Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the “drinks with Frank” rota. On March 28, 1979, the Labour government faced a vote of confidence and everyone involved knew it would be close. But there was one bright spot for Jim Callaghan’s whips. Frank Maguire had turned up.
The MP for Fermanagh & South Tyrone was an independent Irish nationalist who usually abstained by staying away from Westminster but occasionally voted with the government. Could he save the day?
The whips decided they should stick with him, buying him drinks at the bar. Unfortunately for them, Maguire was not only a republican but a publican. No single Labour MP could match him drink for drink all day. So a “drinks with Frank” rota was established. It didn’t
