Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox MP | honorific-prefix = | name = Diane Abbott | honorific-suffix =[[Member of Parliament|MP]] | image = Diane Abbott low quality.jpg | constituency_MP = [[Hackney North and Stoke Newington (UK Parliament constituency)|Hackney North and Stoke Newington]] | parliament = | majority = 7,427 (25.3%) | predecessor = [[Ernest Roberts (Labour politician)|Ernest Roberts]] | successor = [[Incumbent]] | term_start = 11 June 1987 | term_end = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|09|27|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Paddington]], [[London]], [[England]] | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]] | spouse = | party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] | relations = | children = | residence = | alma_mater = [[Newnham College, Cambridge]] | occupation = | profession = | religion = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Diane Julie Abbott''' (born 27 September 1953 in [[Paddington]], [[London]], [[England]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] [[Member of Parliament]], representing the [[Hackney North and Stoke Newington (UK Parliament constituency)|Hackney North and Stoke Newington]] [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituency]]. She was the first black woman to be elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] when she was elected in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987 General Election]].<ref name="DIDiscs DA">{{cite episode |title=''Desert Island Discs'' featuring Diane Abbott |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs_20080518.shtml |series=Desert Island Discs | serieslink=Desert Island Discs |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] |airdate=2008-05-18}}</ref> She remained the only black woman MP for ten years until she was joined in the Commons by [[Oona King]] in 1997. She has always been considered to the left of [[New Labour]] and is a member of the [[Socialist Campaign Group]]. In 2008, she was named one of the ten most powerful black women in Britain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/05/britishidentity.race |title=The 100 powerful black Britons who are changing the world |accessdate=13 January 2009 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=5 October 2008}}</ref> == Early life and career == Abbott was born to [[Jamaican]] immigrants, her father a welder and her mother a nurse. She went to Harrow County Grammar School for Girls and then to [[Newnham College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] where she read [[history]]. After university she became a fast-tracked civil servant (1976 to 1978), and then a 'Race Relations Officer' at the [[National Council for Civil Liberties]] from 1978 to 1980. Amongst her colleagues at NCCL were [[Harriet Harman]], [[Patricia Hewitt]] and [[Paul Boateng]], all later becoming Labour [[Cabinet Minister]]s. == Journalism == Abbott was a researcher and reporter at [[Thames Television]] from 1980 to 1983 and then a researcher and reporter at the breakfast television company [[TV-am]] from 1983 to 1985. Abbott was a press officer at the [[Greater London Council]] under [[Ken Livingstone]] from 1985 to 1986 and Head of Press and Public Relations at [[Lambeth Council]] from 1986 to 1987. == Political career == Her career in politics began in 1982 when she was elected to [[Westminster City Council]] as one of the country's first black women Councillors. Five years later in 1987 she was elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]], replacing the seventy five year old [[Ernest Roberts (Labour politician)|Ernest Roberts]] MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. She became one of just four [[ethnic minority]] Members of Parliament, the others being [[Paul Boateng]], [[Bernie Grant]] and [[Keith Vaz]]. Once elected, Abbott attempted to establish a Black caucus within the Labour party along with [[Bernie Grant]]. However, she was the only person to attend the inaugural meeting. Abbott tried again in 1989 but the it soon failed as senior black MPs did not want to join, with some suggesting it was fundamentally racist to create a "party within a party".<ref name="answers.com">{{cite web | url=http://www.answers.com/topic/diane-abbott |title=Diane Abbott: Biography |accessdate=13 January 2009 |work=Answers.com}}</ref> Abbott is well known for campaigning on the issue of race, for example her first parliamentary speech covered what she saw as racism in British immigration policies.<ref>[http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1987/nov/16/immigration-bill#1987-11-16T18:49:00Z Hansard 16 November 1987 col 815]</ref> However, some of her views on the subject have been controversial such as when she spoke at a black studies conference in [[Philadelphia]] and stated that Britain was one of the most fundamentally racist nations on earth, with ''[[The Times]]'' quoting her as saying that "The British invented racism".<ref name="answers.com" /> Abbott also gave a widely acclaimed speech in defence of civil liberties, in the debate on 42 days detention (House of Commons 11 June 2008) as part of the [[Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008]].<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080611/debtext/80611-0016.htm#08061189001347 Hansard 11 June 2008 col 379]</ref> The speech was described by the following speaker in the debate, David Davies MP, as: "one of the finest speeches I have heard since being elected to the House of Commons".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/12/terrorism.civilliberties |title=Diane Abbott's 42-days speech |accessdate=13 January 2009 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=12 June 2008}}</ref> The speech won ''[[The Spectator]]'' magazine's 'Parliamentary Speech of the Year' award,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/parliamentarian/3025281/parliamentarian-of-the-year-awards-recipients-2008.thtml |title=Parliamentarian of the Year Awards Recipients 2008 |accessdate=13 January 2009 |work=[[The Spectator]] |date=20 November 2008}}</ref> with Abbott described by the editor of the Spectator, [[Matthew D'Ancona]] as: "a parliamentarian who, it was felt, had come into her own as an orator this year, speaking on a range of issues with fluency, passion and, above all, doughty independence"<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/parliamentarian/2636701/matthew-danconas-parliamentarian-awards-speech.thtml |title=Matthew d'Ancona's Parliamentarian awards speech |accessdate=13 January 2009 |work=[[The Spectator]] |date=13 November 2008}}</ref> These two tributes are perhaps all the more remarkable in coming from political opponents of Abbott. It was also this work, in campaigning against the 42-day detention, that earned Abbott the Special Judges award at [[Liberty (pressure group) |Liberty]]'s Human Rights Awards. [[Shami Chakrabarti]], director of [[Liberty (pressure group) |Liberty]], said: “In these dark times, where almost every day there is another mauling of the Human Rights Act, the dedication and hard work of these organisations and individuals is truly uplifting.” <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/3-human-rights-awards/2008-awards.shtml |title=Liberty - Human Rights awards |accessdate= 10 April 2009 |work=[[ Liberty]] |date=}} </ref> === Media work === She is a pundit alongside the former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician and media personality [[Michael Portillo]] (who attended [[Harrow County School for Boys]]), on the [[BBC|BBC's]] weekly politics digest ''[[This Week (BBC One TV series)|This Week]]''. Abbott and Portillo have known each other since school, when they appeared in a joint school production of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' (although not in the title roles), and [[Macbeth]] as [[Lady Macduff]] and [[Macduff (thane)|Macduff]] respectively<ref>{{cite episode |title=''Have I Got News For You'' with Jimmy Savile and Diane Abbott |series=Have I Got News For You | serieslink=Have I Got News For You |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Two|BBC 2]] |airdate=1999-05-28}}</ref>. Despite their opposing politics, they work well together on the programme, which has been described by [[David Dimbleby]] as a "love in" between the two.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/anyquestions_transcripts_20050923.shtml | title=Any Questions? | date=2005-09-23 | accessdate=2006-11-01 | work=BBC Radio 4}}</ref> ==Controversies== ===Refusal to use state education=== Her decision to send her son to the private £10,000 a year [[City of London School]], which she herself described as "indefensible" and "intellectually incoherent", caused controversy and was seen by many as hypocritical not least because she had previously criticised [[Tony Blair]] and [[Harriet Harman]] for sending their children to selective state schools.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1445761/Abbott-told-ex-husband-to-be-quiet-over-school.html</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3229453.stm | title=Abbott speaks out on school row | date=2003-10-31 | accessdate=2006-11-01 | work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8687 | title=Education: Dear Diane Abbott... | author=Michael Rosen | month=December | year=2003 | work=[[Socialist Review]] | accessdate=2006-11-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Education: Dear Michael Rosen... | url=http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8810 | author=Diane Abbott | work=Socialist Review | month=March | year=2004 | accessdate=2006-11-01}}</ref> It later emerged that Abbott had in fact applied to a total of three separate private schools for her son, and thus had no intention of sending him to a state school whatsoever. <ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20031102/ai_n12883846</ref> Fellow Labour MP [[Brian Sedgemore]] condemned Abbott for the "hurt and harm she had caused to local people in Hackney" who didn't have the means to make a similar choice, suggesting that Abbott would "never be taken seriously again".<ref>[http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200311/E8903134-447B-4EF0-AC03-43B832E2A106.htm EPolitix.com - Blair dismisses Abbott row]</ref> ===Allegation of racism against white nurses=== In 1996 Abbott was accused of racism when she suggested that "blonde, blue-eyed Finnish girls" in her local hospital in West London were unsuitable as nurses because they "may never have met a black person before". Conservative MP [[Ian Bruce]] stated that he had "never heard such racist rubbish from a Member of Parliament in recent years".<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19961128/ai_n14083122 The Independent - The blue-eyed blondes who don't belong (via BNET)]</ref> Moreover, Abbott was also accused of ignorance, as not all Finnish people have these features; it also later emerged that one of the Finnish nurses was in fact black, as was [[Lola Odusoga ]], [[Miss Finland]] at the time. Abbott apologised for her remarks.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19961129/ai_n14083191 The Independent - Diane Abbott is sorry (For the record Miss Finland is also black) (via BNET)]</ref> ===Alleged secret service investigation=== In 1999, Abbott was allegedly investigated by the British secret service, following a request by the [[British Foreign Secretary]], [[Robin Cook]]. Cook denied the allegation, which one Foreign Office source described as a 'sinister attempt to stitch Mr Cook up' <ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/1999/mar/16/davidhencke The Guardian - Plot to smear Robin Cook exposed] </ref>. ===Failure to declare earnings=== In 2004 following a complaint made by [[Andrew Rosindell|Andrew Rosindell MP]], Abbott was investigated by the [[Committee on Standards and Privileges]] regarding payment she had received from the BBC. They found she had failed to declare earnings £17,300 on the Register of Members Interests which had been received for appearances on the television programme “This Week”. The Committee upheld the complaint and forced Abbott to apologise to the House.<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmstnprv/285/285.pdf House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges - Conduct of Ms Diane Abbott Second Report of Session 2003–04]</ref> === Article on Nigeria === Abbott was heavily criticised for an 9 April 2006 article<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20060408T160000-0500_102286_OBS_THINK_JAMAICA_IS_BAD__TRY_NIGERIA_.asp | title=Think Jamaica is bad? Try Nigeria | date=2006-04-09 | accessdate=2007-02-06 | work=Jamaica Observer}}</ref> for the ''Jamaica Observer'' in which she compared her parents' home country of Jamaica to Nigeria, criticising multiple aspects and ills of Nigerian society in the process. As it circulated around the Internet, critical responses were written by Nigerian bloggers and journalists, particularly railing that her own constituency had a significant Nigerian minority. She responded, in particular, to one article written by Nigerian-British writer Uche Nworah.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nigeriansinamerica.com/articles/969/1/Is-Dianne-Abbott-MP-A-Friend-Of-Nigeria.html | title=Is Dianne Abbott, MP, A Friend Of Nigeria? | date=2006-04-04 | accessdate=2007-02-06 | work=Nigerians in America}}</ref> ==Personal Life== Diane Abbott married Richard Thompson, an architect in 1991 and divorced in 1993; they have one son<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/a/appiah-africana.html</ref>. Thompson has been critical of Abbott for denying him access to his child for long periods<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-307994/Dianes-firing-line-again.html</ref> Abbott chose as her son's godfather [[Jonathan Aitken]], who had been her boss at TV-am and subsequently her 'pair' in [[Division (vote)#The United Kingdom|divisions]] in the house. == References == {{reflist|2}} == External links == *[http://www.dianeabbott.org.uk Diane Abbott MP's official site] *[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-4,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Diane Abbott MP] *[http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/diane_abbott/hackney_north_and_stoke_newington TheyWorkForYou.com - Diane Abbott MP] *[http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?firstname=Diane&lastname=Abbott&constituency=Hackney+North+%26amp%3B+Stoke+Newington The Public Whip - Diane Abbott MP] voting record *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/189.stm BBC News - Diane Abbott] profile 8 March 2005 *{{imdb name|id=1504113|name=Diane Abbott}} *[http://www.dianeabbott.org.uk/index.php?page=Gallery Dianne Abbott Picture Gallery] {{start box}} {{s-par|uk}} {{Incumbent succession box | title= [[Hackney North & Stoke Newington]] | start=[[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987]] | before=[[Ernest Roberts (Labour politician)|Ernest Roberts]] }} {{end box}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Diane}} [[Category:Labour MPs (UK)]] [[Category:UK MPs 1987-1992]] [[Category:UK MPs 1992-1997]] [[Category:UK MPs 1997-2001]] [[Category:UK MPs 2001-2005]] [[Category:UK MPs 2005-]] [[Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies]] [[Category:Black Britons]] [[Category:British female MPs]] [[Category:British political pundits]] [[Category:Councillors in Westminster]] [[Category:English people of Jamaican descent]] [[Category:Hackney Members of Parliament]] [[Category:People from Paddington]] [[Category:Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge]] [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Democratic socialists]] [[de:Diane Abbott]] [[eo:Diane Abbott]] [[it:Diane Abbott]] [[simple:Diane Abbott]] [[fi:Diane Abbott]] [[sv:Diane Abbott]]'