It's funny, but the "first political memory" thing has sprung up again, and this time I have been tagged by Iain to spill the beans. I'll be honest, I have to define this question in two ways, I have "political memories" which are of events, and then I have what I consider "politically conscious" memories which are slightly different.
I was born in 1975, so my earliest memories will inevitably be from the 1980s. I don't remember Thatcher winning power, but bizarrely I do remember my Dad picking Argentina in his work sweep stake in 1978 and winning. Speaking of Argentina, I guess one of the first things I remember, in the "events" section, would be the Falklands War, and Thatcher in the amphibious landing craft. I can also remember Brezhnev dying in 1982 and then Andropov following him not long after.
When it comes to politically conscious memories though my first would have to be the Wall coming down. I can remember watching it happen on the TV in my lounge. However, my most vivid political memory is 1991. I was in Budapest when the coup against Gorbachev occurred. The sense of awareness, anticipation and genuine fear of the family I was staying with (and their friends) about how the events in Moscow might impact on their lives once more left a mark on me.
8 comments:
A Dizzy - you young people. I remember Winston Churchill campaigning in our little village in 1951. I remember him standing down, and I remeber his dying, with people kneeling on the street outside his home praying for him. I remember his state funeral.
I remeber Harold Wilson winning power - twice in one year - and Ted Heath taking it back.
What I DON'T remember is anyone of them, before Thatcher - actually making a difference to the relative decline of the UK, and since Blair, we've gone into reverse again.
Sic transit gloria.
I was born a year earlier than you and I was in Biology class when Mrs Thatcher fell (Teacher Mrs Darby, who was young and blonde, with a husband who worked on oil rigs)
Half of my class walked out on the spot in the middle of the lesson looking for a television but the only one available was in the Auditorium and it had no aerial.
I was in the Hampshire archery team at the time and so I took a metal arrow out of my locker.
We watched the whole thing unfold on a TV with an arrow stuck in the back of it.
You're only 32 years old! Good Lord, I thought you were in your 40s, mate. You must've had an interesting life!
I have already told Iain & Co that I was 14 in 1964 and tried to persuade my dyed-in-the-wool Labour voting dad to support Sir Alex Douglas Home's short-lived Conservative government.
He didn't!
But here's a thing: until 1997 I never actually voted for the Conservatives. Up until then I was a "tactical" voter because of the particular places I happened to live in at the time. But I can swear on oath that I have never voted for Labour but I might have put my X against a Liberal or two just to frustrate a few donkeys wearing Labour rosettes. (These were coal mining communities so I thought this was a reasonable compromise.)
This is why I can't believe this nonsense about "Brown Conservatives". It's just like Blair with his claim about "Mondeo Man" and, later, Worcester Woman".
What's more worrying is that the great British public appear to accept all this tosh without question.
Then again, if Brown can be shown to have feet of clay - see Barry Monk's comment on Iain's blog - there may be a chance they will vote for a Conservative Party that has decent values and can show it will make the future better for them and their children.
What do you think?
(NB: Despite my obvious advanced age I have 10-year old son and I want him to have the opportunity to make the best of his life chances that are not on offer under this Brown Labour hegemony.)
My first political memory is Jeremy Thorpe looking ashen.
I'm obviously a lot more ancient than you lot, since I remember the Profumo scandal clearly - if you recall, an osteopath called Stephen Ward was closely involved.
As it happens, my mother had been to him for treatment a couple of times, so at the height of the crisis, I recall my Czech father rushing in with a copy of the evening paper, calling out:
"Stephen Vard has been arrested on a wice charge!"
The 1979 election is the earliest thing I remember directly relating to electoral politics. Of events that had political import, however, the earliest I remember is the dustman's strike which came a little before it. Also, I do remember what now seem to be an inordinate amount of power cuts.
1970 born here and my first political memories are of the winter of discontent and Thatcher winning.
Dabbled with the usual firebrand left wing rubbish till I was about 16 and remember being disgusted in a nightclub during the 1987 election because everyone was cheering the TV's as labour won seats.
Showing my age here - I remember the three day week and the rest of the turmoil..... mind you, I recall Apollo 13. Old enough to remember the glories of '79, watched the falklands unfold on TV and was old enough to have voted for Mrs T.
Yes, THAT old!
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