Robert Parry (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Robert Parry was a British
Labour Party
politician who was Member of Parliament
in Liverpool
for 27 years.
Parry was elected to Parliament at the 1970 election
for Liverpool Exchange
and served until his retirement in 1997, from 1974 in Liverpool Scotland Exchange
, then from 1983 for Liverpool Riverside
. He retired from Parliament at the 1997 general election
.
He was known as a hard-line left-winger who opposed any policy moves which he saw as edging Labour away from pure socialism
. He once branded Neil Kinnock
a "traitor" over the latter's denunciation of the Militant Tendency
activists who dominated local government on Merseyside
.
In 1992, Parry was arrested in Beijing
when he and his colleagues unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square
protesting the shootings which had taken place there in 1989.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
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...
politician who was Member of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
for 27 years.
Parry was elected to Parliament at the 1970 election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
for Liverpool Exchange
Liverpool Exchange (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Exchange was a borough constituency within the city of Liverpool in England, centred around Liverpool Exchange railway station. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.The...
and served until his retirement in 1997, from 1974 in Liverpool Scotland Exchange
Liverpool Scotland Exchange (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Scotland Exchange was a borough constituency within the city and metropolitan borough of Liverpool, in the English county of Merseyside. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, then from 1983 for Liverpool Riverside
Liverpool Riverside (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Riverside is a borough 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:...
. He retired from Parliament at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
He was known as a hard-line left-winger who opposed any policy moves which he saw as edging Labour away from pure socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. He once branded Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
a "traitor" over the latter's denunciation of the Militant Tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
activists who dominated local government on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
.
In 1992, Parry was arrested in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
when he and his colleagues unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
protesting the shootings which had taken place there in 1989.
External links
- "Former MP Robert Parry dies", BBC, 9 March 2000