Monday, September 24, 2007

My First Political Memory

Steve at The Daily Referendum has tagged for me my first political memory. Tough question. I don’t really have political memories. I have lots of literary memories, such as the first time I read 'Death of a Salesman', travelling home on a train on a sunny day with the fields stretching out to the distance. The carriage was empty. It felt like the rest of the world was working and I was blessed to be able to sit and read that book. I cried too much. I have lots of memories like that. I suppose my first political moment was when Labour MP Doug Hoyle tore the canvas on our Land Rover. It was during a strike in the late seventies, and my Dad had travelled up to some big union meeting. The crowd of protestors had used the back of the Land Rover as a platform. Hoyle climbed up and gave his speech and got so angry that his nails made a hole in the canvas. For years after, sitting in the back, I’d get wet whenever it rained. I think it taught me everything I needed to know about unions and politicians.

As with these taggings, I'm supposed to nominate a few others but I can't bring myself to do so. I'd only sit here half an hour, worring about who I should pick and then I'd sit worrying about the people I might have forgotten to pick. I want to do other things with my day.

4 comments:

Ms Baroque said...

Funny - only recently I was reminiscing about the big fat old mayor in our hometown - he used to love pinching kids' cheeks, & did it so hard it was intensely painful - he'd grab hold of an inch of your face and twist it, pull it and basically make like it was play dough. It was what he was principally known for among the younger generation.

Erin O'Brien said...

I'm trying to read this thing, Chip, but I just can't peel my eyes from your delicious abs.

hm.

Big Chip Dale said...

They're a terror, they really are, Ms. Baroque. If we had any good politicians they'd ban politicians as a public nuisance.

Erin, you're just a shameless tease. You must know I've always been a bit ashamed of that picture. I think I look a bit portly in it.

Randy said...

'Fess up, Chip: did you post a picture of you posing in one of your thongs over at Bryan's? I'm getting a "403: Access Forbidden" notice when I attempt to return there and the last comment I recall seeing was posted by you!

As to the question at hand, my first passive political memory is watching the Nixon-Kennedy debates on TV. I was 5 so my attention span was pretty short, but my parents were mightily interested. He never admitted it, but my mom believes my dad changed his vote to Kennedy as a result.

The first active one was dropping in on the local Republican headquaters when Nixon was running for governor of California in 1962. It was next to the market and my mom thought it would be a good mini-civics lesson for us (my brother and sister were older than me and much better able to appreciate the hustle and bustle). I can still picture the room in my mind's eye. Haven't thought of it in years - thanks for the memory!