Simon Danczuk

Infobox MP
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name = Simon Danczuk
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image size = 125 px
constituency = Rochdale
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birth_date = Birth date and age|1966|10|24|df=y
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nationality = British
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party = Labour Party
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children = Geaorge, 10 and Marymartha, 6
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alma_mater = University of Lancaster
occupation = Director, [http://www.visiontwentyone.co.uk Vision Twentyone]
profession = Social research and public consultation
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website = [http://www.simondanczuk.com Simon Danczuk]
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Simon Danczuk (born 24th October, 1966) is a businessman, Labour Party official and current parliamentary candidate for Rochdale.

Early life and career

Danczuk started working life at 16 in a factory making gas fires for Main Gas before moving to the chemical company ICI. [cite web | title=www.ukpollingreport.co.uk| work=UK Polling Report Website|url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/rochdale] While working, Simon studied at night school and gained qualifications he had missed out at secondary school before gaining a place at Lancaster University, studying economic sociology and politics as a mature student.

Simon is co-founder of and current director of [http://www.visiontwentyone.co.uk Vision Twentyone] . Simon has also held research positions at The Big Issue in the North, Opinion Research Corporation, Bolton Bury TEC and worked for academics at Lancaster University. He has written widely on topics such as democracy, homelessness, regeneration, drugs, housing and employment. [cite web | title=www.visiontwentyone.co.uk| work=Company Website|url=http://www.visiontwentyone.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=50] Simon was named one of the 42 under 42 entrepreneurs in the North West by Business Insider magazine in 2001 [cite web | title=www.visiontwentyone.co.uk| work=Company Website|url=http://www.visiontwentyone.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=50] .

Labour Party

He has been involved in the Labour movement for many years having joined the Labour Party through the GMB trade union in the late 1980s. Simon was elected as a councillor aged 27 to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, serving for 8 years with portfolios including economic development and then education. [cite web | title=www.simondanczuk.com| work=Candidate's website|url=http://www.simondanczuk.com/biography]

Prior to his selection for Labour in Rochdale he was also campaign manager for Janet Anderson MP for Rossendale and Darwen Labour Party during the 2005 General Election – helping retain the seat for Labour with a 3,500 majority. He was a campaign strategist for Labour Party during the 2006 Local Elections and sat on North West Labour’s Regional Board (the Party’s governing body for the region) for 13 years. He was Constituency Secretary for Rossendale and Darwen Labour Party from 1991 to 1994, when Janet Anderson MP took the seat for Labour for the first time in 1992, from David Trippier.

Danczuk was selected in early 2007 to be Rochdale Labour Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. [cite web | title=Simon Danczuk selected as Rochdale Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate | work=Article on www.rochdaleonline.co.uk| url=http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/community-news/3408/simon-danczuk-selected-as-rochdale-labour-party-prospective-parliamentary-candidate|date=January 26 2007] The acrimonious selection process was delayed due to problems with postal voting and the local party passing a motion of no confidence in the selection process. Local members were concerned that the short-listing process was deliberately manipulated in order to exclude Afzal Khan, a Manchester councillor, who had received the highest number of nominations. In August 2006, Tribune magazine revealed that Danczuk's company Vision 21 had sent questionnaires to Labour members in Rochdale on behalf of the regional party - giving him an alleged unfair advantage as he had access to members' views. [ [http://www.labourhome.org/story/2006/11/25/102221/03 Rochdale Shortlisting Disarray] , Labourhome, 25 November 2006] Danczuk even received death threats during the selection process. [ [http://www.labourhome.org/story/2007/1/27/54415/2452 Simon Danczuk selected in Rochdale and Bruce Hogan in Forest of Dean] , Labourhome, 27 January 2007] The postal ballot got a 78% turnout and Simon Danczuk almost doubled the number of votes of the second placed candidate.

Notes and references

* [http://www.labourhome.org/story/2007/1/18/16522/8649 Labour Selection Rumpus] , Barckley Sumner, Tribune Magazine

External links

* [http://www.simondanczuk.com www.simondanczuk.com]
* [http://www.visiontwentyone.co.uk Vision Twentyone]
* [http://www.labour.org The Labour Party]