Paddy Ashdown - a real James Bond?

stagstag Posts: 2,083MI6 Agent
edited May 2016 in Off Topic Chat
Paddy Ashdown is a British politician. Here is a potted history.

He left school and joined the Royal Marines at the age of 18 in 1959, served in Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation before training as a swimmer canoeist in 1965. He joined the elite 'Special Boat Section' and commanded a Section in the Far East, then went to Hong Kong in 1967 and undertook an interpreters course in Chinese.

He returned to Britain in 1970 and was given command of a Commando Company in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the time of 'The Troubles' and retired at the age of 32 with the rank of captain in 1972. He then joined the Secret Intelligence Service where, as a cover, he worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as First Secretary to the UK mission to the UN

He decided to give up a comfortable life in Switzerland, with his wife and two children on the shores of Lake Geneva with plenty of time for sailing, skiing and climbing, to enter politics and eventually became a Liberal Member of Parliament in 1983.

He also has an eye for the ladies, earning himself the nickname of Paddy Pantsdown.

Comments

  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    edited May 2016
    An interesting topic, stag. :) -{

    I agree, though I'm not a Lib Dem or Alliance voter. Paddy Ashdown (now Lord Ashdown) was also Lib Dem leader of course.

    He's probably the best Foreign/Defence Secretary that the UK never had. There was a chance he'd have joined Tony Blair's 1997 New Labour Cabinet in such a role but this never came to pass due to New Labour's unprecedented landslide victory in the 1997 UK General Election.

    It'd be interesting to know his views on James Bond. I wonder has he ever spoken publicly about the subject?
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 21,699MI6 Agent
    There are simularities, but James Bond would never enter politics
  • stagstag Posts: 2,083MI6 Agent
    Number24 wrote:
    There are simularities, but James Bond would never enter politics
    Agreed, I can't recall IFs literary Bond having particular views on politics? However I was principally thinking about Ashdown's time with the SBS & SIS (for the cinematic Bond).
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I liked Paddy, always seemed a very decent politician, but he was No
    Nick Clegg. :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • stagstag Posts: 2,083MI6 Agent
    While he was the LidDem leader I thought a good action film could be made. Terrorists attack Westminster & take all the MPs prisoner. However they hadn't figured on Paddy Ashdown (played by Sylvester Stallone!) escaping them then going on the offensive! I'm thinking vest & sub machine gun as Paddy fights his way through the palace of Westminster!
  • CoolHandBondCoolHandBond Mactan IslandPosts: 6,030MI6 Agent
    Paddy Ashdown is one of the mere handful of politicians I ever had any time for.
    Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Might be of interest- refers to Paddy as the Lib Dems' James Bond! http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/sep/23/paddy-ashdown-spoils-afternoon-prime-minister
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