Kensington by-election, 1988
Encyclopedia
The Kensington
by-election
, in Kensington
, on 14 July 1988 was held after the death of Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) Brandon Rhys-Williams
. Normally a relatively safe Tory seat, it was narrowly won by Dudley Fishburn
, who would go on to retain the seat in 1992
.
It was the first by-election of the present term of parliament, which had begun after the general election
of June 1987, and would last until the next election
in April 1992.
Kensington (UK Parliament constituency)
Kensington is a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom in west London, comprising the northern and central parts of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around Kensington...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, on 14 July 1988 was held after the death of Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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) Brandon Rhys-Williams
Brandon Rhys-Williams
Sir Brandon Meredith Rhys-Williams, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative politician.Rhys-Williams was elected a Member of Parliament in the Kensington South by-election, 1968, representing that seat until 1974, then for Kensington from 1974 until his death in 1988 aged 60...
. Normally a relatively safe Tory seat, it was narrowly won by Dudley Fishburn
Dudley Fishburn
John Dudley Fishburn, known as Dudley, was born in New York on June 8, 1946. He has a career as a business man with strong links to the not-for-profit world, particularly universities on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a journalist and Conservative politician, having been Executive Editor of The...
, who would go on to retain the seat in 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
.
It was the first by-election of the present term of parliament, which had begun after the general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
of June 1987, and would last until the next election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
in April 1992.
Candidates
- John Connell was a peace advocate who opposed what he saw as manipulation of the news by ITN.
- John Crowley described himself as an 'Anti Yuppie Revolutionary Crowleyist, Vegetarian Visionary'.
- John Duignan was a supporter of the Class WarClass WarClass War is a UK class struggle based group and newspaper originally set up by Ian Bone and others in 1983. It subsequently mutated various forms, becoming specifically anarchist....
organisation. - Roy Edey called for equal redistribution of wealth and a policy of social housing construction.
- Dudley FishburnDudley FishburnJohn Dudley Fishburn, known as Dudley, was born in New York on June 8, 1946. He has a career as a business man with strong links to the not-for-profit world, particularly universities on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a journalist and Conservative politician, having been Executive Editor of The...
was a former editor of The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. - William Goodhart was a leading human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer who has since taken a seat in the House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. - Brian Goodier described himself as an 'Anti-Left Wing Fascist'.
- Phylip Hobson was the Green PartyGreen Party (UK)The Green Party was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. It has been succeeded by three political parties:* the Green Party of England and Wales* the Green Party in Northern Ireland* the Scottish Green Party- PEOPLE, 1973–1975 :...
candidate. - Ann Holmes was agin a candidate for this seat in the 1992 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1992The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
. - John Martin was a candidate for the dissident wing of the SDPSocial Democratic Party (UK)The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
that had rejected membership of the Social and Liberal Democrats. - Thomas McDermott was the founder of the Free Trade Liberal Party and campaigned on a platform of the UK leaving the European Community.
- Cynthia PayneCynthia PayneCynthia Payne is a retired English party hostess who made the headlines in the 1970s and 1980s when she was accused of being a madam and of running her brothel at 32 Ambleside Avenue, in Streatham, in the south-west of London, England.Payne first came to national attention in 1978 when police...
, who had been convicted of controlling a brothel, ran under the 'Rainbow Alliance Payne and Pleasure Party' banner. - William Scola represented his own 'Leveller Party'.
- Screaming Lord SutchScreaming Lord SutchDavid Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
was the leader and founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony PartyOfficial Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
. - Kailash Trivedi ran as candidate for the 'Janata Party' (Peoples Party in HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and the name of a former governing partyJanata PartyThe Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), his own creation.