Paddy Ashdown

Available for over a year

Peter Hennessy, the historian, asks senior politicians to reflect on their life and times. Each week, he invites his guest to explore their early formative influences, experiences and impressions of people they've known. In the first programme of this run, his guest is Paddy Ashdown, who was Leader of Liberal Democrats from 1988 until 1999, and international High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002 -2006). Paddy Ashdown's background was unusual for a politician of his generation - commando, diplomat, spy and unemployed youth worker. He discusses his formative experiences and tells how soldiering influenced his politics. He stood for the Liberals at Yeovil in 1979 and four years later won the seat, but confesses that he never much liked Westminster and it never much liked him. Ashdown discusses his attempts to strengthen the centre ground of British politics. He recalls working with former Labour ministers in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), but admits to having found it difficult working with David Owen. Recalling his leadership of the Liberal Democrats, he tells how he and Tony Blair planned to work together in government and explains why his hopes for a coalition with Labour were dashed. Although the Liberal Democrats played a role in constitutional reform after 1997, notably devolution, Ashdown regrets Blair's failure to change the 'first-past-the-post' voting system at general elections. He tells why he stood down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats and later declined Gordon Brown's offer to become Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Producer: Rob Shepherd.