{{Short description|English journalist and writer (born 1961)}} {{Use British English|date=December 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Dominic Carman | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|8|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Hale, Cheshire, England | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Durham University | employer = | occupation = Journalist | political_party = Liberal Democrats | parents = George Carman<br />Cecilia Sparrow }}
'''Dominic Carman''' (born 23 August 1961) is a British journalist, writer and Liberal Democrat political activist.
==Family== Dominic Carman was born on 23 August 1961 in Hale, Cheshire. Educated at Manchester Grammar School and Durham University, Carman is the son of barrister George Carman.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jan/02/2 "George Carman QC dies"], ''The Guardian'', 2 January 2001.</ref> He wrote a biography of his father, ''No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman'', which was published in 2002.<ref name="bbc1097749">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1097749.stm|title=George Carman: The Bar's 'silver fox'|date=2 January 2001|publisher=BBC|accessdate=17 November 2008}}</ref><ref>Peter Preston [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/jan/27/biography.features1 "Not so gorgeous George"], ''The Observer'', 27 January 2002.</ref><ref>Dominic Carman [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/nov/16/featuresreviews.guardianreview38 Dealing with Dad], ''The Guardian'', 16 November 2002</ref>
==Politics and anti-BNP campaigner== When he was sixteen, Carman spent three weeks as a member of the National Front in September 1977. Writing about this in ''The Guardian'' in 2010, he commented "Becoming a member was done rashly, angrily, without any thought of what it meant, or of the consequences. It was a stupid decision, undertaken with one purpose: to annoy my father." He also said "When I eventually sat down and opened ''National Front News'', my sense of euphoric defiance ended – very abruptly", as it was filled with "hate-filled articles" about Jewish people, Holocaust denial and black and Asian immigration into Britain. "Disgusted and shocked, my stomach churned, my thoughts ran wild. So this is what they believed. Oh God, what had I done? ... I immediately resigned from the NF, less than a month after joining."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global/2010/nov/07/dominic-carman-liberal-democrats-national-front Dominic Carman: What made me join the National Front?], guardian.co.uk; accessed 29 September 2014.</ref>
In 2005, he took part in ITV's ''Vote for Me'' television programme in which the public selected an individual to stand at the next general election, losing in the final to Rodney Hylton-Potts.<ref>Maurice Chittenden, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629110920/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/elections/article413020.ece "'Comedy fascist' is viewers' choice in TV election"], timesonline.co.uk, 16 January 2005.</ref>
Carman researched an unofficial biography of British National Party leader Nick Griffin,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/world/europe/24britain.html|title=Rightist on BBC Panel Draws Protests and Viewers|last=Burns|first=John F.|date=24 October 2009|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but this has not been published. Carman used his research to support his campaign as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Barking at the 2010 General Election, where he stood against Griffin.<ref>[http://ukpolitics.telegraph.co.uk/Barking/Dominic+Carman Dominic Carman>Liberal Democrat, Barking] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831203740/http://ukpolitics.telegraph.co.uk/Barking/Dominic+Carman |date=31 August 2011 }} ''The Daily Telegraph''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.libdemvoice.org/dominic-carman-selected-as-liberal-democrat-candidate-for-barnsley-central-byelection-23036.html|title=Dominic Carman selected as Liberal Democrat candidate for Barnsley Central by-election|last=Duffett|first=Helen|date=12 February 2011|publisher=Liberal Democrat Voice}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8616429.stm|title=Immigration tops the agenda for Barking constituency|date=13 April 2010|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7561664/General-Election-2010-BNP-leader-Nick-Griffin-accused-of-advocating-violence.html|title=General Election 2010: BNP leader Nick Griffin accused of advocating violence|last=Whitehead|first=Tom|date=7 April 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> Carman finished fourth of ten candidates, with 8.2%, one place behind Griffin on 14.8%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barking (Constituency) 2010 result |url=https://electionresults.parliament.uk/election/2010-05-06/Results/Location/Constituency/Barking/ |website=Parliament.uk |access-date=27 July 2023}}</ref>
He contested the 2011 Barnsley Central by-election for the Liberal Democrats, coming in sixth place out of nine, with 4.18% and therefore losing his deposit.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12643639|title=Lib Dems slump to sixth as Labour win Barnsley poll|date=4 March 2011|work=BBC News|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="BBC2011-03-04"/> In an article in the ''Daily Mail'', Carman was critical of some of the Barnsley electorate, stating that "diversity and difference are not welcome here"; he defended his comments when interviewed by Andrew Neil on the BBC's ''The Politics Show''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-12690419|title=Lib Dem by-election loser Dominic Carman's attack on Barnsley|date=9 March 2011|publisher= BBC}}</ref>
==Further reading== *{{cite book|last=Carman|first=Dominic|title=No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton Ltd|location=London, UK|date=2002|isbn=0-340-82098-5}} *{{cite book|last=Carman|first=Dominic|title=Heads Up: The challenges facing England's leading head teachers|publisher=Thistle Publishing|location=London, UK|date=2013|isbn=978-1909869301}}
==Elections contested== '''UK Parliament Elections''' {| class="wikitable" ! Date of election !! Constituency !! Party !! Votes !! % |- | 2010 United Kingdom general election || Barking || Liberal Democrat || 3,719 || 8.2 |- | 2011 Barnsley Central by-election || Barnsley Central || Liberal Democrat || 1,012 || 4.2 |}
==References== {{Reflist|30em |refs=<ref name="BBC2011-03-04">{{Cite news|last=Brant|first=Robin|title=Barnsley Central by-election: Lib Dems 'humiliated'|publisher=BBC News Online|date=4 March 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12644261|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref>}}
==External links== * [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/dominic-carman "Dominic Carman"] – at ''The Guardian'' *[https://reportslegal.com reportslegal.com]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carman, Dominic}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) parliamentary candidates Category:Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham Category:English male journalists Category:People from Hale, Halton Category:English journalists Category:English people of Irish descent