general election 1955 bbc coverage part 1

I'm the gardener in all of us the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2005 weeknights at 8:00 on BBC two in a stream live police have tonight will Robert McCartney's family all for threats from criminal elements further nineteen products have been confirmed to contain spices contaminate with the power of red the US courts Pat Curran Malcolm Glazer has launched a takeover bid for majesty United more than 60 people have been killed and many others injured in a series of bomb attacks across Iraq whenever it happens it happens here BBC News 24 just thirty minutes ago the polling stations closed and voting in the general election ended in the course of the next six or seven hours and in the thirteen or fourteen hours after that we're going to try to give you not only at the story of the development of everything that's happened since voting finished and the course of the election and its results but individual results just as fast as they come in to us now for that purpose television is out in force tonight not only here in London in the studio from which I'm talking now but as you can see if you look all over Britain you see behind me here this map it has on it lights to show places to which we are going London up in the North Midlands the West this is our map and our indicator at the sides there on the Left you'll see names of some of the places that we hope with television during this night and tomorrow to visit Glasgow Lana Bristol Cardiff cross hens and Wales Alford Manchester and on the other side the same thing again Edinburgh Leeds and Birmingham Watford Wembley party headquarters in fact we're going out and about just as much as we can now that's just part of the story there is also in London a pretty hefty organization which is poised now ready to start it has to be big because this is a sort of job that demands a great many backroom boys and girls you might try to look at the big studio next door which is full to the brim with backroom boys and girls very soon they'll be working hard because this is the place where the results actually come in and from here where they're filtering sifted and prepared on special cards for us to show them to you they come into this tea and then in this video we have the job of presenting them to you and of keeping the wheels turning for a good many hours to come now sitting with me here and he will be my constant companion tonight and tomorrow is David Butler David Butler is a man who's made a great study of general elections has written an authoritative work on the 1951 general election and is a don at Oxford he best I think can introduce himself to you this evening but it's my job tonight to try and make the sense of the results for you to do lightning calculations on the basis of the individual results as they come in so that as soon as they're on the screen if possible we shall be able to tell you whether there's something significant about the change in the result since last time but of course I'm not really a lightning calculator myself I can only do this with the aid of the people on my life with love and purpose in here and with this team of statisticians all of them from Nuffield College Oxford where I teach and they're all the search students there and they'll be with their slide rules doing their best to get the results sensibly to you as fast as possible and then further over on the left is sitting er Thompson whom we know as Teddy Thompson I shall probably slip into calling him Teddy during the night Teddy Thompson who is the BBC's own parliamentary correspondent he can tell you how he himself is very much concerned what goes on inside the House of Commons well you've just seen the experts will soon be working it very high speed on the results of the voting and I suppose the burning question for all of us now and some miles to come will be who's winning the election but of course as a results come in come up on the screen we should also be witnessing the build-up of a new House of Commons well I it's my job to observe the House of Commons at close quarters from the gallery and the lobby and I'm going to try to give you as much as I can of the parliamentary background parties and personalities as we go along well now that those for the moment are our experts here now we've got we think in the region of half an hour or possibly thirty five minutes before the first result comes in there are four or five places who vie with each other to some degree to be first we have outside broadcast units stationed at those times we hoped us to be able to take you right into the counting halls and if we're lucky to be right on the spot as the very first announcement is made of a results just as soon as they know they're counted it correctly meanwhile we think we might go outside now away from the studio and find out what people outside are thinking about a prosthetic sternum the immediate future and we thought we would start by going to Party headquarters first of all to meet Lord Walton who is of course the chairman of the Conservative Party now he is going to be interviewed by another of our experts on political affairs by Robert McKinsey so meet them let us go now to a bee house here in the Conservative Party's own television studio is Lord Wilton the chairman of the party organization now Lord Wilton you were gaining a gain during the campaign warned your people of the dangers of apathy have you been discovering evidence of apathy in today's voting identity not today most certainly not today I'd be around 10 constituencies in the London area today I found a whole place bubbling with excitement just like this central offices now tonight and I thought there was a little danger at one time when we heard all these Gallup polls that we people might be taking it for granted I think that apathy is all gone and they've turned out today to vote and by the way I wonder whether you would let me just do this mr. Mackenzie we've had so many people who worked so hard for this election all throughout the country just let me take the opportunity of expressing my profound gratitude to them for all the work that they have done I suppose your main job here at Party headquarters has been pouring out literature and sending our speakers and so on well we let me see what have we done we've sent to over 4 million leaflets out and they've all had to be counted one by one we've arranged a here over 610 meetings apart from the meetings that have been organized by the constituencies themselves not much apathy about that was that well now tell me they've been good meetings do let me tell you this was going to be a television election some people said and that meetings would be of less importance do you think the decisive words were spoken on television are very important words were spoken on television but I do not believe the television decides election results and mr. Mackenzie you're the author of a book and you know a great deal about this problem I hope it won't because surely the really important thing is the personal contact between the candidate and the electors III think so far from the elector being the the election being decided by television it's being decided on the doorstep well as one question I've got to ask you Lord Bolton who do you think is going to win ah there was a very famous statesman who once said wait and see wait and see mr. Mackenzie how do you feel in your bones or my bones are alright not a trace of rheumatism in them not a trace and how are you going to spend like election night well I'm going to stay here until three o'clock tomorrow morning full of hope well thank you very much indeed Lord Walton right very much obliged to you too I've been interviewing Lord Bolton from he Conservative Party headquarters back now to Richard Dimbleby in the studio and Robert McKenzie himself will be back very soon with us here in the studio to add the weight of his opinion was one of our political experts now for another point of view to the Secretary of the Labour Party mr. Morgan Phillips now he is the Labour Party headquarters and so we go now straight away to William Clark at transport house well here we are in transport house and actually in this rather fine alert room which is the council chamber of the Trade Union Congress where the trades union representatives meet and have their debates make their decisions but tonight I brought from upstairs the general secretary of the Labour Party mr. Morgan Phillips mr. Phillips do you think you've managed to get out the payroll today with a fairly fine day to help you yes where I think we've got out the pole but it hasn't been fine throughout the country I've heard that it's been raining in Cheshire it's been raining in some parts of the southwest region but in spite of that our reports are that the pole is very high if it was maintained in the last hour it may well be that our total pole will be greater than the last two general elections you didn't think that was anything much to the apathy that we've been hearing about no I've never accepted the view that there was epithet you see some of that the former election campaigns have been counted I think by newspaper headlines and stunts but I do recall the 1945 general election which was equally quiet in many senses apart from newspaper headlines and I felt that the people were thinking thoughtfully about the issues before me what do you think were the real issue is before them now that the perils of closed we can talk frankly well I think the issues that have been mainly discussed are the issues of the cost of living the payer pensions and and benefits I believe fair shares as against a free-for-all national service shadow war in the h-bomb era and then of course we've had the usual scarce we've had the attempt by some people to make mr. Bevin a bogeyman then we've had the attempt to create the rationing scale I felt very sorry for Lord Wilson you know because it seems his own people in order to try and get a scare against us robbed him of the credit of his achievements as minister of food during the war when he introduced rationing indeed with our support and now in when we started D rationing they seemed to give us the responsibility and authority by having before being the rationing party I think Lord wooden is entitled to credit well now just one last thing there do you have any sort of prediction this early in the evening well we naturally make our own calculations but the main thing as far as we're concerned at the moment is to see that we get more than 14 million Birds if we get that we shall be happy if we lose in a high poll we shall accept the decision of the electorate and act as a vigorous and constructive opposition I'm hopeful Oh ever that the high poll wave will mean that we should be called upon perform the government and carry out the pledges we made during the election well that's all the time for now thank you very much and now I'm afraid we're going to have to leave here but we'll be back into transport highs in the course of the evening and now back to Richard Dimbleby in the studio and now for our next call outside on party matters to the Liberals mr. Harris who is the general director of the Liberal Party we'll be talking to bran Compton so we go down over to him at Bush house and mr. Harris perhaps you'd care to tell us what reports you've been getting from your agents in the 110 constituencies where liberal candidates are standing well we've been having the most encouraging reports of course like everybody else we've had reports about an extremely heavy poll we think that is to our advantage in those areas where we have a Liberal candidate because it means that liberals are going to the pole but perhaps the most interesting thing that's been happening during the course of the day at our headquarters the dozens the hundreds of people who've been ringing is up to say we haven't got a liberal candidate we're only too sorry about that how do you advise us to vote and we've given them that advice and I don't propose to tell you what advice we have given them perhaps you can tell me what constituencies you are in fact principally interested in well of course we're interested in all constituents is because we do feel that at this election we have an opportunity of increasing the total liberal Pro and therefore we're interested in all results we're liberal candidates ascending but we are particularly interested in those way we think we may make liberal gains such as Anglesey and Mariana --the Knoxville Selkirk in the nest North Cornwall and North Dorset were interested in the second group where we feel with some confidence we shall increase our vote in top knees and in North Devon and then there's a group of constituencies which I have a peculiar affection those were our young liberals are standing Richard Moore in Tavistock he takes his final examination three days are after polling day Barbour well in bath Roy Douglas in Bethnal Green and Eric Murphy Nino bein Hales own and I shall watch with a great deal of pride and interest the results in those constituencies we've been hearing and seeing a lot of reports in the newspapers about relatively sparse attendance is at the constituency meeting does that mean your experience not at all if I could think that half the people who've been to Liberal meetings a votive liberal I should be very confident indeed we've got the most extraordinary reports of the most extraordinary meetings we gather that last night the eve of poll in Hereford mr. Franco and had a meeting in doors of over 900 and came out to a meeting of a thousand that Jeremy thought one of our young people in North Devon had a meeting inside of a thousand with with real a tool to people outside Edwin Mellen dine had a meeting of 1500 and it's been our experience the whole of the campaign that people have come to our meetings we've had very good meetings very large meetings and they've asked the most interesting questions which I think we've been able to answer well that is almost encouraging and we still wait to see the result and with those comments from mr. hfp Harris the general director of the Liberal Party it is back to richard them will be in the studio and as I said all over the country votes are now being counted and as I said - we have units waiting at the five that is strategic points to bring us instantly the news the moment that account is complete and the result is no but we can now without waiting for that go out into the provinces to get some news of what is going on in those counting rooms let's go first of all west to Exeter over to Frank Guillard in Exeter here at Exeter now on this very wet evening crowds are already gathering outside the Civic Hall for the declaration of the poll and while the general public braved the rain and remain outside we have the privilege by a special promotion of the returning officer to go right into the hall where the counting is going on all of us here by the way have been sworn to secrecy before justices of the Peace and you'll understand that we can't show close-ups of ballot papers well here is the scene that the votes of Exeter's 54,000 electors are counted by 60 official counters of 30 tables the first ballot box was brought in at 10 past 9:00 the best job was to count the total of the votes cast and now they're being sorted according to the voting and there's a sound here sound of the rustling paper like the falling of steady rain well on each ballot paper there are two names less Marion the Labour candidate and Dudley Williams the Conservative candidate I hope we get a glimpse of the two candidates in a moment at the last general election mr. Williams the conservative held Exeter for the Conservatives in a three-cornered contest by a majority of upwards of 4,000 would you see there are four people at each table of them artificial counters the other two you can see one there with a favor and is buttonhole the other two are party nominees and they check for counting and the sorted vote says they saw them they're made up in two bundles of fifty and when enough of them are bundled up they're taken to the top table so far we haven't reached that stage and the final totals are added up on a con tomate er and then at the head of this long hall sits the returning officer mr. Newman the town Clark of Exeter he's there in the center there he's in command of the whole operation and he has the the two candidates there with him and they're looking I think I think mr. Newman is probably looking at doubtful votes I know that the principal job he's got tonight to decide whether a vote can be allowed or not well now that's the scene here inside the hall Exeter hopes to declare early mr. Newman tries to be the first in the country but you never can tell in this game and we think that perhaps our hottest rivals in this friendly rival were to be first out with a result maybe the constituency of softened West so over now from Exeter to kenneth austin home and salsa and here at Salford is the balcony from which we expect the first result will be announced and the crowd which is just beginning to gather below complete with bands favors rattles and bells and all the paraphernalia of Election Day miss convinced that we hadn't long to wait they've already counted the total poll here and so now they're sorting the votes in two candidates boats while the spectators are filling in the time singing their party songs and shouting their party slogans and the atmosphere is obviously electric but inside all is calm with the pictures and looking rather disapprovingly at the transformation of the sofa city art gallery into a county jail and now we see some of the 200 counters for counting the birds salford west by own burton banda by the way while in an adjoining room another 200 are taking the sorbets east votes both these constituencies are industrial ones engineering textile works and of course the so-called Manchester docks are exalted in 1951 labour won both seeds by 6,000 778 in East and 3,000 487 in West but in the recent municipal elections the Conservatives gained four of the 16 seats and so now have 12 out of the 64 councillors well to get the 200 ballot boxes into the art gallery has been a work of superb organisation 14 double-decker buses and 27 cars brought the counting Clarke's with their boxes from the polling booths but because of building which is in progress to the right of the gallery the transport couldn't come right up to the door so the clocks had to do 100 yard sprint with their precious boxes all the same the first box was here at 3 minutes past 9 and everyone is still convinced that the two sovereign MPs will as usual be the first to be elected so until we come back here for the declaration let's go and see what's happening somewhere else so let's go south to burn at Slidell at Watford and here we are the heart of partridge chairs have to speak 17 miles northwest of London in the town hall at Watford building created in 1940 where problem s nights people would be dancing or watching a Sophia concert when our up for team tables ringing the wrong moving in the whole rather you can see the backs of the accounting assistants who are counting the votes which are coming in 49 polling stations representing an electorate of 53,000 people and on the other side looking at them for watching of Gaffney are the counting agents are employed by the political parties to oversee Lee County and now towards the center of the room when you can come in and see the mayor who is standing up there the tall of the two gentlemen the matter what foot all of an EC Amy who is the severe who works for the London County Council and on his right is the town clerk who is the returning our souls to Gordon Hall he's Yorkshire Minh he likes living down south and away to the right we can see the Conservative candidate coming out to him there with his hand in his pocket Conservative candidate who is mr. Fred ferry Jones he's a businessman and an aviation expert over on the left here as we go over we'll come to the Labour candidate who is mr. earnest Ashley travel and there he is just taking a second to write mr. gramo who was a barrister whose husband whose wife unfortunately is you know we hope she's watching his broadcast outside the town hall the crowds are gathered together and they're looking up expectantly at the balcony and above the balcony above the world above the main entrance you can see in the moment perhaps the crest of the Watford banner in its inscription horde ntr which means more boldly when other people well certainly well today they went out in horse-drawn coaches to the polls in many cases and thanks but they're wondering what's going to happen because last time there was a three-cornered fight in this constituency there was a Liberal candidate with 2,000 words to his credit although the naval man got him with a majority of 508 this time there was a fourth enemy labor and Conservative candidate what will happen we'd end there or whichever coming back a bit later on now for the meantime we go over to James pest Ridge at Cheltenham well here in Cheltenham it's been a grave a mild day with a few spots of rain that haven't deterred the electorate of fifty one and a half thousand from recording their votes in good number outside this away Edwardian time crowds already gathered and 3/4 of an hour ago the first ballot boxes had arrived and now the crowds getting really warmed up indeed as the result of this election their visitors here as well as residents to this garden spar and the edge of the Cotswolds hmm and I see that they're getting quite a lot of fun and games because the time is being passed from amusement by hearty the clown who's keeping them all in fits of laughter and a bit of singing and then one or two umbrellas up but there's not very much rain coming down at the moment well now inside the Town Hall is a very different scene as in all the other town halls counting is going on and at the tables here the votes are now being sorted into the two candidates and being checked by the political agents on these long tables that look almost like table tennis tables and up on the top of the hall on the stage we have the official on lookers the friends and relations of the candidates and the party representatives and so on and the votes themselves are being put on the to long tables we can see in front of the stage that on the left is James Finnigan the Labour candidate and on the right is major Hicks speech the Conservative candidate and the votes are placed out there in piles piles of 100 and recorded by the recorders so that in due course they'll be able to total very quickly the number of votes that are being cast at the centre table is returning officer the mayor left-hander Colonel Biggs who was just checking through with his acting returning office of the town clerk in his spoil papers or any doubtful papers at all well it went belong now the ballot boxes were been opened and checked and in the meantime I think that we'll go over to Berkeley Smith who's with the roving eye in Wembley and here at Weber town hall a hefty stone throw from the mill Stadium two counts and announcements of results will be made tonight women in North as you see and later Wembley South both of these constituencies are largely residential but they both got considerable mixed industries in the areas a position at the moment at the Wembley North Kant is that the content of the ballot boxes they're being checked for total when that done the papers are jumbled up in a mixer and then they're handed to the counting assistants who sit on the inside of the table as on the right of that table as the tables are laid in a great view around the room they're handed to the counting assistants and as they're checked into bundles of fifty or for any particular candidate so they go across to that central table it's all green baize they call it the caterpillar here and anyone present in the room can see as the counters in progress the state of any individual candidate and the far end you would see the number thirty thousand which is something that any of those candidates their word any loved to have in an hour or twos time they're the tall figure of the Conservative candidate mister fullest he's been the Member of Parliament here since nineteen fifty had a majority of about eight thousand last time and on his to his right in a very gay jumper the new Liberal candidate if we could just go the New Labour candidate this is Jane Phillips a one-time secretary of mister acne and into the right the shorter bigger of the new Liberal candidate lady Abraham's well that is the position at the moment here it will be we think sometime after eleven o'clock the the last time it was eleven twenty two when they was was finally announced so for the moment it's goodbye from the winter Town Hall and back to Richard Dimbleby in the studio well now we've had one or two journeys out time has come for a much longer one to cross the border we're not expecting any particularly early results from Scotland but that is no reason why we shouldn't go over and find out what's doing up there so we'll go up to Glasgow to hear from Desmond right over now from London to Glasgow good evening - there are 71 constituencies in Scotland but we won't be able to show you the results of four of them indeed even when this program is over tomorrow evening because as you can see by looking at the map it's very difficult to bring the valid boxes from that same owl all the way around the Mull of Kintyre to the noon where they're counted or even overland to open and the same difficulty holes of the Western Isles or indeed this vast constituency of Inverness sure the largest constituency in the British Isles which includes Skye and of course particularly of orkney and shetland orkney and shetland as you perhaps know it often in Zetland the father's mercy constituency in the country but we will show on our main grid of 71 constituencies six seven we hope by tomorrow evening now we've divided the country up into five smaller sections the highlands and north of Scotland grid with 18 constituencies which we shall shade in as the evening and tomorrow unfolds the borders from Galloway across of course to barrack and East Lothian on the east coast and then the three grids for the central belt Glasgow with its 15 constituencies and then Edinburgh with its seven constituencies and then outside the two cities the other 27 constituencies in the central belt in Scotland you'll notice that there are 49 constituencies out of the 71 in this central Midland plain before Clyde Valley in other words two-thirds of the people of Scotland live in that area indeed one-third of them live within 10 miles of sake Hall Street Glasgow now I'd like it to make just two brief comments on this general generals strategic situation in Scotland the first is this that you may have an impression of Scotland as let's say a country of Willie Gallagher and Jimmy Maxton you may think of it as red right side in actual fact Scotland is the most stable part of the United Kingdom politically you may remember in 1945 12% there was a swing of 12% in the country as a whole to labour but in Scotland it was only 7% and in Glasgow was only two and a half percent now if one accepts that stability on the one hand one has also to accept the importance of the marginal seats on the other there are a lot of marginal seats not only in Scotland as a whole but particularly in Glasgow and a few in Edinburgh and I would say if you're keeping your eye on reading you might also keep it let's say on a rather Glen or on Kelvin Grove or particularly perhaps on Scott stone meanwhile we should be returning here to see the map tonight and tomorrow meanwhile this is Esmond right in Glasgow I'm putting you over now to Professor Bryn late honours in Cardiff well here in Wales out of a total of 36 constituencies labour held 27 conservatives 6 and liberals 3 by the way it's been raining very hard here since 6 o'clock and I'm sure that will make some difference well now what are we going to be looking for well there are first the six very marginal lab receipts as angles in Murray on earth in the North reckon and rad know Mid Wales and Pembroke and Swansea West in the south the Conservatives are very marginal at Conway and the Liberals at Marvin wear cerise Hopkin Morris had a majority of only four six seven well now if there's a national swing of course Wales will go as well but there are two crossed currents here that you have to allow for the Welsh Nationalist Party is fighting in 11 seats out of 36 and of course there's the influence of lady Megan Lloyd George lady Megan in the last two years has been campaigning vigorously for a parliament for Wales and recently joined the Labour Party now the Welsh nationalists are very strong in certain parts and a small swing towards them might make a big difference in a four-cornered seat there are some observers who say that the influence of lady megan will be exactly canceled out by the vigor of the Welsh nationalists well now the earliest results will fortunately give us a clue Carnarvon is expected early to fall cornered fight and will know something about the strength of the Nationalists and the Liberals there then of course down in the South labour has its big battalions there were nine seats there last time with a majority of over 20,000 and an iron Bevins result is expected fairly early and we'll be able to compare the majorities now with those in 1951 and that would be a very interesting clue well now back to Richard Dimbleby in the studio now to some extent those who are at our various regional points commenting as the commentary you heard a moment ago and those who are in the counting halls are very much involved in the hurly-burly of this election as it goes on and so indeed are we at this nerve center in London it might be a good idea we thought to include in our roundup what's going on a more detached view of everything that's happening so we propose to take you to two men who are sitting in the comparative secures another room in Oxford looking at a television screen just as you are those two men are both historians Alan Bullock and Herbert Nicholas and we're going to meet them in Herbert Nicholas's room in New College Oxford a room that looks out on the lovely gardens of the college so over now to Oxford good evening here we are as Richard Dimbleby says far away from the hurly-burly and over Nicholas's rooms in New College Oxford and here is Herbert Nicholas who's going to be sitting up with us looking at the election results together well Herbert what do you think we've got to look for in the election results what's the first thing they've got to keep an eye out for well Alan although we're so far away from the holy birth the first thing I want to know is of course who's going to win yep naturally but yes but the second thing which has been touched on already in this program is who's how we going to explain this so-called quiet election well your honor given Sir Winston called the 1950 election demure he coined the phrase smart he said this was the most demure election he'd ever known and he's pretty good judge of elections in his time yes now what is this new tool will the result give us any clue well I should have thought we've gotten that far is a number of people voting and if as a rather changed view I thought Lord Wilton and mr. Morgan Phillips now they were saying any idea to a ghost was danger of apathy if because they seem to suggest it's been a heavy poll then I think what we've got to say is are we in fact getting elections which are no longer of the old type in which the vitality of the election was judged by the noise yes but are we in fact getting elections which are quiet but this quiet doesn't in any sense mean apathy it isn't only noise though is it people have said that meetings have been much less attendance of meetings you'd be much smaller well if four million people have been watching television presumably this is a big factor in the election this theory that they're sitting at home quietly making up their minds well a jolly good thing too I don't see why a collection should be judged by the number of issues and scares which it provides for journalists no on the other hand isn't it a good idea for the public to get out and about and exchange views and yes little tin candidates and perturb it you don't believe any more than I do that people make their minds up which way they're going to vote in a three weeks elections are vital they make it up over a period of years so there are some people will make it up during election Kerry and they may settle the fate they may settle the fate but the the vast mass of the people in the country have made their minds up which way they're going to vote before the election camp not true yes I remember being in Germany in September 1953 and looking everywhere with the television camera to find an example of an incident or excitement and there were none at all we couldn't find anything and yet that was wrong as I spelled it gnomes well of course in 50 which was this very first very quiet election it was a pearl of eighty-four percent in fifty one eighty two point five percent yes so perhaps this one will be in the eighties or even the hiatus well we better wait and see what result but the proportion is yeah I think the second thing I I'm interested in looking for is the the size of the majority which the winners secured because it seems to be obvious that if you'll get sufficiently large majority you are in a much better position to conduct the government of the country to smaller majority can India's a mother and cramp the whole business of administration and the management of the House of Commons because is another point about that and that is I think the size of the majority may have a considerable effect upon the character and policy of the parties themselves for instance to give you an example it's been said by many people I don't see whether it's right or wrong that if the Labour Party had a small majority this would mean increased influence for its left wing in the Conservative Party it's been said at a large majority then it would mean that they might change the character of their policy I don't say it's true I wondered what your parties are alike in this we've got a recollection of being conservative in Gardez yeah and we reckon if some small labor model is well series leprosy well now there we must interrupt Oxford I'm afraid because our first result is through we go down immediately from London to Cheltenham and here at Cheltenham the counting has been completed and they're now at the present moment just writing out the final score I think in a moment the returning office of the mayor leftenant Colonel Biggs will get up to make his statement mr. attorney officer it is about to ask the candidates whether they are satisfied with the way in which the count been conducted the figures are being brought up to here now are you satisfied matrix psi mathematician yes I am absolutely satisfied thank over and what will you everybody keep fighting part Lords the results are being announced the all the papers be completely given because the now the mr. demerit Colonel digs the returning officer is about to announce the results who would like to get any rest madman repellent papers have been counted in the final thing is being entered up for the returning officer to read and already outside the crowds are cheering I think news may have leaked out at the result and here's the meddler written on of it I returning officer for Cheltenham hereby give notice that the total number of boats given for each candidate at this election was William might head Hicks Beach twenty four thousand two hundred and fifty nine James Finnigan sixteen thousand six hundred and thirty eight and that William Whitehead Hicks Beach has been duly elected member of parliament for the Cheltenham constituency well news and those applause in here from supporters of both candidates and now I think we must go back to Richard Dimbleby in the London studio well there was our first result and Butler there was a swing to the Conservatives of just over 2% if every constituency in the country behaves as Cheltenham has done there will be a majority of about 115 for the Conservatives over labour and now we take Gil from London straight to sulfur and sulfur we're looking at mr. Donald more the Conservative candidate on the Left - mr. Charles royal the Labour candidate on the right just fishing his tie because the result of sulphate waste is ready there is the town clerk mr. Thornton they're right in the centre mr. Donald more the Conservative candidate led by the mayor aldermen golden they the procession will move out onto the balcony is mr. royal mr. more going out side by side and there you see the illuminated boards on more is conservative loyal labor 55 I judge Henry golden being the returning officer for the solvent West constituency hereby declared that the total number of votes given for each candidate of the election are as follows Henry Donald more 21550 for Charles royal phone buzzing on that Charles Royal I've been duly elected to serve as a member of parliament for the said constituency of salted West and so that means that mr. Charles royal you see waving to his supporters now he won our 3487 in 1951 is now once again the Member of Parliament for Salford West and so with the crowd outside the sulphate art gallery cheering their new member of parliament for Salford West mr. Charles royal the Labour Party's candidate I return you from Salford to the studio in London and here in the studio we have time now I think for some comment from you but on both those results well in Salford and Cheltenham alike the Turner oven votes for labour to conservative was almost exactly the same 2.2 in Cheltenham 2.4 in sulphur and on that basis if the whole country behaves like there to swing up between two and two and a half percent the Conservatives will have a lead over labour at the end with all the results are in if the whole country behaves like that of about 120 seats clear over labour the other notable thing about these two results is that in both of them the turnout was substantially down 8% down I think in so furred and percent down in Cheltenham it does seem this quiet election has produced a lower per million as you see this as the evening goes on now I'm going to make a note of the figure that you've given because I believe in holding experts to their predictions 120 unless something unexpected happens if the rest of the country behaves as sulfur does in the past the country's behaves in an extraordinarily unified way one country's part the country's behaved just like another all right well if it does we'll see what happens I've got the figure down and now I think we might move out of town again let's get some comment on the situation from the Midlands we go now from London out to children mr. ma mr. bear mr. mayor ladies and gentlemen this result in Shelton which I'm glad says an early one will undoubtedly give a lead to the country you have shown in Shelton that you believe in going forward with a conservative ladies and gentlemen I'm glad to say you have decided to go forward in the Conservative Party and not back for the socialists thank you very much indeed legal judgment for a very fair campaign and all I could know I can say I hope very much and that anyone of every party will come and disgust me any problem a war because now I represent all people of children ladies and gentlemen I do thank you or the kind way in which you have received me and jelton out and if you look at the voting you will find we are just about 120 down on the last election and with with the colony of lies and abuse against my character by the conservative body of gentlemen attacks on the Great Pyramid of these country we shall we shall live to fight another day I hope the candidate will not forget the old-age pensioner children and will be one for labour next time now we're back in the studio in London I think but in a moment or two they're going to have a result of our own here while that's on its way through Butler have you any comment to make on the general situation so far what you think well I think I've made stuck my neck out far enough for the time being when four or five results in I'm which arm so worried about the extension of my neck but for the moment I think perhaps I better hold my piece right meanwhile our first results I think we'll just wait a moment until it comes up for you to study here it is a Billerica Essex now this is a seat with a major redistribution the boundaries have been very much changed Bernhard brain was the retiring Conservative member so that mr. Boddy a new member wins the seat the turnout was slightly down from the turnout in the old bill another key division and of course we may be hearing about mr. Burnett Vernon little while because he is standing I believe southeast Essex the adjacent constituency which is part of the old carved up constituency through the distribution now I think we have a moment Bob McKenzie for you to give us some quick indication of the role which you will be playing I may have to interrupt you for a result for the local thing that if it comes through well Richard I'm mainly concerned to look at the long-range trends tonight and the repercussions for the parties and for the next parliament of those trends like David Butler I have no doubt whatever on the two results three results we've had so far that there is a distinct trend the Conservatives and a very considerable conservative majority of at least 100 seems to be in the offing apart from that I'm interested in the fate of certain individuals the powerful the rebellious and the rest and they say now there's quite a list of fairly rebellious characters in the old house who are in danger if this swing continues a number of well-known names including a number of famous people associated with mr. an hour and Bevin are clearly in dangerous and stay hold their seats by very narrow majority Teddy Thompson this question of redistribution we've talked about a bunch of twice already it was something to say yes there is a point I'd like to try and get in my eyes I'm sorry you have it again a moment yeah there is in a moment another is up coming up it is in fact a result we've had already we give it you now as a check you heard yourselves the result in children as it was given in Cheltenham before anybody else here are the figures if you want to write them down or check them again I think if you've got them good now Teddy a continue well if I can get it get it in before the avalanche overtakes it is a practical point is that since the last election there has been a very extensive redistribution of parliamentary seats the effect of it has been to bring the strength of the House of Commons which is being elected now up from 625 or 630 and it's left unaltered only 410 of the old constituencies now the point there is that it's only in respect of those that we're able when our scoreboards come up to give gains and losses because they're the only ones in respect to which you can establish a true comparison the last time so just let's keep that in mind only 410 constituencies are concerned when we put up gains and losses thank you now Butler this question all of so early in the proceedings giving a figure as you did of probable results based on one or two constituencies our early constituents is so important that you can gauge accurately from the early constituencies aren't very different from later constituencies in fact the reason why one can make a pretty good guess early on in the early on in the Proceedings about the final outcome is because we in Burton are perhaps thank God so unified a country that what happens in one part of the country seems to happen in another past election results have shown and extraordinarily even turnover in votes in one constituency near now and another like throughout the concert and so when I gave those there's predictions not prediction statements a moment ago that if the country behave like rest of the country if there is the country behaved like Cheltenham and so furred I merely was saying that if that swing was applied to every other constituency in the country making a little allowance for the redistribution of which Thompson spoke a moment ago then this is the number of seats that would be affected and so we shall see when we've had five or six results I think we really shall be fairly confident about the actual number of seats they're likely to be in the majority is that what's called being a safale gist I've heard that word used about you I gather it's rather controversy it's a somewhat indiscreet word which was coined by my mentor in the study of Elections mr. Harvey McCallum who said we must have a word to describe the study of elections and he invented this word thief ology when the Greeks the ancient Greeks voted in Athens they dropped a pebble in the urn and they called it a Cephas and so there's this word see follow g-p-s e ph o l OG why like psychology with EP instead of YC that's where were these getting results ufologist today sulphur dye think is ready with another result we go straight London to solving and here we're ready with the result of sulphate east that there is the mayor once again going to do his duty all of and George Gould and JP and the candidates here are mr. Frank along labor and mr. John Whiteley conservative and so far it's almost impossible to find one of the candidates in the I can just see mr. Whitely trying to push his way through mr. Whitely the conservative candidate there is mr. Whitely unfortunately swamped by his supporters there's mr. Whitely now just his the back of his head being congratulated by one of his supporters as he goes out onto the balcony and here remember Alan a laborer in 55 i George every golden being returning officer for the solvent East constituency hereby declare to the total number of votes Kim for each candidate of the election are as follows Frank along 20,000 three under the nature wisely 18600 23 and that French alone has been duly elected to serve as Member of Parliament for the Sultan each constituency thank alone has been elected before Salford East a seat formerly held by alderman harder for the Labour Party but alderman Hardy did did did not recon tests because of ill health and now here is mr. Frank alone with his photo facts my spirit is high we won we won thanks to the Magnificent sacrifice of the Labour Party members and we are going to win the general election to let it be a victory for peace and socialism thumbs up to second the vote of thanks I'm his wife my apology the compassion there is a metal seven o'clock so with the wild cheering of the crowd as mr. John Whiteley added honorable fight over the Conservative Party a former councillor in East Salford ways to the crowd is wildly cheering crowd and the news that Salford has returned to Labour MPs we return you to Richard Dimbleby in the studio his deposit I'm afraid make it clear I was not making political comments but merely I'm sorry for anybody who loses 150 pounds or a very Neutron in this programme is my best to keep it but the answer to what happens to deposit is that the government and hence the people get him in the end I think it's rather like police call finds out and if you sure about that have referred to comment anywhere on the table about the situation so far before we go ahead with any more results in fact attending this time does here's a result right across as Manchester must side all right here is a very famous distinguished woman conservative and former minister Dame Florence horse bra she was Minister of Education for three years and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health and she holds this seat which she has occupied for some five years were done be for 14 years before there was conservative majority in 1951 of 10,000 878 Manchester's will ahead of the rest of the country in getting in its results we've now from clear Manchester and moss side Manchester had the results from the two unchanged constituencies in Manchester and the swinging blade clear was about 4% and the swing in Moss Side was 5.8 percent it does suggest Manchester is swinging much more sharply than the rest of Lancashire and indeed than the rest of the country that Thompson well I'm just going to say that we now it might be worth noting we've got two women returned of the 21 who sat in the last Parliament there was mrs. Jagger in London and there's Dame Clarence horse Pro here who is of course one of the best-known of the conservative ladies in the house and now we have party totals again and here they are well as you see the the trend appears for the moment to have been reversed we've got the conservatives now in the lead labor can 1715 labor 12 I don't think really they demand any further comment of this particular stage except to say that that is that is the lead that has now replaced the lead and the last time we saw this table of Labor eight conservatives six thank you by the way if I might ask a general question is this timing of results I'm keeping up an eye on the clock here as I have to is there any any noticeable difference at the time on which we're getting our results now as compared with three or four or five years ago I think we were beating 1951 1950 1950 actually this program went on the air quarter to ten accorded to eleven and we didn't have new results until we've been on the air for 10 minutes of cordovan our it's done last year in 51 they started a good deal early on the first results came about 10:15 thank you now we can go to the west country there's some more information available from Bristol so let's go now London over to Bristol in Southampton the main source of interest has been the test division the etchant division was pretty safe for labour as was shown by the removal of the sitting member from tests to the rather safer Anchorage of itch and as expected later held action by a comfortable indeed an increased majority you will see from our chart that the score in Southampton is we've just had a fresh some news in London so back to Richard Dimbleby on story oh yes the news is the result for Warwick and Limington and in a moment you will see that it is that the Prime Minister the right honourable Sir Anthony Eden holds the seat which he has occupied for 32 years he had a majority in 1951 of 9,000 803 I don't need to give you a resume a of his career I know but I'm sure the batter will have something to say about the majority well this was a very nice compliment paid to cilenti by his constituency and also of course by the returning officer there who had the count on the night so the British public should know soon as possible the face of science need and he has got in by the big swing to him well about the national athlete and now be returned immediately to Bristol who we were forced to interrupt so back again from London to Briscoe to continue the score in Southampton as you will see from the chart is now in 1955 one all it's easy enough of course looking back on the figures to say this change is bound to happen there was a very big redistribution involving about 7,000 electors from test to itchin and another 7,000 from each and to test however the result was just a little bit unpredictable because of the intervention of a Liberal candidate and also because of the growth of a rather large housing estate in the test division if we look at this chart you'll see that the total conservative vote now in 1955 is nearly as big as the Labour Bev but not quite if we look at the swing we find that the swing in Southampton for the two divisions put together it doesn't make sense to take them separately because of redistribution the swing is approximately one and a half percent so the net result in Southampton is that the first gained in the West Country and indeed anywhere has been recorded and the score is one all and now back to Richard Dimbleby and the spheria well there's no further result in at this very moment we might perhaps look at one of our boards for a moment or buckler's waving a small car which means he's got something he can add the situation well I was actually warning you that I believe that very shortly we shall be getting a result and before we got ourselves involved in talking about another thing they were going to be interrupted by the result which you are in a moment going to be talking about the general what he means is as a sort of rustling among the human machinery behind us which tells us something is about to happen so before we do in fact take a spell by looking at the latest total board we will give you a result as soon as it arrives in fact I think it's just here now here it is it's down not this of course is a Northern Irish seat the winner of it follows the retiring member mrs. Patricia Ford it's Mr curry he fought he splint in 1915 again in 1951 another result which follows close behind here's Robert now here a very well-known Labour personality mr. Jack Jones who was sat for five years and five years for Bolton before his parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of supply of three years he holds the seat there was a Labour majority in 51 of 14,000 807 this of course is one of the heavy industrial towns of the West ridings the first result we've heard from Yorkshire and there was a swing to the Conservatives at 2.3 Thompson oh well just to where'd Jack go ins is of course a notable figure in the house he was a steelworker himself and he's a very bust personality they've asked you to let me announce the fact that we have another result coming up at once here it is Manchester Openshaw this is a new seat and it is won by mr. Williams the Labour candidate who set before Ford royal stone that's a seat which disappeared under redistribution by the way so there's no actual comparative figure to give you in the way of majority mr. Williams by the way is a member of parliament who sat before for history Liezel but for five years now here is another result but that I'm sorry Manchester Whittington was followed right on the heels of the other Manchester but this is Sir Robert Kelly who was parliamentary private secretary to mr. Cruikshank the leader of the House sat for 14 years altogether another seat were major redistribution yes was not very much to be said about it turnout down as in the rest of Manchester by 7% in Clayton and 8% in Whittington I would just call attention by the way to that result we saw a member to back in down it is the most overwhelming results with ik Toya's candidate a straight fight I've ever seen with the defeated Captain Victoria's candidate getting no fewer than 97 percent of the vote the defeated candidate getting under 3 percent of the vote and forfeiting his deposit and now there's news that there's a result to be declared at Watford so we take you now from London straight over to water well in fact there is no result at watch it yet but the excitement here is getting absolutely to fever pitch to you as a cliche if you like it you can see on that table the center table where the bundles right back to Richard Dimbleby them back to me for a moment to announce another result in from Lincoln now here I think Butler will explain immediately there's something interesting but yes this is the first result in which labor has improved its position on 1951 the swing to the Labor Party in this election in Lincoln is 2.2 percent now we have in any case of any movement to labor in any constituency yet of the 30 odd that we've had but here we do have a case of a swing to labor perhaps due to the personality I don't know I'm not nobody personnel candidates personality makes great deal of difference perhaps due to the personality of mr. Jeffrey Detroiters are very well liked ex junior minister on the labor side he was of course Undersecretary of the home office and for air another result comes in this time from Liverpool exchange well here's a familiar seat and a familiar member and everybody's now raising their hands mrs. Braddock whom I may perhaps be allowed to call mrs. Betty Braddock who has set for 10 years here a most vigorous campaigner holds the seat against her opponents this is another major redistribution so I can't give a majority compares in comment please on mrs. Bradley well at all mrs. Braddock is one of the very colorful figures in the house a robust alike in physique and in her methods of controversy and there was some dissension I think in the divisional Labour Party in exchange before she was adopted there is another result in to interrupt you Derby South another well-known member to a leading member of the Labour Party and a former Olympic runner mr. Phillip Noah Baker he holds the seats he sat for 21 years altogether and another result again Liverpool top step a minor redistribution here in this in this constituency the acidic member was mr. John Bevins conservative was parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Works he holds the seat the swing of two percent to the Conservatives the first Liverpool result it's comfortable he has another Liverpool result coming up I think now yes from Liverpool Scotland a minor redistribution again the sitting members the David Logan is a a veteran member of the leg of the Labour Party he set for 26 years he's the oldest member of the House of Commons or will be the oldest over the next House of Commons aged 83 it's interesting only two members have represented Scotland since 1885 tpo corner representative from 1885 to 1900 and 29 mr. Logan took over Miss Logan presumably will be there for another four years or so I see there's another result about to come here it is from both conservative majority in 1951 was five thousand two hundred and ninety-six a two percent swing to the Conservatives and the Liberal candidate forfeits his deposit bath often called the queen of the west and from Bath to South port in Southport there was a conservative majority of seventeen thousand eight hundred and fifty three in 1951 so the majority has slightly less for mr. Roger of Fleetwood Hesketh but the turnout is down very much there's actually a swing in the share of the vote to the Conservatives of two and a half percent another result follows Wycombe box here the sitting member mr. John Hall has set for three years this includes the the manufacturing town of High Wycombe and the rural district rounded by the way and it's remarkable for being the biggest conservative gain yet in votes now fewer than six percent of the electorate seems to have moved from Labour to conservative there and the turnout hasn't dropped very much only four percent eighty two and a half percent of the people of Wycombe seem to have gone to the polls me as the conservative majority and 51 was 1753 so you can see that that brings us to date for the moment on our state of results over which I hasten to say we have no control they rush in on us as they come have any comment please after this rush from McKenzie or Thompson on situation as you see it McKenzie well just to recap there the so far only been one seat in which there's been a swing to labor that was a small swing to labor and mr. de freitas see otherwise there's been a consistent swing to the Conservatives ranging from a fraction of one percent up to six percent and more it seems still to need have looked consistently in the direction of a conservative majority of at least a hundred if the developments continue as they are so far I'm the seat he is the sitting member he sat there for two years already this is a residential suburb just north of Liverpool on the coast and now further north urgent news I think from a Glasgow we take you now from our studio straight over to Glasgow well back again in Glasgow here is the third constituency for it to be announced this evening in the Royal Technical College that is of Woodside and at when an seat is sheriff guild who has the papers they're just on the left on the two papers just being brought to him here is sheriff killed I have now to declare the result of the election in Glasgow Woodside Division four mr. grant they're voted nineteen thousand eight hundred and forty six for mr. McKinley fifteen thousand five hundred and forty three the majority is 4303 I have the declare mr. grant has been elected to the Woodside Division of the glass door I would cite division constituency in darker and so the unionist candidate there here's mr. grant has been returned with a doubled majority in Woodside and now back to Richard it will be in London and we're in London we have another Glasgow result since Glasgow to Glasgow here is Glasgow Hill head a major register Oshin the sitting member mr. Galbraith who sat for seven years a conservative whip holds the seat up to redistribution for the conservative dwarf of 10% in the turnout here is London Battersea North a very well-known sitting member mr. Douglas J holds the seat for labor financial secretary to the Treasury economic secretary of the Treasury as well there was a Labour majority in 51 of 16,000 and 70s independent losses is deposited here is Dewsbury in Dewsbury the sitting member mr. william paling asset for 10 years as been here a major redistribution the Liberal candidate this time two very unlucky just loses his deposit by the Harrisburg yes and strip flood in Stratford the sitting member mr. Samuels story was sat in the house for nearly 20 years altogether five years for Stretford holds the seat for the Conservatives having opened up just under 3% for conservatives and newcastle upon tyne east where the sitting member is mr. alpha banking soft was been parliamentary secretary to two Ministries has sat for 10 years and holds the seat for labor bosses holds the seat for the Conservatives he settled together for 24 years conservative majority in 1951 in Maidstone was 6447 he comments to the other side of the table where no well meanwhile I mean while you needn't bother because I just have news that Glasgow is ready to give us some more information but I see that the result is coming meanwhile so we'll just give the result south and west a major redistribution mr. Henry Chanin who sat in the house for 20 years altogether in the Southend area has held the seat for the conservative Miss Heather Harvey a leading liberal figure has saved her deposit 15% of the world and here is Bebbington here the sitting member mr. Hendrie hookshot has set for five years junior whip and he holds the seat for the Conservatives the majority in 1951 that he had was 8421 the first result from the world Peninsula a swing of one and a quarter percent to the conservative now I think we might go from London briefly over to Glasgow to hear what's doing up there to Glasgow well here in the Glasgow studio were very lucky to have got very quickly up from the counting rooms somebody whose faces of course very well known on television but also equally well known in Kelvin Grove he's been there for 31 years I think is that right there and there about yes and you have been returned with an increased majority I think oh yes we've more than doubled the majority and naturally I couldn't be more pleased first of all because we've had a lot of very very very hard for contests in Kelvin group we must interrupt just briefly mr. Walter Ellie up there for Sheffield bright side which has just come in a major redistribution the sitting member labour member holds the seat for labour the Communist forfeits his deposit and also we have a Birmingham Northfield where after major redistribution mr. Donald Chapman the Labour candidate holds the seat for labour I think in a moment we shall probably be returning to Scotland for the discussion there to be continued yes we go back now to Glasgow know another results coming meanwhile I'm so sorry from Northern Ireland del fast Belfast East here the sitting member the Ulster Unionist mr. Alan McKibben who set for five years has held the seat for them you will see here a shin Thames candidate he loses his deposit there's another result too before we return to Glasgow from really Regis and Tipton this is a very famous sitting member mr. Arthur Henderson set to the house for 23 years and after mine redistribution he holds this seat for labor he was Secretary of State for air a Minister of State for Commonwealth relations and Undersecretary of the War Office and for India and the birth so he returns to the House of Commons here comes Burton head labor for geology in 1951 of five thousand two hundred and forty nine and Mister Plessy colic the sitting labor member holds the seat he was joint parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture in the previous living for conservatives of one-and-a-half percent at West Hilton in Lancashire the sitting member mr. Tom Price who sat for four years the trade union official holds the seat for labour in 51 there was a majority of ten thousand six hundred and seventy five mr. Dunn is his opponent was is a market Garmin the swing to the Conservatives of virtually nothing that's a cotton district in South Lancashire just hide away not point one percent now I think we might return for the discussion with mr. Walter Elliot was having which we had to interrupt let us go back from London to of Glasgow well they seem to be gremlins over the Great North Road this evening but anyway we hope you are with us now and right on over water Eliot who is of course with me here was talking about his increased majority well they are saying first of all that we were delighted with it because we've had so many hard-fought battles in Kelvin Grove and I'm especially grateful to although it workers who put in so much effort and who I think are equally glad myself of the result and if they're any of them are watching I'd like to thank them for their chair in it but I think also because this shows at a great industrial community in Scotland has come down decisively on the side of the present government and I think that is very encouraging the feature because industrial Clyde site has been in the forefront of all the difficulties both the political and economic of the past 50 years and is a verdict from Clyde side is well something and I do believe that this ought to be a great encouragement to all who believe in the forward-looking progressive to remove Minh today and you're just one word about the women mrs. Walter Elliot and they done you well I think they've done splendidly well I hear the bell going I'm terribly sorry we must interrupt we've got to go back to London for another announcement back to Richard Dimbleby in London William Clark is there to interview Lord Salisbury on our behalf so let us go over to them now aunt Abby house thank you very much well Lord Salisbury this is I think all first appearance on our television is yes it is but I'm most grateful to you for coming in at this very short notice night well I'd like to ask you one particular question do you think that in the results that you must be feeling fairly pleased with that foreign policy has played a large part in the election campaign yet I think it has played a considerable part as of course first of all the personality of mr. Anthony even himself was well known to join the last yeah there to have performed a great feats of Valor and that particular field and I think the British people people know that he is the best man to entrust foreign policy had to at the present time he and of course mr. Macmillan who will work together but the personality of the prime minister is immensely important and we've up to now had Sir Winston Churchill and you couldn't have anyone better obviously in the whole country and friendly even to succeed him what other issues do you think have been coming up during this campaign of real importance that have given this swing towards Europe I think there's a general view but during the four years nearly four years that we've been in office The Situation's improved the the general run of the people now that they're in some respects things are not so good has been a small comparatively small rise in the course of living yet that has been offset by a greater rise in the standard of living where wages have the rising wages have exceeded the rise of course of course some sell arm and as of evening but things are moving smoothly towards a greater degree of normality and that in itself of course these different body from your relative nosov composition what would you think would be a good working majority what's the minimum good working majority in the Commons well at our difficult for somebody who sits in the more remote atmosphere as Lodge there is to say I should have thought the 50 would be perfectly adequate indeed we as you know we've done on far less in the last three years and any prediction now after watching the results as to what it is likely to be as you'd hope it might be better than a very yeah I think it does look at that wouldn't it that much man well Lord told me thank you very much indeed for coming here and taking part in your first television broadcast well having very happy to go and give my views with their words thank you very much indeed now back to Richard Dimbleby in the studio and back at once to my other half here David Buffalo has some hard information for us well it's the work of the slide-rule experts of my left and they've been trying to check whether they swing over the whole country roughly two percent of London two percent has buried two percent swing farm labour to the Conservatives has buried much with different types of area and in the seaside resorts we've had there has actually been a very slight that swing to the concern to labour in the mining constituencies has been swing to the Conservatives but well under one percent well below the average in Scotland - it's been only about half of what it is in the average and I think there's another result I'll stop on that one there is it's the result from Epsom in Sally the retiring member was mr. Malcolm mccorkadale conservative mr. Rawlinson who succeeded him has held the seat as you see for the Conservatives the conservative majority in 1951 was nineteen thousand seven hundred and forty nine there was a swing there to the Conservatives of two and three quarter percent well above the average again if I can trust this I was little suspicious when I get results which I know include votes and one of the statisticians and this in depth some result does include the result the votes man has actually been calculating the precise amount of swing so I never know quite where he's trying to overweight his own vote in we're either not they know how you voted of course any further comment on Epson from anybody David would you like to continue what you were saying before we had the southern result yes I was drawing attention to the variations in Swain whether it was greater or less in different types of constituency in different parts of the country well in London in the county of London those 42 seats we haven't at all of the main but on based on about 37 of them the or the about 31 unchanged ones the swing is just over 1% again only a little more than half what it has been over the country taken as a whole now one particularly interesting thing is to find out what the effect of liberal intervention has been some people say to Liberals take votes from the Conservatives or from leg well I've been checking on that and it does seem that in constituencies where liberal didn't fight in 51 but intervened this time he did take votes from the Conservatives that is to say the swing against Labour was smaller in those seats were the Liberals intervene in those two conversely in those seats were the Liberals 1451 and didn't fight this time a liberal withdrawal seemed to help the Conservatives so in this election as in 1951 it does seem liberal vote when a liberal stands is taken northern more from the Conservatives than from Labour but it's certainly taken from both sides and I observed that while buffer is talking the total vote board is being made up in the moment of - I think we should be able to see what the new total is and I think I shall spring it upon Bob or Teddy over there to make a comment upon it when the figure is ready after that we might perhaps if you'd like to have a dive out if we can and see what's going on up in that counting hall at Leeds where they're still waiting for them to get to their result they may be some time yet anyway if we see the voting board in a moment talk about that actually didn't be able to find out where the Leeds is ready to take us or whether we will find everybody with their backs turned when we get there Plata Turtles meanwhile very little new here of course on the whole surprisingly few seats have changed hands when you consider there is this average swing to the Conservatives of two percent we can expect rather more of a change of hands in seats today if the Conservatives are to build up the majority which we fairly confidently predicting they will on the strength of the general trends but it looks as if it's neck-and-neck on the right hand column but as we said again and again of course labour needs at this stage of the game to be not one seat ahead as they are but probably 30 or 40 seats ahead if they're to win this election and of course they're not that far ahead one point that strikes me without having the figures in front of me that I've managed to arrange with buckler he's got them in front of him so whether the timing of results coming in this morning today is showing any great change from 1951 as a layman I was expecting to see something very much quicker but of course they were much quicker last night look I think the party total votes are up which would be interesting to see go ahead in the olden s um there you see now we're getting up 15 and a half million not many things in this morning the party proportions the same as when we last showed this board 50% the Conservatives 47% for labour actually the same as when they showed I think about three o'clock in the morning and seven three-quarter millions are getting on for votes for the Conservatives and seven and getting on getting on for seven and a half millions for labour the Liberals still the 300,000 with about half the results in from constituencies where liberal candidates for standing just a hundred thousand votes for the others and actually a considerably less than one percent of the vote for them but we didn't bother you with any collections on that board I think it's got enough on it so they ordinary 10-inch television screen as it is now let's come back a moment from vote totals to this question of time in it yes it is interesting last night they went much faster they did in 51 and we really planned our operation to some extent on the way they came in in 51 and we did manage to keep our heads above water but only just last night well this morning was so far they've been coming in while slowly by this time in 51 we got I think that three results in four results in who I get on the multiple really had or the enough and Lancaster Lancaster came out just before ha Paz Ted last time came out about half-past ten this morning and it was followed very closely by like it which came out this time I had last time at about quarter to eleven has come out by four to eleven also by this time we got the result in from below the key but that was counted last night in this year low was last night we're not on the second day as it was back in 51 then the epsom division of Sally yes that we have had in that suppose the third result we had in this morning and then oddly enough came in it almost exactly the same times the minute as it came in this morning but looking ahead by twelve o'clock eight more results and come in in 1951 the interest to see whether in this respect 1955 can be done 51 that you call that progress meanwhile I'm progress have propel progress a result is on its way in I will just hold our horses for a second it's not convenient incidentals to go over the leads just at the moment anyway so that the best thing we can do is to get this more vital information which we shall have with us very shortly just coming up now Nottingham West for now here is a new seat which has been won by mr. Tom O'Brien set for five years here in its previous form and for West Nottingham for five years before straw bran let me say is a well-known trade union official he's the general secretary of napkin as it's called in the cinema industry the National Association of theatrical and kanae employees and the recent chairman two of the tea you see so Tom O'Brien has Nottingham West for labor his majority is enormous lead on in last time when he stood in not in the northwest that has been a considerable change either he is one the most flamboyant characters I'd like to hear what Thompson has to say about Tom well I mean component does it I think he is a Tom O'Brien is a very colorful figure a very forthright controversy list who can't be relied upon to tell any line he's done some very sensational things but he's a very on the whole well respected figure in the trade union movement and has of course recently been chairman of the tea you see the other point I wanted to make was that this is the first nottingham result and I think David you agree that nothing is our most interesting of the redistributed areas Andy and we are interrupting I'm sorry party totals are in and you'll see for the first time we have a dead heat here yes no doubt battle you can explain whether they had any great significance I don't think it has any great significance is only confirming what we all along said was more or less bound to happen if this times results to them resembled last times the Conservatives as the county divisions came in were bound to pull ahead labor hasn't had any results in so far this morning except this last one which I don't think is may not be included in this turtle the Conservatives have had three results in from County divisions mainly inside the Isle of Ely major Henry a leg Burke conservative the sitting member holds the Isle of Ely for the Conservatives in 1951 the conservative majority was 6404 a swing of just half a percent to the conservative here is swansea east here the sitting member mr. David Morton sat in the house for 17 years holds the seats for labour after a minor redistribution I can't give you an earlier majority figure that it was a very smaller distribution the earlier majority I think was 21,000 his majority does seem to gone down about four thousand just a small change in Ward bounders and Swansea I believe was a 72% purl there as to say 10 percent docking number people going to the pearl in swansea east another results in from Kent sits Faversham here in Faversham there is a consent equality Qasim where the sitting member mr. Percy Morris have set for 10 years holds the seat for labour now back to your point if you like well I have a summer it's the first conservative game over there there's urgent news from Leeds we take you now straight from London to Leeds 939 I declare mr. Hill a duly elected PT's was Benny's Healy's socialist 26,000 and 83 Sydal Chapman conservative 21,000 144 a Labour majority of 4939 and so with that Labour victory in Leeds East back to Richard Dimbleby in the studio we have another results here effect to all waging now here is Sudbury Woodbridge in Suffolk where John hare conservative was the vice chairman of the Conservative Party Lord Bolton's deputy holds the seats for the Conservatives the conservative majority in 1951 was 5952 the liberal forfeits her deposit and in Newark Nottingham sure a major redistribution and the sitting member mr. George Diehr holds the seeds for labour he's been in the house for 20 years I thought we distribution make the difference that's eternity well it's now gone up early they're conservative leaders now I got up about 50 to 52 176 173 results still to come on today they haven't actually yet caught up with that change in Faversham on the scoreboard I know that darkness next time we go to it another result is in from Essex chick walk this is a new seat and it has been won by mr. John Biggs Dolson Davison sorry the Conservative candidate who fought south Coventry and 51 she was partly made up of Woodford's Winston Churchill division which has been redistributed and here is Murray and down the sitting member James Stewart Secretary of State for Scotland conservative whip from set for 32 years holds the seats for the Conservatives the 1951 conservative majority was five thousand three hundred and ninety four percent swing to the Conservatives and million now Canterbury Kent in Canterbury the sitting member mr. list at Thomas conservative force after two years he holds the seat for the Conservatives in 1951 the conservative majority was fourteen thousand and eighty nine one and a half percent swing to the Conservatives he is the son by the way of the late mr. JH toss another result Ian from Devon so this time it's givethem and here the sitting member mr. heft got a memory of set for 10 years Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and food and other minister at ministerial jobs before that holds the seat for the Conservatives the 51 majority for conservatives was ten thousand four hundred and forty eight a one percent swings for conservatives down south one from Northern Ireland now captain Lawrence or Ulster Unionists to set for five years holds the seat for the Ulster Unionists or for the Conservatives there was a shin pain candidate as received this isn't like North town where the conservative got 97 percent of the vote and the shin pain candidate only got three percent the most fabulous straight fight result I've ever seen in any English election statistics of this century now that brings us for one moment taking breath up with results but here as an ala straight away a Salisbury Wiltshire the sitting member mr. John Morrison loose after 13 years old Salisbury for the Conservatives conservative majority in 1951 was 5412 the Liberal candidate keeps his deposit here is Peterborough Northamptonshire and in Peterborough the sitting member mr. Harmon Nicholls holds seat for the Conservatives he sat for five years he's a parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and food this I think was a marginal seat after to majorities under well either yes here is Essex South East a new seat which has been won by mr. Bernard brain conservative who cept for Billerica for five years before this lovers out from Essex it is Molden efforts here mr. Harrison the oh here there is a conservative gain from labour the retiring member was mr. tom driberg well-known labour member mr. Linton's cuts succeeded him and has been defeated by mr. Harrison conservative the Labour majority in 1951 was a small one 704 one and a half percent swing to the Conservatives made that difference in Mauldin and here is the Isle of Wight the Isle of Wight so Peter McDonald well-known conservative member of set for 31 years hold the Isle of Wight for the Conservatives the 1951 conservative majority in the island was twelve thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine after the Isle of Wight we come to Stafford and Stone County constituency of Staffordshire the son of Lord Lovat you'll Fraser Conservative member were set for 10 years in the households this for the Conservatives there was a majority in 1951 to the Conservatives of 6046 swing the Conservatives of almost three and a half percent in Stanton's turned to mr. Hugh Fraser now although there's a momentary Falls I know that other results are shortly to be on the way is any my oldest paid the space fuel right is anybody not to take 10 seconds for cancer well just on Malden of course it was one of the most hotly contested constituencies in the whole area of East Anglia much interest in it held formally by tom driberg who had a great personal following now been lost by labour here is Huffaker east where the conservative sitting canada mr. Derek Walker Smith chairman of the Conservative backbenchers Committee the 1922 Committee holds the seat for the Conservatives it's a new Cygnus and straight on I'm afraid no comment there McKinsey much as you'd like to carefully Glamorgan where the sitting member mr. Ness Edwards was personal Aston General and parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Labour and national service holds the seat for labour in 1951 the Labour majority was 21400 something wrong with those figures I just warned people here - yes this is don't tally with all right well we can see on carefully we'll move on straight away anyway to Charlie in lecture Charlie Lancashire the sitting member get its back the sitting member mr. Clifford Kenyon labor holds the seat for later there was a 1951 labor majority of 583 this is a marginal seat some people thought would change hands they are firmly in now we have urgent news from Leeds who take you once again for London over the leads and here's the James poised Dale the Lord Mayor of Leeds with the final Leeds result Leeds West it's penile labour highly conservative Hudson liberal so panel is never highly conservative when little mr. Thomas Charles panel twenty four thousand five hundred and seventy six but mister for alderman Joseph highly eighteen thousand three hundred and twelve mr. Howell Hudson 3699 I declare mister panel duly elected and so the Labour Party has won four of the six seats and as mr. Pennell makes his address to the large crowd we say goodbye to from Leeds and return you once again to Richard Dimbleby in the studio another result seen in the studio this is Habra in Leicestershire a major redistribution here sitting member mr. John Bulldog conservative holds the seat for the conservative liberal improves his position on last time and says his deposit by a fairly narrow margin this time in Uxbridge Middlesex a marginal seat the Labour and cooperative sitting member mr. Frank Bezeq continues to hold the seat for labour in 1951 labour in quality of 1548 there was a marginal seat that might well have changed hands it hasn't and this may affect people's estimates the final majority here is Bedford sure Bedford sure mid a minor redistribution the sitting member mr. Alan Lennox Boyd Secretary of State to the Colonial Office and formerly Minister of Transport Civil Aviation holds the seat for the Conservatives there's urgent news now from Glasgow we will go straight away from London over disaster yes I'm sorry I'm wrong we stared this out so we don't go to Glasgow so we'll turn out the red light up there sorry East Charles Doughty conservative sitting member banisters held the seat for years holds it against his opponent also a barrister 1951 conservative majority majority was 23 thousand nine hundred and ten 1.9 percent swing almost two percent swings the Conservatives in east Sun here is Lenexa north Glen action off the sitting member Miss Margaret her Burson a leading woman member of the Labour Party a broadcaster to the set for 10 years and was joint Undersecretary of State for Scotland holds the seat for labour there was a 1951 labour majority of 6300 and 400 a change in the proportion since 1951 we move straight on to a sterling show West in sterling Sean West where there was a minor redistribution the sitting member laborers to Alfred Balfour sat for 10 years he holds the seat for labour here is another Scottish result Perth and East Prefecture yeah sure and here the sitting member Colonel Allen Gong Duncan conservative sat all together the house to ten years holds the seat for the Conservatives but - did better than the Labour Party one that's extremely interesting there he comfortably saved his deposit stoke-on-trent central the sitting member dr. Ballard Strasse labour set for 10 years in the House after minor redistribution keeps the seat for labour we now have the party tokens yes well the the conservative lead is now going up again to 54 we move straight on now to the next result which is waiting stoke-on-trent North stoke-on-trent nor minor redistribution mrs. Harriet Slater the Labour and cooperative sitting member holds the seats before late here is Leeds East in Leeds East a new seat mr. Denis Healey a backbench labour expert on Foreign Affairs has the seat for labour he was formerly sat for lead southeast for three year there's announced on sound already so it is that was checked result yes here is stoke-on-trent South a minor redistribution here and the sitting member mr. Ellis Smith parliamentary secretary of the board of trade at one time holds the seat for later in other results I think here in one moment so we will just stand by and wait for it for a second Kenzi do you want to fill in with that what you were going to say well many results ago I want to comment on the reelection of Derrick Walker Smith you referred to him as chairman of the 1922 committee and that tends to be a rather mysterious body to most people with an odd title actually it's the body which represents the entire group of conservative backbenchers it's the equivalent to the parliamentary Labour Party - the front bench - the the cabinet ministers on the conservative side thank you very much sorry the explanation is brief there's urgent news from Glasgow now we take you from London straight over to Glasgow and there is a sheriff principle of class class gentlemen I have to repair the result of the election in brother blood mr. Richard Charles broom and white 19141 mr. Gilbert McAllister seventeen thousand and forty majority 2101 either for de terre I hope the cowardice of women right remember for rather the unionist Fr retain the Rutherglen seed and I hand you now back to Richard it will be in the studio north hence south south Northamptonshire in other words the sitting member here is original Manning on Buller Attorney General who was Solicitor General before he holds a seat for the conservative many people I know excitement is now mounting very strongly well that shows in a conservative lead of 75 over Labour 85 seats still to come 9 seats to appear on the delegate to the Conservatives yeah is love in Lincolnshire the sitting member of mr. Cyril Osborne conservative holds the seat he said 10 years here 1951 conservative majority was 5,000 768 immediately behind it comes I can never pronounce it but elaborate and Larry thank you I always want to say Abbot iller II in Monmouthshire here the sitting member is the Reverend Ellen Williams he holds the seat for labor the 1951 David majority was twenty four thousand nine hundred and seventeen Taverna just saves his depositing ever to lay on it my amyloid on that you are I think yes air sure South - uh south from Scotland the sitting member is mister Emrys Hughes are well known and very lively debate or in the House of Commons or held his seat for labor the 1951 labor majority over seven thousand eight hundred and thirty six swing of one percent to labor in South Asia straight on to Kettering in Northamptonshire the acidic member here mr. Gilbert mitchellson labor set to 10 years holds the seat for labor the 1951 label majority / 6827 of one percent the Conservatives in Koechlin here comes a Scottish result it's stirlingshire east and clack Manon where the sitting member is mr. Arthur would burn a most respected labor member the leading Scottish personality in the house who sat here for 16 years was once the Secretary of State for Scotland the Labour majority here he keeps the scene for labour of course was 19 1951 was 7,500 and four and each got exactly the same share of the pole as they got in 1951 I think at any moment we should have another look at our party totals we must keep a close watch on them now because the figure is mounting towards the necessary ultimate terminal thereafter so the total go the way in which our experts believe it will we should be watching for majority figures the situation in the House of Commons today we might look at that now yes well well there it there it is creeping along as we've expected it to do it reflects the the latest figures we've just been looking at really I don't think there's very much more one can elaborate on at the moment except to point to the diminishing gap there in the corner of the white conservative side every square up sending five seats and to wonder exactly how soon it'll be before that fills up as it clearly must now now we wait as a moment to reports now before we come to further results there you have the situation in the House of Commons it might be just the interesting if I were to interject there if there's a split second to do it in there somebody mentioned the position of the speaker there is rather interesting point there which may not be generally known that the Speaker of the House of Commons of course like all other members of the House of Commons ceases to be an MP at the dissolution solves Parliament all of all the members seats avoided automatically including that of the speaker but he does not cease to be Speaker of the House of Commons he retains certain functions which confer upon him the special status even although he's no longer an MP it's another result cruising along on its way towards us I think which we will wait for meanwhile here it comes it is from Wiltshire it's Chippenham here the sitting member is David Eccles Minister of Education and then Minister of Works who holds the seats which he's occupied now for 12 years for the Conservatives the 1951 conservative majority was four thousand eight hundred and seventy eight the liberal saves his deposit there by relatively narrow margin margin and as a swing of two and a quarter percent to the Conservatives to us a David Eccles compared to the last result the result last time he must get him good near to that critical 315 seat jos denotes a clear conservative majority in this election another result is in its from Litchfield and Tamworth Staffordshire a major at redistribution here the sitting member mr. Julian snow a government whip and vice Chamberlain of the household holds the seat for labour the meeting was to blow by margin bigger than last time immediately behind it comes Ashford in Kent the sitting member William deeds parliamentary secretary a junior minister parliamentary secretary Ministry of Housing a local government for Ashford Kent holds the seat for the Conservatives the 1951 conservative majority here was 7,000 448 slightly above average during the Conservatives I believe the only time to watch our party totals again you think well we'll take well here they are well you see here we go that represents what 75 doesn't get a lead of 75 lead hasn't altered since the last showing its benefactor a ting very narrowly about 75 for a half an hour while that party took the board remains there for a moment David would you make it clear for everybody to establish a leave and a government the figure which is now increasing has to reach 350 yes a clear majority is 315 if we exclude the speaker than those 639 seats in the House 315 is just one more than half of that yeah we see the figures going up there interestingly and now we've got whatever it is there's a result mayor the news out there is really coming from Suffolk and an important results from the start in first off the sitting member mr. Everett Evans labor the set for ten years holds the seat for labor the 1951 des Beaux majority was very small here 847 yes this was the last of the seats I do your attention to about half an hour ago as a marginal seat that would be coming up and worth watching I haven't on my list any unchanged marginal seats which seem very likely to change hands and the results to come another result is here now how North Kingston upon Hull North full title a major redistribution here the sitting member mr. austin hudson conservative or set for five years has held this seat for the Conservatives and many people thought this seat would be lost to the Conservatives because of the distribution there was a 78% purl there Mr Hudson mr. Kord who fought each other in 51 Airport again on morphine will go on from mr. Ford but it wasn't quite painful enough and mr. Ford is out by a majority of 590 I think we're just super tight on this results now even if you wait this is an exciting moment we mustn't miss it here comes another result it's from the far north from Gateshead North East I mean Gateshead East where there was a major redistribution mr. Arthur moody a Labour candidate of set in the house 10 years has held this seat for later this is the south bank of the time opposite Newcastle possible at the seat mrs. Ely our consent for once here's a result from Meriden which incidentally you known as the very center of the very heart of England for Meriden Warwickshire a new seat which has been won by mr. mas for labour this was one of the new seats which was really marginal many people thought that it would go conservative but Labour holds it by an adequate majority I think there's a result now on its way from across the border again which we will hold on for here it comes it is from Midlothian a new seat again which has been one for labour by mr. David prime he was formerly a mine arms de pride I've done some very interesting calculations here which I think are really really important of the seat still to come it's not possible because of the distribution say exactly but it does seem that they are about even between the parties that is to say the concern if there's not much swing in those seats then the parties won't change their majority relative to each other much on the 19-yard results we still got to come in so perhaps we are seeing something good in near to the final majority on the present score of ordinary next go to it

Channel: chris latimer

Views: 27,469

Keywords: bbc, general election, anthony eden, part 1, labour, liberal, dimbleby

Id: jvvLblcjIkM

Length: 112min 42sec (6762 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 30 2013