Enoch Powell at the Polls

The photographer must have thought Christmas had come early when he got this shot of Enoch Powell campaigning for re-election in Wolverhampton in 1970. He appears to ignore the two black boys, possibly twins, and it is left to his wife, Pamela, to hand one a leaflet. There is an additional quirkiness in the hat and overcoat he wears on what is obviously a warm day, judging by the children’s short sleeves and Pamela’s sleeveless dress. The hat may be his trademark but under the circumstances his identity is hardly in doubt. In fact this photographer was not the only lucky one; another managed to position a white boy blowing a balloon of bubblegum in front of Powell in his Land Rover.