Norman Tebbit

[[File:Norman Tebbit Edinburgh University Politics Society 2008.JPG|right|thumb|165px|Big flappy hands.]]{{ukpolitics}}
'''Norman Tebbit''' {{lived|29 March 1931|8 July 2025}} was a [[United Kingdom|British]] former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician. He was known as 'The Chingford [[Skinhead]]' (from one of the constituencies he represented), and he was represented as such on the [[Satire|satirical]] television puppet show ''Spitting Image''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=spitting+image+norman+tebbit Tebbit on Spitting Image]</ref>

== Politics ==
Tebbit was a staunch supporter of [[Margaret Thatcher]] and promoter of [[right-wing]] (UK flavour) views. The sometime RAF and then civil pilot once advised the jobless to '[[Benefit scrounger|get on a bike]]' and find work. Why bikes?<ref>Because his dad rode one to look for work in the 1930s, that's why.</ref>

Once viewed as a strong contender to replace Thatcher when the time came, Tebbit sustained injuries in 1984 during the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]]'s bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where the Conservative Party Conference was taking place. His wife was left permanently disabled as a result of the explosion. He subsequently stepped down from his cabinet position after the 1987 general election to devote more time to caring for her.

He stood down as an MP at the [[1992_United_Kingdom_general_election|1992 general election]], and was granted a life peerage, becoming Baron Tebbit of Chingford. He used his position to reiterate his often controversial views on the [[EU]], immigration and assimilation that he had espoused as an MP.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-bill-lord-tebbit-right-eu-nationals-foreigners-comments-a7606456.html Lord Tebbit accuses peers of 'thinking of nothing but the rights of foreigners' during Brexit debate] The Independent, March 1, 2017</ref> He retired from the [[House of Lords]] in 2022.

== Curious notions ==
Tebbit was occasionally in the news for expressing bizarre views on [[immigration]]. According to him, immigrants are insufficiently integrated if they support the cricket team of their country of origin (does he not know you never, ''ever'' change your sports team?). An even weirder proposition was that immigrants should be asked to state which side their ancestors were on in the [[Second World War]].<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/30/another-norman-tebbit-immigration-test-this-time-war Another Norman Tebbit immigration test? This time it’s war]</ref> So, presumably, [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] vegetable pickers are A-OK, but [[Germany|German]] investment bankers can sod off, in his view. And people from Italy, which switched sides in 1943, would have to stay outside the UK for the first half of their contract.

Unsurprisingly, Norm was not much of a fan of [[LGBT rights]]. In response to the British Government's Civil Partnership Act he warned it might mean a lesbian queen could give birth to a future monarch by artificial insemination and said that the legislation could allow him to marry his own son to escape inheritance tax.  Yes, really, he ''did'' say that.<ref>[http://www.bigissue.com/mix/news/2385/norman-tebbit-maybe-id-be-allowed-marry-my-son Lord Tebbit: "Maybe I'd be allowed to marry my son"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|politicians}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tebbit, Norman}}
[[Category:British people]]
[[Category:Former Members of Parliament (UK)]]

Categories: British people, Former Members of Parliament (UK)