David Tredinnick (politician)
Encyclopedia
David Arthur Stephen Tredinnick (born 19 January 1950) is a Conservative
politician in the United Kingdom
.
He is a former officer in the Grenadier Guards
and is Member of Parliament
for Bosworth
(essentially Hinckley and Bosworth
) first elected in 1987.
, then St John's College, Oxford
, gaining a MLitt
. He then went to the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town
, where he gained an MBA
. From 1972-3, he was a trainee at EB Savory Milln & Co stockbrokers, then in 1974 he was an account executive at Quadrant Int in 1974. In 1976, he was a salesman at Kalle Infotech UK, and sales manager at Word Right Word Processing from 1977-8. From 1978-9, he was a consultant at Baird Communications NV, and marketing manager at QI Europe Ltd from 1979-81. He was manager at Malden Mitcham Properties from 1981-7.
, but was forced to resign and was suspended for 20 days after he was found to have accepted a £1000 bribe to ask questions in Parliament, popularly known as the Cash for Questions affair. He has been a Member of Parliament for over 20 years making him one of the most long standing MPs.
(CAM). He has made supportive comments in Parliament on homeopathy
, despite continued lack of evidence of its effectiveness. He has supported chiropractic
and expounded on the influence of the Moon
on blood clotting. In this same debate he characterised scientists as "racially prejudiced". He has tabled several early day motions in support of homeopathy's continued funding on the National Health Service
. Tredinnick's medical ignorance continues to cause amused disbelief and a spokesman for the Royal College of Surgeons said they would "laugh their heads off" at the suggestion they could not operate at the full moon.
software, claiming it was for a debate on alternative medicine.
announced that he would stand against David Tredinninck in the Bosworth constituency in the 2010 General Election. In an open letter, first published by Leicestershire based campaigner Simon Perry, Dr. Brooks cited Tredinnick's involvement in the "cash-for-questions" and "expenses" scandals and tabling of Early Day Motion
(EDM) 908 which criticised the Science and Technology Committee's Report "Evidence Check on Homeopathy", as the motivation behind choosing to contest the Bosworth seat.
On 20 March 2010 the Science Party
was launched, with Dr. Michael Brooks
standing for election. Press coverage was initially limited to New Scientist
magazine, but was later picked up by local newspapers and online news sources.
Result
Despite a 6% swing against him Tredinnick held his seat at the 2010 General Election with a majority of 5,032 and 43% of the vote.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
He is a former officer in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
and is Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Bosworth
Bosworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Bosworth is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
(essentially Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in south-western Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Its only towns are Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Market Bosworth...
) first elected in 1987.
Early life
He went to Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, then St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
, gaining a MLitt
Master of Letters
The Master of Letters is a postgraduate degree.- United Kingdom :The MLitt is a postgraduate degree awarded by a select few British and Irish universities, predominantly within the ancient English and Scottish universities.- England :Within the English University system MLitts are not universally...
. He then went to the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
, where he gained an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
. From 1972-3, he was a trainee at EB Savory Milln & Co stockbrokers, then in 1974 he was an account executive at Quadrant Int in 1974. In 1976, he was a salesman at Kalle Infotech UK, and sales manager at Word Right Word Processing from 1977-8. From 1978-9, he was a consultant at Baird Communications NV, and marketing manager at QI Europe Ltd from 1979-81. He was manager at Malden Mitcham Properties from 1981-7.
Parliamentary career
He contested Cardiff South and Penarth in 1983. He was once a Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
, but was forced to resign and was suspended for 20 days after he was found to have accepted a £1000 bribe to ask questions in Parliament, popularly known as the Cash for Questions affair. He has been a Member of Parliament for over 20 years making him one of the most long standing MPs.
Support for complementary and alternative medicine
He is a supporter of complementary and alternative medicineAlternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
(CAM). He has made supportive comments in Parliament on homeopathy
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
, despite continued lack of evidence of its effectiveness. He has supported chiropractic
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
and expounded on the influence of the Moon
Lunar effect
The lunar effect is the theory that there is correlation between specific stages of the Earth's lunar cycle and deviant behavior in human beings...
on blood clotting. In this same debate he characterised scientists as "racially prejudiced". He has tabled several early day motions in support of homeopathy's continued funding on the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
. Tredinnick's medical ignorance continues to cause amused disbelief and a spokesman for the Royal College of Surgeons said they would "laugh their heads off" at the suggestion they could not operate at the full moon.
Freedom of Information and expenses
In May 2007, David Tredinnick was among 98 MPs who voted to exempt themselves from the Freedom of Information Act, ending the compulsory legal requirement for MPs to disclose their expenses. The move was later overturned by the House of Lords.Parliamentary expenses
It emerged in 2009 that he tried to claim the £125 cost of attending a course on "intimate relationships" through his Parliamentary expenses. He was also found to have used expenses to purchase astrologyAstrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
software, claiming it was for a debate on alternative medicine.
2010 election campaign
On 29 March 2010 Dr. Michael BrooksMichael Brooks (science writer)
Michael Brooks is an English science author. He is noted for articles and books which attempt to explain obscure scientific research and findings to the general population.-Career:...
announced that he would stand against David Tredinninck in the Bosworth constituency in the 2010 General Election. In an open letter, first published by Leicestershire based campaigner Simon Perry, Dr. Brooks cited Tredinnick's involvement in the "cash-for-questions" and "expenses" scandals and tabling of Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
(EDM) 908 which criticised the Science and Technology Committee's Report "Evidence Check on Homeopathy", as the motivation behind choosing to contest the Bosworth seat.
On 20 March 2010 the Science Party
Science Party
The Science Party is a UK political party that was launched on April 20, 2010 by Michael Brooks, a science author, consultant to the New Scientist magazine and regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, and Sumit Paul-Choudhury, an editor of New Scientist.A key goal in the Science Party...
was launched, with Dr. Michael Brooks
Michael Brooks (science writer)
Michael Brooks is an English science author. He is noted for articles and books which attempt to explain obscure scientific research and findings to the general population.-Career:...
standing for election. Press coverage was initially limited to New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
magazine, but was later picked up by local newspapers and online news sources.
Result
Despite a 6% swing against him Tredinnick held his seat at the 2010 General Election with a majority of 5,032 and 43% of the vote.