Helen McElhone
Encyclopedia
Helen Margaret McElhone is a Scottish
politician. She worked together with her husband, Frank McElhone
, during his time as a Member of Parliament
(MP) representing Glasgow from 1969. After his sudden death, McElhone was elected as his successor; but within a year her Glasgow Queen's Park
constituency was abolished in boundary changes and she lost out to a neighbouring MP in the selection for a new seat. She continued her political activity after leaving Parliament.
in November 1958, and they had two sons and two daughters together. Both of their sons were involved in the band Altered Images
, with Gerard McElhone being the band's manager and Johnny McElhone
playing in the band on bass guitar. She "took an active interest" in the greengrocer's business run by her husband on Thistle Street in Gorbals
for eight years. When he was elected to Parliament to represent Glasgow Gorbals
in a 1969 by-election
, she took over running the shop. She became a member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
.
During Frank McElhone's time in Parliament, Helen McElhone was an active worker within his Constituency Labour Party
and was regarded by some as the driving force behind her husband's career. She took constituency surgeries on his behalf when he was attending Parliament, and also sat in on committees in Westminster
.
workers; his death meant a by-election must be held. His wife was not initially considered a likely candidate, but local party colleagues were said to have persuaded her to put her name forward for the selection contest. There were rival candidates including Jimmy Wray
, who was a local councillor and had been Frank McElhone's election agent, but she picked up nominations from ward branches within the constituency, and eventually won the selection on 3 November by 29 votes to 28. The selection contest was a bitter one within the local party.
One of the main issues in the by-election
was the future of the chronically damp Hutchesontown E tower block in the constituency, although a debate called by the local residents' association drew few attendees. McElhone called for the block to be demolished and proper council houses built. McElhone told a public meeting that electing her would not give the constituency "an MP aiming for the top of the political tree", but instead a "Glasgow housewife determined to look out for her own folk". She was personally friendly with her Scottish National Party
rival Peter Mallan, but a protest was entered on her behalf when he claimed that voters were disgruntled at her selection and that she was in a "fortunate position" compared with other widows. Reporters following the by-election noted that McElhone did not seek a sympathy vote.
Although supported by Tony Benn
, for whom her husband had worked as his Parliamentary Private Secretary
, McElhone disclaimed the label of 'Bennite'. She supported separate Roman Catholic schools, and opposed abortion
while supporting nationalisation and unilateral nuclear disarmament
.
project by Sir Basil Spence
, for which he had won awards but which were uninhabitable due to damp. At Prime Minister's Questions
on 17 February 1983, she accused Margaret Thatcher
of misleading women with a confidence trick
, and called for a June general election.
constituency. McElhone was determined to fight her corner, against Robert McTaggart
(sitting MP for the old Glasgow Central constituency) and Jimmy Wray who insisted on his right to stand in the selection contest despite Labour Party rules rendering him ineligible. Wray was eventually ruled out, and McTaggart was regarded as the favourite as he benefited from the votes of Wray's supporters. McTaggart won, and McElhone did not stand at the 1983 general election
.
Regional Council in Bellahouston
-Mosspark
division in a by-election in March 1985, and won with a majority of 1,632. She became vice-chairman of the Finance Committee in 1987, criticising the Government for reducing the rate support grant paid to councils.
As a Regional councillor in 1989, McElhone pressed for the development of a sports and community centre on waste ground opposite Ibrox Stadium
, persuading the council, Rangers F.C.
and the Scottish Development Agency
to provide funding. She was mentioned as a possible Labour candidate for the Glasgow Central
seat after the death of Robert McTaggart
in March 1989, but decided not to run.
McElhone was one of five 'experienced members' named by the Scottish Labour Party
to sit on a panel vetting applications to be Labour candidates at the 1999 Scottish Parliament
elections. Members of the panel had to be people who were not interested in themselves standing. She joined an 'action group' campaigning for the Dixon Community, a voluntary group helping the elderly lead independent lives, which was facing closure because of the costs of repairing its headquarters building. She was also a member of an independent panel appointed by the House of Commons in 2000 to decide on an application by Railtrack
to raise the roof of Edinburgh Waverley railway station
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
politician. She worked together with 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...
, during his time as a 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) representing Glasgow from 1969. After his sudden death, McElhone was elected as his successor; but within a year her 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...
constituency was abolished in boundary changes and she lost out to a neighbouring MP in the selection for a new seat. She continued her political activity after leaving Parliament.
Married life
McElhone was born Helen Margaret Brown in Glasgow, daughter of John Brown. She married Frank McElhoneFrank 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...
in November 1958, and they had two sons and two daughters together. Both of their sons were involved in the band Altered Images
Altered Images
Altered Images were an early 1980s Scottish New Wave / post-punk band. Led by lead singer Clare Grogan, the band branched into mainstream pop music, and had a string of chart hits between 1981 and 1983.-Early career:...
, with Gerard McElhone being the band's manager and Johnny McElhone
Johnny McElhone
John Francis "Johnny" McElhone is a Scottish guitarist and songwriter.Unusually, he has played with three, otherwise unconnected rock bands, who have all enjoyed a Top 20 presence in the UK Singles Chart. Indeed, two of those groups have repeated that feat in the UK Albums Chart...
playing in the band on bass guitar. She "took an active interest" in the greengrocer's business run by her husband on Thistle Street in Gorbals
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...
for eight years. When he was elected to Parliament to represent 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:...
in a 1969 by-election
Glasgow Gorbals by-election, 1969
The Glasgow Gorbals by-election, 1969 was a parliamentary by-election held on 30 October 1969 for the British House of Commons constituency of Glasgow Gorbals in the Gorbals, Glasgow...
, she took over running the shop. She became a member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Consisting of over 405,000 members, USDAW is the UK's fourth largest and fastest growing trade union. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade...
.
During Frank McElhone's time in Parliament, Helen McElhone was an active worker within his Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
and was regarded by some as the driving force behind her husband's career. She took constituency surgeries on his behalf when he was attending Parliament, and also sat in on committees in Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
.
By-election candidate
Frank McElhone died in Glasgow on 22 September 1982, while participating in a 'Day of Action' march and demonstration in support of National Health ServiceNHS Scotland
NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
workers; his death meant a by-election must be held. His wife was not initially considered a likely candidate, but local party colleagues were said to have persuaded her to put her name forward for the selection contest. There were rival candidates including Jimmy Wray
Jimmy Wray
Jimmy Wray is a Scottish politician of Irish descent and former member of Parliament for Glasgow Baillieston.A former boxer, Wray was elected as a councillor to the then Glasgow Town Council in 1964 for Kelvinside, and moved over to the larger Strathclyde Regional Council in 1975 for Gorbals.Wray...
, who was a local councillor and had been Frank McElhone's election agent, but she picked up nominations from ward branches within the constituency, and eventually won the selection on 3 November by 29 votes to 28. The selection contest was a bitter one within the local party.
One of the main issues in the by-election
Glasgow Queen's Park by-election, 1982
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.- Previous MP :...
was the future of the chronically damp Hutchesontown E tower block in the constituency, although a debate called by the local residents' association drew few attendees. McElhone called for the block to be demolished and proper council houses built. McElhone told a public meeting that electing her would not give the constituency "an MP aiming for the top of the political tree", but instead a "Glasgow housewife determined to look out for her own folk". She was personally friendly with her 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....
rival Peter Mallan, but a protest was entered on her behalf when he claimed that voters were disgruntled at her selection and that she was in a "fortunate position" compared with other widows. Reporters following the by-election noted that McElhone did not seek a sympathy vote.
Although supported by Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, for whom her husband had worked as his Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
, McElhone disclaimed the label of 'Bennite'. She supported separate Roman Catholic schools, and opposed abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
while supporting nationalisation and unilateral nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
.
Parliamentary career
On 2 December 1982 Queen's Park voters went to the polls; McElhone was elected with a majority of 5,694 votes over the Scottish National Party. She said that her victory was inevitably tinged with sadness, but was a triumphant night for the Labour Party. She made her maiden speech on 17 January 1983, in a debate on housing in Scotland, noting that her husband had chosen the same subject for his maiden speech. She criticised the past housing schemes in her constituency including the Hutchesontown CHutchesontown C
Hutchesontown C was the name given to a so-called Comprehensive Development Area of an area of Hutchesontown, a district in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Its centrepiece were two 20-storey slab blocks at 16-32 Queen Elizabeth Square, designed by Sir Basil Spence and containing 400 homes...
project by Sir Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
, for which he had won awards but which were uninhabitable due to damp. At Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime minister's questions is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom that takes place every Wednesday during which the prime minister spends half an hour answering questions from members of parliament...
on 17 February 1983, she accused Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
of misleading women with a confidence trick
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
, and called for a June general election.
Boundary changes
Before McElhone was selected, it was known that boundary changes, due to take place at the following general election, would abolish the separate Glasgow Queen's Park constituency and merge the majority of it with parts of five others in the new Glasgow CentralGlasgow 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. McElhone was determined to fight her corner, against Robert McTaggart
Robert McTaggart
Robert McTaggart, known as Bob McTaggart was a Scottish shipbuilder and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central, representing the Labour Party. McTaggart was on the left of his party, and took up issues of unemployment and poor housing which affected his constituency...
(sitting MP for the old Glasgow Central constituency) and Jimmy Wray who insisted on his right to stand in the selection contest despite Labour Party rules rendering him ineligible. Wray was eventually ruled out, and McTaggart was regarded as the favourite as he benefited from the votes of Wray's supporters. McTaggart won, and McElhone did not stand at 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...
.
Subsequent career
After her brief term in Parliament, McElhone fought for election to StrathclydeStrathclyde
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 Council in Bellahouston
Bellahouston
Bellahouston is a district in the southwest of the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is bordered by Ibrox, Dumbreck and Pollokshields.-History:...
-Mosspark
Mosspark
Mosspark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde, in the south-west of the city.-History:Mosspark and the lands of East and Mid-Henderston were incorporated into Glasgow in 1909...
division in a by-election in March 1985, and won with a majority of 1,632. She became vice-chairman of the Finance Committee in 1987, criticising the Government for reducing the rate support grant paid to councils.
As a Regional councillor in 1989, McElhone pressed for the development of a sports and community centre on waste ground opposite Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, persuading the council, Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and the Scottish Development Agency
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise is a sponsored non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which encourages economic development, enterprise, innovation and investment in business...
to provide funding. She was mentioned as a possible Labour candidate for the Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central by-election, 1989
The Glasgow Central by-election, in the Glasgow Central constituency, Scotland, was held on 15 June 1989. It was caused by the death of the sitting Member of Parliament for the constituency, Robert McTaggart....
seat after the death of Robert McTaggart
Robert McTaggart
Robert McTaggart, known as Bob McTaggart was a Scottish shipbuilder and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central, representing the Labour Party. McTaggart was on the left of his party, and took up issues of unemployment and poor housing which affected his constituency...
in March 1989, but decided not to run.
McElhone was one of five 'experienced members' named by the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
to sit on a panel vetting applications to be Labour candidates at 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. Members of the panel had to be people who were not interested in themselves standing. She joined an 'action group' campaigning for the Dixon Community, a voluntary group helping the elderly lead independent lives, which was facing closure because of the costs of repairing its headquarters building. She was also a member of an independent panel appointed by the House of Commons in 2000 to decide on an application by Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
to raise the roof of Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
.
External links
- ITN news report on the Queen's Park by-election, featuring Helen McElhone's victory speech