has been called the ‘action man’ in British politics, a tribute not only to his striking physique and love of exercise, but also to his early experience as a commando in the Marines. He is also a qualified Chinese (mandarin) interpreter. After work in the United Nations, industry, and local government he gained Yeovil for the Liberals in 1983.
Ashdown was elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1988 with over 70 per cent of the vote. The party resulted from the merger of the Social Democrats and the Liberals. He took over ...