David Penhaligon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Penhaligon
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|---|---|
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| President of the Liberal Party | |
| In office 1985–1986 |
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| Leader | David Steel |
| Preceded by | Alan Watson |
| Succeeded by | Des Wilson |
| Liberal frontbench team | |
| In office 1985 – 22 December 1986 |
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| Leader | David Steel |
| Member of Parliament for Truro |
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| In office 10 October 1974 – 22 December 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Piers Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 June 1944 Truro, Cornwall, England, UK |
| Died | 22 December 1986 (aged 42) Probus, Cornwall |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse |
Annette Lidgey
(m. 1968) |
David Charles Penhaligon (born 6 June 1944 – died 22 December 1986) was a British politician from Cornwall. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Truro area from 1974 to 1986. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the House of Commons, which is part of the UK Parliament.
David Penhaligon was a very well-liked person by people from all political parties. Many believed he had the potential to become a leader of the Liberal Party. Sadly, his life was cut short in a car accident. In 2014, a special fundraising campaign was started to remember his important work and the impact he had.
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Early Life and Education
David Penhaligon was born in Truro, Cornwall, on 6 June 1944. This was on D-Day, a famous day in history. He grew up in Truro and was a cousin of actress Susan Penhaligon.
He went to Truro School and then studied mechanical engineering at Cornwall Technical College. After college, he worked as an engineer for a company called Holman Brothers. They made rock drilling equipment.
An interesting fact about David Penhaligon is that he was also a part-time DJ in Truro. In 1964, he even met a 14-year-old Roger Taylor, who later became the drummer for the famous band Queen. This happened at a music event in Truro City Hall.
By 1973, David became a qualified Chartered Mechanical Engineer. He also took over a small post office in Chacewater from his father in 1967. After he married Annette Lidgey in 1968, she took over running the business. His involvement with the Liberal Party also led him to do some work in local radio.
Starting in Politics
David Penhaligon decided to join the Liberal Party in 1963. He became a leader for the Young Liberals in Truro and helped make the local party much stronger. He was also the chairman of the Cornish Young Liberals from 1966 to 1968.
However, he wasn't chosen to be the Liberal candidate for Truro in the 1966 general election. He was also turned down for another area, Falmouth and Camborne, in 1968. Some people thought his strong Cornish accent might not be popular.
In the 1970 general election, he ran for election in the Devon area of Totnes. He didn't get many votes, but he gained valuable experience in how to run an election campaign.
Campaigning for Truro MP
In 1971, David Penhaligon was chosen as the candidate for Truro. This gave him three years to get to know the people he hoped to represent. This process is sometimes called 'nursing' a constituency.
When the election came in February 1974, he received almost 21,000 votes. He significantly reduced the lead of the sitting Conservative MP. Because the election results were not clear, another election happened just a few months later. Truro became a key area for the Liberals to try and win.
Becoming an MP
David Penhaligon ran again in the October 1974 election. He worked hard to convince voters to support him. He won the election with a small lead of 464 votes. This was the only gain for the Liberal Party in that election!
Because of special rules for MPs, he had to transfer his post office business to his wife, Annette. In Parliament, he quickly became known for his funny speeches. He often spoke about the need for a national minimum wage and better state pensions.
While he often spoke about national issues, David Penhaligon cared most about local concerns in Cornwall. He was especially known for supporting the Cornish tin mining industry and the local fishing fleets. He spoke passionately about the challenges faced by rural areas in Cornwall, like high fuel costs and poor roads.
More Than Just Tourism
In a famous speech in Camborne, supporting miners, he said:
You need more in an economy than just tourism, ice cream and deckchairs. Our mining industry... has produced wealth for this century, the previous century and probably the last two thousand years... we’re asking the government to recognise the great contribution we have made... and in this time of great trial and tribulation to come to our assistance – that’s what we’re asking our government to do.
He meant that Cornwall needed more than just tourism to thrive; its traditional industries like mining were very important.
Working with Other Parties
When the Lib–Lab pact was first suggested in March 1977, David Penhaligon was against it. The Lib-Lab pact was an agreement where the Liberal Party worked with the Labour Party government to help pass laws. He later changed his mind, saying it had achieved an "economic revolution." He was a key speaker in convincing other Liberals to continue the agreement.
This pact allowed the Liberals to influence government decisions. For example, David Penhaligon stopped a proposed law about the electricity industry because he thought it would give too much power to the government.
He supported the pact partly because he worried that an early election would hurt the Liberals. He famously said, "Turkeys don't volunteer for Christmas!" meaning politicians don't want an election that might cause them to lose their jobs. He also urged the former party leader, Jeremy Thorpe, to step down from politics.
Despite his small lead, David Penhaligon kept his seat in the 19979 general election with a much larger lead of 8,708 votes. He strongly opposed nuclear power but supported NATO and nuclear weapons, which was different from many other Liberals.
The Alliance Years
David Penhaligon supported the SDP–Liberal Alliance from the beginning. This was an agreement between the Liberal Party and the new SDP. He helped sort out disagreements between the two parties.
He was very important in the 1983 election campaign. He spoke for the Liberal Party on important topics like transport, industry, and energy. Many people thought he understood national politics better than any other Liberal MP. After this election, he was one of the first to suggest that the SDP and Liberals should officially merge into one party with a single leader.
Death and Lasting Impact
From 1983, David Penhaligon led the Liberal team that planned election campaigns in specific areas. In September 1984, he was chosen to be the President of the Liberal Party, a role he held from 1985 to 1986. This job included leading the Liberal Assembly, where there was a big debate about whether the party should support nuclear weapons. He later regretted not getting more involved in that debate.
In 1985, he became the main spokesperson for the economy. Even though he said he didn't have much financial experience, he challenged the government's policies on privatisation (selling state-owned businesses) and monetarism (controlling the money supply). He was a central figure in planning the Alliance's next general election campaign when he passed away.
On 22 December 1986, at 6:45 AM, David Penhaligon was driving to meet workers at a post office. A van skidded on an icy road and hit his car near Probus, Cornwall. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His research assistant, Matthew Taylor, who had worked with him on economic issues, was chosen to follow him as the Liberal candidate for Truro. Matthew Taylor won the seat in the 1987 Truro by-election.
David Penhaligon's wife wrote a book about his life in 1989. His son, Matthew, has also been active in politics with the Liberal Democrats.
Penhaligon Award
The Liberal Democrats remember David Penhaligon's great ability to inspire and recruit new members. They created the Penhaligon Award in his honor. This award is given every year to the local party that shows the biggest increase in members and does the most to involve them in activities.
