Thursday, April 07, 2005
1979 Election
1979 Memories
My mind goes back to the General Election of 1979 when Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives were returned with a landslide majority following the sufferings during the "winter of discontent", presided over by the late Jim Callaghan.
It was not the first General Election that I had been involved in, I had participated in a number of Local Government elections as a candidate and as a candidate's agent, but it was memorable because the country elected it's first female Prime Minister with such an overwhelming majority! The Conservative Candidate in South Shields was a little chap with a very loud voice named Roger Booth, he was an opposition Councillor on the old Tyne and Wear County Council, and was also a barrister. Originally from Newcastle he was one of those upwardly mobile types who were gradually emigrating westwards out of the city, by 1979 he and his wife and family were living in a charming large cottage in the remote village of West Woodburn, off the A68 in Northumberland.
For such a vertically challenged bloke he had quite a presence! Not for him sitting supping tea with the old girls of the women's section - out with a megaphone in the middle of King Street was more his style! As a debater he was quite incisive, and enjoyed some great cut and thrust with the members of the Whiteleas Social Club, I remember thinking it was a strange tactical decision to take the fight into such a Labour fortress, but that is what he wanted to do, because he was always a wee bit radical and refused to conform to the norms!
This radical departure from the norms probably explained his decisions to make a change in lifestyle by moving out of the city and into the countryside, and also to take on less and less work in the Law, in favour of writing and publishing a stamp catalogue! No ordinary stamp collector was Roger.......by golly no.......he collected "cinderella stamps". These are not ordinary stamps that you stick on letters, but stamps that get posted onto documents such as T.V. licenses, dog licenses, property deeds, inland revenue payments etc. There was no definitive guide to "cinderella stamps" so Roger decided it was time to make one, or two, or three.
Judicial stamps of Great Britain and Ireland - click here
A catalogue of the revenue stamps of the U.K. - click here
Yes he was quite a character, and as far as the election went, he amassed more than 15,000 votes for the Conservative Party, whilst the sitting Labour member, David Clark, held his seat with over 28,000 votes. I just felt that it was a bit of a shame that Roger did not persist with his political ambitions, the Commons might well have seen a whole lot of fun with him in the place!
Blair refuses to rule out tax rises
Following the Tory Party's mishandling of the Howard Flight affair, it seems that the "untrusted" Blair may have plans up his sleeve to introduce rises in National Insurance contributions if he wins the election. This would help plug the "black hole" in Gordon Brown's economic management. It seems both sides may have a hidden agenda!
National Insurance plans - click here
_________________________________________________________________
My mind goes back to the General Election of 1979 when Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives were returned with a landslide majority following the sufferings during the "winter of discontent", presided over by the late Jim Callaghan.
It was not the first General Election that I had been involved in, I had participated in a number of Local Government elections as a candidate and as a candidate's agent, but it was memorable because the country elected it's first female Prime Minister with such an overwhelming majority! The Conservative Candidate in South Shields was a little chap with a very loud voice named Roger Booth, he was an opposition Councillor on the old Tyne and Wear County Council, and was also a barrister. Originally from Newcastle he was one of those upwardly mobile types who were gradually emigrating westwards out of the city, by 1979 he and his wife and family were living in a charming large cottage in the remote village of West Woodburn, off the A68 in Northumberland.
For such a vertically challenged bloke he had quite a presence! Not for him sitting supping tea with the old girls of the women's section - out with a megaphone in the middle of King Street was more his style! As a debater he was quite incisive, and enjoyed some great cut and thrust with the members of the Whiteleas Social Club, I remember thinking it was a strange tactical decision to take the fight into such a Labour fortress, but that is what he wanted to do, because he was always a wee bit radical and refused to conform to the norms!
This radical departure from the norms probably explained his decisions to make a change in lifestyle by moving out of the city and into the countryside, and also to take on less and less work in the Law, in favour of writing and publishing a stamp catalogue! No ordinary stamp collector was Roger.......by golly no.......he collected "cinderella stamps". These are not ordinary stamps that you stick on letters, but stamps that get posted onto documents such as T.V. licenses, dog licenses, property deeds, inland revenue payments etc. There was no definitive guide to "cinderella stamps" so Roger decided it was time to make one, or two, or three.
Judicial stamps of Great Britain and Ireland - click here
A catalogue of the revenue stamps of the U.K. - click here
Yes he was quite a character, and as far as the election went, he amassed more than 15,000 votes for the Conservative Party, whilst the sitting Labour member, David Clark, held his seat with over 28,000 votes. I just felt that it was a bit of a shame that Roger did not persist with his political ambitions, the Commons might well have seen a whole lot of fun with him in the place!
Blair refuses to rule out tax rises
Following the Tory Party's mishandling of the Howard Flight affair, it seems that the "untrusted" Blair may have plans up his sleeve to introduce rises in National Insurance contributions if he wins the election. This would help plug the "black hole" in Gordon Brown's economic management. It seems both sides may have a hidden agenda!
National Insurance plans - click here
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