National Figure
Becoming a political star at the general election by virtue of her 'non-partisan' appeal, the SDP decided to use Barnes prominently in its campaign. She was shown in soft focus in a Party political broadcast teaching her son the way to stroke a rabbit, an appearance which was heavily ridiculed. She retained her seat with a lower majority. After the election, with the SDP split over whether to merge with the Liberal Party, Rosie Barnes strongly supported David Owen in his resistance to merger. Her closeness to Owen led to her nickname "Rosie Groupie" in Private Eye.
Read more about this topic: Rosie Barnes
Famous quotes containing the words national and/or figure:
“Let us waive that agitated national topic, as to whether such multitudes of foreign poor should be landed on our American shores; let us waive it, with the one only thought, that if they can get here, they have God’s right to come.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“But, alas, to make me
A fixèd figure for the time of scorn
To point his slow unmoving finger at!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)