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Post by hempie on Jan 23, 2013 8:08:02 GMT
I'm 52 and married with two teenage daughters. I work as the Pastor of a church but am also a Chartered Accountant (although I haven't done any accounting work for over 6 years). I've been interested in politics since about the age of 10 (1970 General Election when I carried out an opinion poll in the playground). Member of the LIberal Party from 1977 to 1985, the Green Party 1988/9 and again since 2011. Fairly inactive member of a small branch - lack of availablity timewise being the main reason. No doubt I'll be out leafletting up to the County elections.
Hobbies - watching football, music (eclectic mix), reading.
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Post by Arthur Figgis on Jan 23, 2013 8:58:47 GMT
I'm 31 and have been in a civil partnership for the last 4 years.
I've been active or semi-active in politics since my early 20s, in Battersea (where I for the large part grew up), in North Down, and for the last 6 years in SW Herts.
I voted for 4 different parties whilst a member of the Conservative party (free pint for the first person who can name them all). Since resigning my membership, I have only ever voted for the Conservative candidate. Suspect that will change at the next general election.
My day job involves playing around with numbers for a train operating company.
My hobbies are county cricket (Surrey CCC member, I go to virtually all County Championship matches, which uses up my holiday allowance and pisses off the other half), non-league football (Tooting & Mitcham supporter), real ale (in an obsessive way) and rail travel (the staff benefits help with that one). I usually combine three of those together for a decent weekend.
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cibwr
Plaid Cymru
Posts: 3,351 
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Post by cibwr on Jan 24, 2013 17:22:02 GMT
OK done this on another thread.... Name is Lyn Thomas and I have been knocking around on usenet since 1991 - uk.politics for example. Moved back to Wales in 2000 and currently work for a large utility company in a call centre... I have previously worked as an NVQ assessor for a recycling and training charity teaching people how to build, fix and use computers... I have been a member of Plaid Cymru since I was 14 - I joined between the two 1974 UK general elecitons. Like many other I am not very active these days due to my working hours. For the first time in my life I am living in a ward with Plaid Cymru councillors (Fairwater, Cardiff). My on screen name refers the the ancient division of the kingdom of Morgannwg covering the core of Cardiff. I am a single gay man. Like real ale, vegi food and playing with my Vector Linux computer (which I test software and new version for the Vector Linux community).
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2013 18:06:57 GMT
Okay - I am 48 years old, raised in Manchester and Stockport. One of 10 children (sadly, three passed away in adulthood), I joined the Labour Party in 1982 just as it was all going pear-shaped.
I was a branch secretary at 17 but mostly loved psephology and won a few pints when I argued that the SDP wouldn't gain more than 6 seats at the 1983 election.
I work full-time in the Prison Service and live in exile near York.
As my chosen alias suggest, I am a practising Catholic, I love Jazz, R and B, Motown, Cajun (well, most stuff, with the exception of all the abominations between 1985-1990 brought to us by S,A & W) and sport.
By dearest love outside of politics, family and faith, (although some might suggest it is closely related) is Manchester United. I can watch football of all levels morning, noon and night.
While I am a bit wary of giving out my name due to the work I do, my first name is Gerard.
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Post by Arthur Figgis on Jan 24, 2013 21:07:14 GMT
I've been active or semi-active in politics since my early 20s, in Battersea (where I for the large part grew up), in North Down, and for the last 6 years in SW Herts. Who were you campaigning for in North Down? NI Conservatives, though they weren't particularly active back then. |
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Khunanup
Lib Dem
Portsmouth Liberal Democrats
Posts: 8,431
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Post by Khunanup on Jan 25, 2013 0:15:04 GMT
I'm 33, a Portsmouth city councillor and my user name alludes to a literary character from the unbelievably niche degree I did at university (Egyptology).
I've been a member of the party since a week before the '97 GE (though it really was a metter of getting round to it) and I've been political for literally as long as I can remember, including being disappointed that the Alliance didn't do better in the '87 election when I was seven.
I've been married for two and a half years to a Pompey girl who went into it with her eyes wide open about the politics and didn't flee!
I am a civil servant for a large government department, I pass the rest of my time by following Tranmere Rovers in football, St Helens in rugby league, reading and listening to unpopular heavy metal music. I've also recently picked up my 'cello again after many years of it sitting in my spare room.
Oh and like CK, I'm part of the Lib Dem Methodist mafia. We really do get everywhere...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2013 10:23:45 GMT
I pass the rest of my time by following Tranmere Rovers in football There are three Tranmere fans among the prisoners I work with - all in a state of disbelieving joy at the moment. |
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Post by Philip Davies on Jan 25, 2013 22:46:13 GMT
I was born in Withington Hospital in 1976, then lived in Heaton Mersey until 1979 when my family moved to Marple, where my parents still live. I went to Sheffield Hallam University from 1994 to 1998 with a year work placement in 1996/97 near Wallingford. I then got a job with the largest employer in the Macclesfield area and moved to the town in 2003. I got married last year and we are in the process of moving house. No children yet, but we do have a Boston Terrier called Betty.
Outside of following politics and elections I enjoy watching sport, particularly Manchester United, listening to music and reading true crime books.
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Post by erlend on Jan 26, 2013 13:08:04 GMT
I pass the rest of my time by following Tranmere Rovers in football There are three Tranmere fans among the prisoners I work with - all in a state of disbelieving joy at the moment. That seems a disproportionately high rate of locking up Tranmere supporters! |
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Post by boogieeck on Jan 26, 2013 17:28:05 GMT
[That seems a disproportionately high rate of locking up Tranmere supporters! It's a club from Liverpool |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2013 18:14:25 GMT
[That seems a disproportionately high rate of locking up Tranmere supporters! It's a club from Liverpool Don't say that to them - they are from the other side of the Mersey: The Wirral. Other than that, your point stands. |
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Post by erlend on Jan 26, 2013 23:49:03 GMT
Its a scouse club with a rather lower number of supporters. But I suppose they are all local rather than plane loads of foreigners!
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Khunanup
Lib Dem
Portsmouth Liberal Democrats
Posts: 8,431
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Post by Khunanup on Jan 27, 2013 13:58:38 GMT
To help Boogs and Erlend I will inform you of the words to a song we sing (to the somewhat appropriate tune of the Wild Rover):
'Do not be mistaken, do not be mislead.
We're not Scousers, we're from Birkenhead.
You can stuff your cathedrals, and your Pier Head.
We're not Scousers, we're from Birkenhead.'
Added to that, when the common chant of 'Stand up if you hate Scousers' is started by opposition fans they get very confused when we as one join them in, er, standing up!
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Khunanup
Lib Dem
Portsmouth Liberal Democrats
Posts: 8,431
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Post by Khunanup on Jan 27, 2013 14:00:50 GMT
I pass the rest of my time by following Tranmere Rovers in football There are three Tranmere fans among the prisoners I work with - all in a state of disbelieving joy at the moment. We all are! I went to Brentford last Saturday fully expecting to see our final game at the top of the division, and we won again. It's like a dream we keep hoping against hope we don't wake up from. |
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Post by boogieeck on Jan 27, 2013 14:01:36 GMT
we have had re-introductions from
Kris, Boogie, Fraser, Pete, Robin, Dok, Swan, Benjamin, AC, Colin J, Cogload, Novice (a welcome newbie) , CK, Hempie, Arthur, Cibwr, catholicleft, Khunanup, (18)
From the top 20 posters, Ianrobo, Bish, Andyajs, EAL, David Boothroyd, Richard Allen, ianBhx, tonyotim, erlend, john 07, trident, john loony, shibboleth and Great kingrat, have not introduced themselves.
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Post by shakira001 on Jan 28, 2013 1:14:49 GMT
Hello Im Simon Nissim your new member here.
And im happy to join your site.
Thanks for warm welcome.
Truly Yours:
Simon Nissim
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john07
Labour & Co-operative
Posts: 11,877
Member is Online
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Post by john07 on Jan 30, 2013 2:04:14 GMT
Well as Boogie has shamed me into posting an introduction, here it is:
My name is John Lowe. I was born in darkest Shropshire but move at a very early age to Handforth, Hazel Grove and then Cheadle Hulme. Initially we lived in the 'rough' side in Adswood before moving to the leafier suburbs.
I failed the 11+ but managed to pass five O-Levels and eventually qualified as a Chartered Surveyor. I then took A-Levels independently and did enough to get a place at the University of Manchester.
I did not become politically active until I started at Manchester University in 1971. Manchester was a vibrant place with a number of prominent Liberals such as William Wallace and Michael Steed on the staff. Fe=rom the Labour Party there was Lewis Minkin who had written many book on the Party and specifically on the Party Conference.
My first vote in a General Election had gone to the Liberal Mike Winstanley in 1970. This was a tactical vote!
I got involved with the Manchester Exchange By-election in 1973 working for the Labour Candidate Frank Hatton. He defeated my tutor Michael Steed. The following February there was a General Election and Manchester Exchange was no more. The Hulme Ward where we had work in 1973 was now absorbed into the Tory held Moss Side Constituency.
This was an interesting election. There were five Wards in Moss Side, two of which were strong Labour: Moss Side and Hulme. Two were solid Tory: Chorlton and Alexander. The final ward was Lloyd Street which included the housing around Maine Road and was marginal Labour. This added up to a knife edge Constituency with a much higher turnout expected in Chorlton and Alex than Hulme or Moss Side. Frank Hatton was elected and held on in the second election in 1974. I was organizing the University students in Hulme bby the second election are Nivk Brown departed for Tyneside.
I joined the Labour Party between the two General Elections in 1974 and switched my vote from Liberal to Labour in the process.
I soon found myself Secretary on Stockport District Labour Party and was a district council candidate for Heaton Moor/Heaton Chapel in 1976 and also in Hazel Grove ward in a by-election later that year. I stood for Bredbury and Romiley in the County Council Elections in 1997 and had already been adopted as PPC for Hazel Grove.
By 1977, my postgraduate course was completed and I found gainful employment at the University of Aston in Birmingham. I stayed in Moseley for a term before moving to Coventry in January 1978. I was elected as councillor for Cheylesmore Ward on Coventry City Council. I won a three year term with the second highest vote in a whole council election. Despite being expelled from the Labour Group twice, I rose to the dizzying heights as Deputy Chair off Transportation and Highways and 'sometimes' chair of the Planning Committee.
With my term running out and my job at Aston melting away, I moved on to Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in 1983. although in the meantime the family had moved to Leicester. I commuted weekly to Edinburgh until 1987 when the family moved up to leafy Merchiston.
I had grown rather disillusioned with the direction of the Labour Party although I remained a supporter of Neil Kinnock. I never got involved with Leicester East CLP although I was active in Rushey Mead Ward. After moving to Edinburgh two meetings of Merchiston-Morningside Branch put me off and I let my membership lapse around 1990.
Although I had a BSc in Politics and an MSc in Public Policy and Administration from Manchester, my interests moved to economics and was awarded a PhD in 1993.
I moved from Heriot-Watt to Glasgow Caledonian University in 1996 and ve helped it grow from a 'technical college' (when Gordon Brown lectured there) to a respected institution, at least in my subject area!
I rejoined the Fabian Society around five years ago and have been semi-active over the past two years. I have not got around to rejoining Labour and I am not sure if I ever will.
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Post by boogieeck on Jan 30, 2013 8:41:14 GMT
was it your arrival or his departure that changed it from an economically illiterate Poly to an economically literate Uni?
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Post by Philip Davies on Jan 30, 2013 11:23:30 GMT
we have had re-introductions from Kris, Boogie, Fraser, Pete, Robin, Dok, Swan, Benjamin, AC, Colin J, Cogload, Novice (a welcome newbie) , CK, Hempie, Arthur, Cibwr, catholicleft, Khunanup, (18) From the top 20 posters, Ianrobo, Bish, Andyajs, EAL, David Boothroyd, Richard Allen, ianBhx, tonyotim, erlend, john 07, trident, john loony, shibboleth and Great kingrat, have not introduced themselves. and me, but as Kevin Spacey's character Lester Burnham said in American Beauty: |
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Post by anthony on Jan 30, 2013 12:22:42 GMT
Born in Preston on 29 Feb 1980 (at which point my mum won a bet), we moved to Northamptonshire in 1993. I first got interested in politics through my A-level history module on early 19th century British history (Lord Liverpool et al). Initially worried about the democratic deficit in the EU, I joined the Liberal Democrats in 1999 whilst at University - although casting my first vote in the 1999 Euro elections for the Green Party.
I later found out more about the way legislation was created in the EU, and this tempered my euro-scepticism (although, I do believe in subsidarity, both up and down!).
After university worked in legal publishing, producing obscure books and assisting the Falkland Islands Law Revision commissioner from an Oxford-based legal publishers. In 2002 I moved to London to take a slightly less obscure legal publishing role and be nearer my girlfriend. In 2005, I joined the research team at a barristers' chambers, and now run the team.
First got actively involved in politics by meeting my PPC handing out leaflets outside Wimbledon station one cold November morning in 2004.
Since then I have been chair of my local branch, a local election candidate twice, an agent for multiple types of elections and council by-election. I am a Lib Dem Returning Officer and recently joined the London Regional Exec committee through a co-option.
Oh, I also used to be a trade union activist for the NUJ, of which I am still a member. I married my wife in 2011 in Wimbledon, where she was born.
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