Jump to content
Guest Goldeneye-69

Political Frailty

Recommended Posts

You've missed off Nicholas Budgen who has also died many years back so I think Mrs Gorman is the third to go. Sir Teddy Taylor is definitely one to keep an eye on.

 

As an aside, it does strike me that female British former MPs don't have a great record of living to very old age. Having said this I think the oldest current one is Dame Jill Knight who might last a while longer yet.

 

 

Of the Maastricht rebels there's also Michael Carttiss (still alive aged 77) and Rupert Allason aka Nigel West (still alive aged 63). Allason's old man who was also a former MP lived to be nearly 100 so he may not be the best pick.

 

I'll be honest: when I saw that Gorman had died, it crossed my mind that I wondered of the fate of the other 'bastards' and whether she was the first to peg it. A quick Google search led me to this article from 2004 about a reunion of the 'bastards' and listed the names I mentioned above. If I'd read on, it does mention the death of Nick Budgen in 1998 as another 'bastard', the term being used to refer to the 8 Tory MPs who had the whip withdrawn over Maastricht. Interestingly, the article makes no mention of Michael Carttiss but Wikipedia includes him as having the whip withdrawn. Maybe he couldn't make the aforementioned reunion. It also includes Allason who refused to back a confidence motion in the government over Maastricht.

 

If we were talking about the specific people Major was referring to, they are believed to be Michael Howard, Michael Portillo and Peter Lilley, all of whom are still going strong. Howard is 74 and now a Peer of the Realm and riding the House of Lords Gravy Train. Speaking of trains, Portillo can usually be found on BBC2/4 riding a train somewhere or other and is 62 and Peter Lilley I'm astonished to discover is the only one of our little band of rebels to still sit in the House of Commons, aged 72.

 

Not sure Body's got too many more years left in him, Taylor, Gill and Shepherd all appear to be in decent health but could likewise drop dead any time. Interesting fact I've found regarding Teddy Taylor: apparently he is one of only 2 survivors of the first ever edition of Question Time in 1979. The other is Irish poet and novelist Edna O'Brien. Rupert Allason, as mentioned, looks like he could go on forever, plus he practises the Maharishi Yogi's Transcendental Meditation. Then again, it didn't do much good for Lennon and Harrison.

 

Wikipedia lists a further 18 rebels who voted against the government, all but 3 of which are still in the land of the living. Looks like this will be an area of rich pickings over the next decade or more as they range in age from 80s to 50s.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Guested

Michael Carttiss is also known for his demand at Margaret Thatcher's last Prime Minister's Questions that she should "cancel her resignation" as she could "wipe the floor with these people" presumably meaning the Heseltine supporters.

 

Richard Shepherd has only just retired as an MP but has a quadruple heart bypass a few years ago and looks very unwell.

 

Teddy Taylor looked old in the 1970s.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Duane Sommers had two stints as a Republican in the Washington (Spokane) state House of Representatives.

Sommers died this week at age 82.

​SC

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Guest

Interestingly Theresa Gormans predecessor as MP for Billericay is none other than Harvey Proctor, who's just been accused of raping and murdering boys when he was an MP. Looks like there's some kind of curse on that constituency !

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The former Governor of Maryland (and also the 2nd oldest former governor ) Marvin Mandel has died at 95 http://www.wbaltv.com/news/former-maryland-gov-marvin-mandel-dies-at-age-95/35007178

 

And the current Maryland Governor has stage 3 cancer. Nice place.

SC

 

(Edit: I believe -- though I haven't kept strict count -- that brings the number of former Governors who have died in 2015 to an astounding 8! Give or take one.)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Former Essex Tory MP Teresa Gorman, a leading rebel over the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s, has died aged 83, her family said.

Ms Gorman trained as a teacher before being elected to represent Billericay in 1987, a seat she held until 2001.

SC

http://m.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/regional/former-tory-mp-teresa-gorman-dies-aged-83-1-6929884

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

Trumpets sound, heavens open and the list of 53 surviving MEPs from the first parliament descends to the Deathlist

  • Gordon Adam (1933-
  • Richard Balfe (1944-
  • Neil Balfour (1944-
  • Beata Brookes (1931-
  • Richard Caborn (1943-
  • Frederick Catherwood (1925-
  • Ann Clwyd (1937-
  • Ken Collins (1939-
  • Richard Cottrell (1943-
  • David Curry (1944-
  • Ian Dalziel (1947-
  • Marquess of Douro (Charles Wellesley) (1945-
  • Winifred Ewing (1929-
  • Adam Fergusson (1932-
  • Michael Gallagher (1934-
  • Win Griffiths (1943-
  • David Harris (1937-
  • Gloria Hooper (1939-
  • William Hopper (1929-
  • Brian Hord (1934-
  • John Hume (1937-
  • Alasdair Hutton (1940-
  • Christopher Jackson (1935-
  • Robert V. Jackson (1936-
  • Stanley Johnson (1940-
  • Edward Kellett-Bowman (1931-
  • Brian Key (1947-
  • Alfred Lomas (1928-
  • John Marshall (1940-
  • Robert Moreland (1941-
  • Bill Newton Dunn (1941-
  • Lord O'Hagan (Charles Strachey) (1945-
  • Ian Paisley (1926-
  • Ben Patterson (1939-
  • Andrew Pearce (1937-
  • Henry Plumb (1925-
  • Peter Price (1942-
  • James Provan (1936-
  • John Purvis (1938-
  • Joyce Quin (1944-
  • Allan Rogers (1932-
  • Barry Seal (1937-
  • Richard Simmonds (1944-
  • Anthony Simpson (1935
  • Tom Spencer (1948-
  • James Spicer (1925-
  • Jack Stewart-Clark (1929-
  • John Taylor (1937-
  • John Taylor (1941-
  • Frederick Tuckman (1922-
  • Amedee Turner (1929-
  • Alan Tyrrell (1933-
  • Michael Welsh (1942-
Some of these went on to have ministerial careers such as Richard Caborn and other are already on the radar like Ian Paisley but assembling a DDP team from this lot would be a leap of faith as many will be tocuh and go for an Obit. However if you have spies in the local press then this could be a good source of information.

 

The 1979 elections were held on the First past the post principal with constituencys being roughly approximated to counties it is only in later elections that we get the regional approach and a move to the D'Hondt system.

 

Since I published this list Paisley has died and now Frederick Catherwood has gone.

 

And another one Beata Brookes has died

 

 

And so it appears has Brian Hord - Death announcement: http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/194231/hord

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Some taiwanese journalists are apparently also deathpoolers:

 

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150904000016&cid=1101

 

Jiang Zemin is apparently in good health, but he gripped the stair railing with only three fingers - blood circulation problems?

Hu Jintao was shaking, could he have Parkinson's? This could also confirm health problems after two rumoured strokes...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:Geoffrey Howe looks and sounds very frail in this recent interview.Looks like one for next years list.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRa_9DiFD0:GeoffreyHowe looks and sounds very frail in this recent interview.Looks like one for next years list.

are you kidding he looks as young as ever. I could mistake him for a man in his 20s

 

Let's not forget that Denis Healey back in the day called him Mogadon Man and his political attacks were like being savaged by a dead sheep. This is Howe true to form.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRa_9DiFD0:GeoffreyHowe looks and sounds very frail in this recent interview.Looks like one for next years list.

are you kidding he looks as young as ever. I could mistake him for a man in his 20s

 

Let's not forget that Denis Healey back in the day called him Mogadon Man and his political attacks were like being savaged by a dead sheep. This is Howe true to form.

 

Yes he has never been charismatic at all really but he was fairly erudite which now he isn`t.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

He has looked a bit frail in recent years, but he does look more frail there. Mind you, he's having to listen to that Casual Politics idiot ramble on for hours, that's enough to make anyone look like death warmed up.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

He has looked a bit frail in recent years, but he does look more frail there. Mind you, he's having to listen to that Casual Politics idiot ramble on for hours, that's enough to make anyone look like death warmed up.

It is only a matter of time before someone keels over in one of his interviews.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Guilty on this one.

The Guardian Obit came through on Twitter yesterday and because I was on my phone I didn't check the rest of the forum. So I linked it when I got back to the hotel. Two weeks for an obit is a bit slack. They should have paid more attention here. YW was way ahead of them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Mamadou

Coup underway in Burkina Faso, the president, the prime minister and the whole cabinet are being "held hostage" right now. Not sure how this will end but Africa has a bad reputation for such events..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×

Important Information

Your use of this forum is subject to our Terms of Use