Former Leeds MP -RIP

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blackprince
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Joined: Tue 04 Sep, 2007 2:10 pm

Former Leeds MP -RIP

Post by blackprince »

Hi, I have just read the obituary of Harold Best, the former MP for NW Leeds. I found it interesting that
he was that very rare example of an MP elected to represent the City where he was born , went to school, lived, and worked, rather than someone parachuted in to the constituency from London because they are on some party short list.
The Telegraph also his contains comment, on the effect of the universities on residential suburbs like Headingly where he lived:
“The universities in Leeds are like Blake’s dark satanic mills,” he said. “They are polluters blighting the landscape, and the polluter must pay. The proliferation of shared houses with absentee landlords is like a medieval plague. Geographers are studying the problem, but by the time they complete their PhDs the destruction of Headingley will be complete.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/ ... -obituary/

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/po ... er-2953975
It used to be said that the statue of the Black Prince had been placed in City Square , near the station, pointing South to tell all the southerners who've just got off the train to b****r off back down south!

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tyke bhoy
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Re: Former Leeds MP -RIP

Post by tyke bhoy »

A bit ironic he was pinning his hopes on people attending Universities to solve the University problems. Shared houses for students are much less prolific these days due to the proliferation of high rise Residences
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

jma
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Joined: Fri 05 Aug, 2016 3:38 pm

Re: Former Leeds MP -RIP

Post by jma »

I was in his company a number of times over the years. Going back to the 1970s, he used to be a guest speaker on some courses at the West Yorkshire Police training school. He spoke from the POV of a trade unionist and I found it very interesting. As a councillor, he had a role on the police authority. In the mid-1980's I was working in the department at police HQ which prepared briefing papers etc for the chief constable and I went to various meetings to present reports.

In the late 1990s, when I was recently retired and he was newly elected as an MP there was some sort of a bunfight organised by Yorkshire Water at Tetley's Brewery Wharf. I buttonholed him and wondered if he might remember where he had seen me among all the countless other faces. He got my name off my lapel badge but understandably had not the faintest idea who I was till I explained. We had a chat about that common ground.We ended up sitting together through the presentation about what great things YW were doing along the River Aire. When it was over he thanked me for keeping him company, explaining it could be lonely when people were too intimidated to speak.

I saw him again at a public meeting about transport in Leeds held in the Methodist centre next to the Town Hall. He was the only politician on the stage and an Australian woman from IIRC Friends of the Earth or possibly Greenpeace gave him a bad time about pollution in Leeds and she managed to get his back up.

He seemed like a sincere sort of chap to me, which is more than I'd say about most party politicians.

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