Difference between revisions of "John Smith"
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|sourcewatch=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/John_Smith | |sourcewatch=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/John_Smith | ||
|wikiquote=http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Smith | |wikiquote=http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Smith | ||
| − | |children=3, including, Sarah | + | |children=3, including, Sarah Smith |
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}}{{job | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=The Britain-Russia Centre and the British East-West Centre/Director | ||
| + | |start=28 November 1983 | ||
| + | |end=12 May 1994}}{{job | ||
|title=Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | |title=Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | ||
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He was succeeded as Leader by [[Tony Blair]], who undertook the subsequent re-branding of Labour as [[New Labour]], then winning the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. | He was succeeded as Leader by [[Tony Blair]], who undertook the subsequent re-branding of Labour as [[New Labour]], then winning the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. | ||
| − | In | + | ==Death== |
| + | Smith died on 12 May 1994, the day after attending a gala dinner organised by [[Julia Hobsbawm]] and [[Sarah Brown]] of [[Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications]].<ref>''[http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-features/63300/interview-julia-hobsbawm "Jewish Chronicle interview with Julia Hobsbawm"]''</ref> At the time he was a director of the [[Britain-Russia Centre and the British East-West Centre]].<ref>https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00696337/officers</ref> | ||
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| + | === Blair's premonition === | ||
| + | In [[Tony Blair]]’s memoirs, <i>A Journey</i> (2010), he writes of a premonition of John Smith's death. At the beginning of April 1994, when John Smith was leader of the Labour Party, Blair was staying in a hotel in Paris with his wife Cherie. Blair writes: | ||
{{QB|I remember waking up the first morning and then waking [[Cherie Blair|Cherie]]. I said to her “If John dies, I will be leader, not Gordon (Brown). And somehow I think this will happen. I just think it will.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/sep/01/tonyblair-past</ref>}} | {{QB|I remember waking up the first morning and then waking [[Cherie Blair|Cherie]]. I said to her “If John dies, I will be leader, not Gordon (Brown). And somehow I think this will happen. I just think it will.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/sep/01/tonyblair-past</ref>}} | ||
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{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 17:44, 27 January 2022
 John Smith       (Politician) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1938-09-13 Dalmally, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 May 1994 (Age 55) London, England, UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cause of death | "Heart attack" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Church of Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | • 3 • including • Sarah Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Elizabeth Bennett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | Bilderberg/Steering committee, The Other Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Victim of | premature death | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UK labour leader who suffered a fatal heart attack
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John Smith QC was a UK politician and former Leader of the Labour Party. After Labour leader Neil Kinnock resigned following the Party's surprise loss in the 1992 general election to new Conservative leader John Major, Smith was elected his successor in July 1992. He continued Kinnock's moves to reform Labour, abolishing the trade union block vote at Labour party conferences and replacing it with "one member, one vote" at the 1993 party conference. However, his overall cautious approach to reform, which was dubbed "one more heave", sought to avoid controversy and win the next election by capitalising on the unpopularity of the Conservative government. This frustrated many "modernisers" like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, for whom his sudden death in May 1994 came at a very convenient time.
He was succeeded as Leader by Tony Blair, who undertook the subsequent re-branding of Labour as New Labour, then winning the 1997 general election.
Death
Smith died on 12 May 1994, the day after attending a gala dinner organised by Julia Hobsbawm and Sarah Brown of Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications.[1] At the time he was a director of the Britain-Russia Centre and the British East-West Centre.[2]
Blair's premonition
In Tony Blair’s memoirs, A Journey (2010), he writes of a premonition of John Smith's death. At the beginning of April 1994, when John Smith was leader of the Labour Party, Blair was staying in a hotel in Paris with his wife Cherie. Blair writes:
I remember waking up the first morning and then waking Cherie. I said to her “If John dies, I will be leader, not Gordon (Brown). And somehow I think this will happen. I just think it will.[3]
Related Quotation
| Page | Quote | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gareth Williams (politician) | “The Labour party has too often lost major figures at the peak of their careers – from Hugh Gaitskell and Tony Crosland to John Smith and Donald Dewar.” | Gareth Williams (politician) | 2013 |
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1986 | 25 April 1986 | 27 April 1986 | Scotland Gleneagles Hotel | The 34th Bilderberg, 109 participants |
| Bilderberg/1989 | 12 May 1989 | 14 May 1989 | Spain Galicia La Toja Island | 37th Bilderberg meeting, 110 guests |
| Bilderberg/1991 | 6 June 1991 | 9 June 1991 | Germany Baden-Baden Steigenberger Hotel Badischer Hof | The 39th Bilderberg, 114 guests |
