Dave Cook (politician)
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David John Scott Cook (4 August 1941 – 25 February 1993) was a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
activist, also known as a rock climber. Born in
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
, Cook grew up in
Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
, and was educated at Solihull Grammar School and
St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The colle ...
, where he joined the
Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...
(CPGB). He then became a teacher in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
and was active in the
Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name ''YCL of ountry' originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YCLs includ ...
, eventually becoming its full-time National Organiser, based in London.Graham Stevenson,
Cook Dave
, ''Compendium of Communist Biography''
Involved in rock climbing since his school days, Cook became a prominent writer on the subject. In particular, he championed the role of cultural history in writing on mountaineering, and on the importance of including
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
perspectives.Terry Gifford, ''Reconnecting with John Muir: Essays in Post-Pastoral Practice'', p.167 In 1974, Cook became the party's national election agent, then the following year, he was appointed as National Organiser of the CPGB. In this role, he defended the
Eurocommunist Eurocommunism was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties, which said they had developed a theory and practice of social transformation more relevant for Western Europe. During the Cold War, they sough ...
s who were looking to change the approach of the party, and was also responsible for organising All Party Rallies with performances by
Scritti Politti Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band. Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist poli ...
and
Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although ...
. But by 1981, his role had been circumscribed by opponents in the party, and he left to work at a children's support union, also devoting time to the Campaign Against Racist Laws. Cook returned to work for the CPGB in 1983, as national campaign organiser. He stood unsuccessfully in
Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
at the
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
and 1987 general elections, losing his deposit on both occasions. The CPGB dissolved in 1991, and Cook joined its successor, Democratic Left. In 1992, he founded the Green Socialist Network, intended to bring together socialism and
environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecolog ...
. However, he was involved in a traffic accident the following year, while in Turkey, and died of complications soon afterwards.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Dave 1941 births 1993 deaths Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Communist Party of Great Britain members Politicians from Warrington