David Porter (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
David John Porter was Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Waveney
from 1987 to 1997.
Before going into parliament he was a drama teacher at Kirkley High School. After the 1997 election, he concentrated his efforts on supporting the British film industry. During his time in office, he never managed to completely step out of the shadow of his predecessor, the Conservative Minister from Lowestoft, Jim Prior.
David Porter had an in-depth knowledge of the fishing industry, and was considered to be a single-issue politician and a rebel. On several occasions he was threatened with suspension, and once actually suspended, from the Conservative party over the government's fishing policy, which Porter argued would result in overfishing and the end of fish stocks, and thus fishing, in the United Kingdom. Although the national party tried to select a different candidate, at the time, the local Conservative Associations had total power of selection. He regularly campaigned for Britain to leave the European Common Fisheries Policy, preferring a system of local control with a yearly 'Sabbath' (ban of fishing) rotating around each sea area around the United Kingdom waters.
Although he always remained popular locally, he lost his seat in the Labour
landslide to Bob Blizzard, a local councillor. In Lowestoft, this was considered to represent the final passing of the fishing industry in the town, an industry which by 1997 had long ceased to be a major employer or otherwise of any significance to the local economy.
David is now head of the performing arts department at Kirkley High School.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Waveney
Waveney (UK Parliament constituency)
Waveney is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
from 1987 to 1997.
Before going into parliament he was a drama teacher at Kirkley High School. After the 1997 election, he concentrated his efforts on supporting the British film industry. During his time in office, he never managed to completely step out of the shadow of his predecessor, the Conservative Minister from Lowestoft, Jim Prior.
David Porter had an in-depth knowledge of the fishing industry, and was considered to be a single-issue politician and a rebel. On several occasions he was threatened with suspension, and once actually suspended, from the Conservative party over the government's fishing policy, which Porter argued would result in overfishing and the end of fish stocks, and thus fishing, in the United Kingdom. Although the national party tried to select a different candidate, at the time, the local Conservative Associations had total power of selection. He regularly campaigned for Britain to leave the European Common Fisheries Policy, preferring a system of local control with a yearly 'Sabbath' (ban of fishing) rotating around each sea area around the United Kingdom waters.
Although he always remained popular locally, he lost his seat in the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
landslide to Bob Blizzard, a local councillor. In Lowestoft, this was considered to represent the final passing of the fishing industry in the town, an industry which by 1997 had long ceased to be a major employer or otherwise of any significance to the local economy.
David is now head of the performing arts department at Kirkley High School.