Word: gravesend
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British Labor party leaders let out an explosive breath last week. They had squeaked through a parliamentary by-election at Gravesend. Party Boss Herbert Morrison sent the victor a jubilant telegram: "We will open the door, Richard, when you come to the House...
...addressee was Sir Richard Acland, 15th baronet of his line, who got 24,692 votes against 23,017 for his Tory opponent Frank Taylor. The Conservative appeal in suburban Gravesend, a Tory stronghold until the Labor victory in 1945, had been directed mainly at the housewives. Taylor became known as "Tater Taylor" because he lugged his 3-lb. weekly spud ration around with him on the hustings. The housewives were disgusted enough with shortages,* but not enough of them saw any reason to suppose that Tory M.P.s would furnish more potatoes than Laborites...
Optimistic Laborites looked upon the Gravesend victory as stemming the Tory advance in last month's borough elections (TIME, Nov. 10). More cautious ones noted that Labor's vote in Gravesend had increased by only 3,083 since 1945, while the Tory vote increased by 8,464. "We've held the seat," said one Labor manager, "but we must heed the warning that the Tories increased their vote a good deal more. We can't afford that...
Like a judge donning the black cap to pronounce the death penalty, the Speaker of the House of Commons placed his black cocked hat on his bewigged head. Then he read the sentence. For breach of confidence, an affront to the House, and contempt, the Honorable Member from Gravesend, Garry Allighan, was expelled from Commons...
...Germany: "This demob news shook the boys more than anything." Embittered Tommies, watching boatloads of G.I.s heading home each week, took to advertising in their home papers for jobs. The Government was likened to Ethelred the Unready (see cut). Stocky, quick-firing Garry Allighan, Labor M.P. for the blitzed Gravesend dock area, staggered out from under 2,000 demobilization letters a day to cry: "You must solve this-or have revolution. It's serious...