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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jul 16, 2023 8:46:50 GMT
The construction of the M65 is a story of curious decisions, not least the way it bends around Blackburn as though it was considered too dangerous to approach too closely. The (in)famously named A666 takes drivers from the motorway into the town centre, skirting by Blackburn Rovers' ground in doing so. Rovers are no longer the Premier League winning side they once were, and arguably were not at the time, and certainly the town of Blackburn itself is a faded shadow of its former self. Positively for psephologists, however, is the relative stability of constituency boundaries, for Blackburn has barely changed in decades, and even the threatened upheaval of Zombie Reviews barely entertained changing anything around here. Blackburn, the seat, will continue to represent the tight core of the town and its immediate environs whatever happens with boundary machinations.
Blackburn is a divided town. Economically, socially, politically. Its core registers amongst the most deprived LSOA areas in the country, including Shadsworth and Audley in the south-east. Over a quarter of the population is of Asian heritage and the tensions which caused race-charged riots in similar Lancastrian towns in the 2000s (Oldham, Rochdale and Burnley amongst them) did not miss out Blackburn quite as well as the motorway does. Blackburn's history with the Labour Party is very well known - the local council has been more likely to be Labour controlled than otherwise - but from the 1970s onwards flashes of far-right success have disrupted the norm. The National Front initially, and the BNP and England First "Party" more recently, played on the unease and wariness amongst local people about the non-white, predominately Asian, population in the town.
The website of the local council - Blackburn with Darwen (not *and* Darwen, they are particular about that around those parts) - cannot hide some of the harsh truths about the vital statistics of the town. Health, wealth and education are all beneath the national average, and deprivation amongst the highest quartiles.
Certainly Blackburn's town centre feels typical for a place along the "cotton thread" of places across East Lancashire. The refurbished market and food hall is full of authentic world food stalls, with a south Asian bias, and whilst down-at-heel pubs attract decent crowds of regulars, the town centre has its fair share of dessert cafes and sub-continent fashion shops for its predominately Muslim population. Whilst the walk to Ewood Park is proof that the manufacturing wealth has dried up, there is still corners of wealth. Corporation Park is one example of how northern towns represented its Industrial Revolution dividend, and alongside this, the evidence of opposition to Labour Party candidatures in local elections. Many towns along these parts have their "show off" civic parks (Haslam in Preston, Queens in Burnley) and at 44 acres it is certainly worth checking out.
Two names are sewn into the history of Blackburn's political history. Barbara Castle, who took the title Baroness Castle of Blackburn at the end of her career, is often described as "the redoubtable" whenever she is profiled. We on these pages will know her very well, perhaps most famously for "In Place of Strife" which placed her in the middle of an existential argument within Labour about the role, power and influence of Trades Unions. Perhaps it is worth quoting, in the context of Labour's defeat in 2019, what Castle wrote in her diary after the 1970 election: " "I have a haunting feeling there is a silent majority sitting behind its lace curtains waiting to come out and vote Tory."
The second name is Jack Straw, who rose to the rank of Foreign Secretary. Again, we know how things worked out, with two significant strikes against Straw's reputation. The most significant was his role in supporting the Iraq War in a constituency with Muslim population of some significant number, He did suffer reduction in an otherwise large majorities at general elections as a result of the War, although Blackburn's internal problems also encouraged the BNP to stand a candidate in 2005 who saved their deposit. The second shadow against him was the alleged Cash for Access row, during which he sat as an Independent in the Commons. He once argued that the European Parliament should be abolished.
Blackburn's current MP, Kate Hollern, was chosen from an all-woman shortlist, Her majority is the highest any Labour MP has enjoyed for generations. And with her position comfortable, and the boundaries practically secured, she can at least be assured of a place in the Commons for as long as she likes. |
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The Bishop
Labour
Down With Factionalism!
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Post by The Bishop on Jul 16, 2023 12:20:31 GMT
I suspect you meant "redoubtable" rather than "undoubtable" with regard to Babs  |
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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jul 16, 2023 12:36:34 GMT
I suspect you meant "redoubtable" rather than "undoubtable" with regard to Babs It's unchanged from the original post so a lot of us hadn't noticed |
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Post by batman on Jul 16, 2023 20:59:55 GMT
In fact the NF's offshoot, the National Party, won 2 seats in Blackburn, whereas the NF itself did not, indeed it has never won a seat on a principal authority.
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Post by batman on Jul 16, 2023 21:01:26 GMT
I gather that Blackburn WITH Darwen was chosen as the name as Blackburn AND Darwen would have had the initials BAD, which would have been.......bad.
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bsjmcr
Non-Aligned
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Post by bsjmcr on Jul 16, 2023 21:31:40 GMT
I gather that Blackburn WITH Darwen was chosen as the name as Blackburn AND Darwen would have had the initials BAD, which would have been.......bad. That would be quite an amusing fictional council for a comedy sketch series or somesuch. Also reminds me of the ‘Bantshire University’ meme page that satirises universities, with ‘backronym’ merchandise of pretend research institutes and other HE bodies, that spell other things, such as the Faculity, Facility and School (Union). The government’s devolution spree could have created a Yorkshire Mid Combined Authority if it wanted to. |
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 16, 2023 21:42:55 GMT
In fact the NF's offshoot, the National Party, won 2 seats in Blackburn, whereas the NF itself did not, indeed it has never won a seat on a principal authority. One was of course, the party's leader John Kingsley Read who had been heavily involved with the infighting in the National Front.
The other was a guy called John Frankman who was fined £100 for acting as a councillor while disqualified. He had received a suspended sentence in 1973 for stealing a ceramic spoon from a Chinese restaurant in Nuneaton (I am not making this up) and was therefore ineligible. He resigned as a councillor soon after his election, and then appealed the 1973 sentence so that he could stand again. He lost his appeal.
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Jul 16, 2023 22:00:12 GMT
In fact the NF's offshoot, the National Party, won 2 seats in Blackburn, whereas the NF itself did not, indeed it has never won a seat on a principal authority. One was of course, the party's leader John Kingsley Read who had been heavily involved with the infighting in the National Front.
The other was a guy called John Frankman who was fined £100 for acting as a councillor while disqualified. He had received a suspended sentence in 1973 for stealing a ceramic spoon from a Chinese restaurant in Nuneaton (I am not making this up) and was therefore ineligible. He resigned as a councillor soon after his election, and then appealed the 1973 sentence so that he could stand again. He lost his appeal.
Not the most bizarre incident of shoplifting involving a 1970s far right politician, though. That was the one and only Colin Jordan's visit to Tesco in Coventry. |
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 16, 2023 22:09:49 GMT
The relevant 1976 results in Blackburn were :
St Judes (No3 ward)
J.Frankman (National party) 1,588
F.Gorton (Labour) 1,478
E.Gorton (Labour) 1,446
R.Horman (National Party) 1,435
J.Doran (Labour) 1,365
K.Bolton (Conservative) 1,056
St Thomas ward (No4)
J.Kingsley Read (National) 1,106
J.Watson (Labour) 1,090
T.Ellis (Labour) 1,071
M.Madigan (Labour) 874
E.Adamson (National) 802
E.Macnamee (Liberal) 777
J.Dickinson (Liberal) 686
A.Dean (Liberal) 615
There had been no Tory candidates in the ward in 1973 either. Adamson had stood for the National Front.
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 16, 2023 22:17:29 GMT
One was of course, the party's leader John Kingsley Read who had been heavily involved with the infighting in the National Front.
The other was a guy called John Frankman who was fined £100 for acting as a councillor while disqualified. He had received a suspended sentence in 1973 for stealing a ceramic spoon from a Chinese restaurant in Nuneaton (I am not making this up) and was therefore ineligible. He resigned as a councillor soon after his election, and then appealed the 1973 sentence so that he could stand again. He lost his appeal.
Not the most bizarre incident of shoplifting involving a 1970s far right politician, though. That was the one and only Colin Jordan's visit to Tesco in Coventry. Certainly notable as well , but i prefer the chinese spoon incident, not least because it came back to haunt him three years later. |
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Post by batman on Jul 17, 2023 7:41:28 GMT
One was of course, the party's leader John Kingsley Read who had been heavily involved with the infighting in the National Front.
The other was a guy called John Frankman who was fined £100 for acting as a councillor while disqualified. He had received a suspended sentence in 1973 for stealing a ceramic spoon from a Chinese restaurant in Nuneaton (I am not making this up) and was therefore ineligible. He resigned as a councillor soon after his election, and then appealed the 1973 sentence so that he could stand again. He lost his appeal.
Not the most bizarre incident of shoplifting involving a 1970s far right politician, though. That was the one and only Colin Jordan's visit to Tesco in Coventry. I remember the Guardian's obituary of Colin Jordan. Instead of describing him by his profession, it simply said at the end, with his dates, "Colin Jordan, fascist". |
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 17, 2023 7:48:20 GMT
Not the most bizarre incident of shoplifting involving a 1970s far right politician, though. That was the one and only Colin Jordan's visit to Tesco in Coventry. I remember the Guardian's obituary of Colin Jordan. Instead of describing him by his profession, it simply said at the end, with his dates, "Colin Jordan, fascist". Which pretty much was his 'profession' for most of his life, his teaching career being cut somewhat short.
Helped by his marriage to Christian Dior's niece, until she ran off with someone much younger.
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Post by grahammurray on Jul 20, 2023 23:01:32 GMT
I gather that Blackburn WITH Darwen was chosen as the name as Blackburn AND Darwen would have had the initials BAD, which would have been.......bad. Barking & Dagenham and Basingstoke & Deane send their regards. |
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Post by johnloony on Jul 21, 2023 0:06:46 GMT
I gather that Blackburn WITH Darwen was chosen as the name as Blackburn AND Darwen would have had the initials BAD, which would have been.......bad. Barking & Dagenham and Basingstoke & Deane send their regards. Barking and Dagenham (not to be confused with Barking & Dagenham) were two of the by-elections in the 1990s in which the Con-to-Lab swing was bigger than that needed by Labour in Selby & Ainsty. |
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Post by Robert Waller on Jul 24, 2023 21:55:50 GMT
2021 Census New Boundaries (ranks England and Wales) Age 65+ 13.2% 490/575 Owner occupied 57.5% 433/575 Private rented 20.2% 195/575 Social rented 22.2% 106/575 White 47.8% 540/575 Black 1.1% 318/575 Asian 47.5% 11/575 Managerial & professional 20.7% 550/575 Routine & Semi-routine 28.2% 124/575 Degree level 25.4% 482/575 No qualifications 26.7% 26/575 Students 9.6% 105/575
General Election 2019: Blackburn] Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kate Hollern 29,040 64.9 −4.8Conservative Claire Gill 10,736 24.0 −2.9 Brexit Party Rick Moore 2,770 6.2 Liberal Democrats Beth Waller-Slack 1,130 2.5 +1.0 Green Reza Hossain 741 1.7 Independent Rizwan Shah 319 0.7
Lab Majority 18,304 40.9 −2.0Turnout 44,736 62.8 +1.6 Labour hold Swing 1.0 Lab to C Boundary ChangesBlackburn consists of 97.4% of Blackburn 0.5% of Rossendale and Darwen Mapboundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/review2023/9bc0b2ea-7915-4997-9d4a-3e313c0ceb51/north-west/North%20West_215_Blackburn_Landscape.pdf2019 Notional Results on New Boundaries (Rallings and Thrasher) | Lab | 28798 | 66.0% | | Con | 10182 | 23.3% | | Brexit | 3582 | 5.9% | | LD | 1058 | 2.4% | | Green | 698 | 1.6% | Oth
| 319 | 0.7%
| | | | | | Majority | 18616 | 42.7% |
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