Bill English

Infobox_Officeholder


name =Simon William English
honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| caption =
birth_date =1961
birth_place =Dipton, New Zealand
residence =
death_date =
death_place =
order=29^th Leader of the Opposition
term_start =8 October 2001
term_end =28 October 2003
predecessor =Jenny Shipley
successor =Don Brash
deputy=Roger Sowry
order2=37^th Minister of Finance
term_start2=January 1999
term_end2=June 1999
predecessor2=Bill Birch
successor2=Bill Birch
primeminister2=Jenny Shipley
constituency_MP3=Clutha-Southland
parliament3=New Zealand
majority3=13,032Election Results 2005: [http://2005.electionresults.govt.nz/electorate-8.html Official Count Results - Clutha-Southland] ]
predecessor3="Seat established"
successor3=
term_start3=1996
term_end3=
constituency_MP4=Wallace
parliament4=New Zealand
term_start4=1990
term_end4=1996
predecessor4=Derek Angus
successor4="Seat abolished"
party = National
religion = Roman Catholic
spouse = Mary English
children = 6
website = [http://www.billenglish.co.nz/ billenglish.co.nz]
profession = Policy analyst

Simon William "Bill" English (born 1961) is a New Zealand politician, and former leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003. On 27 November 2006, he became deputy leader under John Key. English also served as the New Zealand Minister of Finance.

Personal life

English was born in the small Southland town of Dipton. He was a boarder at St. Patrick's College, Silverstream in Wellington, and was Head Boy of the College. During his education he gained degrees in commerce and English literature at the University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington, respectively. After completing his studies, he returned to Dipton to work as a farmer. In 1987, he returned to Wellington, working as a policy analyst in the New Zealand Treasury. He spent two years doing this before returning to Dipton.

He married a GP, Mary, and they now have six children. While he is an active Catholic [ [http://www.challengeweekly.co.nz/story3.htm Church has vital place in our secular society] , Challenge Weekly, 66 (6), February 25 2008.] , he sees his religious beliefs as a personal matter and separate from politics. [Colin James, [http://www.synapsis.co.nz/herald/Herald_2006/Heraldxtra_English_06Dec02.htm Bill English conservative: a 2000s update] , New Zealand Herald Weekend Review, 2 December 2006.]

Political career

Member of Parliament

English had joined the National Party in 1980, and had served in administrative capacities for party branches both in Southland and in Wellington. In 1990 he stood as the National candidate in Wallace, the Southland electorate that encompassed Dipton, and won. He has been reelected from this electorate, now known as Clutha-Southland, at every election since then. At the 2005 election, English retained his seat with a 13,032 majority or 65% of the electorate vote .

At the beginning of 1996, English became a member of the Cabinet and gained responsibility for Crown Health Enterprises, publicly owned healthcare providers created by the National Party's reforms of the public health service, which sought to create an internal competitive market. He also became Associate Minister of Education and started the process to indroduce the NCEA to high schools. After the elections later that year, however, Prime Minister Jim Bolger reshuffled his Cabinet, and English emerged Minister of Health. As a condition of the coalition agreement, a member from New Zealand First served as Associate Minister of Health.

After the coalition between National and the smaller New Zealand First party collapsed, the position of Treasurer (senior to that of Finance Minister and created especially for New Zealand First leader Winston Peters) became vacant. The former Finance Minister, Bill Birch, gained promotion to the position Peters had vacated, leaving the Minister of Finance portfolio free. English took up this role. Later that year, Birch and English swapped positions, with English becoming Treasurer and Birch becoming Minister of Finance again.

After the National Party lost the 1999 elections to Helen Clark's Labour Party English remained as National's spokesperson for financial matters.

Leader of the Opposition

In October 2001, dissatisfaction with party leader Jenny Shipley had failed to abate, and English secured the backing of a majority of National Party MPs. English replaced Shipley as head of the National Party and thus as Leader of the Opposition.

However, English failed to improve the party's performance. In the 2002 elections, National suffered its worst electoral defeat ever, gaining barely more than twenty percent of the vote. Both party insiders and the general public were split as to how much to blame English for this loss, but most of the party believed that English would be able to rebuild National's support.

By late 2003, however, National's performance in opinion polls remained poor. The party had briefly increased its popularity in the year following the election, but by October its support had fallen to levels only slightly better than what it achieved in the last ballot. English also appeared in a boxing match for a charity against entertainer Ted Clarke. This "stunt" did not boost his polling or that of the National party either, with suggestions that it devalued his image as a serious politician. Don Brash, former governor of the Reserve Bank and a relative newcomer to politics, began to build up support to replace English. While Brash lacked overwhelming popularity, the electorate perceived English as highly ineffectual and prone to embarrassing mistakes. On 28 October, Brash gained sufficient backing in Caucus to replace English as leader.

hadow Education Spokesperson

On 2 November 2003, when Brash announced changes in responsibilities for certain MPs, English became National's spokesperson for education, ranked at fifth place in the party's parliamentary hierarchy. He remained in parliament after the 2005 election. In his new shadow education portfolio, English performed strongly, and remained a party favourite despite his election defeat as leader in 2002, as indicated by his subsequent appointment as Deputy Leader of the Opposition (see below) and spokesman for Finance and Revenue.

Deputy Leader

After the resignation of Don Brash, English aspired to Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee's deputy leadership [http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3878850a6160,00.html] . On November 26 Brownlee announced that he was stepping aside and English was predicted to take over the deputy leadership and also the finance portfolio. This was confirmed the next day following a caucus meeting.

Political views

English opposes abortion, [cite news
last=Laugesen
first=Ruth
title=Abortion: is the argument over?
work=Sunday Star-Times
date=2004-09-04] voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, [ [http://www.australasianbioethics.org/Newsletters/086-2003-08-01.html Euthanasia bill dies in NZ Parliament] , Australasian Bioethics Information, 86, 1 August 2003.] [ [http://www.parliament.nz/mi-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/f/3/4/47HansD_20030730_00001096-Death-with-Dignity-Bill-First-Reading.htm Death with Dignity Bill — First Reading] , Hansard, New Zealand House of Representatives, 30 July 2003] civil unions, [cite news
last=Claridge
first=Anna
title=Civil unions 'waste of time'
work=The Press
date=2006-04-25] and the decriminalisation of prostitution. [cite news
last=Luke
first= Peter
coauthors=Wellwood, Elinore
title=The politician
work=The Southland Times
date=2001-10-13]

ee also

*Politics of New Zealand

External links

* [http://www.billenglish.co.nz/ billenglish.co.nz] Official Site

References

Political offices

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Persondata
NAME = English, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = English, Simon William
SHORT DESCRIPTION = New Zealand politician
DATE OF BIRTH = 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH = Dipton, Southland, New Zealand
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =