Terry Dicks
| Terry Dicks | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington |
|
| In office 9 June 1983 – 1 May 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Neville Sandelson |
| Succeeded by | John McDonnell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 March 1937 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
Terence Patrick Dicks, commonly known as Terry Dicks, (born 17 March 1937) was a British Conservative Party politician, and MP for Hayes and Harlington between 1983 and 1997 after unsuccessfully contesting the seat of Bristol South in 1979.
Dicks's opposition to state funding for the arts inspired Labour MP Tony Banks to claim that Dicks' presence in the House of Commons was "living proof that a pig's bladder on a stick can get elected to Parliament.[1]
On Farzad Bazoft, an Observer journalist hanged by Saddam Hussein in 1990, Dicks said he "deserved to be hanged" on the eve of his execution.[2]
As an MP, Dicks left a legacy as a critic of high profile HIV and aids awareness campaigns at the time of the emergence of the disease in the eighties[3]. Frequent bad taste jokes furthering these opinions made him an easy target for Labour jibes when he lost his seat in 1997. His successor, John McDonnell described him as a 'stain', a 'malignant creature' and an espouser of racism, in his maiden speech.[4]
Dicks was born with cerebral palsy and referred to himself in the House of Commons as a "spastic".[5]
From 1999 until he retired in June 2009 Dicks was a member of Surrey County Council representing the town of Addlestone.
[edit] References
- ^ "Iain Dale "The Right Hon wag", The Guardian, 10 January 2006.
- ^ Leader, The Observer, 18 March 1990.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "House of Commons Hansard", Column 544, 11 May 1994.
[edit] External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Terry Dicks
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Neville Sandelson |
Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington 1983–1997 |
Succeeded by John McDonnell |
 |
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