The first Thursday in May is always, by tradition, one that sees elections take place in the UK. This year, it is mostly for local councils but also for the Mayor of London.
Exactly 33 years ago to the day, on Thursday 3 May 1979, the country went to the polls. And with a 5.2% swing, the largest ever seen since 1945, threw out the Labour government led by Jim Callaghan and voted in our first and to date only female prime minister. Margaret Thatcher would be in 10 Downing Street for the next eleven and a half years.....and I resented every single day she occupied that address.
Today, for the first time since 1979 I won't be involved in some shape or form in a May election either as a campaigner or administrator. They've been a big part of my life since I was a teenager and indeed it was the May 2007 Scottish elections that led me to spend time working in Canada later that summer not long after I started up TVV.
It somehow seems apt that the first time I'm not involved in any formal way with the elections that I'm instead hosting a return visit by my Canadian colleagues and friends as they come over to Scotland for just over a week of golf and visits to distilleries. They touched down yesterday and today will mark their first full day in Scotland. We're off to try and tame Carnoustie, one of the toughest and most challenging golf courses in the world. At least it will stop me being angry all these years later about Thatcher.
Here's a single from that time:-
mp3 : Simple Minds - Life In A Day
mp3 : Simple Minds - Special View
Oh dontcha think the live version not just sound like Magazine???
1 comment:
you could do a series of anti thatcher songs...
stand down margaret - the beat
margaret on the guillotine - morrissey
tramp the dirt down - elvis costello
the day that thatcher dies - hefner
maggie you c**t - the exploited
thatcher fucked the kids - frank turner
etc
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