Gordon Colling
Gordon Colling (10 March 1933 – 4 June 2011) was a British trade unionist.
Born in Sunderland to a family heavily involved in the Labour Party - both Colling's parents were councillors - Colling completed National Service with the Royal Air Force and was elected as secretary of Sunderland Trades Council.[1] Colling studied at Ruskin College, but left early in 1960 after being involved in a car crash which left him with a permanent limp.[2]
Colling worked as a linotype operator and was active in the Typographical Association. He moved to Manchester to become a full-time union employee, and when it merged into the National Graphical Association in 1965, he moved again to Bedford to remain on its staff,[1] as National Political Officer.[2]
In Bedford, Colling was elected as a Labour councillor, later becoming group leader. He was also secretary of Bedford Trades Council, and stood unsuccessfully for Bedford at the February 1974 general election.[1] In 1985, he was elected to Labour's National Executive Committee, supported by both the left and right wings of the party, although he identified as a moderate, and acted as a whip for right-wingers on the committee. In 1994/95, he was Chair of the Labour Party.[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Terry Ashton, "Gordon Colling obituary", The Guardian, 17 August 2011
- ^ a b c Tam Dalyell, "Gordon Colling: Trade unionist who helped pave the way for the changes that made Labour electable once more", The Independent, 23 October 2011