What’s the first political memory you have?

[ThisPlumShark]

Tony blair

The Brighton hotel bombing in 1984. I remember my mum telling me it has just happened that morning walking to junior school. It’s a very vivid memory.

Also fondly remember my Dad watching the 9 o clock news and then the 10 o clock news each night after very long days at work.

Tony Blair - i was so young, but i remember all the adults never shutting up about Tony Blair and I genuinely thought he must be some famous pop star.

Old enough to understand and feel the global impact - 9/11 💔.

I was 9 years old and my mum was sobbing because Thatcher had become PM. Prior to that I'd only seen her cry once before and that was when Elvis died.

My dad playing Stand Down Margaret by The Beat, and then trying to explain it to me.

Indira Gandhi's assassination. I was at school and was very confused about it. Violence erupted in the capital and our parents were contacted to collect us from the school although we lived thousands of miles away.

John Major resigning, I must have been 8 and the only reason is that they cancelled children’s TV on BBC1 for it 😂.

The first time I became aware of politics was 1997 in secondary school. But it wasn't Blair that was talked about... it was the Monster Raving Loony party.

I remember power cuts in the seventies but not that they had a political cause - thought they were normal.

Harold Wilson resigning.

Watching a news report that said two Catholics were killed in Northern Ireland and wondering why religion was mentioned.

One benefit of being older is you know some problems that seemed unsolvable at the time did get solved, or at least improved. Always retain hope.

Spitting Image

Gorbachev’s birthmark

Stop the Poll Tax posters

Your memories exactly the same as mine. Also born in 66

Watching the 1992 election coverage on Ceefax. A coloured bar chart representing the different parties on it.

This is mine too.

Something about Vic Feather (I thought he was called “Big Feather” - which is probably what drew my attention) and the TUC. I can’t remember the issue, but I can remember my dad lecturing the TV when the news was on.

I remember when I was in reception one of my friends went to London to protest against Margaret Thatcher. That would have been in 1985 so was likely connected to the miners strike although I don't remember being aware of that at the time.

Fall of the Berlin Wall for me too... I'll always know it was a Thursday because we discussed it that evening at Brownies.

Margaret Thatcher winning the 1979 general election. The first woman Prime Minister was big news. I didn’t know what ‘conservatives’ meant, but I did know that our family did not vote for them. My beloved Irish grandfather loathed her, and found it impossible to utter her name without a preceding obscenity. He was a good man.

Kennedy's assassination 1963.

The long (6 day) real time demise of the brilliant Anthony (Tony) Crossland who was foreign secretary at the time. 1977. He had a massive cerebral haemorrhage and it was the first time I can remember being glued to the news for hourly updates.

I can remember the Jeremy Thorpe scandal and asking my mum what ‘gay’ meant. She told me to
ask my dad. So I did. He told me to ask my mum
I asked my brother who wasn’t quite sure but thought it had something to do with Larry Grayson!
We were absolutely clueless.
But I can remember as a family watching the news at 6 and at 9 if we could stay awake.
I loved Newsround as well with John Craven.

A primary school friend telling me that her mother had thrown mud at an election poster for Ted Heath.

Me too (born in 68). I rememer rubbish in the streets, power cuts, fed up adults..
My parents putting up 1 Labout (Dad) and one Tory (Mum) poster in the front window of our victorian terrace house and arguing a lot. Later, I rememer being on an outward bound type school trip in Wales for a week. No internet of course. We left our remote hostel to come home to discover we were 'AT WAR' (the Falklands conflict) I guesss the staff had known via radio but didn't tell us!

The evacuation of the American Embassy in Saigon and later the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy in London.

The Victory party held in our flats. The porters hosed the walls down. There was a Punch and Judy show and my uncle had just returned from the war. He bought a small doll for me and something for my younger brother.

Maggie standing down.

Oh how wonderful! I love the fact that one thing you remember is the hosing down of the walls! Thank you for sharing that.

The main thing I remember about my first memory - the three day week - was my mom standing at the top of the stairs with a candle on a saucer when the lights went out, reassuring me and my Sister that it was all ok. Not sure why we needed reassuring, we thought it was great fun! My dad had very strong opinions about it all which is why I equate it with politics. His passion instilled a love of politics in me and I’ve Been a member of the Labour Party for nearly 40 years.