Hugh Rossi. Tory MP for Hornsey 1927-1920. A North London that has passed into history
Sir Hugh Rossi who was the Tory MP for Hornsey and then Hornsey & Wood Green from 1966 until 1992 has died at 92 is a reminder of a North London that has passed into history.
The idea that the present Constituency would elect a Tory MP is more or less unimaginable so much has the area changed in terms of residents (though not perhaps in terms of wealth).
Yet Hornsey in the 1960s and 1970s while one of the centres of an emerging counter-culture was also a well to do area of people whose world outlook tended to be Conservative.After all Stanley Johnson and a very youthful Boris Johnson lived in the Constituency for a few months (there was strong minority Communist Party tradition too..)
The current Labour MP Catherine West tweeted that she had never met Mr Rossi and that I think was something that most constituents of Mr Rossi also felt when he was an MP. This was an era when MPs by and large were not expected to be seen that much in their local area (though he lived locally just outside the Constituency) except at Election times.
I certainly encountered him at Election times in Crouch End Broadway but in my memory the deployment of my socialist megaphone was invariably sufficient to see him off.
According to his Wiki entry he was a one nation Tory who served as a junior Minister in Thatcher’s administrations. That wasn’t quite my memory but in truth a review of his Hansard speeches reflects a concern for environmental issues probably much in tune with many who live in the area now.
Obviously I’m no fan of Tories but the historical context of local politics and MPs is still worth recording.
No doubt Jeremy Corbyn who was Labour agent in the last 1979 General Election campaign for the old Constituency where Rossi beat Ted Knight has more focused memories…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Rossi
https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/sir-hugh-rossi-hornsey-mp-haringey-councillor-dies-1-6606918
I only found out that he died yesterday. I served in the Territorial Army in Priory Road for many years and Hugh Rossi was a frequent visitor to the Drill Hall and was very supportive of the TA unit there as well as the Army Cadets based there too. I found him a thoroughly nice and decent man.
The Times obit is at the link below. Very interesting to read about his background https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sir-hugh-rossi-obituary-wxfsksxmh