The 1966 ELECTION - from Phoenix 1966 [published July 1966]
When Mr. Wilson announced his decision to send the British people to the polls for the second time in eighteen months, the Discussion Group was arranging a censure motion for debate, that “this house is exasperated with the present Labour government”. Immediately all enthusiasm for that was turned towards the provision of a member for the division of Drayton Manor.
When nominations closed on March 7th, several interesting facts became apparent. It seemed that the women of the constituency, though keen behind-the-scenes supporters and canvassers, in true Victorian style preferred to leave the tawdry business of electioneering to their male colleagues. Had this trend been reflected over the whole country, there would today be 630 men in parliament instead of 603. There were ten nominations on the ballot papers, which were printed soon after nominations closed and stored deep in the masters’ common room. Most political commentators regarded the number of independent candidates and unusual parties as a healthy sign for democracy in Drayton Manor, though the three main parties expressed concern at their presence, one of them going so far as to say that they were totally irrelevant to the fundamental problems with which the British people must and would deal when Mr. Heath became Prime Minister on April 1st.
A room was allocated to each candidate as headquarters, and the campaign, which happily did not reflect the national mood of boredom, was swiftly launched with fighting speeches on most sides. Party meetings and discussions were well attended, spirited, and noisy. Despite the presence of an Anarchist candidate, the days leading up to polling day saw little lunchtime violence, other than on one occasion, memorable to prefects, when an Independent Conservative’s audience, growing impatient of his policy, left Mr. Westbrook’s art room in no little disarray. Although the best-attended meetings were indubitably those of Mr. Dean, the election returns provide ample proof that his audience went away for the most part unconvinced. In as much as the artistic merits of the posters could not be judged so much by impartial aesthetic standards as by the political persuasions of the beholder, it was very difficult to arrive at any objective conclusion on this score.
Polling day was on March 30th, the last day of term, when the school turned out in force to put their crosses on the ballot papers provided, which were then placed in black-daubed cartons, vaguely resembling ballot boxes, kindly provided by the art department, and acquired in the first place from a well-known manufacturer of tuck-shop merchandise. While the count was being held behind closed doors in the library, some of the candidates exercised their right to witness that fairness prevailed. The declaration of the ninety-plus per cent poll at the end of the morning was followed by a short speech from each candidate, who demonstrated the eloquence he had acquired during three weeks of active campaigning.
There remains merely to give the result for the record, but first thanks should go to Mr. Barker, the superintendent of the venture, the candidates themselves, the electoral officer, and to Miss Lynne Mancey, secretary to the electoral committee, whose competent management of a considerable mass of typing and duplicating showed how worth-while the course in the Commercial Sixth is.
The result itself was similar to the 1959 result at Drayton Manor, though the Labour and Liberal candidates increased their share of the poll somewhat at the expense of the Conservative. There were no Independent candidates or off-beat parties in 1959, and seven years ago the authorities did not consider the erstwhile first form, who make up the present Upper Sixth, politically well enough informed to make up their minds.
The figures, as announced, were as follows:
Oliver (C.)... ... ... .................. ...208
Sills (Lab.)... ... ... .................. ...141
Sweeting (L.)... ... .................. .... 76
Parker (People’s Ind. Party)... ... 23
Palmer (Anarchist)... ... ... ...... ...20
Dean (Ind.)... ... ... ... ..................18
Morris (Comm.)... ... ... ........... ...18
Fenn (Ind.)... ... ... ................... ...13
Brown (Ind. C.)... ... ... .............. ...5
Fincham (Ind. C.)... ... ... .......... ...5
Conservative majority... ..... ... ...67
G. R. EDWARDS, U.6.A.
(Acting Returning Officer)
Footnote. National Result: Lab. 363 seats; Con. 253; L. 12; Rep. Lab. 1; Speaker 1.