The Beast of Bolsover can still do it!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4509994.stm

"The only thing that was growing then was the lines of coke in front of Boy George and the rest of the Tories"

[Gabu]

Hahaha!

[opebo]

Boy George was a Tory?!

[Serenity Now]

Good ole Dennis Skinner . He really is a character... He can't be far from being father of the house now, surely? I hope he hangs on in there.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Good ole Dennis Skinner . He really is a character... He can't be far from being father of the house now, surely? I hope he hangs on in there.

Well he was first elected in 1970 so if he can stick around it won't be all that long... I can't see either Williams or Tapsell running again next election. Who's left from '66? Anyone?

[afleitch]

It was an uncalled for comment. I am used to hearing these pathetic jarbs from the Scottish Socialists at Holyrood but not from respected figures at Westminster.

[Peter]

Good ole Dennis Skinner . He really is a character... He can't be far from being father of the house now, surely? I hope he hangs on in there.

Well he was first elected in 1970 so if he can stick around it won't be all that long... I can't see either Williams or Tapsell running again next election. Who's left from '66? Anyone?

Alan Williams is the only remaining survivor from 64. There are definitely no by-election survivors from the 60s. I know that Peter Tapsell is the only Tory survivor from 66; I cannot be certain for the Labour MPs, though I think there are no others.

There are a number of 1970 MPs (with continuous service) remaining in the House: Patrick Cormack (questionable due to his recent delayed 2005 election), Kenneth Clarke, Ian Paisley (questionable due to resignation in 1985 to cause by-election), Gerald Kaufman, Michael Meacher, John Prescott, Dennis Skinner. There may be one or two more Labour MPs that I am yet to get to.

For those interested in how I know such arcane facts: Since the last general election I have been cataloguing the Parliamentary service of every sitting MP. I have completed all of the opposition MPs and am up to 'R' in the Labour MPs (hence why I am not quite sure on Labour MPs).

I have no idea how to find out in which order the 1970 MPs swore in. Anybody who knows of a way to find out, do share. I also have no idea how Parliamentary rules resolve the questions surrounding Cormack and Paisley.

[Democratic Hawk]

I wouldn't be surprised if what Skinner said about Osborne was nowt but the truth

Dave

[Platypus]

If it was true, good on him. If it was false, good on him.

[Serenity Now]

Well he was first elected in 1970 so if he can stick around it won't be all that long... I can't see either Williams or Tapsell running again next election. Who's left from '66? Anyone?

Interesting, Tapsell was the only Conservative MP to vote in favour of 90 days.

There are a number of 1970 MPs (with continuous service) remaining in the House: Patrick Cormack (questionable due to his recent delayed 2005 election), Kenneth Clarke, Ian Paisley (questionable due to resignation in 1985 to cause by-election), Gerald Kaufman, Michael Meacher, John Prescott, Dennis Skinner. There may be one or two more Labour MPs that I am yet to get to.

Clarke, Kaufman, Meacher and Skinner would all be good as "Father of the house". I'm ambivalent towards Prescott, and Ian Paisley is Ian Paisley - He shouldn't be father of anything or anyone.

[afleitch]

Ian Paisley is Ian Paisley - He shouldn't be father of anything or anyone.

Sadly he is and she's suing his Party Joking aside I agree that Ian Paisley should hold no position cermonial or otherwise (even though he technically should be Northern Ireland's assembly leader)

[Peter]

Apparently Gavin Strang also has served continuously since 1970.

Also, somewhat surprisingly, David Winnick represented Croydon South from 1966 to 1970 and then had a nine year gap before returning to Parliament in 1979 for Walsall North. He is thus one of only three men to have served in Parliament in the 60s and sit in Parliament today.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Apparently Gavin Strang also has served continuously since 1970.

Has he? I thought he came in in '74.

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I did know that; but the Croydon South of 1966 was a very different seat to the post-'74 Croydon South. Based around New Addington IIRC.

For comparision the longest (continuous) serving Canadian M.P (Bill Blaikie) was first elected in 1979.

[Platypus]

I believe the longest serving down here is actually John Howard, elected 1974.

Kim Beazley was elected in 1980, making him top 4.

[Platypus]

Coincidentally, Keating was elected in 1969.

Equal with John Howard is Alan Cadnman, also from 1974, he has basically never held any position of importance before and I've hardly ever heard of him. He's been reasonably prominent on committees, though.

[Јas]

Ireland's longest serving TD, Séamus Pattison (Lab), took office 4 October 1961.
The second longest in continuous service is leader of the opposition Enda Kenny (FG) (12 Nov 1975), and the group following him includes the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (FF) (16 June 1977).

[Peter]

Oh, and apparently Gwyneth Dunwoody was MP for Exeter from 66 to 70 before getting kicked out and then moving to Crewe where she has been MP since 1974.

Interestingly, there are a couple of people who are approaching the possibility of having the distinction of having been the Baby of the House and the Father of the House (at different times of course). Top of the pile is Stephen Dorrell who was elected in 1979 and was Baby until 1981. He presently occupies a safe Tory seat (Charnwood) in Leicestershire, so should be able to keep going until he wants to retire. Born in 1952, he could easily have another 20 years in Parliament ahead of him.

[freek]

In the Netherlands the longest serving MP is Bas van der Vlies, the leader of the fundamentalist Calvinist party, the SGP. Our own Ian Paisley, although in the Dutch parliament everyone likes him. . He is an MP since June 1981, and still going strong. I don't expect him to retire for the next 10 years.

The next one is Frans Weisglas, the Speaker. He is a VVD MP since september 1982.

The third on the list is a CDA backbencher, Wim van de Camp, MP since 1986. More interesting though is no. 4, Klaas de Vries. He was a PvdA MP 1973-1988, left Parliament then, was in the Cabinet 1998-2002 and is a PvdA MP again since 2002. The only one remaining from the 70s.