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A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant. Possibly described as a joining of 'factions', usually those with overlapping interests rather than opposing.

Politics and government[link]

A coalition government, in a parliamentary system, is a government composed of a coalition of parties. In Australia, the Coalition is also used to refer to an alliance (coalition agreement) of three parties (the Liberals, Nationals and Country Liberals) existing in federal politics since 1922—this constitutes a parliamentary coalition. A coalition of parties is also an electoral fusion. The Cambridge Dictionary defines coalition as: the union of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose, usually for a limited time.

In international relations, a coalition can be an ad hoc grouping of nations united for a specific purpose. Sometimes, such groups are diverse and are characterized by some degree of commonalities. Sometimes, the degree of uncommonalities would lead some to perceive the group's bond as being ordinarily unlikely; here it can indicate the fact the historical ties may no longer be in operation, and the coalition members, instead, are joined by a new intention, not necessarily prior bonds.

A coalition might also refer to a group of citizens uniting behind a common goal. Many of these are grassroots organizations, like the Christian Coalition.

It can also be a collaborative, means-oriented arrangement, especially a temporary one, that allows distinct people or organizational entities to pool resources and combine efforts in order to effect change. The combination of such persons or entities into one body, as a union, variously organized and structured, but generally less formal than a covenant. Although persons and groups form coalitions for many and varied reasons, the most common purpose is to combat a common threat or to take advantage of a certain opportunity; hence, the often-temporary nature of coalitions. The common threat or existence of opportunity is what gives rise to the coalition and allows it to exist. Such collaborative processes can gain political influence and potentially initiate social movements. According to Sidney Tarrow, four elements are necessary to maintain a coalition:

1. Members must frame the issue that brings them together with a common interest.
2. Members’ trust in each other and believe that their peers have a credible commitment to the common issue(s) and/or goal(s).
3. The coalition must have a mechanism(s) to manage differences in language, orientation, tactics, culture, ideology, etc. between and among the collective's members (especially in transnational coalitions).
4. The shared incentive to participate and, consequently, benefit.

Coalitions manifest in a variety of forms, types and terms of duration:

• Campaign coalitions with high intensity and long-term cooperation
• Federations, characterized by relatively lower degree of involvement, intensity and participation, involving cooperation of long duration, but with members’ primary commitment remaining with their own entities
• Instrumental coalitions, involving low-intensity involvement without a foundation to mediate conflict
• Event-based coalitions that have a high level of involvement and the potential for future collaboration.

A coalition government is currently in place in the UK, with the Conservative Party under David Cameron (current prime minister) joining forces with the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg. The conservatives managed to gain 306 seats in the 2010 General Election, thus not giving them an overall majority. The Liberal Democrats gained 57 seats. These two parties formed a coalition allowing the coalition to have a majority. The deal for coalition included places in the cabinet for senior Liberal Democrat officials and a referendum on the alternative vote electoral system.

Economics[link]

A coalition in economics refers to a group of companies that create a mutual trust between each other in order for increased profit. For example, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins create a coalition by having shared stores and thus shared revenue.

Political science[link]

Within political science, coalition theory is using game theory to analyze formation, workings and break-up of coalitions. Coalitions also describe alliances between civil society organizations, such as labor unions, community organizations and religious institutions. Sometimes called labor-community coalitions, coalitions have proven to be an important strategy for social change in many contexts. Yet their power is variable, dependent on the context in which they are organizing and the strategies used by the organizers, as documented in the book Power in Coalition.[1]

Activism[link]

Civil society, activist and nonprofit groups often call themselves "coalitions," but in some instances the organization consists of only one person. The often-cited Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, for example, lists only one person, Stephen Joseph, on the contact page of its website.

Military[link]

A coalition is a collection of countries involved in a military operation who are unified under a single command. An example is the Coalition assembled by George H.W. Bush during the Persian Gulf War, as well as the "Coalition of the Willing", a phrase employed during the 2003 campaign for the war in Iraq led by the United States and its allies.^[1] A contemporary example is the United Nations coalition presently intervening in the 2011 Libyan civil war against Muammar Gaddafi.

Mathematics[link]

Coalitions can be studied as games. The Nash equilibrium defines conditions where rational players can benefit other players in the coalition.

Computer science[link]

In the computer field, and in the study of cognition, the entities can be called agents or daemons. By definition, agents can form coalitions.

Fiction[link]

• The Coalition, a group in the Star Fleet Universe, the General War era.
• The Trader Emergency Coalition, a playable race in Sins of a Solar Empire.
• In the game Freelancer, there had been a war with two groups; the Alliance, and the Coalition.
• In The Gears of War game series the protagonists go under the name of COGs which stands for "Coalition of Ordered Governments"
• The role-playing game Rifts features a Coalition of their own composed of human supremacists.

See also[link]

• Axelrod's book, The Evolution of Cooperation
• United front
• Coalition (Australia)
• Coalition government
• Collaborative leadership
• Barisan Nasional, Malaysian ruling party coalition
• Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysian opposition coalition
• List of political parties in Israel
• Multi-party system

References[link]

• Power in Coalition

External links[link]

Look up coalition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Mapleleaf Web - Coalition Governments in Canada

The Right Honourable George Osborne MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 May 2010
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Alistair Darling
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 5 May 2005 – 11 May 2010
Leader	Michael Howard David Cameron
Preceded by	Oliver Letwin
Succeeded by	Alistair Darling
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 14 June 2004 – 5 May 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Howard Flight
Succeeded by	Philip Hammond
Member of Parliament for Tatton
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2001
Preceded by	Martin Bell
Majority	14,487 (32%)
Personal details
Born	(1971-05-23) 23 May 1971 (age 41) London, United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Frances Howell (1998–present)
Children	Luke Liberty
Residence	11 Downing Street (Official)
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford
Website	Official website Constituency website

George Gideon Oliver Osborne,^[1] MP (born 23 May 1971^[2] in Paddington, London)^[3] is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.

Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in Ireland as the Ascendancy. He is the heir to the Osborne baronetcy (of Ballentaylor, in County Tipperary, and Ballylemon, in County Waterford).^[4][5]

He was educated at St Paul's School and Magdalen College, University of Oxford, before entering politics.

Early life and family[link]

Osborne is the eldest of four sons. His father, Sir Peter Osborne, 17th Baronet, co-founded the firm of fabric and wallpapers designers Osborne & Little.^[6][7] His mother is Felicity Alexandra Loxton-Peacock, the daughter of artist Lady Clarisse Loxton Peacock.^[2][8]

Originally named Gideon Oliver,^[2] he changed his name to George when he was 13. In an interview in July 2005, Osborne said: "It was my small act of rebellion. I never liked it. When I finally told my mother she said, 'Nor do I'. So I decided to be George after my grandfather, who was a war hero. Life was easier as a George; it was a straightforward name."^[9]

Education[link]

Osborne was educated at two independent schools in west London: at Norland Place School in Holland Park and St Paul's School in Barnes (near Hammersmith),^[10] followed by a Bachelor's degree at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford^[2] where he received a 2:1 in Modern History.^[7] At Oxford he edited the university's Isis magazine,^[11] and was a member of the Bullingdon Club.^[11] He also attended Davidson College in North Carolina for a semester as a Dean Rusk Scholar.^[12]

Early career[link]

Osborne's first job was entering the names of people who had died in London into a National Health Service computer.^[13] He also briefly worked for Selfridges, re-folding towels.^[13] He originally intended to pursue a career in journalism, but instead got a job at Conservative Central Office.^[13]

Political career[link]

Osborne joined the Conservative Research Department in 1994 and became head of the Political Section. Between 1995 and 1997 he worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as special advisor to minister Douglas Hogg (during the BSE crisis) and worked in the Political Office at 10 Downing Street.

Between 1997 and 2001, he worked for then Conservative leader William Hague as a speechwriter and Political Secretary. In this role he helped prepare Hague for the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions, often playing the role of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Under the successive leaderships of Michael Howard and David Cameron he remained on the Prime Minister's Questions team.

Member of Parliament[link]

Elected as the Member of Parliament for Tatton, Cheshire, in June 2001, Osborne succeeded the Independent MP Martin Bell, who had famously defeated the controversial former Conservative minister Neil Hamilton at the 1997 election. Osborne won with a majority of 8,611, becoming (at that time) the youngest Conservative MP in the House of Commons. At the 2005 election, he was re-elected with an increased majority of 11,731 (51.8% of the vote) and in 2010 increased his majority still further to 14,487.

Shadow Cabinet[link]

In September 2004, Osborne was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Following the 2005 general election, he was promoted to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer at the young age of 33 by the then-Conservative Party leader Michael Howard. Howard had initially offered the post to William Hague, who turned it down. Press reports suggest that Howard's second choice for the post was in fact David Cameron, who also rejected the job as he preferred to take on a major public service portfolio (he was made Shadow Education Secretary). Thus Howard turned to Osborne as his third choice for the role.^[14] His promotion prompted speculation he would run for leadership of the Conservative Party when Howard stepped down, but he ruled himself out within a week.^[15] Osborne served as campaign manager for David Cameron's leadership campaign, and kept the Shadow Chancellor's post when Cameron became leader later that year.

In 2009 when David Cameron was asked whether or not he would be willing to sack a close colleague such as Osborne, he stated, "With George, the answer is yes. He stayed in my shadow cabinet not because he is a friend, not because we are godfathers to each other's children but because he is the right person to do the job. I know and he knows that if that was not the case he would not be there."^[16]

Osborne has expressed an interest in the ideas of "tax simplification" (including the idea of flat tax). He set up a "Tax Reform Commission" in October 2005 to investigate ideas for how to create a "flatter, simpler" tax system. The system then proposed would reduce the income tax rate to a flat 22%, and increase personal allowance from £4,435 to £10,000-£15,500. The idea of a flat tax is not included in the current Conservative party manifesto.^[17]

Each year between 2006 and 2009, Osborne attended the annual Bilderberg Conference, a meeting of influential people in business, finance and politics.^[18]

Comments on Gordon Brown[link]

During Osborne's response to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's Pre-Budget Report on 5 December 2005, Osborne accused Brown of being "a Chancellor past his sell by date, a Chancellor holding Britain back". In an interview the same week, he also referred to Brown as 'brutal' and 'unpleasant'.^[19] In October 2006 Osborne was rebuked by the Speaker of the House of Commons when he attacked the Chancellor at Oral Questions to the Chancellor by citing a comment attributed to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton, describing the Chancellor as likely to make an 'effing awful' Prime Minister.^[20] It was widely suggested that Osborne was leading an assault on Brown which would allow the Conservatives to discredit him without damaging David Cameron's public image.^[20][21][22] Osborne faced criticism from some quarters for appearing to suggest that Brown was "faintly autistic". After talking about his ability to recall odd facts in an interview, a host suggested that Osborne may have been "faintly autistic"; Osborne responded by saying that "We're not getting onto Gordon Brown yet".^[23]

"Run on the pound"[link]

On 14 November 2008, in an intervention described by the BBC's Nick Robinson as "pretty extraordinary",^[24] Osborne spoke out warning that the more the government borrows the less attractive sterling becomes. He said: "We are in danger, if the government is not careful, of having a proper sterling collapse, a run on the pound." Labelling Gordon Brown's tactic as a "scorched-earth policy", which a future Conservative government would have to clear up, Osborne continued: "His view is he probably won't win the next election. The Tories can clear this mess up after I've gone."^[24] Lord Kalms, a prominent supporter of David Davis in the 2005 leadership election, told the BBC that former shadow home secretary David Davis would be more appropriate as shadow chancellor.^[24]

The Deripaska claim[link]

In October 2008, Osborne's school and university friend the financier Nathaniel Rothschild stated that George Osborne had tried to solicit a £50,000 donation from the Russian aluminium magnate Oleg Deripaska, which would have been a violation of the law against political donations by foreign citizens.^[25][26] Rothschild wrote: "[I]t turns out that your obsession with Mr. Mandelson is trivial in light of Mr. Osborne's actions. I also think it ill behoves all political parties to try and make capital at the expense of another in such circumstances. Perhaps in future it would be better if all involved accepted the age old adage that private parties are just that."^[27] Rothschild had hosted Deripaska, Osborne and Lord Mandelson at a party in his villa in Corfu. The alleged solicitation of a donation occurred on Deripaska's yacht during the party.^[28] The Electoral Commission received a formal complaint initiated in a letter by the Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs Spokesman, Chris Huhne, requesting them to investigate the claims against Osborne. The Commission rejected the claims and said it saw "no information" suggesting an offence.^[29][30] The story was coined by the press as 'Yachtgate.'^[31]

Expenses[link]

In 2009, he received criticism for the way he had handled his expenses, after he was found to have "flipped" his second home,^[32] changing which property he designated as his second home in order to pay less capital gains tax. The Lib Dems estimated he owed £55,000 to the public purse as a result of this.^[33] He had previously paid back £1,193 on overpayments on his mortgage and chauffeur fares^[34] after a complaint from a Labour activist, and it also emerged that he had claimed £47 for two copies of a DVD of his own speech on "value for taxpayers' money".^[35] Parliament's standards commissioner's report found that although Mr Osborne had breached the rules the offence was "unintended and relatively minor". Osborne had been told at the time by the Fees Office that his claims would be within the rules. "We entirely accept that Mr Osborne derived no significant benefit from them," the report added. The BBC's Political Correspondent Iain Watson said the repayment was relatively small in comparison with those made by some other MPs and would not be regarded as politically damaging.^[36]

2010 general election campaign[link]

During the 2010 general election campaign, Osborne was considered to have been sidelined due to his perceived unpopularity and the perception as a 'weak link' by both the Liberal Democrat and Labour strategists.^[37]

Political views[link]

The Financial Times describes Osborne as "metropolitan and socially liberal. He is hawkish on foreign policy with links to Washington neo-conservatives and ideologically committed to cutting the state. A pragmatic Eurosceptic".^[38] There is evidence of this commitment to cutting the state in his party's manifesto, with Osborne and the Conservatives seeking to cut the deficit "faster and deeper" than any other main party as well as committing to various tax cuts such as inheritance tax and national insurance. According to an IFS report before the 2010 election,^[39] the Conservatives needed to find more money from cuts beyond what they had outlined than any other major party, although the report was also critical of Labour and the Lib Dems.

Chancellor of the Exchequer[link]

Osborne was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on 12 May 2010 and, as per custom with Cabinet Ministers, was sworn in as a Privy Counsellor the next day.^[40]

Osborne acceded to the chancellorship in the continuing wake of the financial crisis. Two of his first acts were setting up the Office of Budget Responsibility and commissioning a government-wide spending review, to conclude in autumn 2010, to set limits on departmental spending until 2014–15.^[41] In July 2010, Osborne seeking cuts of up to 25 per cent in government spending to tackle the deficit, taking on the £20 billion cost of building four new Vanguard-class submarine to bear Trident would require a severe reduction in the rest of the Ministry of Defence budget. The Chancellor insisted that Trident had to be considered as part of the MoD's core funding. He said, "The Trident costs, I have made it absolutely clear, are part of the defence budget." He warned that if Trident was considered core funding, there would have to be severe restrictions in the way that Britain operated militarily, amid suggestions that regiments could be axed, or, potentially, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy amalgamated. Liam Fox said, "To take the capital cost would make it very difficult to maintain what we are currently doing in terms of capability."^[42]

On 4 October 2010, in a speech at the Conservative conference in Birmingham, Osborne announced a cap on the overall amount of benefits a family can receive from the state, estimated to be around £500 a week from 2013. It has been estimated this could result in 50,000 unemployed families losing an average of £93 a week. He also announced that he would end the universal entitlement to child benefit, and removed the entitlement from people on the 40% and 50% income tax rates from 2013.^[43]

In February 2011 Osborne announced Project Merlin whereby banks will lend about £190bn to businesses this year – including £76bn to small firms – curb bonuses and reveal some salary details of their top earners. The Bank of England will monitor whether loans targets are being met. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott resigned after the agreement was announced. This was in addition to the government increasing its levy on banks to £2.5bn this year – raising an extra £800m. HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group have signed up to the Project Merlin agreement, while Santander has agreed to the lending parts of the deal. Other pledges include providing £200m of capital for David Cameron's Big Society Bank, which is supposed to finance community projects.^[44]

2010[link]

Osborne set himself the target of reducing the UK's deficit to the point that, in the financial year 2015–16, the total public debt would be falling as a fraction of GDP.^[45] On 24 May 2010, Osborne outlined £6.2bn cuts: "We simply cannot afford to increase public debt at the rate of £3bn each week."^[46] A Financial Times editorial agreed.^[47] In an open letter to the chancellor, however, the respected FT commentator Martin Wolf wrote: "I have been fascinated—if appalled—by the pre-Keynesian approach you and the prime minister have taken to the UK's fiscal challenges. What Keynes called "the Treasury view"—that fiscal policy has no effect on activity, even in a deep recession—is alive and well in Downing Street."^[41] Comparing Coalition austerity measures with the Opposition's, Wolf commented that the "big shift from Labour. . . . is the cuts in welfare benefits."^[48]

Leaked Treasury documents the next month revealed that Osborne anticipated his tighter spending would lead to 1.3 million jobs lost over the course of the parliament.^[49] Osborne has termed those who object to his policy "deficit-deniers".^[50]

In September, the IMF described Osborne's deficit reduction plans as "essential", though revised its growth estimate down,^[51] and dozens of leading British CEO's publicly declared their support in a high-profile letter.^[52] Others were openly hostile to Osborne's plans, notably David Blanchflower and Martin Wolf.^[53][41][54] It was also reported in September that the quarterly UK trade deficit for April–June 2010 was the largest since annual records began in 1946.^[55] "July's dreadful UK trade figures cast further doubt over the ability of the external sector to drive the recovery once the boost from government and consumer spending fades," commented Vicky Redwood of Capital Economics.^[55]

George Osborne, presented the Government's Spending Review on 20 October, which fixed spending budgets for each government department up to 2014–15.^[56][57] Before and after becoming chancellor, Osborne had alleged that the UK was on "the verge of bankruptcy".^[58][59] When he maintained the stance to justify the Spending Review, Martin Wolf took issue: "The chancellor presents the hypothesis of looming national 'bankruptcy'. If so, the UK must have been bankrupt for much of the past two centuries."^[60] A fortnight after his Review presentation, the Treasury Select Committee also accused the chancellor of using inflammatory language to justify the large public spending cuts.^[61]

More bad news was to follow as it was reported that UK exports had fallen at a record pace in the fourth quarter of 2010, highlighting the fact that Britain had not escaped a plunge in global trade.^[62] Vicky Redwood remarked: "Until the UK's export sector starts to perk up, any recovery in the overall economy seems unlikely."^[62] The economy also posted a contraction of 0.5 percent for the final quarter of 2010.^[63] Hetal Mehta from Dalwa Capitol described the negative growth as "a horrendous figure. An absolute disaster for the economy. . . . It seems that the economy is incredibly vulnerable. And with the fiscal tightening yet to fully bite, we will have to brace ourselves for a bumpy ride."^[63] Osborne said that although the figures were disappointing, there was strong performances and growth from sections of the economy less affected by the weather, such as manufacturing.^[63] He also declared that the poor figures and bad weather would not affect implementation of his austerity measures and budget deficit reduction, and that he would not be "blown off course".^[63]

2011[link]

2011 ushered in better news, with the revised figures for the month of January indicating that the deficit in trade in goods had narrowed compared to December 2010, and by much more than expected.^[64] "This is welcome news for the UK economy and signals a further rebalancing of the economy towards export-led manufacturing growth," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit Group.^[64]

Osborne's policies caused continuing concern as a series of bad data indicated the deteriorating state of the UK economy.^[65] Martin Wolf observed: "The release of the preliminary version of the May 2011 Economic Outlook from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development allows the reader to trace the disappointing path that the UK economy has taken",^[66] and NIESR, predicting a growth slump, recommended delaying the spending cuts.^[67] On 6 June, fifty-two people, including some of Britain's leading economists, two former Whitehall advisers and two signatories of the previous year's high-profile letter backing the Tories' cuts, publicly warned Osborne that the UK was too fragile to withstand his drastic spending cuts and that he must draw up a plan B.^[68][69] As in January, Osborne dismissed the criticism.^[70] Over the following week, the IMF reaffirmed its support for Osborne's cuts, again describing them as "essential", though again revising its growth prediction down,^[71][72] and a number of economists publicly encouraged Osborne not to abandon his deficit-reduction programme.^[73] The same week featured a repetition of a threat by Moody's to downgrade the UK's credit rating^[74] (a Chinese ratings agency had already downgraded Britain's credit rating because it foresaw years of sluggish growth),^[75] contradicting Osborne's claim a few weeks prior that the UK's credit rating had "come off negative outlook ­when other countries are facing downgrades. We have brought much-needed stability at home and attracted near universal confidence abroad".^[74][76]

In June it was reported that Osborne's staff had been complaining privately to the BBC about an alleged negative bias in the latter's coverage of the economy, and Osborne aired the accusation publicly in a BBC interview.^[77] The BBC rebutted Osborne's comments on its website.^[77]

Second-quarter GDP-figures were, with just 0.2% growth, "horribly unimpressive".^[78] The Office for National Statistics (ONS) argued the figures were heavily influenced by one-off, suppressing factors,^[79] though Lex argued that, "Little weight should be put on" the ONS's argument.^[78] Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls accused Osborne of being "breathtakingly complacent",^[80] while Malcolm Barr, an economist at JPMorgan, said, "No one can claim that the economy is anything but disappointing".^[81] Though the OBR's monthly survey of private sector economists showed progressive downgrades of GDP growth estimates—the July forecast was a 1.3 per cent rate of expansion, down from 1.7 per cent in March^[82]—the OBR reported that public finances were on track.^[82] Commenting on the low, 0.2% growth of GDP, Osborne, as on previous occasions, stated that, although the economy was carrying some "heavy weights",^[82] abandoning his austerity programme "would only risk British jobs and growth."^[83] An FT editorial again gave qualified praise for Osborne's performance.^[84]

Within days, however, bad news emerged for the manufacturing sector, which had been "the economy's stellar performer since the UK emerged from recession".^[85] Optimism among manufacturers fell for the first time in two years^[85] (shortly thereafter it emerged that manufacturing had contracted in July, the first such decline in more than two years,^[86] as British manufacturers fired a broadside at ministers' efforts to "rebalance" the economy);^[87] Osborne's plan to offer a national insurance holiday to small companies to boost jobs growth in the UK's regions had had only a "minuscule" take-up since it was launched a year ago;^[88] the CBI lowered its growth forecast for 2011 again, but emphasised that the economy was still expected to grow;^[89] the IMF, pointing to weak growth prospects, cast doubt on Osborne's ability to meet his 2015–6 goal for eliminating the deficit;^[90][91] the head of the OBR stated his belief that the UK would fail to meet its 2011 growth target of 1.7%;^[92] leading builders merchants complained that the construction sector's recovery was being held back by Osborne's austerity measures;^[93] the IMF estimated that British households would lose £1,500 a year for the next five years as a consequence of the austerity drive,^[94] warned that the UK faced a "bumpy and uneven" recovery,^[95] and that Osborne should prepare to be flexible;^[95] NIESR, in a more outspoken fashion than the IMF, told Osborne that his cuts would lead to the deficit's existence past his 2015–16 target;^[96] NIESR and the IMF estimated that the UK's structural unemployment rate would be worse than before the financial crisis;^[97] UK car sales continued their uninterrupted fall for each month of Osborne's chancellorship;^[98] and, with the Bank of England preparing to slash growth forecasts,^[99] Business Secretary Vince Cable warned that the UK was facing the risk of a double-dip recession.^[100]

With problems with eurozone and US debt peaking again, Osborne interrupted his holiday to make crisis calls.^[101]

In November 2011, Osborne sold Northern Rock to Richard Branson's Virgin Money for a price that could range from £747m to £1bn.^[102] Northern Rock, the first British bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run, had been taken into public ownership in 2008, then divided into two entities on January 1, 2010 - the other half being Northern Rock (Asset Management).^[103] The Independent described the entity sold as the "detoxified arm" of the bank, while saying the taxpayers retained "responsibility for £20bn of toxic assets such as bad debts and closed mortgages." The newspaper quoted Ed Balls, the shadow Chancellor: "It is being sold off at a loss and I think there is a question as to whether or not this is the best time, with the markets in turmoil to get the best deal." It quoted Osborne that the takeover would create "a powerful new presence on the high street" offering "real choice and competition" for the public", and based on independent device and careful consideration the Treasury had decided it "was clear to us this was the best deal for the British taxpayer - we were getting more money back than any other deal on the table."^[102] Osborne responded to concerns about the timing in The Daily Telegraph by saying that the 2008 Labour government had secretly made a deal with the European Commission in Brussels to sell the bank in or before 2013, and "[g]iven we were advised that Northern Rock plc would have been likely to remain loss-making [until] at least well into 2012, which would have depleted taxpayer resources still further, agreeing a sale now was even more imperative." The deal valued the bank at somewhat less than its £1.12bn net asset value, and "locks in a minimum loss" for taxpayers of £373m to £453m.^[104]

It was reported in The Independent in December 2011 that Osborne had been involved in meetings^[105] with bankers lobbying to avoid proposals in the Vickers Report^[106] that were intended to reduce risks in the banking industry. The talks were alleged to be secret but were obtained via a Freedom of Information request.

2012[link]

In March 2012 Osborne faced opposition to changes in tax policy which included a reducing a 50% income tax rate on top earners, which he said had been specially designated by his predecessor as "temporary", to 45%, while imposing a VAT tax on food such as Cornish pasties when served at above ambient temperature. Critics were alarmed by the potential effect on vendors, with members on the Treasury Select Committee suggesting that Osborne was inexperienced with the issue after a comment that he 'couldn't remember' the last time he'd bought such a pasty from Greggs.^[107] The Guardian called the pasty decision "logically correct", as pasties are hot food like kebabs, which are currently subject to the 20% tax, but called it "bad policy" politically, because raising the tax on pasties burdens lower income groups already facing 3.5% inflation but 1.1% wage growth.^[108]

Personal life[link]

Osborne married The Hon. Frances Victoria Howell (b. 18 February 1969), author and elder daughter of former and current Conservative Cabinet Minister Lord Howell of Guildford, on 4 April 1998.^[8] The couple have two children, Luke Benedict, born at Westminster, London, on 15 June 2001, and Liberty Kate, born at Westminster, London, on 27 June 2003.^[3][13][109] He has an estimated personal fortune of around £4 million, as the beneficiary of a trust fund that owns a 15-per-cent stake in Osborne & Little, the wallpaper-and-fabrics company co-founded by his father, Sir Peter Osborne, Bt.^{[110][111][112]}

See also[link]

• Conservative Research Department
• Cameron Ministry
• New Enterprise Council (Conservative Party, United Kingdom)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: George Osborne

• George Osborne MP official Conservative Party profile
• George Osborne for Tatton official constituency site
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Articles authored at Journalisted
• George Osborne collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• George Osborne collected news and commentary at The Telegraph
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• George Osborne at the Internet Movie Database
• Profile: George Osborne BBC News, 5 April 2005
• Economic thinking after the crunch, video speech, RSA Insights, 8 April 2009
• The Real George Osborne, parody series featuring Rufus Jones as George Osborne, November-December 2011

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Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (Marathi: शरदचंद्र गोविंदराव पवार; born 12 December 1940), popularly known as Sharad Pawar), is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Defence and Chief Minister of Maharashtra and currently serves as Minister of Agriculture, Government of India.

Pawar is from the town of Baramati in the Pune district of Maharashtra. He leads the NCP delegation in the Lok Sabha, representing his constituency of Madha in Maharashtra. He has a prominence in national politics as well as regional politics of Maharashtra, although marred by frequent corruption allegations.

Pawar also served as the Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 2005 to 2008. In 2010, Sharad Pawar became the International Cricket Council president after England's David Morgan.^[1]

Early life and family history[link]

Pawar is one of the ten children (six sons and four daughters) born to Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai baramati). Govindrao was employed by the Baramati farmers' Cooperative ( Sahakari Kharedi Vikri Sangh) while his mother looked after the family farm at Katewadi, ten kilometers from Baramati. Most of siblings were well educated and were either professionals or ran their own businesses. Pawar studied at BrihanMaharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC)in Pune. He was an average student, however, active in student politics. Pawar's first political act was when he organized a protest march for Goan Independence in Pravaranagar in 1956.,^[2] Pawar is married to Pratibha (Shinde). They have one daughter, Supriya who is married to Sadanand Sule and now is active in politics. Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar is also a prominent politician in his own right and presently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Pawar's younger brother, Pratap runs the influential Marathi daily, Sakal

Political career[link]

Till 1990[link]

Sharad Pawar entered the Maharashtra legislative assembly for the first time in 1967 from Baramati, representing the undivided Congress Party. Yashwantrao Chavan was the political mentor of Sharad Pawar.^[3]

Pawar broke away from the Congress to form a coalition MODI28 government with the opposition Janata Sangh in 1978 becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the first time at a time when Indira Gandhi had become incredibly unpopular due to her imposition of Emergency in 1975^{[citation needed]}. This Progressive Democratic Front government was dismissed in February 1980, following Indira Gandhi's return to power at the Centre.

power at the Centre.

In the elections that frty won the majority in state assembly and A.R. Antulay,took over as the chief minister of the state. Pawar took over the Presidency of the Congress in 1981. For the first time, he won Lok Sabha election from Baramati parliamentary constituency in 1984. He also won state assembly elections of March 1985 from Baramati and preferred to continue in state politics for a while and resigned from the Lok Sabha. His party, the Indian Congress (Socialist) won 54 seats out of 288 in the state assembly and he became the leader of the opposition.

His returning to the Congress has been cited as a reason for the rise of the Shiv Sena at that time. In June 1988, Prime Minister of India and Congress President Rajiv Gandhi decided to induct then Maharashtra Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan into Union Cabinet as Finance Minister and Sharad Pawar was chosen to replace Chavan as chief minister. Sharad Pawar had the task of checking the rise of the Shiv Sena in state politics, which was a potential challenge to the dominance of Congress party in the state^{[citation needed]}. In 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Congress party won 28 seats out of 48 in Maharashtra. In the state assembly elections of February 1990, the alliance between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party posed a stiff challenge to the Congress. Congress fell short of an absolute majority in the state assembly, winning 141 seats out 288. Sharad Pawar was sworn in as chief minister again on March 4, 1990 with the support of 12 independent MLAs.

Early 1990s[link]

During the course of election campaign, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. There were reports in the media that Pawar's name was being considered for the Prime Minister's post along with those of P.V. Narasimha Rao and N.D. Tiwari.^[4][5][6] However the Congress Parliamentary Party elected P.V. Narasimha Rao as its leader and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 21, 1991. Rao decided to induct Pawar as Defence Minister. On June 26, 1991, Pawar took over as that portfolio, continuing till March 1993. After Pawar's successor in Maharashtra, Sudhakarrao Naik stepped down, Rao sent Pawar back as chief minister of the state.

He was sworn in as chief minister for his fourth and most controversial term^{[citation needed]} on March 6, 1993. Almost immediately, Mumbai, the financial capital of India and the state capital of Maharashtra, was rocked with series of bomb blasts on March 12, 1993.

Mid 1990s[link]

The Deputy Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, G R Khairnar made a series of accusations against Pawar for being involved in corruption and protecting the criminals.^[7][8] Though Khairnar could not produce any evidence in support of his claims, it inevitably affected Pawar's popularity. Notable social worker Anna Hazare started a fast unto death to demand expulsion of 12 officers of the Forest department of Government of Maharashtra, who had been accused of corruption. The opposition parties accused Pawar's government of trying to shield the corrupt officers. The 1994 Gowari stampede occurred at Nagpur during the Winter Session of Maharashtra State Assembly and killed 114 people. Nagpur Police were trying to disperse almost 50000 Gowari protesters using baton charge but it created panic and triggered stampede amongst protesters.^[9] Allegations were made that the mishap occurred because welfare minister Madhukarrao Pichad did not meet with the delegation of the Vanjara people in time. Though Pichad stepped down owing moral responsibility for the mishap, this incident was another setback to Sharad Pawar's government.

The elections to the Vidhan Sabha were due to be held in 1995. The Shiv Sena and BJP combine was leading the Congress in the polls, and thess in the polls, and there was widespread rebellion in the Congress party. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine won 138 seats while Congress party retained only 80 seats in the state assembly. Sharad Pawar had to step down and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi took over as chief minister on March 14, 1995.

Till the Lok Sabha elections of 1996, Sharad Pawar served as the Leader of the Opposition in State Legislative Council. In the 1996 General elections, he won from the Baramati seat and has not returned to the State Assembly since.

1997 till date[link]

In June 1997, he unsuccessfully challenged Sitaram Kesri for the post of Congress President. In the mid-term parliamentary elections of 1998, Sharad Pawar not only won from his constituency, Baramati but also led the Congress to an emphatic win in Maharashtra. His move to align with the Republican Party of India (Athvale) and Samajwadi Party for the elections in the state brought rich dividents and the Congress party and allies won 37 seats out of 48 in the state. Sharad Pawar served as Leader of Opposition in 12th Lok Sabha.

After 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved and elections to 13th Lok Sabha were due, Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar demanded that the Congress Party needed to project someone born in India as the Prime Ministerial candidate and not the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who had entered party politics and replaced Kesri as Congress President.

In June 1999, Pawar and Sangma founded the Nationalist Congress Party. His party had to align with the Congress party to form a coalition government in Maharashtra as neither party could win an absolute majority on its own in the 1999 assembly elections. Pawar, however, did not return to state politics, and Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress was chosen as Chief Minister, with Chagan Bhujbal representing the NCP as his deputy. The alliance has endured at the national and state level to this day.

After 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he joined the United Progressive Alliance government headed by Manmohan Singh as the Minister of Agriculture.

On November 29, 2005, he was elected President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

He was appointed Union Minister of Agriculture and of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution on May 28, 2009

In Jan 2012, He announced that he will not contest the next Lok Sabha election (Upcoming in 2014) and make way for a younger leadership, a move that is bound to create a stir in his party as well as the Congress.^[10] Al though at 71, his retirement plans put the focus on the claims of his nephew Ajit Pawar as also daughter Supriya Sule.

Links with criminals[link]

In 2002–03, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Sudhakarrao made a statement that the state leader of Indian National Congress party and erstwhile Chief Minister Sharad Pawar, had asked him to "go easy on Pappu Kalani", a well known criminal-turned-politician now.^[11] Shiv Sena Chief, Bal Thakare, had later concurred with these allegations.^[12] Further, Sudhakarrao also alleged that it was possible that Kalani and Hitendra Thakur, another criminal-turned-politician from Virar, had been given tickets to contest election for Maharashtra State Legislature at the behest of Sharad Pawar who also put in a word for Naik with the police when the latter was arrested for his role in post-Babri Masjid Demolition riots in Mumbai.^[13]

Sharad Pawar is also alleged to have close links with the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim^[14] through Ibrahim's henchman Lakhan Singh based in the Middle East and close relationship with Shahid Balwa, also a suspect in the 2G spectrum scam. These allegations were strengthened by the revelation about Balwa's business partner, Vinod Goenka's controversial commercial project in Yerawada, Pune, being constructed on the same survey number as Pawar's family friend, Atul Chordia, had constructed the Panchshil Tech Park. Khadse alleged that it was Balwa who had applied for environmental clearance for the two projects, a charge that Chordia refuted. Coincidentally, Chordia's Panchshil Pvt Ltd has Pawar's daughter, Supriya Sule, and her husband Sadanand as investors.^[15] The state government's decision to hand over a 3-acre plot of the Yerawada police station for "re-development" to Balwa's construction was retracted following Balwa's arrest.

Criticism and allegations of corruption[link]

Stamp-Paper Scam Connection Controversy[link]

Abdul Karim Telgi cited Pawar's name in relation to the 600 billion rupee stamp-paper scam, during a narcoanalysis filmed by various Indian news channels, wherein he also mentioned Chhagan Bhujbal^[16]

Controversial Wheat Imports[link]

In 2007, the BJP asked for Pawar's resignation after alleging he was involved in a multi-crore scam involving wheat imports. In May 2007 a tender floated by the Food Corporation of India for procurement of wheat was cancelled when the lowest bid received was for 263 USD/ton. The government subsequently allowed private traders to purchase wheat directly from farmers that year resulting in a paucity of wheat to stock FCI granaries. By July 2007 the shortage at FCI was large enough to require import of wheat at a much higher price of 320–360 USD/ton. Taking advantage of this, traders who had domestically purchased wheat at 900 INR/ton earlier, were now offering the same to FCI at 1,300 INR/ton.^[17][18]

Land Allotment[link]

On October 27, 2007, the Bombay High Court served notices to institutions headed by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Sadanand Sule (Sharad Pawar's son-in-law) along with a corresponding notice served to the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) on why special privileges were given to Pawar and his family. This was done in consideration of a Public Interest Litigation No. 148 of 2006, filed by Shamsunder Potare alleging that the land said allocations in Pune, made in 2002, were illegal. The institutions and properties mentioned include:

• Two 141.15-acre (0.5712 km²) plots given allotted to Vidya Pratishthan, an educational society headed by Sharad Pawar
• A 2-acre (8,100 m²) plot allotted to Anant Smriti Pratishthan, headed by Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra state minister for irrigation and Sharad Pawar's nephew
• A 130,000 square metre (32.12 acre) plot allotted to Lavasa Corporation, owned by Sadanand Sule, Sharad Pawar's son-in-law at the time. He handed over his stake in 2006.
• A 1-acre (4,000 m²) plot allotted to Shivajinagar Agriculture College
• A 3-acre (12,000 m²) plot allotted to Sharadchandraji Scout and Guide Training Institute

These allocations were made allegedly under NCP leader and minister Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar who was in charge of MKVDC at the time.^[19][20] Sharad Pawar was served a contempt of court notice on May 1, 2008 in connection with this case for issuing statements to the press even though the matter was subjudice at the time, that was later rejected by the court. Also in connection with the case, the respondents were directed not to create third-party interests in the property under dispute and to undertake any developments at their own risk.^[21][22]

IPL Exemption From Tax Controversy[link]

In 2010, In case of IPL exemption from tax, Shiv Sena MLA Subhash Desai had alleged that state cabinet decided in January this year to impose the tax, before this year's IPL season started, but the decision was not implemented because of NCP chief Sharad Pawar's association with BCCI.^[23] Bombay High Court on August 2010 said there was "nothing on record" to show that the Union Minister influenced the Maharashtra government's decision to exempt Indian Premier League matches from entertainment tax.^[24]

Controversy Faced After Assets Declaration[link]

In 2011, Sharad Pawar declared his assets to be worth 12 crore as part of a mandatory disclosure, but his critics claimed that his wealth far exceeded the stated amount.^[25][26] In 2010, it was alleged that the Pawar family indirectly held a 16% stake in the City Corporation, which had bid 1176 crore for the IPL Pune franchise. Pawar and his family denied the allegations, but the IPL bidder's board resolution contradicted their claims.^[27][28][29]

Nira Radia's Controversial Allegations[link]

In 2011, Under investigation of 2G spectrum scam Corporate Nira Radia has told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar may be controlling the controversial DB Realty, media reports said on Thursday. According to the reports, she also told the investigative agency that he may have spoken with former telecom minister A Raja about the allocation of spectrum and licence to Swan Telecom. Radia also said that she had no documentary proof to back up her allegation.^[30] Pawar has denied any link with former DB managing director Shahid Balwa who is now in CBI custody.

Criticism Faced After Extreme Hike in Prices of Agricultural Produce[link]

As the Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Pawar was consistently accused of being incapable of handling the extreme hike in prices of agricultural produce:

• Wheat import in 2007 – Bombay High Court issued notices to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, questioning the decision to import defective red wheat and to submit details of procurement of the crop from different states and the exact process of importing it.^[31]
• Sugar prices in 2009 – Opposition parties, including the BJP and the CPI(M) accused Sharad Pawar of engineering a steep rise in the price of sugar to the advantage of hoarders and importers.^[32]
• Onion prices in 2010–11 – The opposition have accused him to be responsible on the same issue.^[33][34][35]

Slapping Incident[link]

This section's representation of one or more viewpoints about a controversial issue may be unbalanced or inaccurate. Please improve the article or discuss the issue on the talk page.(December 2011)

Pawar was slapped by a youth named Harvinder Singh at a the New Delhi Municipal Corporation centre while leaving the premises after attending a literary function on 24 November 2011.^[36] The attacker, who previously is said to have assaulted former telecom minister Sukh Ram, was later arrested.

Motivation[link]

Harvinder Singh is an auto-rickshaw driver and has no political affiliations. He said after slapping Pawar in Hindi that 'He is a thief, they are all thieves'. He said that he slapped Pawar because of corruption and price-rise.

Reactions[link]

All leading political parties in India condemned the attack.^[37] Some politicians argued that violence should not be used as a means of raising concern.^[38][39]

The youth who slapped Pawar was highly praised on YouTube^[40] by common people, however politicians argued that violence should not be used as a means of raising concern.^[38][39] There were also several fan pages created on Facebook.^[41][42] There were parallels drawn with revolutionary and martyr Bhagat Singh,^[43] and pages advocating the shaming of more corrupt politicians.^[44]

India Today reported that the opinion of its online readers was in favour of further shaming of corrupt people holding public office.^[45] There was also widespread criticism of the NCP's call for a bandh.^[46][47] DNA India's readers also praised the^[48] attack on Sharad Pawar and expressed happiness that someone of them did this to a corrupt politician like Pawar.

The Times of India reported that Harvinder has been attacked multiple times, since being released from police custody once on January 15 and then again on February 25.^[49]

Kolaveri parody[link]

A parody of Why This Kolaveri Di, a track from a Tamil movie '3' which is honored by YouTube with a Gold Award for getting the most number of hits,^[50] based on the Sharad Pawar slapping incident, known as "Chamaat Song"^[51] (Slap Song) was posted on YouTube . This track is listed in "Top 10 Versions of 'Kolaveri Di' Song"^[52] by the Times of India. The track received 964,729 hits by evening of 2 December 2011, within a week of its release on 25 November.^[53]

Promotion of Endosulfan[link]

Even though Endosulfan has been banned, India is the only one country which is against global banning of Endosulfan. In spite of its known negative health effects, Sharad Pawar made a remark that Endosulfan is not yet proved dangerous. This remark prompted activist Vandana Shiva to call him a corrupt minister.^[54][55][56]

Sports Administration[link]

Pawar has interests in kabbadi, kho kho, wrestling and football. He has served as the head of various sports organizations, including

• Mumbai Cricket Association
• Maharashtra Wrestling Association
• Maharashtra Kabbadi Association
• Maharashtra Kho Kho Association
• Maharastra Olympics Association
• Board of Control for Cricket in India President 2005–2008
• International Cricket Council Vice President^[57]
• International Cricket Council President^[58]

Pawar was president of Pune International Marathon Trust, which host Pune International Marathon for last 22 years.

The Annual Cycling race from Bombay to Pune, is also held c/o. him. Its usually on the Sunday closest to his birthday, 12 Dec.

See also[link]

• Ajit Pawar, Dy. Chief Minister of Maharashtra and MLA, his nephew.
• Supriya Sule, his daughter, MP Loksabha.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• P. K. Ravindranath (February 1, 1992) Sharad Pawar- the making of a modern maratha South Asia Books. ISBN 81-85674-46-9
• Page 23 of the Times of India, New Delhi, Tu of India, New Delhi, Tuesday, December 12, 2006
• Profile at BBC News
• Profile at Govt. of India website

Jesse Jackson
Jackson speaking at the United Nations in 2012
United States Shadow Senator for the District of Columbia
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997 Serving with Florence Pendleton
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	Paul Strauss
Personal details
Born	Jesse Louis Burns (1941-10-08) October 8, 1941 (age 70) Greenville, South Carolina
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jacqueline Lavinia Brown (m. 1962)
Children	Santita Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Jonathan Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson, Ashley Laverne Jackson (with Karin Stanford)
Alma mater	North Carolina A&T Chicago Theological Seminary
Occupation	American civil rights activist minister
Religion	Baptist

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (born October 8, 1941) is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. is his eldest son. In an AP-AOL "Black Voices" poll in February 2006, Jackson was voted "the most important black leader".^[1]

Early life and education[link]

Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns in Greenville, South Carolina, to Helen Burns, a 16-year-old single mother. His biological father, Noah Louis Robinson, a former professional boxer and a prominent figure in the community, was married to another woman when Jesse was born. He was not involved in his son's life, and died January 28, 1997 in Greenville, S.C.^[2] In 1943, two years after Jesse's birth, his mother married Charles Henry Jackson, who would adopt Jesse 14 years later. Jesse went on to take the surname of his stepfather.^[3]

Jackson attended Sterling High School, a segregated high school in Greenville, where he was a student-athlete. Upon graduating in 1959, he rejected a contract from a professional baseball team so that he could attend the racially integrated University of Illinois on a football scholarship.^[4] One year later, Jackson transferred to North Carolina A&T located in Greensboro, North Carolina. There are differing accounts for the reasons behind this transfer. Jackson claims that the change was based on the school's racial biases which included his being unable to play as a quarterback despite being a star quarterback at his high school. ESPN.com suggests that claims of racial discrimination on the football team may be exaggerated because Illinois's starting quarterback that year was an African American, although it does not mention factors besides the quarterback's race which may have contributed to this perception (such as team dynamics or interpersonal interactions with other players on the team).^[5] Jackson also mentions being demoted by his speech professor as an alternate in a public-speaking competition team despite the support of his teammates who elected him a place on the team for his superior abilities.^[4] Jackson left Illinois at the end of his second semester after being placed on academic probation.

Following his graduation from A&T, Jackson attended the Chicago Theological Seminary with the intent of becoming a minister, but dropped out in 1966 to focus full time on the civil rights movement.^[6] He was ordained in 1968, without a theological degree; awarded an honorary theological doctorate from Chicago in 1990; and received his Master of Divinity Degree based on his previous credits earned, plus his life experience and subsequent work, in 2000.^[7][8]

Civil rights activism[link]

Jackson speaks on a radio broadcast from the headquarters of Operation PUSH, (People United to Save Humanity) at its annual convention. July 1973. Photograph by John H. White.

Jackson surrounded by marchers carrying signs advocating support for the Hawkins-Humphrey Bill for full employment, January 1975.

In 1965, he participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches organized by James Bevel, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders in Alabama. When Jackson returned from Selma, he threw himself into efforts by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to establish themselves a beachhead in Chicago.

In 1966, King and Bevel selected Jackson to be head of the SCLC’s Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, and SCLC promoted him to be the national director in 1967. Following the example of Reverend Leon Sullivan of Philadelphia, a key goal of the new group was to foster “selective buying” (boycotts) as a means to pressure white businesses to hire blacks and purchase goods and services from black contractors. One of Sullivan's precursors was Dr. T.R.M. Howard, a wealthy South Side doctor and entrepreneur and key financial contributor to Operation Breadbasket. Before he moved to Chicago from Mississippi in 1956, Howard, as the head of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, had successfully organized a boycott against service stations that refused to provide restrooms for blacks.^[9]

When King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, the day after his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at the Mason Temple, Jackson was in the parking lot one floor below. Jackson's appearance on NBC's Today Show, wearing the same blood-stained turtleneck that he had worn the day before, drew criticism from several King aides; some King associates also dispute Jackson's description of his personal involvement and also of the sequence of events surrounding the assassination.^[10]

Jackson has been known for commanding public attention since he first started working for King in 1966. His primary goal for this attention has been to give blacks a sense of self-worth.^[11]

Beginning in 1968, Jackson increasingly clashed with Ralph Abernathy, King's successor as chairman of SCLC. In December 1971, they had a complete falling out. Abernathy suspended Jackson for “administrative improprieties and repeated acts of violation of organizational policy.” Jackson resigned, called together his allies, and Operation PUSH was born during the same month. The new group was organized in the home of Dr. T.R.M. Howard, who also became a member of the board of directors and chair of the finance committee.

Rainbow/PUSH national headquarters in Kenwood, Chicago

In 1984, Jackson organized the Rainbow Coalition, which later merged, in 1996, with Operation PUSH. The newly formed Rainbow PUSH organization brought his role as an important and effective organizer to the mainstream. Al Sharpton also left the SCLC in protest to follow Jackson and formed the National Youth Movement.^[12]

In March 2006, an African-American woman accused three white members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team of raping her. During the ensuing controversy, Jackson stated that his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition would pay for the rest of her college tuition regardless of the outcome of the case. The case against the three men was later thrown out and the players were declared innocent by the North Carolina Attorney General.^[13]

Jackson took a key role in the scandal caused by comedic actor Michael Richards' racially charged comments in November 2006. Richards called Jackson a few days after the incident to apologize; Jackson accepted Richards' apology^[14] and met with him publicly as a means of resolving the situation. Jackson also joined black leaders in a call for the elimination of the "N-word" throughout the entertainment industry.^[15]