Elizabeth Shields
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Lois Shields is a British politician
.
Shields studied at the University of York
and became a teacher and lecturer. She served as a councillor on Ryedale
District Council from 1980 for Norton.
Shields contested Howden
in 1979 and Ryedale
in 1983. Following the death of Ryedale's Conservative
MP
John Spence
in 1986, Shields achieved victory in the Ryedale by-election of 1986
, becoming the constituency's first Liberal
MP. However, it was a short-lived success, as the Conservative John Greenway
regained Ryedale at the 1987 general election
.
Shields stood for Ryedale again in 1992, but the Conservatives increased their majority. As of December 2010 she remains a Ryedale councillor for the Liberal Democrats
, and for many years served as the Group Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the District Council. During 1989/1990 she held the office of Chairman of the District Council. She is currently the local Party President of Thirsk and Malton Liberal Democrats.
Politics of the United Kingdom
The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
.
Shields studied at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and became a teacher and lecturer. She served as a councillor on Ryedale
Ryedale
Ryedale is a non-metropolitan district of the shire county of North Yorkshire in England. Settlements include Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Malton, Norton-on-Derwent, Pickering, and Terrington.-Derivation of name:...
District Council from 1980 for Norton.
Shields contested Howden
Howden (UK Parliament constituency)
Howden was a constituency in Yorkshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in 1979 and Ryedale
Ryedale (UK Parliament constituency)
Ryedale was a constituency in North Yorkshire 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...
in 1983. Following the death of Ryedale's Conservative
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...
MP
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,...
John Spence
John Spence (politician)
John Deane Spence was a British Conservative Party politician.Spence was educated at Queen's University, Belfast and worked as a building and civil engineering contractor, merchant banker and farmer....
in 1986, Shields achieved victory in the Ryedale by-election of 1986
Ryedale by-election, 1986
The Ryedale by-election took place on 8 May, 1986. It is the latest by-election to have just three candidates standing. The seat was regained by the Conservatives at the 1987 general election by John Greenway.-Background:...
, becoming the constituency's first Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP. However, it was a short-lived success, as the Conservative John Greenway
John Greenway
John Robert Greenway is a former British politician who sat as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ryedale from 1987 until the constituency's abolition in 2010.-Early life:...
regained Ryedale at the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
.
Shields stood for Ryedale again in 1992, but the Conservatives increased their majority. As of December 2010 she remains a Ryedale councillor for the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, and for many years served as the Group Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the District Council. During 1989/1990 she held the office of Chairman of the District Council. She is currently the local Party President of Thirsk and Malton Liberal Democrats.