John Rankin Rathbone (17 March 1933 – 12 July 2002), known as Tim Rathbone, was the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the seat of Lewes between 1974 and 1997.
Rathbone was the son of a Conservative MP also called John Rankin Rathbone, who represented Bodmin from 1935 until his death in the Battle of Britain in 1940. Rathbone's mother, Beatrice Wright then succeeded him as MP at the by-election, serving until 1945. Tim Rathbone was a great-nephew of Eleanor Rathbone, who had been an independent MP for the Combined English Universities between 1929 and 1946, and a staunch women's rights campaigner. He was a great-grandson of William Rathbone, a Liberal MP for Liverpool and later Carnarvonshire.
Rathbone was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. After a spell as merchant banker, he emigrated in 1958 to the United States where he worked for the advertising firm Ogilvy and Mather until 1966 when he returned to the UK. In 1960, he married Margarita Sanchez y Sanchez, a Cuban, with whom he had three children: John-Paul, Michael and Cristina.
Upon his return to Britain, Rathbone was recruited by party chairman Edward du Cann to work for the Conservatives as Chief Publicity Officer. He was relatively ineffectual in this position, partly because his brief overlapped with other Conservative staffers. Rathbone moved to the Charles Barker Group, a leading advertising agency in 1968, where he remained for 18 years. He was appointed to a string of directorships within the group and was managing director of Ayer Barker until 1974.
In 1973, he was selected to fight the safe Conservative seat of Lewes, which he duly won in the February 1974 election. Upon entering Parliament, it was clear that Rathbone had a reforming zeal about him, and pushed for declaration of Members' interests, electoral reform and devolution. In 1981, he divorced his first wife and the following year married Susan Stopford Sackville.
Rathbone was also a staunch critic of apartheid: On a visit to Rhodesia, he proposed ousting Ian Smith and holding transitional elections for a majority black government. In 1986, he invited Oliver Tambo, a prominent member of the South African opposition to address Conservative MPs.
When the Conservatives entered government in 1979, Rathbone was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Gerald Vaughan, the Minister for Health, a position he held until 1982. He later served as PPS to other Ministers. He did not achieve high ministerial office however because of his rebelling tendencies, which saw many label him as a "wet". He opposed the Bill that scrapped the Greater London Council and other metropolitan authorities in 1984, and also the poll tax. He also became Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Drug Misuse. Rathbone was a relation of, and godfather to, the future Conservative leader David Cameron. He employed Cameron as a researcher from January to March 1985.
After losing his seat to the Liberal Democrats in the 1997 general election he became chairman of Sponsorship Consultancy Ltd. and in August 1998, was expelled from the Conservative Party by William Hague for his support of the breakaway Pro-Euro Conservative Party. He died from cancer in 2002, aged 69. He is buried in the churchyard of St Peter's Church, Lowick, Northamptonshire.
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Some of their strengths
Tim Rathbone has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Intuitive, Imaginative, Generous, Smart, Creative, and Kind.
Soulful and Understanding
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Tim Rathbone is someone who is a soulful, understanding, and conscious person, who combines smarts with a deep talent for creativity and imagination. A person who looks for jobs that tend to reflect their identity.
Adventurous and Free
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Tim Rathbone well know them as someone who can be talented, wayward and free, like a big river or the ocean.
Organized and Achievement-oriented
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Tim Rathbone as someone who is organized, goal-oriented, practical, and persevering.
Who is hardworking, intellectual, and easygoing, who loves higher education and learning and sharing ideas with others, and who loves healthy competition.
Emotionally Intelligent and Intuitive
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Tim Rathbone is someone who tends to have strong emotional intelligence and intuition, and who can be a catalyst of change for others.
They are also someone who is active, giving, optimistic, and cheerful, and who possesses a charisma that attracts friends and admirers.
Creative and Imaginative
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Tim Rathbone tends to be someone who is sensitive, imaginative, creative, and somewhat of a dreamer. Who is intuitive and compassionate, and who has a friendly, easygoing, calming and relaxing effect on people and for whom friends and family mean the world.
Some of Tim Rathbone's challenges
While Tim Rathbone has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Tim Rathbone can be Indecisive, Unrealistic, Impulsive, Careless, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, and Callous.
Indecisive and Unrealistic
One of Tim Rathbone's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as indecisive and unrealistic.
Tim Rathbone must also exercise caution as they can be excessive and unrealistic.
Callous and Selfish
Tim Rathbone is someone who can be standoffish, pessimistic, and ruthless, who can have difficulty concentrating and be impatient, can have difficulty discovering the keys to personal contentment, and who can have a tendency to overwork and hoard wealth and possessions.
Lethargic and Unrealistic
Finally, Tim Rathbone also can be too soft, lazy and lethargic, and who can have difficulty finding others who share a similarly dreamy outlook on life.
