Election '74

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Frank Skinner doing a set piece with the mayor of Harrogate, who mentions Thatcher.

Skinner - "at least you knew where you were with Thatcher"

Mayor - "yes, yes you did"

Skinner - "it was being there without a paddle that I struggled with"

Immediate cut back to Dimbleby.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Budgen has been beaten in Wolverhampton SW, and well beaten. Enoch Powell's old seat. Mixed feelings here, it's like reading back the texts from the early days of a relationship that looked like it was going to be the one, but you know ended badly.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Blair has had his constituency declaration and made what was basically his victory speech. Even in the context of a projected c. 200 majority it's a bit showy.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

David Mellor loses. Had forgotten how many crank candidates there were.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Got through another four hours of '97 over the course of the day. The highlight, which I had forgotten was coming, was a declaration from the local authority where I worked at the time. It became quite famous for the performance of the returning officer who, it is fair to say, was taking no shit. This stance came as no surprise to anyone who knew him. I didn't know him at the time, but would deal with him occasionally later in my time there. He wasn't just doing it for the cameras, he could be just as cutting in the work place.

[Snake Plissken]

How long is this stuff likely to be available on i-player? I'd love to watch it (esp 1964) but nowhere near enough time right now.

I recommend Get_iplayer - https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer - for downloading iPlayer content (if you are UK based).

[tee rex]

I watched the 1966 one on YouTube a few weeks back.

Apart from the politics (Exeter, Labour gain!) it is a fascinating picture of a point in time where there's a mixture of very old school deference and a bit of that modern stroppiness coming in. The declarations are anything from stilted Alf Ramsey to early football hooligans.

[kokamoa]

Got through another four hours of '97 over the course of the day. The highlight, which I had forgotten was coming, was a declaration from the local authority where I worked at the time. It became quite famous for the performance of the returning officer who, it is fair to say, was taking no shit. This stance came as no surprise to anyone who knew him. I didn't know him at the time, but would deal with him occasionally later in my time there. He wasn't just doing it for the cameras, he could be just as cutting in the work place.

Is that the rather uptight Scottish bloke who took an age to get through the results because he kept admonishing the crowd for their reactions before he’d read the candidate numbers and so kept going back to the start each time?

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Is that the rather uptight Scottish bloke who took an age to get through the results because he kept admonishing the crowd for their reactions before he’d read the candidate numbers and so kept going back to the start each time?

Indeed it was. He announced two counts and I can't remember if they were both televised live, but he did similar on each.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Just started watching 1964. Just a few minutes in, reports from constituencies racing to declare first. David Dimbleby does the piece from Exeter and signs off. Back in studio, anchor Richard Dimbleby replies “thank you, son”. Well why not I suppose, but wow that felt strange.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Back in '97, and slowing getting through the second part, which covers the changing of power. James Callaghan is in the studio, looking incredibly spritely and sounding very good, for a then 85 year old. Callaghan always seemed like an old man, even when you see pictures of him in his 40s (in fact he's just pointed out with envy that he was 64 when he became PM compared to Blair's youthful age, whatever that was). Richard Attenborough is also in, giving it first name terms all over - "as Neil just said in response to James, what Tony needs to do is - and in fact I was saying this to Tony last week -....."

[kokamoa]

Back in '97, and slowing getting through the second part, which covers the changing of power. James Callaghan is in the studio, looking incredibly spritely and sounding very good, for a then 85 year old. Callaghan always seemed like an old man, even when you see pictures of him in his 40s (in fact he's just pointed out with envy that he was 64 when he became PM compared to Blair's youthful age, whatever that was). Richard Attenborough is also in, giving it first name terms all over - "as Neil just said in response to James, what Tony needs to do is - and in fact I was saying this to Tony last week -....."

That was a good fortnight for Dickie. I have a memory of him turning up ad a guest, a few weeks later on Cup Final Grandstand wearing a Chelsea rosette on the day that they beat Middlesbrough to win their first major trophy in 25+ years

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

BBC have kept going and showed 1970 today (probably would have been shown anyway as it is the 50th anniversary this week). I've got it on as backdrop and from what I've seen so far the coverage is a mess - mixture of b&w and colour, clunky direction, and poor condition of the tapes. The whole thing is going to be a downer of course, but I'll persevere.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

George Brown defeated at Belper. David Butler is sporting at least three different hairstyles.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Having another dip into 1970. Vox pops at Oxford University including a very young Gyles Brandreth - already enough of a public figure to warrant a naming caption (Wiki research reveals he was President of the Oxford Union at the time). Meanwhile Dingle Foot goes down by 13 votes in Ipswich.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Parliament showed the October 74 election yesterday, and it's on iplayer now.

Alistair Burnett is in the chair. Esther Rantzen is reporting live from Guildford. Sue Lawley is introduced as a "welcome addition to our team" , and explains how the results will be getting onto the screen. Bill Miller is the Scottish host and is possibly the hairiest man of the decade. He died earlier this year.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I'd just started high school in 1974. The headmaster was absent though as he was standing for Labour in the election and off campaigning.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

The old stagers are on early on this one - a cigarette-smoking Lord Boothby (74) and Manny Shinwell (90) make an appearance together. They died within a short time of each other, nearly twelve years later, when Shinwell was nearly 102. Shinwell was married three times, most recently at the age of 88, while Boothby had many wives, only two of which were his own.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Ted Short holds Newcastle Central for Labour. At the time he was Leader of the House of Commons, and Deputy Leader of the party. In the previous Wilson government his legislation outlawed the pirate radio stations. 19 years after this election, he had the dubious honour of shaking my hand and giving me my degree certificate onstage at City Hall in Newcastle. He was another long-lifer, but his wicket fell one short (pardon the pun) of his ton.