The Fairytale Prime Minister:
The Political Career of John Pardoe
Born 27th of July 1934
1959: Postal Vote Officer for Holburn and St Pancras South, Labour
1959: Private Citizen, Labour
1959-1961: Private Citizen, Liberal
1961-1966: Member of Liberal News
1964: Liberal Parliamentary Candidate for Finchley
1964 (Margaret Thatcher, Conservative) def. John Pardoe (Liberal), Albert Edward Tomlinson (Labour)
1966-1987: Member of Parliament for North Cornwall, Liberal
1966 def. James Scott-Hopkins (Conservative), Reginald S. Willis (Labour)
1970 def. Simon James Day (Conservative), Ernest William J. Hill (Labour)
1974 def. Trixie Gardener (Conservative), J.B.Benjamin (Labour)
Mar. 1978 def. Gerry Neale (Conservative), R.B.Tremlett (Labour), J.Faull (Ecology), R.Bridgwater (Anti-Party System)
Oct. 1978 def. Gerry Neale (Conservative), R.B. Tremlett (Labour), R.Bridgwater (National Front)
1983 def. Gerry Neale (Conservative), James Hayday (Labour), James Whetter (Cornish Nationalist)
1987 (Paul Tyler, Liberal) def. Nick St Aubyn (Conservative), Christine Herries (Labour), Geoffrey Rowe (Independent)
1968-1969: Treasurer for the Liberal Party
1970-1975: Liberal Spokesperson for the Treasury
1971-1972: President of the Liberal Party
1975-1983: Leader of the Liberal Party
1975 def. Russell Johnston
1987-1988: Private Citizen, Liberal
1988-1989: Presenter for After Dark, Channel 4
1989-1993: Private Citizen, Liberal
1993: Candidate for London Mayoral Election, Liberal
1993 (Ken Livingstone, Lab) def. Seb Coe (Conservative), John Pardoe (Liberal), Beatrix Campbell (Democratic Left)
1993-1998: Presenter of The Week That Was, BBC Radio 4
1998-2003: Mayor of London, Liberal
1998 def. Gyles Brandreth (Conservative), Trevor Phillips (One London), Ken Livingstone (Labour), Darren Johnson (Green)
2003-2007: Private Citizen, Liberal
2007-2012: Leader of the Green Liberal Group
2007 def. Felix Dodds
2008-2012: Chair of the Britons for Electoral Reform Society
2015-Present: Chair of the Pardoe Progressive Politics Institute
1970-1974: Ted Heath (Conservative)
1970 (Majority) def: Harold Wilson (Labour), Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal)
1974-1976: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1974 (Majority) def: Ted Heath (Conservative), William Wolfe (Scottish National Party), Emlyn Hooson (Liberal)
1975 EEC Referendum: Yes 65%, No 35%
1976-1978: Denis Healey (Labour)
Mar. 1978 (Minority) def: Keith Joseph (Conservative), John Pardoe (Liberal), William Wolfe (SNP)
1978-1983: John Silkin (Labour)
Oct. 1978 (Majority) def: Willie Whitelaw (Conservative), John Pardoe (Liberal), Douglas Henderson (SNP)
1983-: Michael Heseltine (Conservative)
1983 (Majority) def: John Silkin (Labour), John Pardoe (Liberal)
1987 (Majority) def: John Prescott (Labour), Richard Livsey (Liberal), Jim Sillars (SNP)
In 1978, Douglas Adams would cast John Pardoe was as a joke as the Liberal Prime Minister of the fictional Kingdom of Saxmania in Cinderella Two Goes East, the joke was simple, there only ever Liberal Prime Ministers in Fairytales. Pardoe seemed to know this as much and given how his campaigns were always about ensuring accountability over power, ensuring that Britain had a Radical voice when dealing with the ossified party’s of Centre-Left and Right.
Indeed Pardoe’s Radicalism is probably the most consistent element about him, even if the colours and the politics change. Originally he’d been a support of Bevan and Bevanism, to the point of being the postal vote officer for Lena Jeger in the 1959 election. Given the fact that Lena lost and not long after any concept of Bevanism was eroded away by it’s figurehead’s death it’s understandable that Pardoe tried to find answers elsewhere.
Jo Grimond would provide those answers.
For Pardoe, the ideals of Co-Ownership, Radicalism and Industrial Democracy appealed to him and he would join the Liberals, believing them to be the only other party of Radicalism in town. His commitment towards the politics of Grimond and theatrical personality would make him increasingly popular within the party. After a jaunt in Finchley against Margaret Thatcher, Pardoe would be given the much more easy seat to gain of North Cornwall, which he managed to do in 1966 being one of the thirteen Liberals who gained or held on to a seat.
As a new up and coming MP Pardoe felt that he was going to make a difference. Indeed he was very friendly with the new Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe and the pair got on well together, there was even the chance of promotion and good times if he stayed the course.
The 1970 election would be a blessing in disguise for Pardoe, the collapse of the Liberals from 12 to 6 would be the downfall of Thorpe. Hooson’s leadership coup would see only Thorpe and Pardoe opposing him. But Hooson, wanting to keep the Thorpe followers on side, made Pardoe the Treasury spokesperson as there views on economics somewhat aligned.
Given very little oversight and working with a party that was existing at best, Pardoe used the platform he was given to rip into the fiscal irresponsibility of the Heath Government. His theatrical background and stage presence made him a must have on television, who politely ignored the more dull Hooson.
Indeed Heath’s blunders around dash for growth and economic woes were great opportunities for the opposition, but Hooson kept a calm distance from it all, seeing how things would go.
Heath’s snap election in the Winter of 1974 caught many Liberals by surprise, with the hasty scramble leading to a variety of cock ups within there campaign. Pardoe managed to sail through unscathed, indeed at this point he was more of an asset than a liability. In the end, the result would see the Liberals gain two extra seats, which would have been impressive if the Scottish Nationals hadn’t gained ten from the bizarre election. Labour would drift to a slim majority of five, much to the general shock of the county.
Hooson continued on for another year, purely on the basis that Liberals couldn’t be sure of a random snap election occurring in 1975, but in the aftermath of Hooson dismal performance in the local elections and EEC referendum of that year, it was decided that he had to go.
Pardoe seemed like an obvious fit for leader, younger than the other leaders of the party’s, Populist and Progressive but also adding a dose of Fiscal Responsibility to proceedings, Pardoe would easily beat Russel Johnston for the post of Leader.
Pardoe would set off his leadership rather quickly by managing to convince the Democratic Labour MP for Lincoln Dick Taverne to accept the Liberal Whip, before having Taverne announce that he was joining the Liberals in the Spring of 76’. But the news of Taverne’s defection would be over shadowed by the election of Denis Healey as the new Labour Leader.
Healey set his stall as the tough, boisterous Labour Right leader who would bring the Unions, Labour Left and the IMF to heel. His policies and personality was everything that Pardoe loathed about the former Gaitskellites since his time as a Bevanite. Worries within the Liberals would emerge as Healey started adopting the charge of fiscal responsibility and balanced Budgets but Pardoe would take it in his stride.
In a number of ways Pardoe’s Liberals were about making Grimondism Populist and Progressive. Pardoe would appear on television, hob nobbing with everyone from Peter Hain to John Cleese. To students he stated his social attitude was more to the Left of Labour, that he cared more about the environment, women’s rights and minority’s than the Conservatives in both the mainstream party’s and to the Middle Class Suburbanites, Village folk and the traditional Liberal voters his message was one of not spending more, but spending better. That the NHS should work for the people, that Unions should work for every person from the bottom to the top, that generally Labour were a bunch of fools whilst the Conservative’s were just Evil.
Helping in said matters was that the Tories had elected Keith Joseph as there leader, a man who spent most his time acting aloof and getting into arguments with Trotskyist Students over Economics rather than anything substantial.
In 1978, the Labour Majority was finally whittled down to zero and Healey had a choice, call an election or make a deal with the Liberals. The talks between Liberals and Labour lasted about half an hour, Healey asked for support, Pardoe demanded Proportional Representation and Fixed Term parliaments, Healey told him to go fuck himself, cue Labour going to the country.
Pardoe would campaign on a simple message; Things Could Be Better. Better Services for Lower Cost, Industrial Democracy to allow the Manger and Worker to work together, Reforming the Civil Service, Liberal reform of the powers of the state, allowing people to as individuals make there own choices in there lives. More Choice, More accountability, More Freedom as John Cleese summed it up in the campaign video.
Pardoe’s message of Populist Reformism did certainly appeal to a portion of the British population and given the choice for many was the two main party leaders telling the public how much they wanted to bugger the poor, Pardoe seemed like a solid choice.
Of course in true Liberal fashion the hype was big than the actual result. Some pundits predicted Liberal gains within the thirties, instead they gained twenty two seats which was still an impressive result and vindication of the Pardoe strategy. The result would cause Healey to resign and the Tories to demand the scalp of Joseph.
Initial talks of coalition with the Conservative’s disappeared when Joseph who had proposed the possibility of electoral reform as a way to stop Socialist domination was rapidly ousted in favour of Whitelaw. Even talk of Pardoe forming a National Government of Labour and Tory defectors was considered by a few individuals like Thorpe. But Pardoe wasn’t having it.
Labour would hastily replaced Healey after his resignation with Silkin after a rapid and slightly chaotic leadership election. Pardoe and Silkin had a more amicable discussion on a possible Labour-Liberal pact. Proposals of Devolved Assemblies, Electoral Reform of European Parliament, Council and Assembly Elections, Social Libertarian reforms were all proposed but in the end came to nothing, Pardoe was adamant that PR occur in Parliament and that Cuts be made to Public Spending.
Silkin said no and a few months later another election would occur in Britain. Again Pardoe campaigned on a message of reform and responsibility even saying ‘One More Heave and we can be governing Britain’ but the public was tried and just wanted stability. In the end the near wipeout of the Scottish Nationals and a few loses for the Liberals and Conservative’s is what pushed Labour over the line to gain a majority of eleven.
At this point David Steel proposed calling a leadership election in the same manner as Hooson but it went nowhere. Pardoe has allow the Liberals to keep Eighteen seats, which was more than Hooson even won. But it was noticeable that Pardoe had been deflated by the failures to get Britain to adopt Liberalism.
Whilst still a firey campaigner, he decided that he was to consolidate Liberal gains more than anything. The possibility of Roy Jenkins forming a breakaway Social Democratic party would be stymied by Pardoe bluntly tell Jenkins to join the Liberals in a brief meeting around 1980. Whilst a couple of Labour MPs would trickle to the Liberals, Pardoe’s belief in Radical Liberalism being inherently different from Social Democracy would stop any of the Former Gaitskellites from joining in large numbers.
1983 after several years of unrest, was a sea change moment in Britain, whilst Pardoe had opened the door, Heseltine would barge through it as Labour lost massively and the Liberals collapsed down from twenty to eleven in a single night as Heseltine pinched most of Pardoe 78’ platform for himself. Pardoe would bow down, whilst he would try push David Penhaligon to run, his fellow Cornish MP decided to wait it out, which would turn out to be a wise move going forward.
Pardoe would sit for four years as an MP, making the occasional appearance on TV and generally sticking to the sidelines. And so that was the end of Pardoe...
Or so it seemed, indeed Parode would progressively reinvent himself in the years after the end of his leadership. After a brief appearance on Channel 4’s After Dark, Pardoe would become a frequent guest on television panel shows and discussion shows. Combined with his ambivalence to the media circuit itself made him a rather straight talk pundit for any show.
His media success wouldn’t translate to much in the first London Mayoral election hampered by the popular Ashdown Government and Ken Livingstone’s Left Populist rhetoric. But the mayoral election campaign and a successful Channel 4 documentary about it would translate to Pardoe being given the chance to host a Weekly Comic News Program with Stephen Fry called The Week That Was. The program would become the vessel from which Pardoe, the beloved elder statesman who fought for Progressive ideals and against Corruption was born.
This vessel would become the program from which Pardoe launched in his candidacy for the 1998 London Mayoral Election, an election fought on discussions of corruption, racial tensions and multiculturalism. Ken Livingstone would lose out against the Trevor Phillips One London Campaign, causing the final stretch being between Gyles Brandreth and John Pardoe.
Pardoe’s message of reforming services and embracing London diverse nature struck a tone that Brandreth was unable to compete with. Pardoe victory signified a similar surge of support for the Hughes Liberals on a similar message and Pardoe promised to only stay for a single term to complete his tasks.
Pardoe would leave a popular Mayor, the man who reform and revitalised London’s Services, used the booming City of London cause by the Gould reforms to funnel cash back into Social Services, and Pardoe’s reactions to the Copeland Bombings and the Brixton Riots were seen as more accommodating and decisive than Ken had ever been.
Since being Mayor, Pardoe has drifted around various political projects continuing his progressive political aspirations and belief in Radical Liberalism. From campaigning against austerity of Maude and for Electoral Reform under Anderson-Hain Government he’s kept himself busy even in his old age. Indeed the Pardoe Progressive Institute and it’s connected Quarterly Magazine the Bee Hive has kept the former Liberal incredibly busy as it proposes a new optimistic vision of the future, based around Green Energy, Basic Income and Cooperative values.
Not bad for a former member of the Cambridge Footlights.
