Terry Fields
Encyclopedia
Terence Fields was a British trades unionist and Labour Member of Parliament for Liverpool Broadgreen
. He was a supporter of the Militant tendency
.
, a working class town north of Liverpool
, the son of a dock worker. Following a period of National Service
which he claimed radicalised him, and despite eye problems (which were to lead him to wear his characteristic dark glasses) he became a fireman and later a Fire Brigades Union
activist and executive member.
. He was later selected as the Labour Party candidate for Liverpool Broadgreen
for the 1983 General Election. A notable feature of his campaign was his promise that, should he win, he would be "a worker's MP on a worker's wage", a promise he kept, drawing only the equivalent of a fireman's wages and donating the balance of his MP's salary to trades union and political causes. He made his maiden speech on June 24th, 1983. His interventions in Parliament focused on issues unique to Liverpool as well as issues of Central America
, unemployment and the coal mining and maritime transportation industries.
On 11 July 1991, Fields was jailed for refusing to pay his £373 poll tax
bill. His court
sentence
lasted 60 days, meaning Fields retained his seat in the House of Commons
, as MPs automatically lose their seat if they are imprisoned for over a year. Fields was criticised by members of the Labour Party, for his militant approach toward the poll tax, and his alleged lack of support for other Labour candidates, notably for Peter Kilfoyle
in a by-election
for the neighbouring constituency of Liverpool Walton.
He was expelled from the Labour Party in December 1991 along with other members of the Militant tendency, with the leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock
stating: "Law makers must not be law breakers. I have always made that clear".
In the 1992 general election
, he stood as an independent against the official Labour candidate, Jane Kennedy
, but lost his seat, winning 14% of the vote.
In 2002, at the age of 65, he returned briefly to the limelight – for entering a burning house to rescue a woman trapped inside. "I suppose the old instincts just took over," he said.
Fields died at his family home in Netherton on Saturday June 28, 2008 of lung cancer
. A memorial meeting for Fields, held shortly after his death, attracted 200 people.
Liverpool Broadgreen (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Broadgreen was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Broadgreen suburb of Liverpool. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. He was a supporter of the Militant tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
.
Early life
Fields was born in BootleBootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, a working class town north of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the son of a dock worker. Following a period of National Service
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
which he claimed radicalised him, and despite eye problems (which were to lead him to wear his characteristic dark glasses) he became a fireman and later a Fire Brigades Union
Fire Brigades Union
The Fire Brigades Union is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime Firefighters , Retained Duty System and Emergency Control Room staff...
activist and executive member.
Political career
Fields was active in the 1977-8 Fire Brigades Union national strike and shortly afterwards joined the Militant tendencyMilitant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
. He was later selected as the Labour Party candidate for Liverpool Broadgreen
Liverpool Broadgreen (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Broadgreen was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Broadgreen suburb of Liverpool. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
for the 1983 General Election. A notable feature of his campaign was his promise that, should he win, he would be "a worker's MP on a worker's wage", a promise he kept, drawing only the equivalent of a fireman's wages and donating the balance of his MP's salary to trades union and political causes. He made his maiden speech on June 24th, 1983. His interventions in Parliament focused on issues unique to Liverpool as well as issues of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, unemployment and the coal mining and maritime transportation industries.
On 11 July 1991, Fields was jailed for refusing to pay his £373 poll tax
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
bill. His court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
sentence
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
lasted 60 days, meaning Fields retained his seat in the 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...
, as MPs automatically lose their seat if they are imprisoned for over a year. Fields was criticised by members of the Labour Party, for his militant approach toward the poll tax, and his alleged lack of support for other Labour candidates, notably for Peter Kilfoyle
Peter Kilfoyle
Peter Kilfoyle is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton from 1991 to 2010.-Early life:...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the neighbouring constituency of Liverpool Walton.
He was expelled from the Labour Party in December 1991 along with other members of the Militant tendency, with the leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
stating: "Law makers must not be law breakers. I have always made that clear".
In the 1992 general 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...
, he stood as an independent against the official Labour candidate, Jane Kennedy
Jane Kennedy (politician)
Jane Elizabeth Kennedy is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree from 1992 until she stood down in 2010...
, but lost his seat, winning 14% of the vote.
Later life
Upon losing his seat, Fields ran the Mayflower Pub on Fazakerley Street in Liverpool for a time.In 2002, at the age of 65, he returned briefly to the limelight – for entering a burning house to rescue a woman trapped inside. "I suppose the old instincts just took over," he said.
Fields died at his family home in Netherton on Saturday June 28, 2008 of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. A memorial meeting for Fields, held shortly after his death, attracted 200 people.
External links
- Terry Fields' Maiden Speech in Parliament, Socialist Party of England and Wales (retrieved 25 June 2010)
- Anti-poll tax MP jailed, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
(retrieved July 1, 2005). - Ex-MP Terry Fields dies aged 71, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
(retrieved June 29, 2008). - Terry Fields, Militant MP dies – the workers' MP on a workers’ wage, International Marxist TendencyInternational Marxist TendencyThe International Marxist Tendency is an international socialist organisation based on the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky. The late Ted Grant was its chief theoretician and the person who built the organisation since its beginning. Currently, Alan Woods and Lal Khan are its best known...
(retrieved June 30, 2008). - Terry Fields Labour MP, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
( retrieved July 3, 2008).