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Post by greenhert on Feb 28, 2021 0:10:27 GMT
Have you ever thought about those candidates who got close to election at one point or another in their political careers but never quite made it into the House of Commons?
I wonder how these people in particular would have fared as MPs:
Stuart Mole (missed out on winning Chelmsford by 346 votes in 1983, having contested it three times before)
Alan Watson (missed out on winning Richmond & Barnes by 71 votes in 1983; he is now Baron Watson)
Monroe Palmer (what if he had won Hastings & Rye instead of Michael Jabez Foster? He could have benefitted from tactical votes)
Timothy Keigwin (the Conservative who almost unseated then Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe in North Devon in 1970)
Andrew Date (the Labour candidate who came within 132 and 776 votes of winning the rock solidly Conservative seat of SW Bedfordshire in 1997 and 2001)
Peter Gold (the Liberal Democrat who would have won Wells in 1997 had Michael Eavis been more sensible and chosen not to stand in a seat Labour could not possibly win)
Roger Pincham (came within 579 votes of winning Leominster for the Liberals in October 1974)
Claire Brooks (came within 590 votes of winning Skipton for the Liberals in October 1974)
Sharon Atkin (who would have won Nottingham East for Labour in 1987 had she not been suspended as a candidate)
Brian Keefe (who stood unsuccessfully as a Conservative seven times but came pretty close to winning Ormskirk in 1979)
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Post by hullenedge on Feb 28, 2021 9:07:44 GMT
Have you ever thought about those candidates who got close to election at one point or another in their political careers but never quite made it into the House of Commons? I wonder how these people in particular would have fared as MPs: Stuart Mole (missed out on winning Chelmsford by 346 votes in 1983, having contested it three times before) Alan Watson (missed out on winning Richmond & Barnes by 71 votes in 1983; he is now Baron Watson) Monroe Palmer (what if he had won Hastings & Rye instead of Michael Jabez Foster? He could have benefitted from tactical votes) Timothy Keigwin (the Conservative who almost unseated then Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe in North Devon in 1970) Andrew Date (the Labour candidate who came within 132 and 776 votes of winning the rock solidly Conservative seat of SW Bedfordshire in 1997 and 2001) Peter Gold (the Liberal Democrat who would have won Wells in 1997 had Michael Eavis been more sensible and chosen not to stand in a seat Labour could not possibly win) Roger Pincham (came within 579 votes of winning Leominster for the Liberals in October 1974) Claire Brooks (came within 590 votes of winning Skipton for the Liberals in October 1974) Sharon Atkin (who would have won Nottingham East for Labour in 1987 had she not been suspended as a candidate) Brian Keefe (who stood unsuccessfully as a Conservative seven times but came pretty close to winning Ormskirk in 1979) Claire Brooks would have been an effective and high profile MP for Skipton (better than Drayson) but she would have struggled to beat John Watson in '79. It may have been better for the Libs if Keigwin had won North Devon in '70. David Steel would have been leader. Also good chance that Rinka would not have been shot. |
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The Bishop
Labour
Down With Factionalism!
Posts: 38,925
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Post by The Bishop on Feb 28, 2021 10:14:59 GMT
Maureen Colquhoun's recent passing was a reminder that the other of the 2 newly created Northampton seats in 1974 stayed Tory. Labour's candidate in both those elections for the South seat was John Dilks, a left winger who had famously been trounced by Dick Taverne in the previous year's Lincoln byelection. In the second '74 poll, he missed out by just a few hundred votes - but that was as close as he got to becoming an MP.
Anyone know if he has passed away?
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Post by finsobruce on Feb 28, 2021 10:48:13 GMT
Maureen Colquhoun's recent passing was a reminder that the other of the 2 newly created Northampton seats in 1974 stayed Tory. Labour's candidate in both those elections for the South seat was David Dilks, a left winger who had famously been trounced by Dick Taverne in the previous year's Lincoln byelection. In the second '74 poll, he missed out by just a few hundred votes - but that was as close as he got to becoming an MP. Anyone know if he has passed away? John Dilks, not David.
We had a discussion about this back in 2013 when UKIP had a Lincolshire by election candidate called John Dilks Davıd Boothroyd clarified that it was not the same guy, and asked as you do, if he was still around. He also mentioned that Dilks had been leader of Derby city council. |
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Feb 28, 2021 12:02:32 GMT
People who came within 50 votes of being an MP since 1945 but never made it
2 votes: Elizabeth Riches (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife, 2017). Teacher, deputy leader of Fife Council.
4 votes: John Evans (Labour, Worcester, 1945). Teacher.
4 votes: Rodney Connor (Independent, Fermanagh and South Tyrone, 2010). Local government officer.
6 votes: Robert McInnes (Labour, Caithness and Sutherland, 1945). Barrister, QC, Sheriff of Lanarkshire.
15 votes: Prof Robert Chorley (Labour, Northwich, 1945). Law professor and wartime civil servant. Given a Peerage later that year and was a Lords whip.
21 votes: Ian Duncan (Conservative, Perth and North Perthshire, 2017). EU civil servant, MEP 2014-2017. Given a Peerage later that year and was a Lords minister.
22 votes: Les Jones (Conservative, Dudley North, 2017). Leader of Dudley council 2011-12. PCC candidate.
27 votes: Liz Evans (Labour, Gower, 2015). Trade union officer (PCS).
30 votes: Kenneth Ross (Conservative, Galloway, October 1974). Solicitor.
30 votes: Owen Meredith (Conservative, Newcastle-under-Lyme, 2017). Director of publishers' trade association.
31 votes: Frederick Temple (Labour, Spelthorne, 1950). Journalist, advertising manager, lecturer.
31 votes: Simon Letts (Labour, Southampton Itchen, 2017). Leader of Southampton City Council 2013-18.
38 votes: Peter Le Bosquet (Conservative, Bury and Radcliffe, 1979). Runs furniture businesses.
42 votes: Roy Jamieson (Conservative, Manchester Blackley, 1950). Family printing business.
44 votes: William Wallace (Labour, Edinburgh Pentlands, 1966). Housing association officer.
48 votes: Liz Smith (Conservative, Perth, 2001). Teacher, special adviser to Malcolm Rifkind, MSP since 2007.
Doesn't include people defeated by under 50 votes who were at one point elected.
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Post by johnloony on Feb 28, 2021 13:10:30 GMT
The list of people mentioned so far is all about people who actually stood as candidates but were defeated by small margins. There are other ways in which people "almost" become MPs, but don't.
One that springs to mind is Valerie Shawcross, who was leader of Croydon Council . She went on to be GLA member for Lambeth & Southwark, and then was one of Sadiq Khan's deputy / cabinet members on the issue of transport. In September 2012 she came very close to being selected as Labour candidate for the Croydon North by-election ( I believe she was defeated by Steve Reed in the selection meeting by a margin of c.3 votes out of c.200). She had been the favourite to be selected, but the main issue of concern was whether, if elected as an MP, she would resign as a member of the London Assembly (thus creating the cost and disruption of a GLA by-election), or whether she would continue as a member of the Assembly and thus do 2 jobs. This was a significant issue because she had only just been re-elected as a member of the GLA, and was due to continue for another 3 and a half years. Had this not been an issue, she would certainly have been able to get the extra few votes needed to be selected.
If Malcolm Wicks MP had died only 7 or 8 months earlier, this would not have been a problem, and it would have meant that the by-election in Croydon North would have been held in May 2012. Valerie Shawcross would have been able to continue as a member of the London Assembly until,the end of her term in May 2012, and then be elected as an MP on the same day, without having to overlap the two jobs. I have no doubt that this is what would have happened if Croydon North had become vacant 8 months earlier than it did. Valerie is a very nice person and she would have been a better MP than Steve Reed is. She would also have become Croydon's first woman MP, 5 years earlier than Sarah Jones did.
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Post by Andrew_S on Feb 28, 2021 13:30:55 GMT
Philip Allott perhaps deserves a mention.
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Post by finsobruce on Feb 28, 2021 13:45:09 GMT
We could also look at the mulitple candidacies of people like Allan Butt Philip and the Revd Roger Roberts. The Liberals probably have more of these than the other parties.
(So I mean serious candidates who had a good chance of winning rather than people like Commander Bill Boakes)**
** who have their own appeal of course.
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Post by tonyhill on Feb 28, 2021 14:04:01 GMT
Stuart Mole would have been an excellent MP for the Liberal Party - intelligent and radical, and with a grasp of Liberal ideology which is all too rare in the party and its successor. Claire Brooks too, though coming from a more gut instinct liberalism. Roger Pincham was known as "hunt em, shoot em and Pinch em" which probably indicates which wing of the Party he represented - not mine. And the Revd. Roger Roberts - I asked him once why he wanted to be an MEP and he replied, "To fight fascism." It was always the highlight of my day if he phoned to place an order - just the sound of his voice and his accent would cheer me up.
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Post by arnieg on Feb 28, 2021 14:25:14 GMT
42 votes Ed Fordham (Lib Dem, Hampstead & Kilburn 2010) - went on to campaign for same sex marriage and now sells second hand books in Chesterfield.
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Feb 28, 2021 14:49:40 GMT
42 votes Ed Fordham (Lib Dem, Hampstead & Kilburn 2010) - went on to campaign for same sex marriage and now sells second hand books in Chesterfield. Fordham was third. The candidate beaten by 42 votes was Chris Philp, now MP for Croydon South. |
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Post by finsobruce on Feb 28, 2021 14:52:54 GMT
Stuart Mole would have been an excellent MP for the Liberal Party - intelligent and radical, and with a grasp of Liberal ideology which is all too rare in the party and its successor. Claire Brooks too, though coming from a more gut instinct liberalism. Roger Pincham was known as "hunt em, shoot em and Pinch em" which probably indicates which wing of the Party he represented - not mine. And the Revd. Roger Roberts - I asked him once why he wanted to be an MEP and he replied, "To fight fascism." It was always the highlight of my day if he phoned to place an order - just the sound of his voice and his accent would cheer me up. Didn't Stuart Mole write a book called "The Strange re-birth of Liberal England?". |
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Post by Merseymike on Feb 28, 2021 14:57:52 GMT
Stuart Mole would have been an excellent MP for the Liberal Party - intelligent and radical, and with a grasp of Liberal ideology which is all too rare in the party and its successor. Claire Brooks too, though coming from a more gut instinct liberalism. Roger Pincham was known as "hunt em, shoot em and Pinch em" which probably indicates which wing of the Party he represented - not mine. And the Revd. Roger Roberts - I asked him once why he wanted to be an MEP and he replied, "To fight fascism." It was always the highlight of my day if he phoned to place an order - just the sound of his voice and his accent would cheer me up. Was Pincham another of the School of Economic Science acolytes? |
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Post by Merseymike on Feb 28, 2021 15:03:26 GMT
People who came within 50 votes of being an MP since 1945 but never made it 27 votes: Liz Evans (Labour, Gower, 2015). Trade union officer (PCS). . Now that was an odd one. When she was selected just about everyone said "who?" She had absolutely no information about her anywhere online and few people appeared to know who she was. Of course the seat was won by the Tories, somewhat unexpectedly as Labour had always held on before, and she appears to have retreated back into anonymity |
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Post by tonyhill on Feb 28, 2021 15:25:08 GMT
"The Strange Re-birth of Liberal England" was by David Walter. Stuart Mole wrote a book with David Steel. Is Tony Greaves still a secondhand book dealer? If so he's probably got copies of both of them. I don't.
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Feb 28, 2021 15:28:41 GMT
People who came within 50 votes of being an MP since 1945 but never made it 27 votes: Liz Evans (Labour, Gower, 2015). Trade union officer (PCS). . Now that was an odd one. When she was selected just about everyone said "who?" She had absolutely no information about her anywhere online and few people appeared to know who she was. Of course the seat was won by the Tories, somewhat unexpectedly as Labour had always held on before, and she appears to have retreated back into anonymity Her Twitter is here: twitter.com/LizEvans_WalesVery little activity but she is allied with the Corbynite left. |
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Post by finsobruce on Feb 28, 2021 15:36:11 GMT
"The Strange Re-birth of Liberal England" was by David Walter. Stuart Mole wrote a book with David Steel. Is Tony Greaves still a secondhand book dealer? If so he's probably got copies of both of them. I don't. Ah ha. Got the two confused. I don't think Lord Greaves does still 'deal'  , but I'm sure he'll tell us otherwise if I'm wrong - I used to buy books off him back in the day. I used to bother him about finding a copy of John Callaghan's "The Hard Left in British Politics" which was difficult to find pre-internet. |
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Post by arnieg on Feb 28, 2021 15:43:52 GMT
42 votes Ed Fordham (Lib Dem, Hampstead & Kilburn 2010) - went on to campaign for same sex marriage and now sells second hand books in Chesterfield. Fordham was third. The candidate beaten by 42 votes was Chris Philp, now MP for Croydon South. My mistake |
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slon
Non-Aligned
Posts: 13,323 
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Post by slon on Feb 28, 2021 17:11:48 GMT
Fishfinger
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Post by carlton43 on Mar 1, 2021 15:28:58 GMT
Stuart Mole would have been an excellent MP for the Liberal Party - intelligent and radical, and with a grasp of Liberal ideology which is all too rare in the party and its successor. Claire Brooks too, though coming from a more gut instinct liberalism. Roger Pincham was known as "hunt em, shoot em and Pinch em" which probably indicates which wing of the Party he represented - not mine. And the Revd. Roger Roberts - I asked him once why he wanted to be an MEP and he replied, "To fight fascism." It was always the highlight of my day if he phoned to place an order - just the sound of his voice and his accent would cheer me up. Didn't Stuart Mole write a book called "The Strange re-birth of Liberal England?". No that was his precisely younger brother Adrian. |
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, but I'm sure he'll tell us otherwise if I'm wrong - I used to buy books off him back in the day. I used to bother him about finding a copy of John Callaghan's "The Hard Left in British Politics" which was difficult to find pre-internet. 