The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Darlington By-election
Five hours on a coach for the stalwarts of Walsall's Labour Party on an away day to campaign in far off Darlington.
From the collection of:
Overview
The strength of any political party can be judged, not only on its leaders, but also on those vital foot soldiers willing to get up at five in the morning to campaign for their party in far flung areas (well, in this case, Darlington). Rob Whitehouse joins high spirited members of the Walsall Labour party, as they travel north to rally support for their cause in a vital 1983 by-election.
The Darlington by-election was an important one for Labour who were keen to halt the recent rise of the SDP. The SDP, however, ran a poor campaign and Labour retained the seat under Oswald O'Brien only to lose it three months later at the General Election when Michael Fallon won for the Conservatives.
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