Motion text
That this House welcomes the fact that in March Tyneside cinema is hosting a retrospective of Tony Harrison's film poems and encourages further such retrospectives; recognises that Leeds-born poet Tony Harrison, son of Florrie Horner and baker Harry Ashton Harrison and recipient of the Whitbread Prize for Literature, the European Prize for Literature, the David Cohen Prize for Literature, the PEN Pinter Prize and someone who ruled himself out, on principle, from becoming Poet Laureate and was proud to accept The Leeds Award, not only made poetry his job but became one of the greatest poets in history; notes the incredible range of his poetic work from poems in a myriad of forms including sequences of sonnets to translations, plays, film poems and librettos; admires his life-long quest for a public poetry and his commitment to use his poetic craft to give a hearing to the working-class and victims of war and genocide; believes that establishment criticism of his long poem V, including the 1987 Early Day Motion entitled Television Obscenity, itself showed why that poem, one of the greatest of the 20th century was so necessary and important; believes that his 1998 film poem Prometheus is fit to be ranked alongside the work of Aeschylus and Shelley on the same subject and should be made available as widely as possible; and recognises that throughout his life he has always written, and spoken, for the people.
Signatures (29)
The first 6 Members who have signed to support the motion are the sponsors. The primary sponsor is generally the person who tabled the motion and has responsibility for it. The date shown is when the Member signed the motion.
Burgon, Richard
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Morris, Grahame
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Barker, Paula
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Byrne, Ian
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Osborne, Kate
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Benn, Hilary
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
In addition to the sponsors, the following Members have signed to support the motion.
Mearns, Ian
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Hopkins, Rachel
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
McDonnell, John
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Webbe, Claudia
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Carden, Dan
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Whittome, Nadia
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Winter, Beth
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Begum, Apsana
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Trickett, Jon
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Tarry, Sam
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Blake, Olivia
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Whitley, Mick
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Ribeiro-Addy, Bell
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Foy, Mary Kelly
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Johnson, Kim
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Glindon, Mary
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Hussain, Imran
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Reeves, Rachel
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Mishra, Navendu
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Hamilton, Fabian
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Sobel, Alex
Labour
Signed on
25 February 2020
Shannon, Jim
Democratic Unionist Party
Signed on
26 February 2020
Stephens, Chris
Scottish National Party
Signed on
26 February 2020
There are no withdrawn signatures for this motion.