UK MPs - 2015 Parliament

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Jim Dowd (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)

German-born, former whip, was involved in a weird controversy over Worcester sauce a couple of years ago.

Also cried during Hillary Benn's speech, and pushed Bob Andrew Mitchell up against the wall of the commons bar

One of my classmates' MP. She dislikes him enough that she usually votes Tory even though pre-Corbyn Labour was probably closer to her views.

[Phony Moderate]

Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)

Despite having only been an MP for five and a half years he has been a known name for longer than it; former Deputy General Secretary of the TGWU and the husband of Harriet Harman. Was a shadow minister too.

It seems, doesn't it, that all Birmingham MPs are either big names or 'characters'. Or both.

[Slow Learner]

Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)

Despite having only been an MP for five and a half years he has been a known name for longer than it; former Deputy General Secretary of the TGWU and the husband of Harriet Harman. Was a shadow minister too.

It seems, doesn't it, that all Birmingham MPs are either big names or 'characters'. Or both.

Wasn't he meant to be picked in Pontefract in 1997 but Blair's NuRulz caused Yvette Cooper to beat him?

[Phony Moderate]

Flick Drummond (Conservative - Portsmouth South)

Contested Southampton Itchen in 2005. This is one of quite a few seats that the Tories won entirely due to the fall in the Lib Dem vote; she would have won pretty easily had she matched the Tories' 1997 share here. Good ol' FPTP. But this seat did provide the universal amusement of incumbent MP Mike Hancock getting a pathetic vote (1.7%/716 votes) as an indie; there can't have been many worse showings for an incumbent MP, can there?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Flick Drummond ran into "the Sc**nthorpe conundrum" in the campaign:

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2015/01/flick-drummond/

[Phony Moderate]

James Duddridge (Conservative - Rochford and Southend East)

Former merchant banker and director of YouGov. Eurosceptic. Succeeded the veteran right-winger Teddy Taylor.

[Phony Moderate]

Michael Dugher (Labour - Barnsley East)

Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary. Worked as chief spokeman for Gordon Brown prior to entering parliament. Saw a gigantic notional drop (23.9%) in the Labour share here when first elected in 2010.

[Phony Moderate]

Alan Duncan (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)

The first openly gay Tory MP and a socially liberal Eurosceptic. Has fallen off the radar somewhat but he was a long time frontbencher under several leaders and briefly contested the leadership himself in 2005.

[MaxQue]

I'm shocked there is gay people in Rutland. It seems stuck decades ago.

[Phony Moderate]

Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)

A rare example of a British politician commonly known by his initials. Former leader who, like William Hague, spent a quite few years on the backbenchers following his failed leadership before making a comeback. Current Work and Pensions Secretary and perhaps the most controversial one in some time. His predecessor, in the preceding seat that was simply 'Chingford', was the equally charming Norman Tebbit. Does that make this seat the anti-Blaenau Gwent?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Remember when Duncan was going to be the next big thing? He tried going for the HIGNFY lovable rouge method, but it backfired hilariously when he went on during the expenses scandal:

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[Slow Learner]

Remember when Duncan was going to be the next big thing? He tried going for the HIGNFY lovable rouge method, but it backfired hilariously when he went on during the expenses scandal:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Was that the one where he did the Tony Blair impression?

[Phony Moderate]

There are number of parallels between Duncan and Michael Portillo; both Eurosceptic, both socially liberal, both fairly telegenic, both like to appear on the telly a lot, both were hyped as possible leaders who would make their party electable and both have slept with men.

[Phony Moderate]

Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)

Holds a ministerial position at the defence department. Like Jacob Rees-Mogg he very vaguely resembles Peter Mandelson. This seat was one of a few that took issue with the Lib Dems' leftward lurch during the 2001 parliament and voted them out in 2005.

[Phony Moderate]

Mark Durkan (SDLP - Foyle)

Led the SDLP from 2001 until 2010. Represented the Foyle Assembly constituency from 1998 until 2010 and had a brief stint as Deputy FM (2001-2002).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)

Holds a ministerial position at the defence department. Like Jacob Rees-Mogg he very vaguely resembles Peter Mandelson.

My sh!t MP. One of the richest members of the Commons and one of the dullest: he's such an obscure non-entity that he's almost famous for being one. He's the scion of a local squirearchal dynasty (father was Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire, grandfather and greatgrandfather were both briefly MPs, though not for seats anywhere near where they actually lived) and was a businessman before entering politics (he owned the Ottaker's bookshop chain - and made a packet from selling it off - and was also a stockbroker. He continues to have extensive business interests) and I'm sure you'll all be shocked to learn that he went to Eton and then Oxford (where, equally shockingly, he studied PPE).

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Not really what happened. The seat was Tory from 1886 until 2001 and was only lost (and narrowly) then because the Tories picked a sh!t (and non local) candidate who a) ran a lazy campaign and b) alienated a surprising number of traditional Tories (not because of his views, they were ultra-Right and that's not an issue for Shropshire Tories, but because of his manners dear boy). The LibDem candidate was from a traditional Tory family and a lot of that sort voted for him, because they knew him and thought him to be a solid fellow, etc.* As soon as it became clear that there was a race on, Labour supporters found it very easy to lend their votes. The latter was still the case in 2005, but Dunne was a much stronger candidate (as, indeed, would have been a sufficiently local lamp-post) and that was that.

_{*Since his defeat he has spent most of his time eating and is, I gather, an even solider fellow now.}

[ObserverIE]

Mark Durkan (SDLP - Foyle)

Led the SDLP from 2001 until 2010. Represented the Foyle Assembly constituency from 1998 until 2010 and had a brief stint as Deputy FM (2001-2002).

Former student union leader and SDLP backroom boy who became leader of the party and MP for the party's best-organised constituency in 2001 in succession to his mentor John Hume. Lacked Hume's charisma and stood down as leader in 2009 after what appeared at the time to be a poor performance but which looks good in retrospect when compared with his two successors.

[YL]

Why are Shropshire Tories so awful?

[Phony Moderate]

Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Shadow Business Secretary and Shadow First Secretary of State. The most experienced Labour frontbencher, having served on the front bench since 1996. Twin sister is fellow MP and (for now) Shadow Defence Secretary Maria; they are the only set of twins to ever serve in the Commons together.  She is also the second openly lesbian MP ever (first being Maureen Colquhoun, Northampton North 1974-1979). Her gain of the seat in 1992 was actually quite high-profile as she defeated Tory minister Lynda Chalker; it's a seat that, along with most of Merseyside, has heavily to Labour in parliamentary elections in the past three decades. Now has a majority of 16k+/37.7% and achieved a swing (8.6%) this year that would have easily been enough for a Labour government had it been repeated nationally.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Why are Shropshire Tories so awful?

Tradition, probably.

[Phony Moderate]

Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)

Thinks that unionists loathe their country, which also means that he thinks a large chunk of his own party's voting base loathes their country.

[Phony Moderate]

Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)

On the Soft Left; a Tribune man. Voted against the Iraq War. Supported Ed Miliband, nominated Jeremy Corbyn.

[Phony Moderate]

Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)

PPS to Caroline Flint. I recall reading a YouTube comment a few years ago that she'd lose in 2015 because she's a "s**t constituency MP"...so much for that, she was re-elected by a decent swing in her favour.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Lisa Cameron (SNP - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)

In a bit of a kerfluffle, apparently she's a slumlord.

[DavidB.]

In a bit of a kerfluffle, apparently she's a slumlord.

Funny, considering her last name...