Canvassing For The Local Elections

Anglia TV news item; Ahead of the November 1962 Norfolk Central By-Election, Harold Wilson speaks on behalf of the Labour candidate Geoffrey Bennett, and interview with Maxwell Goode, Liberal candidate.

Speaking on behalf of the Labour Candidate Geoffrey Bennett, Shadow Foreign Secretary Mr Harold Wilson says that it is a very serious thing that Britain can only expand production for a short period before running into crisis. He claims it is partly because of an unplanned economy. He then claims that the position of the Labour Party on the common market is clear: they are quite prepared to enter it if they get reasonable terms for British agriculture and for their partners in the European Free trade Association. He claims that reasonable terms are also needed to ensure that a British government, Labour or Tory, will be able to do the planning necessary to safeguard full employment, still have an independent foreign policy and above all safeguard trade with the commonwealth. He says that if they get those conditions Britain will be ready to enter Europe. However, he feels the country is not getting the conditions the Labour Party have laid down and the government promised to achieve. Chris Rainbow interviews the Liberal candidate, Maxwell Goode, asking him what issues he’ll be fighting the campaign on. He replies that many people in the constituency of central Norfolk believe they are being left behind. The Liberal party feel that the basic industry of agriculture has been badly neglected. He thinks that the atmosphere of the whole constituency is linked to this industry and so the Liberal Party is the right party to represent the people of central Norfolk as they believe in the freedom of the individual and that people count. This is extremely important in East Anglia, particularly in the fringe areas and their battle to be incorporated with the city. Goode rates his chances of success as extremely good and thinks they will win this Norfolk Central By-Election.

Keywords

By Elections; Common Market; Commonwealth; the Conservative Party; European Economic Community (EEC); Foreign Policy; the Labour Party; the Liberal Party; Politicians; Prime Ministers.

Background Information

James Harold Wilson (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976. In the Labour Shadow Cabinet, he served first as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1955 to 1961 and then as the Shadow Foreign Secretary from 1961 to 1963, when he was elected Leader of the Labour Party after the sudden death of Hugh Gaitskell. Wilson narrowly won the 1964 election. The Norfolk Central by-election, was held on 22 November 1962. The results were:- Mr IHJ Gilmour (Conservative & National Liberal) 13,268; Mr G Bennett (Labour) 13,048; Mr G M Goode (Liberal) 7,915; Mr K Colman (Independent Liberal) 909; Mr J Andrews (Independent) 79. Ian Gilmour was elected as Member of Parliament for Central Norfolk, winning by 220 votes.