That lot over there!

I thought I’d note the death of ultra-Thatcherite former Tory MP David Evans last week.

He was the MP for Welwyn Hatfield in the late 80’s and early 90’s but Luton people will remember him as the controversial chairman of Luton Town Football Club. Do LTFC have anything other than controversial chairmen?

One of the more, er, colourful figures of politics during the Thatcher period he was an almost stereotypical working class Tory. I remember him at PMQs asking Maggie to comment on some achievement of the Conservative Government and then, waving dismissively at the opposition benches, shouting in his rough accent how this was very unlike “that lot over there”. Cue lots of cheering and roaring on both sides.

Evans sort of symbolised the change in the Tories under Thatcher that sought to replace the dominance of the gentry within the party with that of self-made upwardly mobile types. While I wouldn’t really want more people with the views of Evans in the Commons, in these days of Eton toffs and Bullingdon Club members you have to wonder whether things are going backwards.

You can read the obituary of Evans from the Guardian here.

This content was originally posted on my old Process Guy blog.