Dennis Skinner, Labour Party Member of Parliament, has represented Bolsover since 1970 is 87 years old and has been for those 42 years a living example of what British democracy is all about. He has always been a 'back bencher', has never held a government post and never been frightened to ask pose any question to anyone on the Government front benches and this has included ten Prime Ministers, some in his party, as well as the Conservative Party. Dennis spoke his truth to power which was :
Ted Heath (Conservative) between 1970 and 74 when Dennis was in his late thirties and early forties.Harold Wilson (Labour) between 1974 and 76 when he was 42, 43. 44.
Jim Callaghan (Labour) between 1976 and 79 when he was in his middle to late forties.Margaret Thathcher (Conservative) between 1979 and 1990 when he was in his late forties to late fifties.
John Major (Conservative) between 1990 and 1997 in his late fifties to mid sixties.
Tony Blair (Labour) between 1997 and 2007 when he was between 65 and 75.
David Cameron (Conservative) between 2010 and 2016 when he was in his late seventies and early eighties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ER3R0Jg4do&=&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNjO58-ZG28&=&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=org__iDiPrY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWgs3GKIo4w
Theresa May (Conservative) between 2016 and 2019 when he was between eighty-four and eighty-six.Boris Johnson (Conservative) this year at the age of eighty-six
What many people don't know about Dennis, that he :
* was born in Derbyshire, the third of nine children, his father was a coalminer and he himself worked for over 20 years as a miner, trade union leader and local Labour Party councillor before studying at Ruskin College Oxford.
* was elected MP for the Labour 'safe-seat' of Bolsover in 1970 and started with the defining belief that power and acquiring it, corrupts and is acknowledged, even by his worst enemies to be absolutely incorruptible with no compromises, no bribes, no favours.
* has taken a liberal stance on social issues : voted in favour of equalisation of the age of consent, civil partnerships, adoption rights for same-sex couples and outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
* in 2003, voted against the Iraq War and voted against Government policy to allow terror suspects to be detained without trial for 90 days and in 2007, voted against his own Government policy to renew the Trident Nuclear Missile System.
* has been suspended from Parliament on at least ten occasions, usually for "unparliamentary language" when attacking opponents :
Twice in 1984, once for calling David Owen a "pompous sod" and only agreeing to withdraw "pompous." and the second time for stating Margaret Thatcher would "bribe judges."
In 1992, referring to the Minister of Agriculture John Gummer as "a little squirt of a Minister" and "a slimy wart on Margaret Thatcher's nose".
In 1995, accusing the Major government of a "crooked deal" to sell off Britain's coal mines.
In 2005, when referring to the economic record of the Conservatives in the 1980s, making the remark, "The only thing that was growing then were the lines of coke in front of Boy George and the rest of the Tories", a reference to allegations originally published in the Sunday Mirror of cocaine use by the Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne though, in the Commons, Dennis referred to the News of the World newspaper.
In 2016, for referring to Prime Minister David Cameron as "Dodgy Dave" in relation to Cameron's tax affairs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvIUa47x_Oc
* refuses to miss any sitting in the House of Commons, saying that "if you missed a shift at the pit, you would get the sack".
* refuses to adopt the 'pairing system' in which he can agree a mutual abstention with a Conservative MP, saying he won't cover for them whilst they "go swanning off to Ascot or to their boardrooms".
* in the 2004–2005 sitting of the House, claimed the least expenses for an MP who served the full year.
* does not : eat alongside parliamentary colleagues in the Commons dining room, take trips or holidays 'paid for' by others, drink in the Commons Bar.
* does sit on the first seat of the front bench below the gangway in the Commons, known as the 'Awkward Squad Bench' because it is where rebel Labour Party MPs have traditionally sat.
* wears in a distinctive tweed jacket and red tie whilst most other MPs wear suits.
* gained the sobriquet 'the Beast of Bolsover' for falling foul of the procedures of Parliament, many of which are in his view archaic and contemptible.
To David Cameron's front bench :
"Half the Tory members opposite are crooks."
and when he was then told to withdraw the remark.
"OK, half the Tory members aren’t crooks."
Every year at the state opening of Parliament Black Rod is sent on behalf of the Queen to request that MPs come through to the House of Lords by banging on the door of the House of Commons with his black rod. Dennis' remarks to the Queen have become part of this tradition too.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMSCITZB7ws&t=1m24s
1987 “Tell her to sell up” – a reference to how the Queen could help the recession.
1988 “Hey up, Here comes Puss In Boots!”
1990 “I bet he drinks Carling Black Label.”
1992 “Tell her to pay her taxes!”
2000 “Tell her to read the Guardian!” – at the time The Guardian was running a republican campaign.
2005 “Has she brought Camilla with her?”
2006 “Have you got Helen Mirren on standby?”
2008 “Any Tory moles at the Palace?”
2009 “Royal Expenses are on the way.” – after the MPs’ expenses scandal
2013 “Royal Mail for sale. Queen’s head privatised.”
2019 "I'll not be going" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBZMoK7HjzM
And despite enduring bowel cancer, a heart bypass and a hip replacement, retirement is not on his mind and he will fight the next election in Bolsover on December 12th.
Dennis talking about his Mum : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di72nymSHYo
