The BBC reports here on the death of Sir Teddy Taylor, formerly the Conservative MP for Southend East (which included Rochford).
Sir Teddy was an example of someone who was parachuted into a parliamentary seat – he was previously an MP in Glasgow, and then switched to Southend! But that didn’t stop him from becoming a highly regarded constituency MP. Despite his strong political views, on a local and personal basis he was generally very well-liked across the political spectrum. He was diligent in his duties towards Rochford DC ; once he was double-booked but still managed to attend for a speech.
In 1986 a book was published entitled “Britain – A View From Westminster”. In it various MPs described their regions of the UK. For example. Liberal Jo Grimond wrote about the Highlands, and Labour’s Neil Kinnock wrote about South Wales. Sir Teddy wrote about the South-East. Here’s a couple of quotes:
“A real joy in the South East is the total absence of tribal or sectarian bigotry”..
…”The roads are also a remarkable reflection of the difference in life styles. In the North, public expenditure programmes designed to relieve poverty have created a situation in which roads are built in anticipation of traffic increases, many of which just do not emerge. But in the South, the incidence of car ownership and the scarcity of public funds result in a situation in which motorists can never be certain of reaching any particular place at any particular time…”
Rest in Peace Sir Teddy, our thoughts are with your family tonight.