Arthur Gordon Lishman , known as Gordon Lishman (born 1947) is a British social and

elder rights Elder rights are the rights of older adults (usually those in the seventh decade of life or older, although this definition is disputed), who in various countries are not recognized as a constitutionally protected class, yet face discrimination ...

activist, Liberal politician, writer and former Director General of

Age Concern Age Concern is the banner title used by a number of charitable organizations (NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four countries of the United King ...

England.

Career

Lishman graduated in economics and political science from the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

in 1968. Together with Tony Greaves, Lishman moved the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

Community Politics Community politics is a movement in British politics to re-engage people with political action on a local level. Most developed amongst the Liberal Democrats but adopted to some extent by the British Greens, other parties, and Independents. An ...

motion in 1970. In 1980, he co-wrote ''The Theory and Practice of Community Politics'' with Bernard Greaves. He was the Liberal Party Parliamentary Candidate for

Bradford North Bradford North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until it was abolished for the 2010 general election, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post ...

in the February 1974 and October 1974 General Elections, and for

Pendle Pendle may refer to: * Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England ** Pendle (UK Parliament constituency) * Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England ** Forest of Pendle, hilly landscape surrounding the hill * Pendle College of the University of Lancaster ...

in the 1983 and 1987 General Elections. For the Liberal Democrats, he contested

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and nort ...

in the

2015 general election This national electoral calendar for 2015 lists the national/Federation, federal elections held in 2015 in all List of sovereign states, sovereign states and their Dependent territory, dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though na ...

and Pendle in the

2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

. He contested Pendle again in the 2019 general election, finishing third with 3.5% of the vote, up from his third place result of 2.1% two years earlier. Lishman joined

Age Concern England Age Concern is the banner title used by a number of charitable organizations ( NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four countries of the United Ki ...

in 1974, becoming Director General of the charity in 2000. He left in 2009, after the charity had lost £22 million on the

Heyday Heyday may refer to: * Titled works: ** Music: *** ''Heyday'' (The Church album), a 1986 album by the Church *** ''Heyday'' (Fairport Convention album), a 1987 album by Fairport Convention ** ''Heyday'' (novel), a historical novel by Kurt Ander ...

project, having led the charity through to its merger with

Help the Aged Help the Aged was a United Kingdom based international charity founded in 1961 by Cecil Jackson-Cole and Hugh Faulkner to help disadvantaged older people who were affected by poverty, isolation and neglect. It merged with Age Concern in 2009 ...

, to form a new charity,

Age UK Age UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 25 February 2009, and launched on 1 April 2009, which combined the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern England and Help the Aged to form the UK's largest cha ...

. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other ...

and promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) in the

2006 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2006 in some Commonwealth realms were announced (on 31 December 2005) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis to ...

for services to older people. Lishman was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire in 2002. In 2007, he was asked by

Ivan Lewis Ivan Lewis (born 4 March 1967) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury South from 1997 to 2019, initially as a member of the Labour Party then as an independent from 2017. After serving in various ministeria ...

to chair the Department of Health's Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board. Now hes just a great grandfather to his grand kids (e.g. Arthur Jonah Lishman (the best grandson ever duh)

Bibliography

*''Participation in a Competitive Economy'' – Peter McGregor and Gordon Lishman, Liberal Publication Department, *''A Redefinition of Retirement'' – Gordon Lishman, Liberal Publication Department,

References

External links

* * 1947 births Living people Elder rights activists Alumni of the University of Manchester Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Liberal Democrats (UK) parliamentary candidates {{UK-activist-stub