Anthony Howard Wilson (1950 - 2007)
13/08/07 23:34 Filed in: Personal
It was with some great regret that I heard that the great, ironic genius that was Tony Wilson has lost his battle with cancer.
Wilson was the greatest unpaid ambassador for Manchester that we could have ever wanted. Born in the borough of Salford on the 20th of February 1950 he would go onto create the scene that WAS Madchester and this would intern kick start the long overdue renovation and reinvention of central Manchester. He MADE Manchester cool once more.
Listening to him speak once, I found myself drawn to his political views. Namely that we should adopt regionalism, where distinct areas should be represented in a regional assembly. In the same way that Wales has a regional assembly. The understanding being that people in London have no chance of understanding the regional issues in an area 150-250 miles away.
In 2003 he successfully petitioned the Government and won the right to a referendum on the subject. Sadly, North East England voted against a regional tier of Government and the whole thing was abandoned.
Late last year Tony was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had emergency surgery. But the cancer, despite treatment, was aggressive and on the 10th he lost his battle with illness.
For me, he will always represent the best Manchester has to offer. He was never dull, frequently thought provoking and always funny.
He'll be very sorely missed.
Wilson was the greatest unpaid ambassador for Manchester that we could have ever wanted. Born in the borough of Salford on the 20th of February 1950 he would go onto create the scene that WAS Madchester and this would intern kick start the long overdue renovation and reinvention of central Manchester. He MADE Manchester cool once more.
Listening to him speak once, I found myself drawn to his political views. Namely that we should adopt regionalism, where distinct areas should be represented in a regional assembly. In the same way that Wales has a regional assembly. The understanding being that people in London have no chance of understanding the regional issues in an area 150-250 miles away.
In 2003 he successfully petitioned the Government and won the right to a referendum on the subject. Sadly, North East England voted against a regional tier of Government and the whole thing was abandoned.
Late last year Tony was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had emergency surgery. But the cancer, despite treatment, was aggressive and on the 10th he lost his battle with illness.
For me, he will always represent the best Manchester has to offer. He was never dull, frequently thought provoking and always funny.
He'll be very sorely missed.