On This Day / November 16, 1970
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19701116
Reference Date
19701116
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 16th November 1970, the St Anne’s by-election delivered a strong Unionist win, though the SDLP hailed their first electoral outing as an “honourable baptism”. The obituary of Professor James Scott highlighted the life of a nationalist intellectual who challenged assumptions across Northern society. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
‘Honourable Baptism’ for SDLP | On This Day – 16th November 1970
THE St Anne’s [Belfast] by-election, which was won yesterday by the Unionist candidate, Mr John Laird, was described last night as an ‘honourable baptism’ for the Social Democratic and Labour and Party by their candidate, Mr Gerry Lavery.
St Anne’s was the SDLP’s first electoral test. The result – in a 60 per cent poll – was:
John Laird (U) … 8,204; Gerry Lavery (SDLP) … 2,881; William Ritchie (NILP) … 863; Unionist majority … 5,323.
Observers saw Mr Laird’s success a big boost for the Right Wing of the Unionist Party. Mr Lavery said: ‘The SDLP are the only viable alternative to the discredited Unionist power machine.’
Death of Nationalist Intellectual
PROFESSOR James Scott, who has died aged 57, was one of the most controversial figures of Queen’s University, Belfast.
Professor of Dental Anatomy at the university, he was a convert to Catholicism and a Nationalist who spoke and wrote fearlessly as an advocate of the National ideal but at the same time he was adamant that the border should remain while a majority in NI were in favour of it.
A philosopher and poet, he marked his appointment to the Chair of Dental Anatomy at QUB five years ago with a 5,000 word poem on man’s inhumanity to man.
He believed fervently that students should be active in playing a full part in attempting to cure society’s ills.
However, he came in for sharp criticism for the advice he recently gave to students at the University.
After telling dental students to understand art, music and social life, he added: ‘You should all learn to drive a car, preferably a Jaguar, and you should all learn to get drunk – find out how much drink you can take..’
Professor Scott was born in Dundalk of Presbyterian and Methodist stock.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: A committed Nationalist, intellectual and controversial figure, Jimmy Scott urged Northern nationalists in the early 1960s to abandon sterile abstentionism and play a constructive role in the public life of the state.
As his obituary in this paper noted: ‘His background enabled him to embrace gratefully the diverse traditions in Irish life and value each individually.’)
On This Day – 16th November 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701116
Reference Date
19701116
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 16th November 1970, the St Anne’s by-election delivered a strong Unionist win, though the SDLP hailed their first electoral outing as an “honourable baptism”. The obituary of Professor James Scott highlighted the life of a nationalist intellectual who challenged assumptions across Northern society. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
‘Honourable Baptism’ for SDLP | On This Day – 16th November 1970
THE St Anne’s [Belfast] by-election, which was won yesterday by the Unionist candidate, Mr John Laird, was described last night as an ‘honourable baptism’ for the Social Democratic and Labour and Party by their candidate, Mr Gerry Lavery.
St Anne’s was the SDLP’s first electoral test. The result – in a 60 per cent poll – was:
John Laird (U) … 8,204; Gerry Lavery (SDLP) … 2,881; William Ritchie (NILP) … 863; Unionist majority … 5,323.
Observers saw Mr Laird’s success a big boost for the Right Wing of the Unionist Party. Mr Lavery said: ‘The SDLP are the only viable alternative to the discredited Unionist power machine.’
Death of Nationalist Intellectual
PROFESSOR James Scott, who has died aged 57, was one of the most controversial figures of Queen’s University, Belfast.
Professor of Dental Anatomy at the university, he was a convert to Catholicism and a Nationalist who spoke and wrote fearlessly as an advocate of the National ideal but at the same time he was adamant that the border should remain while a majority in NI were in favour of it.
A philosopher and poet, he marked his appointment to the Chair of Dental Anatomy at QUB five years ago with a 5,000 word poem on man’s inhumanity to man.
He believed fervently that students should be active in playing a full part in attempting to cure society’s ills.
However, he came in for sharp criticism for the advice he recently gave to students at the University.
After telling dental students to understand art, music and social life, he added: ‘You should all learn to drive a car, preferably a Jaguar, and you should all learn to get drunk – find out how much drink you can take..’
Professor Scott was born in Dundalk of Presbyterian and Methodist stock.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: A committed Nationalist, intellectual and controversial figure, Jimmy Scott urged Northern nationalists in the early 1960s to abandon sterile abstentionism and play a constructive role in the public life of the state.
As his obituary in this paper noted: ‘His background enabled him to embrace gratefully the diverse traditions in Irish life and value each individually.’)
On This Day – 16th November 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701116
Reference Date
November 16, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 16th November 1970, the St Anne’s by-election delivered a strong Unionist win, though the SDLP hailed their first electoral outing as an “honourable baptism”. The obituary of Professor James Scott highlighted the life of a nationalist intellectual who challenged assumptions across Northern society. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
‘Honourable Baptism’ for SDLP | On This Day – 16th November 1970
THE St Anne’s [Belfast] by-election, which was won yesterday by the Unionist candidate, Mr John Laird, was described last night as an ‘honourable baptism’ for the Social Democratic and Labour and Party by their candidate, Mr Gerry Lavery.
St Anne’s was the SDLP’s first electoral test. The result – in a 60 per cent poll – was:
John Laird (U) … 8,204; Gerry Lavery (SDLP) … 2,881; William Ritchie (NILP) … 863; Unionist majority … 5,323.
Observers saw Mr Laird’s success a big boost for the Right Wing of the Unionist Party. Mr Lavery said: ‘The SDLP are the only viable alternative to the discredited Unionist power machine.’
Death of Nationalist Intellectual
PROFESSOR James Scott, who has died aged 57, was one of the most controversial figures of Queen’s University, Belfast.
Professor of Dental Anatomy at the university, he was a convert to Catholicism and a Nationalist who spoke and wrote fearlessly as an advocate of the National ideal but at the same time he was adamant that the border should remain while a majority in NI were in favour of it.
A philosopher and poet, he marked his appointment to the Chair of Dental Anatomy at QUB five years ago with a 5,000 word poem on man’s inhumanity to man.
He believed fervently that students should be active in playing a full part in attempting to cure society’s ills.
However, he came in for sharp criticism for the advice he recently gave to students at the University.
After telling dental students to understand art, music and social life, he added: ‘You should all learn to drive a car, preferably a Jaguar, and you should all learn to get drunk – find out how much drink you can take..’
Professor Scott was born in Dundalk of Presbyterian and Methodist stock.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: A committed Nationalist, intellectual and controversial figure, Jimmy Scott urged Northern nationalists in the early 1960s to abandon sterile abstentionism and play a constructive role in the public life of the state.
As his obituary in this paper noted: ‘His background enabled him to embrace gratefully the diverse traditions in Irish life and value each individually.’)
On This Day – 16th November 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.