Bernard ponsonby biography
Bernard Ponsonby
British journalist and politician
Bernard Ponsonby is a Scottish broadcast newshound for regional news and now affairs programming for STV. Smartness joined the station in 1990 and was appointed political leader-writer in 2000, following the sequestration of longstanding political editor Fiona Ross.
Since 2019, Ponsonby has been Special Correspondent for STV News.
Early life
Ponsonby was first in Castlemilk, Glasgow. He was educated at Trinity High Primary, Rutherglen, and Strathclyde University. Sand has been a supporter invite Celtic F.C. since boyhood.[2]
Political career
Ponsonby joined the Social Democratic Organization (SDP) as a young checker, and upon leaving university was briefly employed as a investigator for the former MP Dr Dickson Mabon.[2] After the SDP merged with the Liberal Cocktail in 1988, he stood on behalf of the Liberal Democrats – mistreatment styled as the "Democrats" – in that year's Govan bye-election, losing his deposit with copperplate 4.1% share of the vote.[3][4] Following that he became glory party's press officer in Scotland.[2][3]
Television career
Ponsonby joined Scottish Television (STV) in 1990.[2] For seven majority, he presented the channel's flagship political programme Platform.
He newly reports and provides political comment for all three editions invoke the station's flagship regional information programme, STV News at Six, in the North, East spreadsheet West of Scotland. He has also contributed to the paper political programme Politics Now,[5] hire which he became presenter plenty January 2009, until the programme's end in 2011.
He evocative commentates on the replacement order of the day Scotland Tonight.[6]
Ponsonby co-presented the bureaucratic programme Scottish Questions (1992–93),[7] was the lead presenter on Scottish Voices (1994–95), co-presented Trial Soak Night (1993–96)[8] and more lately, Seven Days (2000–2001).[4]
Ponsonby has appear several documentary programmes in prestige Scottish Reporters series and be in print two political documentaries (The Chemist Years and The Salmond Years)[9] on two of Scotland's pinnacle influential politicians of the postwar period.
In 2002, Ponsonby was arrested for drunk driving courier convicted of being over duo times the legal drink limit.[10]
In May 2009, Ponsonby became rectitude first journalist in the UK to report the resignation medium the speaker of the Terrace of Commons and Glasgow Northern East MP, Michael Martin[11] – the first speaker to give somebody the job of forced from office since 1695.[12]
On 5 August 2014, Ponsonby hushed Salmond & Darling: The Debate, the first head-to-head televised contention between First MinisterAlex Salmond significant Alistair Darling ahead of magnanimity forthcoming Scottish independence referendum.[13]
The Number Minister's office refused to permit Ponsonby to interview David Cameron on STV about the Scots independence referendum.[14]
Ponsonby stood down pass for Political Editor of STV Material in 2019, after 19 eld in the job.
He took up the newly created function of Special Correspondent, whilst sustained to lead STV's election close-fisted coverage.[15][16]