Ed Fordham| Ed's Biography |
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Ed Fordham (born 13th March 1971), full name Edward Thornton Fordham (Thornton is his great-grandmother’s maiden name), is the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency of London. He lives in Kilburn and represented the Lib Dems at the last general election (2005 – Hampstead and Highgate constituency). Passionate about education, Ed has a deep understanding of the complexity of the new constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn. He has worked closely over many years with Sarah Teather MP, has worked in Sierra Leone and visited Israel – he understands the world population that is now the local residents here in North West London. Family History Ed is the fourth generation of his family to have lived and worked in north west London. Ed’s mother wanted to attend Kilburn school of Needlework but her parents could not afford the fees, his grandmother on his father’s side worked in service in Hampstead for a leading Jewish Surgeon and his grandfather saw military service in WWII and was in the Liberation forces at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Ed’s grandparents helped instill his passion about fighting anti-Semitism and ensuring that the liberal tolerant traditions of north London are respected and enhanced. Early Life Ed was born on 13th March 1971 in Kingston Hospital, Surrey; he was the second child of Adrian and Sally Fordham, brother of Alison. After his family moved from South West London to south Lincolnshire he attended Gosberton Clough and Risegate County Primary School before going to Spalding Grammar School at the age of 11. From this early age he developed a keen interest in chess which he continued to pursue, notably playing for Lincolnshire for many years. He finished school with O levels, GCSE and A levels in Ancient Greek, Latin, English and History. Further Education In 1990 he was accepted to study an Ancient History course at the University of Nottingham: he attained a 2:1 BA (Hons). During his time there he began by standing for election as First Year Rep (as ‘Eddie’ Fordham!) and won. This was followed by standing as a university delegate to NUS National Conference, subsequently the Union Council as Ancaster Guild Rep, as NUS Secretary on the Union Executive and culminating in his appointment to Union President (1993-1994). Political Life Ed joined the Liberal Party on 24th May 1988 and voted for a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democrats. During his early years he maintained an active political life, campaigning, successfully, to save Spalding Railway Station from demolition, and leading anti-Poll Tax petitions. While Union President at university perhaps his most memorable achievement was seeing off the Tory Government threat to Student Unions, mainly through working with Vice Chancellor Sir Colin Campbell and local Nottinghamshire MP Ken Clarke, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer. More recently, Ed has been appointed a senior officer at the Local Government Association (LGA) and has gained considerable experience within the local government sector. He worked on the successful leadership campaigns of Nick Clegg MP and Ming Campbell MP and was previously a campaigns officer for the Liberal Democrats in the South West. Parliamentary Candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn Ed was selected as the parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn in 2005. He moved to live in West Hampstead (Sumatra Road) and then Hampstead (Christchurch Hill) and fought the 2005 general election in the Hampstead and Highgate constituency. He stood to serve as councillor for Hampstead Town in 2006, he moved to Kilburn in 2007 and now lives in Quex Road. Ed has a genuine interest in and detailed knowledge of the local area (he gave history tours of Kilburn High Road at the Kilburn Festival, and one need only to look at his Blog to see further examples of this fervor) and, subsequently, his appreciation of local issues and needs is unrivalled. This, coupled with his exemplary work ethic and tireless campaigning efforts, makes him a ‘Parliamentary Candidate to Watch’ (says the IPA). Recent campaigns to save the Hampstead police station (his great grandfather was a policeman locally at Highgate Police Station) and post offices have made him a familiar name among locals and gained him a reputation as a man of ‘lucid intellect’ and ‘leadership skills’- ‘a great team builder’. He is also a familiar face on television having appeared on Radio 4 Today Programme, BBC Newsnight and Sky News, speaking about the expenses issues amongst others. Lord Paddy Ashdown referred to him as ‘one of the most determined and articulate champions we (the Lib Dems) have’, and with only 474 votes to win (quoted from Electoral Calculus & Total Politics) Ed deserves as much support as possible to ensure a well deserved victory for the Lib Dems!
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I'm not sure there is much to say other than these pictures but suffice to say it is the dominant feature of the places I have been here in Bosnia Herzegovina - graveyard upon graveyard. These are not old and well maintained - these are recent, specific and relate to the 1992-1995 war. This series were taken in Mostar.
