Dennis Skinner
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Dennis Skinner (born February 11, 1932) is a British politician, and Labour member of Parliament for Bolsover since 1970.
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Career Overview
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, and is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group (faction) of Labour MPs.
Parliamentarian
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 NUM. 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.
Skinner has been a particularly assiduous member of the House of Commons. He refuses to be paired (with an opposition MP) for divisions (voting on motions) and is almost invariariably present in the chamber when it is sitting. He gained his sobriquet 'the Beast of Bolsover' for falling foul of many of the, in his view archaic and contemptible, procedures of parliament.
Political Views
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 its class as strongly as the Conservatives fight for theirs. 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 20 January 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.[1] (http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm198889/cmhansrd/1989-01-20/Debate-1.html) He explains 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. Skinner has often made sarcastic comments upon the arrival of Black Rod (the Serjeant-at-Arms equivalent for 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.
Quotes
"Tell the House of Lords to go to hell."
- - Dennis Skinner during the September 15th fox hunting debate in the House of Commons. [2] (http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/cm040915/debtext/40915-06.htm#40915-06_spnew15)
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Dennis Skinner MP (http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-4801,00.html)
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Dennis Skinner MP (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/dennis_skinner/bolsover)
- The Public Whip - Dennis Skinner MP (http://publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Dennis_Skinner&mpc=Bolsover)