332:'s famous response. In the aftermath of the 1981 riots in Handsworth and Brixton, Tebbit responded to Picton's suggestion that rioting was the natural reaction to unemployment by telling the Conference I grew up in the '30s with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.' This response was the origin of the slogan "On yer bike!".
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Conservative Party, joined those pressuring the prime minister to reverse herself and approve tough sanctions against South Africa at a meeting of seven
Commonwealth nations next week." Picton was quoted as saying; "...economic, strategic and political interests all require us to impose substantial sanctions against South Africa
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Picton believed that unless the issue was confronted, the Young
Conservative movement 'could suffer serious political and structural damage.' Picton attacked the National Front, calling them racists. 'They are dangerous, they are pro-racist where we are anti, and they are anti-democratic where we are
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reported: 'The
National Chairman of the Young Conservatives, Mr Iain Picton is convinced that there is a problem and that action has to be taken to tackle it.' Picton stated: If I ever find any evidence of National Front infiltration, I shall move everything to make sure these people are thrown out.'
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Picton returned to the theme of decaying inner cities and the risk of rioting in 1985 with a Tory Reform Group press-release calling for a rejuvenation of city centres which were "embarrassingly tatty, unkempt and in part positively slum-like." and suggested it might take another riot to get the
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In May 1985, the Tory Reform Group criticised the
Government's handling of unemployment and Picton's press release on the issue was referred to in Prime Minister's Questions. At the 1985 Conservative Party Conference he clashed again with Norman Tebbit, who dismissed activists' concerns as being
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The Young
Conservatives took a leading role in calling for the Government to do more for young unemployed and charged another National vice-chairman, Peter 'Chalkie' White with the responsibility of developing the YC's stance, resulting in a policy paper "Britain's Youth – What Future?" Picton
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After the
Conservative defeat in the 1974 General Elections, the Conservative Party created a number of staff positions charged with building relations with elements of the community the Party considered vital to its electoral success, such as voluntary groups and ethnic minorities. Picton was
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In 1986 Picton criticised the
Conservative Government's reluctance to join other Commonwealth countries in imposing sanctions against South Africa. Speaking on behalf of the Tory Reform Group. The Associated Press reported: "The Tory Reform Group, to the left of Mrs. Thatcher in her governing
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In 1987 Picton published a Tory Reform Group pamphlet: Building One Nation: why the 'Alliance' has nothing to offer', a detailed argument why One Nation Tories should remain the
Conservative Party to realise their objectives and not join the SDP.
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between 1970 and 1975. Liverpool
University FCS was dominated by the moderate faction in the Conservative Party and a major player in the Students' Union. He became the sabbatical President of Liverpool Students Union and a delegate to the
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referred to 'particular worries' about some
Federation of Conservative Students branches which 'sent a delegation containing students with skinhead haircuts, braces and union-jack badges to the federation's conference.'
320:, who, prior to a meeting between Picton and the Prime Minister wrote: "can the unspeakable Iain Picton come quarter of an hour early?...I gave him a drink at the House last night. He is bearded and unemployed".
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Under Picton's Chairmanship the National Young Conservatives sought to counter the influence of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament attempts to influence Young Conservative Branches and established
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Candidate, Jim Merrick. Merrick was a former Conservative Councillor from Bradford who had been expelled by the Conservatives in 1970 and gone on to found the British Campaign to Stop Immigration.
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Young Conservatives Hertfordshire. Picton became Chairman of the North West Area Young Conservatives in 1978 and served two terms as National Vice-Chairman of the Young Conservatives, first under
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worries about presentational issues. Picton said: "When Conservatives say presentation, they often mean policy. People are really worried.' He was backed by Northern Ireland Secretary
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Government to act. The cover of the Tory Reform Group's magazine 'Reformer' reproduced newspaper cuttings of the Birmingham Handsworth riots with the headline: 'The Nation in Peril?'
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with a majority of 1,200 votes over his nearest challenger (SDP). Picton served one term as Councillor and was succeeded as Conservative Councillor for the St Leonard's ward by
36:. He rose to become a National Vice-Chairman of FCS (1974–75) on the moderate ticket and was elected to the Finance Committee of the NUS, the first Tory in two decades.
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Unemployment and compassionate Conservatism remained a theme after Picton's chairmanship of the Young Conservatives and he returned to it when elected chairman of the
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19:(31 August 1951 – 9 August 1991) was a political activist in the Conservative Party, representing the One Nation tradition Toryism, and a television producer.
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recruited to head up the Youth & Community position in the North West Region of England, working under the Area Agent, David Smith from 1975 to 1979.
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Picton grew concerned with signs of organised extreme right wing infiltration and collaboration with them by sympathisers in the Conservative Party.
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listed examples of National Front links in Coventry, West London, Petts Wood, South Shields, Preston and the Solent area of Hampshire.
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At the 1981 Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool, it was Picton's contribution to the debate on Unemployment, that provoked
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stated: 'So far we have only discovered a handful of people but they appear to be working to some sort of a strategy.'
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352:: "I sometimes think the modern Conservative party lacks understanding and that compassion has become a dirty word".
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Iain Picton stood as a Conservative Candidate in the 1982 Lambeth Council elections and was elected for
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British Universities Film and Video Council Conservative conference – Unemployment debate 1981
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Picton was regarded with disdain by many on the right of the Party including Thatcher's PPS,
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61:. The election witnessed clashes between Young Conservatives and the supporters of the
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Associated Press: Anti-Apartheid Demonstrators pelt Thatcher's car, 1 August 1986
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Telegraph: Young Tories expel Front Infiltrators, Nicholas Comfort, 25 May 1981
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stepped up his criticisms of the Conservative Government's attitude after the
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In the 1979 General Election Picton stood as the Conservative Candidate in
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Federation of Conservative Students and National Union of Students
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Ricketts, Ronald (26 May 1981). "Young Tories fear Nazi Coup",
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Margaret Thatcher Foundation Archives: P and Q's 16 May 1985
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Picton was active in the Liverpool University Branch of the
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634:Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
40:Conservative Party Youth and Community Officer
417:The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1979
408:National Young Conservative Report 1981 to 82
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639:Councillors in the London Borough of Lambeth
490:National Young Conservatives Report 1981–82
499:National Young Conservative Report 1981–82
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569:"Tory group warns over 'tatty Britain'"
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567:Trotter, Stuart (19 August 1985).
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256:Right-wing infiltration
49:Parliamentary candidate
17:Iain Sutherland Picton
250:British Youth Council
70:General Election 1979
607:LSE Library Services
269:The Daily Telegraph
262:The Daily Telegraph
234:Young Conservatives
228:Young Conservatives
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372:Combatting the SDP
311:1981 Toxteth riots
304:Youth Unemployment
232:Picton joined the
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629:1991 deaths
624:1951 births
423:07230 02258
391:John Bercow
298:Phil Pedley
282:Phil Pedley
165:J. Merrick
125:J. Connell
104:Cyril Smith
72:: Rochdale
59:Cyril Smith
618:Categories
397:References
242:Bob Hughes
145:I. Picton
80:Candidate
350:Jim Prior
244:and then
238:Knebworth
178:Majority
55:Rochdale
318:Ian Gow
208:Liberal
192:Turnout
128:16,878
108:22,172
99:Liberal
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296:under
198:73.66
181:5,294
148:9,494
121:Labour
83:Votes
77:Party
216:Swing
184:10.8
151:19.3
131:34.3
111:45.0
419:ISBN
211:hold
171:1.4
168:690
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