GENERAL ELECTION ROUND-UP
TORIES HOLD BARNET AND FINCHLEY
Mr. Reginald Maudling back in Barnet with a slightly increased majority; Mrs. Margaret Thatcher returned in Finchley, but with a halved majority; Conservatives in again at Hendon South and Hendon North; a big Liberal vote, but with Labour hanging in to second place in all but one of the four constituencies. These were the General Election results in the Borough of Barnet—no particular surprises and the mixture the same as before.
Strict comparisons with the position in 1970 are not possible because of the constituency boundary changes—a factor which probably worked to the advantage of Mr. Maudling and the disadvantage of Mrs. Thatcher.
The old Barnet seat became Chipping Barnet and the huge block of mainly Labour voters in Boreham Wood were transferred into South Hertfordshire. Mr. Maudling also picked up the large Tory vote in Totteridge which used to be in Mrs. Thatcher's constituency.
Because of these changes it was predicted—by the Barnet Press among others—that Mr. Maudling 's majority would go up. In 1970, his majority was 8.679 and last week he polled 9.911 more votes than Mr. John Mills. the Labour candidate in this three-cornered contest.
The Labour vote—18.166 in 1970 and 12.183 this time—was also obviously affected by losing Boreham Wood. But Mr. Mills managed to stay in second place despite the strong challenge of the Liberal. Miss Nesta Wyn Ellis. who took 11.714 votes. In 1970, the Liberal vote in the constituency was only 6.329.
There was a very high poll—82.27 per cent., compared with 71 per cent in 1970.
Knock
Mrs. Thatcher took a hard knock in Finchley, going from a majority of 11.123 in 1970 to just under 6.000. Here again the Labour candidate, Cr. Martin O'Connor, who is a member of Barnet Borough Council, managed to stay in second place despite the strong Liberal push.
Mr. Laurence Brass recorded the highest Liberal vote for a decade in this constituency, where the Liberals had control of the old Finchley Council before it merged into the Borough of Barnet in 1965.
In Finchley the poll was also higher than in 1970–77.8 per cent compared with 65 per cent.
Another member of Barnet Council. Cr. John Champion, provided the strongest threat to Conservative power in the borough in Hendon North, where the Tory majority was down to 2.612.
Hendon South was the only seat where the Liberals managed to push Labour into third place.
In both the Hendon seats there was a high poll: 80.89 per cent. in Hendon North and 78.4 per cent. in Hendon South.
TV coverage
The four results were conspicuously missing during the long night of televised election declarations. Barnet was about the only London borough which did not declare overnight. The count—at Middlesex Polytechnic at Hendon—took place on Friday morning and the results were given around midday.
The hall at the polytechnic was crowded with party workers and television cameras were there for the declaration by the Mayor of Barnet, Cr. Frank Gibson.
All the candidates spoke of the contest as clean and fair.
“This was a clean, very well and sincerely fought election in the best traditions of British democracy,” said Mr. Maudling.
Another battle
Later he told reporters he had expected a Conservative win and was misled, like everybody else, by the opinion polls. He turned down the suggestion that there might be a coalition government and upheld Mr. Heath 's decision to call the election when he did.
To the proposition that Britain might be back at the hustings in six months' time. Mr. Maudling replied: “A ghastly idea.”
Mrs. Thatcher is expecting another election soon and she said she was happy to represent Finchley once again for “X-months or years.”
Cr. Martin O'Connor predicted that Labour would change Finchley before very long and Mr. Lawrence Brass said his party were going all out to win control of Barnet Council in the May elections.
Cr. Champion predicted another General Election in six months' time and in a confident speech, warned Mr. Gorst that “Labour had him on the run.”
Chipping Barnet
Reginald Maudling
(Con) 22,094
John Mills (Lab) … .12,183
Nesta Wyn Ellis (Lib) 11,714
Con. majority: 9,911
Finchley
Margaret Thatcher
(Con) 18,180
Martin O'Connor (Lab) 12,202
Laurence Brass (Lib). 11,221
Con. majority: 5,978
Hendon North
John Gorst (Con) … . 17,285
John Champion (Lab) 14,673
David Edwards (Lib) 8,585
Con. majority: 2,612
Hendon South
Peter Thomas (Con) … . 17,795
Michael Colne (Lib) … . 11,198
Richard Hadley (Lab) 11,088
Con. majority: 6,707 [end p1]
(2) Finchley Times, 8 March 1974
FINCHLEY & FRIERN BARNET
Mrs Thatcher got back to Westminster with a reduced majority—but the strong Liberal challenge could not get them into second place. Nicky Whinnerah reports.
Both the Labour Party and the Liberals in Finchley are planning an all-out attack to wrest Barnet Council from the Conservatives.
After the re-election of Mrs Margaret Thatcher as Finchley and Friern Barnet's MP on Friday, both the Socialist and Liberal candidates promised that the Conservatives would not find it so easy in the borough elections in May.
Councillor Martin O'Connor, though disappointed that the Labour group had not toppled Mrs Thatcher, was optimistic for the future.
“The Labour party in Finchley is different now to what it was at the beginning of this campaign,” he said. “We have received totally unexpected sources of support and by the enthusiasm engendered I am quite convinced we will change the face of Finchley before very long.”
He told the electorate: “We have halved the Conservative majority. I am quite sure that Mrs Thatcher will be aware that she represents only a minority of voters in Finchley. I am quite confident that next time—and it doesn't look as though it will be very long to wait—we will finally wrest Finchley from Conservative rule.”
Later Councillor O'Connor said the Conservatives would get a shock during the local elections in May. “The poll will produce astonishing results,” he said. “We mean to go all out.”
The councillor said that he and his supporters planned “a dirty great party” the following night.
The Liberal, Councillor Laurence Brass, was also optimistic about the local elections.
He said: “This is the highest Liberal percentage poll for a decade in Finchley. The electoral system in this country is finally condemned.” Amid cheers, he added: “Finchley Liberals are going all out to wage war for the Barnet Council seats, which we will win in May.”
Later he said: “We will win at least three or four wards in Finchley in May. There is immense sympathy for the Liberals, as shown in this election, and this will be extended to the local elections.
This was the fifth time Mrs Thatcher had fought an election and, after her win, she described it as one of the coldest as far as temperature was concerned.
“I hope that whoever calls the next one will make it during a warmer month of the year,” she said.
Mrs Thatcher, wearing a light blue dress and jacket with mauve flowers on the collar, was greeted by cheers.
She said it had not been a bitter election, but when she said she hoped to represent Finchley for years or months, a voice from the hall screamed out— “Weeks.”