Sunday, April 29, 2007

Does anyone still remember being up for Portillo ?

Michael Portillo was a rising star and potential leader of the Conservatives in 1997. The loss of his seat, Enfield Southgate, came to symbolise just how bad a defeat the Conservatives suffered in New Labour's landslide on May 1, 1997.




And slightly less iconic but probably more entertaining , David Mellor loosing in Putney.



Referendum Party leader, Sir James Goldsmith adds significantly to the event chanting "Out, out, out" throughout David Mellor's speech after loosing.

10 years on things look rather different. Most Labour activists wonder what all the celebration about their victory was really about. Enfield Southgate and Putney were recaptured by the Conservatives in 2005. Ironically the son of Sir James Goldsmith (the noisy heckler in the Putney clip), Zac Goldsmith, is now Conservative candidate in nearby Richmond Park.

The victor of May 1 1997, Tony Blair, apparently has only a matter of days or weeks left in office. 1997 looks like a very long time ago......

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doesn't time fly.

This all seems so recent....

Love Jimmy Goldsmith in the Mellor clip !

Luis said...

Sir JG certainly adds to the "theatre" of the occasion !