Tony Chater
Encyclopedia
Anthony P J "Tony" Chater (born 1930) is a former British
newspaper editor and communist activist.
Born in Northampton
, Chater attended Northampton Town and County Grammar School
, and joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
(CPGB) whilst in the sixth form. Chater then studied at Queen Mary and Westfield College
in London, completing a BSc and a PhD in chemistry. After a two years post-doctoral research fellowship at the Dominion Experimental Farm, Canada, and a year in Brussels studying biochemistry, he returned to Britain to teach, eventually working at the Luton College of Technology. He stood in the Luton by-election, 1963 as a CPGB candidate, but took last place with only 593 votes. Despite this, he stood in Luton
again in 1964, 1966 and 1970, without success.
In 1969, Chater began working full-time for the CPGB, and in 1974 he became editor of The Morning Star
, a daily paper associated with the party. He attempted to get the party executive to prioritise increasing sales, with limited success. By 1982, the paper and party were coming into open conflict, disagreeing on approaches to the shop stewards' movement. The following year, the party leadership attempted to remove Chater's supporters from the executive of the co-operative which published the paper but, instead, Chater's supporters defeated the party leadership's candidates. An opposition coalesced around Chater and Mick Costello, but they were defeated at the 1987 Party Congress and subsequently founded the Communist Party of Britain
.
Chater stood down as editor of the Morning Star in 1995.
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...
newspaper editor and communist activist.
Born in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Chater attended Northampton Town and County Grammar School
Northampton School For Boys
Northampton School for Boys is a secondary school in Northampton, England.- Foundation and History :The school was originally founded in 1541 by mayor Thomas Chipsey, as the town's free boys grammar school. In 1557, the school moved to St. Gregory's church, which was adapted for its use...
, and joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
(CPGB) whilst in the sixth form. Chater then studied at Queen Mary and Westfield College
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in London, completing a BSc and a PhD in chemistry. After a two years post-doctoral research fellowship at the Dominion Experimental Farm, Canada, and a year in Brussels studying biochemistry, he returned to Britain to teach, eventually working at the Luton College of Technology. He stood in the Luton by-election, 1963 as a CPGB candidate, but took last place with only 593 votes. Despite this, he stood in Luton
Luton (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Luton in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
again in 1964, 1966 and 1970, without success.
In 1969, Chater began working full-time for the CPGB, and in 1974 he became editor of The Morning Star
The Morning Star
The Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
, a daily paper associated with the party. He attempted to get the party executive to prioritise increasing sales, with limited success. By 1982, the paper and party were coming into open conflict, disagreeing on approaches to the shop stewards' movement. The following year, the party leadership attempted to remove Chater's supporters from the executive of the co-operative which published the paper but, instead, Chater's supporters defeated the party leadership's candidates. An opposition coalesced around Chater and Mick Costello, but they were defeated at the 1987 Party Congress and subsequently founded the Communist Party of Britain
Communist Party of Britain
The Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
.
Chater stood down as editor of the Morning Star in 1995.