Dennis Skinner
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Dennis Edward Skinner (born February 11, 1932, Clay Cross, Derbyshire) is a British politician, and Labour Member of Parliament for Bolsover since 1970.
He was chairman of the Labour Party between 1988 and 1989, and has stood on the National Executive Committee in most years since 1978. He identifies with the left of his party, is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, and was once described by The Economist as a "hard-left oddball".
Political views
Skinner's politics have been influenced by his background. The Bolsover area was formerly dominated by coal mining, and Skinner began his working life as a miner. Later, he became leader of the Derbyshire area of the National Union of Mineworkers. He often tells the (possibly apocryphal) anecdote of turning up for work at his colliery after he had been elected as an MP, refusing to see this as his new occupation.Avowedly, he is one of the few members whose politics remain strongly "class" based. During the years when Margaret Thatcher was British Prime Minister he persistently argued that the Labour Party should fight for the working-class as strongly as he thought the Conservatives were fighting for the middle-class. He was a strong supporter of the NUM and its then leader, Arthur Scargill, in the year long miners strike of 1984-85. Later, he broke with Scargill when the Socialist Labour Party was formed.
He takes a pro-choice stance on abortion. On several occasions he has enabled the defeat of moves to reduce the number of weeks the operation can be legally performed in Britain, by talking out the measure (when the Conservatives enjoyed a parliamentary majority) and other tactics. One such example was on January 20, 1989, when he held up proceedings by trying to move a writ for a by-election in the Richmond (North Yorkshire) constituency, which was incidentally won by later Conservative leader William Hague.[link] He has explained his views by noting that his mother was often pregnant; Skinner has many siblings.
He is known for his republican (i.e., anti-monarchist) sentiments, although unlike other Labour left-wingers such as Tony Benn, Kevin McNamara, Ken Livingstone and Clare Short, he has never been publicly expressed support for Irish republicanism. Skinner has often made sarcastic comments upon the arrival of Black Rod (the equivalent of the Serjeant-at-Arms in the House of Lords and symbol of Royal authority) in the Chamber of the House of Commons. (He advocates outright abolition of the House of Lords.) Black Rod comes each year into the Commons chamber to summon the House to hear the Queen's speech in the House of Lords. In 2000, he shouted out "Tell her to read the Guardian!" - the Guardian newspaper running a series at the time trying to get support for repealing various laws relating to the monarchy. In 2003, he suggested that the Speaker "bar the doors" after Black Rod had arrived, a practice that is normally used to block late-arriving MPs from casting their votes after the division bells have been sounded. The tongue-in-cheek suggestion by Skinner was scoffed off by the generally good-humoured Speaker, Michael Martin. In the 2005 State Opening of Parliament, the MP shouted out, after Black Rod asked the Commons to be at the Lords to hear the Queen, "has she brought Camilla with her?" to much laughter from many in the House.
Parliamentarian
Usually sitting on the first seat of the front bench below the gangway in the Commons in a distinctive sports jacket (whilst most other MPs wear suits), Skinner is one of the best known MPs, and has been a particularly assiduous member of the House of Commons. He refuses to be paired for divisions and is almost invariably present in the chamber when it is sitting. He gained his sobriquet "the Beast of Bolsover" for falling foul of the procedures of Parliament, many of which are in his view archaic and contemptible.Skinner has been suspended from Parliament on at least ten occasions, usually for unparliamentary language when attacking opponents. Infractions have included:
- In 1992, referring to the Minister of Agriculture John Gummer as "slimy" and a "wart".
- In 1995, accusing the government of a "crooked deal" to sell off Britain's coal mines.
- On December 8 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 published in the News of the World of cocaine use by the Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne. [link]
- On April 20 2006, accusing Deputy Speaker Sir Alan Haselhurst of leniency towards remarks made by opposition frontbencher Theresa May "because she's a Tory". [link] [link]
Quotes
"Tell the House of Lords to go to hell."- - Dennis Skinner during the September 15th fox hunting debate in the House of Commons. [link]
- - Heckling Roy Jenkins in 1976 when, during his farewell speech to the Parliamentary Labour Party before leaving to become President of the European Commission, he said: "I leave this party without rancour." David Marquand was then the MP for Ashfield and a close ally of Jenkins, who famously pronounced his Rs like Ws.
External links
- [Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Dennis Skinner MP]
- [TheyWorkForYou.com - Dennis Skinner MP]
- [The Public Whip - Dennis Skinner MP] voting record
- [BBC News - Dennis Skinner] BBC profile
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