People's Republic of South Yorkshire

The People's Republic of South Yorkshire or The Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, is a satirical reference to Sheffield. It refers to the left-wing Labour administration of Sheffield City Council during the 1980s, under the leadership of David Blunkett.

The expression is said to have been coined by Irvine Patnick, a Conservative MP who represented Sheffield Hallam, an unusually wealthy area of South Yorkshire.^[1] However it was sometimes used by supporters of the council's left-wing policies. Somewhat ironically, Sheffield Hallam experienced something of a shift to the left, albeit in a different form, and has been a Liberal Democrat stronghold since 1997, turning on Patnick; the seat is now held by Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.

Examples of policies introduced by the council during this period are:

• Sheffield council twinning itself with Donetsk, Ukraine, which was then in the Soviet Union.
• The introduction of Peace studies into schools.
• Sheffield declaring itself a nuclear-free zone.
• Heavily subsidising public transport.
• Flying the red flag on Sheffield Town Hall on May Day ^[2]

The town hall's gardens were named the Peace Gardens in 1985. The site contains several memorials for Sheffielders who served in wars, including in the Spanish Civil War and another plaque commemorating Sheffielders who gave their lives in all conflicts, including the Korean War. It also contains a memorial to Hiroshima, unveiled on Hiroshima Day, 8 August 1985, in the presence of three survivors of the atomic devastation.^[3]

The Miners' Strike also took place during this period.

See also

• List of city nicknames in the United Kingdom

References