Labour MP wants Thatcher statue removed

Publicity-hungry Labour MP Stephen Hepburn has put down this Early Day Motion:

"That this House recalls the cruel and divisive reign of Margaret Thatcher and demands that the statue be removed from the Members' Lobby until such time as its erection has been approved by a vote in the House."

One thing we can be sure of is that Parliament won't even think of erecting a monument to the achievements of Mr Hepburn.

Related link: The bronze lady.

Evening update: Greg Hands MP has suggested an amendment to the EDM. Insert the following after "That this House recalls"...

"the great achievements of Baroness Thatcher in changing Britain for the better; including curbing excessive trades union powers, standing up to naked aggression in the Falklands, extending popular capitalism, giving millions of Britons the chance of home ownership, and helping to win freedom for millions of people in Central and Eastern Europe, and believes that an impressive statue in members lobby is a fitting tribute to Britain's first female Prime Minister."

Comments

[Patsy Sergeant]

Where is Mr. Hepburn's constituency?

[Editor]

Jarrow.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

I'd like to throw him to the wolfs!!!

[Valedictoryan]

"Publicity drive" is exactly right. With the leader they have I'm surprised that Labour MPs want to throw stones, but then Mr Hepburn clearly isn't much of a thinker.

I wonder how Tony Blair's statue will be known. The Grin? The Liar? The Grinning Liar? More probably The Pigmy.

[Graham D'Amiral]

Good to see he is raising questions in parliament central to his constituents lives!

Of course there are very different views about Lady Thatcher's legacy, but what can not be disputed is that her Government was one of the most radical of the 20th Century. Britain when Margaret Thatcher left office in 1990 was a very different country than it had been 11 years earlier.

[Duncan]

Yes Graham, and a very much better country too.

[MH]

Duncan, comments like that will not earn you any brownie points with Dave.

[Guy Matthews]

What a foolish bigot this man is. He is using his authority as a Parliamentarian in the wrong way. EDMs like this should be banned and this man should not be allowed the priviledge of being able to table them. What a disgrace.

I hope the people of Jarrow throw this dispicable man out of office at the next election.

A mindless, ignorant and ridiculous EDM tabled by a mindless, ignorant and ridiculous man.

[Graeme Archer]

What an **se. Does anyone have his email address so we can bombard him with our thoughts on the issue?

[Graeme Archer]

Perhaps not surprising that a retard like Hepburn doesn't have any electronic form of contact that I can find, but here are his phone number details lifted off his Wikipedia entry (I kid you not!)

Constituency
Stephen Hepburn MP
TEDCO Business Centre
Viking Industrial Estate
Blaydon Street
Jarrow
NA32 3DT
fax 0191 4897531
phone 0191 4200648

Westminster
Stephen Hepburn MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
phone 020 7219 3000

Surgery Details
For details of Stephen's advice surgeries please contact his constituency office on (0191) 4200648.

[Guy Matthews]

Doubtless [email protected] will suffice.

I pity his poor researcher.

[Westcountry Lad]

[email protected]

That should do the trick...what a talentless and idiotic man. And he is using an EDM, otherwise known as Parliamentary Graffiti, to make his point - how appropriate.

[Graeme Archer]

apologies for the unpleasant language I used in my last post, am angry and thoughtless, would be very grateful if it could be deleted.

[Peter Coe]

Look, I'm not going to say that I agree with this MP's opinions, but there seems to be a woeful lack of appreciation here of the impact Mrs Thatcher's necessary reforms had on constituencies like Jarrow: far from actually losing him support, he's likely to be paraded through the streets there (if there is any electoral impact at all from this).

It is somewhat troubling that there is so little understanding of the economic devastation that affected this, and several other, parts of the country - one of the reasons why the Conservatives to this day are still performing far worse than they might otherwise be expected to in the north.

As for all this guff about "outrageous abuse of EDMs" and "throw him out for having the temerity to express a view we disagree with" - get a grip; there are a huge list of frivolous EDMs tabled by Conservative MPs.

This is democracy: you should respect, albeit vehemently disagreeing with, Mr Hepburn's opinion just as others respected, for example, the right of the most extreme right-wing Conservatives to applaud the apartheid regime in South Africa or Rhodesia for years and years.

And the final thing: so what if he feels this? It's not going to get the statue pulled down - what's the big deal?

[Edward Simmons]

This MP isn't fit to take a clubbing from the legendary handbag!

I see he's managed a stunning one signature, but then, to paraphrase the late great Eric Forth, EDMs are but parliamentary graffiti.

[Graeme Archer]

You can email his constituency office on

[email protected]

I just rang them and asked for the email address!

[Curly]

The likelihood of Hepburn being removed at the next election is as remote as my possibilities of meeting the Pope's wife unfortunately! He should stick to doing what he does best - playing football!

[Geoff]

Here is a contact form for him from the parliament.uk website.

[Westcountry Lad]

And his Parliamentary telephone number is 0207 219 4134 - cry havoc and release the dogs of war!

[Cllr Keith Standring]

What attitude do you expect from a political pygmy observing a political giant?

[Graeme Archer]

Peter, I'm sorry, you are much more level-headed and fair-minded than I, but I grew up surrounded by these ghastly Thatcher-hating socialists, people who've achieved precisely nothing in their decades of office to make life better for the masses, and now, you know, 16 years after Thatch left office and 10 years into a Socialist government, a goverment that has destroyed our liberty, taxed us to bits, taken our pensions to the toilet and lied to us about the reasons for war, after all that and more, one of them decides that the best way to reward us for funding his nonentical existence as a backbench MP is by the oratorical equivalent of spitting in the eye of the most amazing post-Churchill PM we ever had. He should be ashamed and any pygmies who sign it should be ashamed as well, but when it comes to Thatcher these people are beyond reason. I don't see any reason why anyone who disagrees with the sentiment, or who finds the whole concept of a backbench Labour MP slagging off the Thatch to be splutteringly preposterous, shouldn't participate in our democractic right (are we, in fact, still permitted to complain about Labour?) by emailing him at [email protected]

[Wayne Bridges]

I hope that statue falls on him when he walks through the lobby!

[Daniel VA]

While Stephen Hepburn may be correct to note that Thatcher's rule had divisive effects, that's not really a sufficient reason for the statue to be removed.

Isn't it time for our elected representatives (of all parties) to grow up and stop wasting taxpayers' money on frivolous EDMs like this latest pathetic example?

[Westcountry Lad]

But then can we expect any better, see below from his Dod's Entry:

"He also appears to have studied at the John Prescott School of Political Discourse: in 1994 he was not amused by the jokes of a fellow councillor, and was fined £75 for punching him in the head in the council chamber. He resigned as deputy leader."

[Justin's Spellchecker]

I'd like to throw him to the wolfs!!!

WOLVES.......my education is crap nowadays

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Glad I brought this story to your attention. Perhaps we should be in touch wih Jarrow Conservatives to help them dent his majority?

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

OK, fair point. How much do I owe you?

[Sean Fear]

"One thing we can be sure of is that Parliament won't even think of erecting a monument to the achievements of Mr Hepburn."

I think that's the neatest response.

[Geoff]

Nice thought, Justin, and I'm sure both of them would be delighted to hear from us, but if we take this seat at the next election then I am a lemon doughnut. The only way to dent his majority would be fixing the scales which they must use to weigh his votes.

In this respect only, Peter Coe was right although parading through the streets was probably a small exaggeration. He will get some favourable headlines in their local rag because it will beat the "LightBulb Still On" stuff they would normally have to print and then will get forgotten.

Thank you Graeme for writing the response to Peter that I was composing myself. You saved me some time and grumpiness.

[Justin's Spellchecker's Grammar Checker]

>>I'd like to throw him to the wolfs!!!

>WOLVES.......my education is crap nowadays

"My, education is crap nowadays."

[William Norton]

I rarely disagree with the Editor and Sean Fear, but this time I think we should campaign for a statue to Stephen Hepburn MP. One monumental erection deserves another.

[Andrew Woodman]

No doubt he'll be warmly congratulated in his local party for this pathetic gesture. In truth, he's not fit to lack Mrs Thatchers boots (or heels perhaps).

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Geoff, I didn't say we could *win* Jarrow. I said we could *dent* his majority. Jarrow is the kind of seat where they don't count the Labour votes - you weigh them!

Have you seen anything of Ibn Battuta today?

[Graeme Archer]

Of course we can win Jarrow! It's a marginal by my calculations!
Yours sincerely,
Hackney activist.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Are you the candidate, Graeme?

[Graeme Archer]

Candidate for Belle and Sebastian fan of the year.

[Andrew Woodman]

According to Electoral Calculus it's

Jarrow
Region: North
MP Stephen Hepburn (LAB) Electorate 63,371 Turnout 54.98% Top
2005 Votes 2005 Share Prediction
LAB 21,073 60.48% 54.20%
LIB 7,811 22.42% 19.33%
CON 4,239 12.17% 17.17%
OTH 1,719 4.93% 9.29%
LAB Majority 13,262 38.06% Pred Maj 34.87%

Think we may struggle to be honest. That sort of statement will probably increase his majority rather than dent it.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Actually, joking aside, it isn't THAT bad!

[comstock]

That sort of statement will probably increase his majority rather than dent it.

Very true, Andrew. I lived in the north east for a couple of years in the early nineties, so saw first hand the damage she did. If you want to know why the reign of Maggie was 'cruel and devisive' try asking Mr Hepburn's constituents up in Jarrow.

And if you are serious about reforming and ever getting back into power in this country, you'd be well advised to listen to them.

[Phil Whittington]

I think the statue should be on a Turkmenbashi-style revolving turntable accompanied with a plaque saying the lady IS for turning ;)

Would bring a touch of class to the whole thing!

[Geoff]

Yes Andrew, it's the sort of pointless populist gesture which will be stuck on every local Lab leaflet at election time, isn't it.

When I was in the UK my local constituency was marginal(ish). Okay but never comfortable. If you are representing an ultra-safe seat like Jarrow then you can afford to spend time grandstanding like this.

This is up there with EDMs on Eurovision entries and your local football team not getting relegated. I'm in favour of a restriction on EDMs - maybe a limited number per MP per year? Or a high threshold of minimum required signatures?

comstock, Jarrow would elect a meringue bungalow if it had a red rosette on it. Much as I accept there must be no no-go areas for my party and we must always be trying to show how the whole country benefited from Lady Thatcher's time in office - even if they didn't feel it at the time - there are always going to be places which the message will fall on stony ground.

Justin, the views across the Straits are perfect today so the binoculars are out for Moroccan camel-spotting. Will keep you updated.

[George Hinton]

Who is this dickhead.
I don't recall the same level of spite when it comes to some dogmatic socialist tax and spend scumbag who is so honoured.
This prat typifies the small minded, class hatred of the entrenched lefties, and yet another reason to ensure that NuLab go bankrupt and never darken our political shores again with their venomous dislike of the democtatic process.

[DavidDPB]

"Reign"?

I suppose like a lot of left wing ideologues, democracy is only democratic when they win........

[Valedictoryan]

Comstock, what do you think would have happened in the north if Maggie had never existed? Do you imagine that its industrial heart would now be beating faster? Do you labour under the idea that Callaghan was somehow doing a good job, helping Britain?

[Richard]

I wonder if he thinks Britain would have been better off with Labour winning in 1979 or 1983?

[Cllr Iain Lindley]

Ignore him. I suspect he will take complaints from CH regulars as a badge of honour, to be honest...

[Editor]

For once you and I agree, Iain!

[Simon Chapman]

Chaps, please. You are dancing to Hepburn's tune. His EDM is a wind-up at public expense - and on this evidence he is succeeding wildly in winding up Conservatives.

Nobody has ever heard of him before (probably including within his own household), nor will they again once his 15 seconds in the Sun (surely this will "grace" those pages) is over. He has risen, and will sink, without trace.

The Editor & Sean Fear @ 1334 have the right approach. Elegant dismissal is the best policy.

The only other way to deal with this is to come up with witty, creative and disproportionately punishing proposals for Mr Hepburn, that betray not the slightest hint of irritation.

[ed]

The statue is not about party politics, its about celebrating the decent and dignified aspects of our democracy - let Mr Hepburn have his say, but I guarantee no one will be listening.

[Geoff]

Anything in mind Simon?

I'd love to see a statue of Blair standing on his head and juggling ice-cream to commemorate the day when he hopefully accepts that now-famous petition on the No10 website.

Now all we need is an MP to propose the EDM. Volunteers?

I'm not sure that he is winding us up though. It's been a good natured and quite enjoyable thread actually.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Yes, it has, Geoff. We've even been agreeing with each other...

[Richard]

"And if you are serious about reforming and ever getting back into power in this country, you'd be well advised to listen to them."

And do what? Reverse her reforms?

I suspect most of "them" in Jarrow were voting Labour long before Mrs T came on the scene. The number of working class voters who voted Tory increased under Thatcher and the Tories obtained a majority of 100 in 1987 long after the North was hit by recession. The traditional Old Labour voting working class is shrinking while the middle class, unencumbered with anti-Thatcherite prejudice, is growing.

While a minority did suffer due to the Thatcher reforms, the majority benefitted. It is time Mr Hepburn accepted that.

[Graham D'Amiral]

I'm sure the good people of Jarrow will be relieved to know that rather than speaking up for their concerns on crime, schhols, hospitals, the environment or transport their MP is getting agitated about a statue.

But the reason in my earlier post I didn't say Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain for better (though that certainly is my view) was that I don't think a statue of Lady Thatcher is a good thing because I'm a conservative but because of her significant contribution to British Politics.

[I hate Reds]

Message to Hepburn: We won. You lost. Eat shit.

[Yet Another Anon]

He should have put down an Early day Motion earlier perhaps on the general question of approval of any statues, it's just occurred to me that there probably isn't any need for the state to pay for statues, the people wanting the statues could be expected to club together and pay for them themselves, if there isn't enough money for a statue of someone then probably errecting it isn't justified in the first place, although of course few people will ever see this statue, millions will see waxworks of politicians in Madame Tussouards so why waste public money on putting statues in the members lobby, spend it on repaying National Debt instead.

[comstock]

I'm sure the good people of Jarrow will be relieved to know that rather than speaking up for their concerns on crime, schhols, hospitals, the environment or transport their MP is getting agitated about a statue.

Do you not see that most of these problems in the area began or got significantly worse in the 80's.....on your party's watch under Maggie.

Crime went up, unemployment up, drug addiction set in, fueling more crime,social cohesion began to fall apart, family breakdown became more common and mental health problems increased

And of course the gap between rich and poor went up (Maggie admited as much in her leaving speech...remember the hand gestures?)

Some legacy. To be sure this government hasn't done enough to tackle these things, and has let some get worse, and it's quite right you hold Labour to account. But please share at least some of the responsiblity of what happened under Mrs T*, rather than worshipping the ground she walks on.....

(*IDS has begun to do just that, BTW)

[Mike A]

Please stop getting fired up.

You look like loons.

[Richard]

"Crime went up, unemployment up, drug addiction set in, fueling more crime,social cohesion began to fall apart, family breakdown became more common and mental health problems increased"

Crime was going up before the 1980s. We had a lower crime rate and stronger social cohesion in the 1930s before we even had a full-blown welfare state so trying to blame a rise in crime on free market economics won't wash. Indeed, in undermining voluntary associations amd charitable giving, the welfare state has a lot to answer for.

I also suspect that many of the negative trends of the past few decades are an unfortunate side effect of growing wealth and mobility which neither of the major parties could have solved except by reversing economic growth.

"And of course the gap between rich and poor went up (Maggie admited as much in her leaving speech...remember the hand gestures?)"

That is inevitable in any non-communist system, even with a degree of redistributionist taxation. What is important is that the standard of living of the poor increased during this period.

[Yet Another Anon]

Do you not see that most of these problems in the area began or got significantly worse in the 80's.....on your party's watch under Maggie.
Crime had been rising since the 1950's, funding for schools and hospitals was at a record high relatively and absolutely in the 1980's, there was no reason to raise social spending as a proportion of GDP after WWII - people have been encouraged since 1948 to think that the state can do anything and of course it can't, in both parties insufficent attention had been paid to rationing of availability of services. Governments of both main parties had been failing the railways for years, it didn't start with her or even with the Beeching Report although undoubtedly that made things worse - there was a failure in the 20th century to move from a company based structure to a national network.

[Anthoninus]

What an utter pillock! I look forward to writing a cheque to his Tory opponent! Like the backwards grassroots of his party he wants to go back to the strife of the 1970s - its ironic that such so called 'progressives' are in fact highly reactionary. The Thatcher government was far more 'progressive' in a sense of achieving real results for the nation than any Labour government has been!

[Ash Faulkner]

He can moan and wail all he likes, we all know the truth. When history looks back on Thatcherism with its objective and unbiased eye, people like him will look even more ridiculous than they do now.

For now, we can find comfort in the fact that we were right, we are right, and we will be recognised as right in the future.

(Nice double meaning there, hah :P)

[Jack Bains]

Calm down dear, it's only an EDM! I remember Tim and Rob Halfon doing a similar thing at Exeter on the 10th anniversary of Mrs T's election and then laughing at the Reds as they tied themselves in knots. Now they have done the same - but we are all a great deal older and should know better than to respond. Grow up. Politically Mrs T is dead - Tomorrow belongs to Dave.

[Sasha]

Surely this just shows how stupid EDMS are. I thank Hepburn for doing it as it shows exactly that. I disagree with what it says though, and I look forward to the abolition of EDMS. Unfortunantly I think I shall be living in hope.

[Matt Wright]

Regarding the decline of parts of our traditional industry, this happenend all over the developed world. The process would have been far more painful and extended if Labour had stayed in power instead of Thatcher. In the end the system would have totally broken down with even more unemployment. The remanants of traditional industry are still declining under the current Labour Govt. The issue of structural changes to the economy were inevitable and not confined to the UK or who our leader was. It is sad that there are parts of the UK where Labour continue to lie and con working people and let them have a few meagre scraps off Labours table in return for being voting fodder the rest of the time!

Matt

Matt

[David Sergeant]

You Thatcher supporters don't get it. The North East has been particularly hit by the "post industrial economy" and Thatcher and the Tories got the blame because the Tories couldn't be bothered putting the facts to the peasants in places like Jarrow. Hepburn is merely saying what huge rafts of the public think because nobody ever bothered to try to defend Maggie or the 18 years when everyone else was attacking her and it. Please consider the real world.

[Graham D'Amiral]

You can go on fighting the battles of 20 years ago if you want, but I rather think what happens in the next 20 is the more pressing concern.

[Neal Caine]

Wolfs? Pigmy?

Nice to see that the tory-ruined education system has done us proud.

Lady Thatcher's legacy will always raise an good debate. But I can't help thinking comments like:

"Who is this dickhead.
I don't recall the same level of spite when it comes to some dogmatic socialist tax and spend scumbag who is so honoured.
This prat typifies the small minded, class hatred of the entrenched lefties, and yet another reason to ensure that NuLab go bankrupt and never darken our political shores again with their venomous dislike of the democtatic process."

have no place in such a discussion. Apart from the bad grammar, it's just plain, blinkered vindictive spite that's posted from the safety of a keyboard.

Otherwise a very good natured and entertaining thread that I've enjoyed reading!