Raymond Blackburn

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Albert Raymond Blackburn (11 March 1915 – 3 November 1991)[1] was a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for the Birmingham King's Norton and Birmingham Northfield constituencies.

Early life

Blackburn was born on 11 March 1915 in Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset). He was the son of Dr A. E. Blackburn. He was educated at the private Rugby School.[2]

Military service

He served in the

Royal Regiment of Artillery.[4] He reached the rank of captain
.

On 4 January 1955, having been convicted of a crime by the civil authorities, he was "removed from the Army".[5]

Political career

Blackburn stood unsuccessfully for the

Basil Arthur John Peto but at the 1950 general election switched to the newly created Northfield seat. He left Parliament the following year
.

Blackburn's political career, which began promisingly with his maiden speech being praised by Winston Churchill, was blighted by his alcoholism with the first of a series of arrests for drunkenness coming in 1947.[1] Falling into further legal difficulties Blackburn was declared bankrupt in 1952 and imprisoned in 1956 for fraud regarding the illegal use of a caravan site,[1] and for unlawfully inducing people to buy shares in a worthless company. He served 16 months in prison.[6] He publicly acknowledged his drink problem and even wrote a 1959 book discussing how alcohol had ruined his career.[7]

Moral and judicial crusader

After disappearing from the public view for a time Blackburn returned as a moral crusader, working closely with

gross indecency, the former successfully, the latter unsuccessfully. Although Mera ur kärlekens språk was the sequel of Language of Love Blackburn opted to prosecute the later film first.[1]

Blackburn also took part in a number of prominent legal challenges of major constitutional significance, including R v Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, ex parte Blackburn,[8][9] on illegal gambling and the duties of the police, and Blackburn v Attorney-General,[10] on the constitutionality of the European Communities Act 1972.

Blackburn petitioned the court for a writ in regards to the

Court of Appeal
in autumn of 1972.

In 1972, he decided to pursue this matter into the

Lord Denning, MR.[12][13]

The case was noted as recently as the 1998 decision of the Lords Regina v. Chief Constable of Sussex Ex Parte International Trader's Ferry Limited 1998 UKHL 40, concerning police protection for the customers of ITF, a company involved in the export of livestock through the port of Shoreham, during the early months of 1995 when animal rights protesters were trying to stop the trade.[14][15]

Personal life

Blackburn married three times and had eight children. His first marriage was to Barbara Mary Robison in 1939. Together they had two sons and one daughter. Their marriage was dissolved in 1954. He was married to Marianne Ferguson from 1956 to 1959 when their marriage was dissolved. This was his only marriage to not produce children. His third and final marriage was to Tessa Hume in 1959. Their marriage ended on his death in 1991; she survived him. They had two sons and three daughters.[2]

Blackburn died on 3 November 1991, aged 76, at Charing Cross Hospital, London.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 2)
  2. ^ a b "BLACKBURN, (Albert) Raymond". Who Was Who. A & C Black. December 2007. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ "No. 34777". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 January 1940. pp. 452–453.
  4. ^ "No. 35945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 March 1943. p. 1302.
  5. ^ "No. 40506". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1955. p. 3376.
  6. ^ a b c "Raymond Blackburn". The Herald. 5 November 1991. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  7. ^ Raymond Blackburn, I Am An Alcoholic, London: Allan Wingate, 1959
  8. ^ [1968] 2 Q.B. 118
  9. ^ [1968] 1 AER 763
  10. ^ [1971] 2 All E.R. 1380
  11. ^ "University of Western Australia Law Review Editors: "R v Metropolitan Police Commissioner, ex parte Blackburn (failure to prosecute)" (1972) v10 n4 p.411" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  12. ^ "(1975) 21 McGill L.J. 269: "Private Prosecutions in Canada: The Law and a Proposal for Change" (Burns)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  13. ^ Reported as [1973] 1 Q.B. 241 (C.A.)
  14. ^ ""Internet Law Book Reviews", Rob Jerrard LLB LLM". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  15. ^ "House of Lords Judgments: "Regina v. Chief Constable of Sussex Ex Parte International Trader's Ferry Limited" 1998 UKHL 40". Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2018.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Birmingham King's Norton
1945–1950 		Succeeded by
New constituency Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield
1950–1951 		Succeeded by
Donald Chapman
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