Glasgow Queen's Park by-election, 1982
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow Queen's Park by-election, 1982 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 2 December 1982 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Glasgow Queen's Park
.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Francis Patrick "Frank" McElhone
(5 April 1929 – 22 September 1982) died.
McElhone was elected Member of Parliament
for Glasgow Gorbals
at a 1969 by-election
, serving until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the February 1974 general election
.
He was then elected as MP for Glasgow Queen's Park
, and held that seat until he died in office in 1982 at the age of 53. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
from 1975 to 1979.
1. Representing the Labour Party was Helen McElhone
, born Helen Margaret Brown in 1933.
Following the death of her husband Frank McElhone
MP in 1982, Helen McElhone was elected as his successor in the resulting by-election
. However, she served for only six months as the seat was abolished by boundary changes before the 1983 general election
.
After her brief term as MP, she was a Strathclyde
Regional Councillor for a number of years until 1995 for the Scottish Labour Party
, on whose Selection Panel she served to approve candidates for the 1999 Scottish Parliament
elections.
2. The Scottish National Party
candidate was Peter Mallan, born 1934. He worked as a teacher and broadcaster. He also contested Glasgow Central
in the 1983 general election.
3. The Conservative nominee was Jackson Carlaw
.
4. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
, was Graham Watson
. He had, as an Independent Liberal candidate, stood in the Glasgow Central
constituency, in a by-election on 29 June 1980.
He subsequently became a prominent figure in the politics of the European Union.
5. John R. Kay, a draughtsman who had become the full-time Glasgow secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain
, was born in June 1926. He was the Communist nominee in the last two elections in the Glasgow Gorbals
constituency (a 1969 by-election and the 1970 general election) and all the contests in Glasgow Queen's Park (the two 1974 and the 1979 general elections, as well as the 1982 by-election).
6. John Connell was an Independent, using the ballot paper label "Peace and Socialist". He later contested the Penrith and The Border by-election, 1983
, the Chesterfield by-election, 1984
, and the Tyne Bridge by-election, 1985
.
7. A.H. Tennent represented the Scottish Republican Socialist Party
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 2 December 1982 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Glasgow Queen's Park
Glasgow Queen's Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Queen's Park was a short-lived burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 until 1983...
.
Previous MP
The seat fell vacant when the constituency's LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), Francis Patrick "Frank" McElhone
Frank McElhone
Francis Patrick "Frank" McElhone was a Scottish Labour Party politician.McElhone was elected Member of Parliament for Glasgow Gorbals at a 1969 by-election, serving until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the 1974 general election.He was then elected as MP for Glasgow Queen's...
(5 April 1929 – 22 September 1982) died.
McElhone was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Glasgow Gorbals
Glasgow Gorbals (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Gorbals was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1918 until 1974, it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post system.-Boundaries:...
at a 1969 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, serving until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
.
He was then elected as MP for Glasgow Queen's Park
Glasgow Queen's Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Queen's Park was a short-lived burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 until 1983...
, and held that seat until he died in office in 1982 at the age of 53. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland...
from 1975 to 1979.
Candidates
Seven candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.1. Representing the Labour Party was Helen McElhone
Helen McElhone
Helen Margaret McElhone is a Scottish politician. She worked together with her husband, Frank McElhone, during his time as a Member of Parliament representing Glasgow from 1969...
, born Helen Margaret Brown in 1933.
Following the death of her husband Frank McElhone
Frank McElhone
Francis Patrick "Frank" McElhone was a Scottish Labour Party politician.McElhone was elected Member of Parliament for Glasgow Gorbals at a 1969 by-election, serving until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the 1974 general election.He was then elected as MP for Glasgow Queen's...
MP in 1982, Helen McElhone was elected as his successor in the resulting by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. However, she served for only six months as the seat was abolished by boundary changes before the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
.
After her brief term as MP, she was a Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
Regional Councillor for a number of years until 1995 for the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
, on whose Selection Panel she served to approve candidates for the 1999 Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
elections.
2. The Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
candidate was Peter Mallan, born 1934. He worked as a teacher and broadcaster. He also contested Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act...
in the 1983 general election.
3. The Conservative nominee was Jackson Carlaw
Jackson Carlaw
Jackson Carlaw is a Conservative politician and a Member of the Scottish Parliament. He was defeated as a candidate for Eastwood in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 Scottish Parliament elections...
.
4. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
SDP-Liberal Alliance
The SDP–Liberal Alliance was an electoral pact formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom which was in existence from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal...
, was Graham Watson
Graham Watson
Sir Graham Robert Watson is a European politician from the United Kingdom. He has served as a Member of the European Parliament for South West England since 1994 and was leader of the liberal group in Parliament for seven years between 2002 and 2009.-Early life:Graham Watson was born in Rothesay...
. He had, as an Independent Liberal candidate, stood in the Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act...
constituency, in a by-election on 29 June 1980.
He subsequently became a prominent figure in the politics of the European Union.
5. John R. Kay, a draughtsman who had become the full-time Glasgow secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
, was born in June 1926. He was the Communist nominee in the last two elections in the Glasgow Gorbals
Glasgow Gorbals (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Gorbals was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1918 until 1974, it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post system.-Boundaries:...
constituency (a 1969 by-election and the 1970 general election) and all the contests in Glasgow Queen's Park (the two 1974 and the 1979 general elections, as well as the 1982 by-election).
6. John Connell was an Independent, using the ballot paper label "Peace and Socialist". He later contested the Penrith and The Border by-election, 1983
Penrith and The Border by-election, 1983
The Penrith and The Border by-election, 1983 was a parliamentary by-election held on 28 July 1983 for the British House of Commons constituency of Penrith and The Border in Cumbria....
, the Chesterfield by-election, 1984
Chesterfield by-election, 1984
The Chesterfield by-election, 1984 was held on 1 March 1984 for a seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom to represent Chesterfield in Derbyshire...
, and the Tyne Bridge by-election, 1985
Tyne Bridge by-election, 1985
The Tyne Bridge by-election, 1985 was a parliamentary by-election held on 5 December 1985 for the British House of Commons constituency of Tyne Bridge.- Previous MP :...
.
7. A.H. Tennent represented the Scottish Republican Socialist Party
Scottish Republican Socialist Party
The Scottish Republican Socialist Party was a political party operating in Scotland. They were formed out of the Scottish Republican Socialist Clubs, formed in 1973 to introduce socialism to the Scottish National Party and grow support for Scottish independence amongst left-wingers who supported...
.
Votes
- Death of Frank McElhone
See also
- Glasgow Queen's Park constituencyGlasgow Queen's Park (UK Parliament constituency)Glasgow Queen's Park was a short-lived burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 until 1983...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...