Back in the Autumn of 1981, not long after David Steel had told us to go back to our constituencies and prepare for government, the 14 year old me was pretty excited when Bill Pitt won the Croydon North West by-election.
I remember that much as I loved Shirley Williams, I was quite glad that he hadn’t caved and let her stand there. Maybe there was a wee bit of Awkward Squad in me even then.
Anyway, for a while I did think the Liberal/SDP Alliance might just form the next government. The June 1983 election was my first lesson in the perils of believing your own hype.
Anyway, a week ago today, Bill Pitt died aged 80.
Today’s Telegraph has an obituary of him:
Pitt began as a Tory, chairing South Norwood Young Conservatives in 1959-60, but soon afterwards joined the Liberals. He went on to chair the London Liberal Party and serve on the party’s national executive.
He fought Croydon North West in the February and October 1974 elections and again in 1979, losing his deposit with his vote more than halved to 4,239.
Nothing suggested it would be worth Pitt’s while trying again, but when Robert Taylor, the sitting Conservative MP, died, he was quickly readopted as candidate. Heavy pressure was brought on constituency officers to let Mrs Williams fight the seat instead, but the Liberal Party Council stood by Pitt, and he fought the seat as a “Liberal with SDP support”.
It was during Pitt’s campaign that the term “Alliance” was coined – and it stuck as the parties swept to victory in a string of by-elections.
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