Editing Norman Tebbit (section)

==In the media==
In the late 1980s, Tebbit was frequently the target for stand-up comedian [[Ben Elton]], who typically referred to him as "Normo Tebbs".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OyjM8ukfe7wC&pg=PT221|title=Stand Up: On Being a Comedian|first=Oliver|last=Double|date=16 October 1997|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781408148860|via=Google Books|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|3MKbBGUtdqc|Normo Tebbs}}</ref>

Tebbit was interviewed about the rise of [[Thatcherism]] for the 2006 [[BBC]] TV documentary series ''[[Tory! Tory! Tory!]]''. In 2011, writing in his ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Telegraph]]'' blog, he uncharacteristically praised an article in ''[[The Guardian]]'' by [[Michael White (journalist)|Michael White]]. Tebbit cited White's article (an account of [[Pauline Pearce]]'s visit to the 2011 Tory [[party conference]]) as being "a perfect illustration of my theory of the common ground of politics."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/normantebbit/100109560/tory-conference-it-is-not-modern-or-compassionate-to-betray-savers-and-law-abiding-citizens/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421054055/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/normantebbit/100109560/tory-conference-it-is-not-modern-or-compassionate-to-betray-savers-and-law-abiding-citizens/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=21 April 2013 | title=Betraying savers and law-abiding citizens is neither modern nor compassionate | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=20 October 2011 | author=Tebbit, Norman | location=London}}</ref>

Critics nicknamed Tebbit "The Chingford Skinhead".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/may/02/houseofcommons.election2005 |title=Chingford skinhead, snarling polecat, Prince of Darkness, smiley old gent |first=Simon |last=Hoggart |author-link=Simon Hoggart |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 May 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/04/02/norman-tebbit-many-people-politics-today-rather-poor-material/ |title=Norman Tebbit: 'Too many people in politics today are rather poor material' |first=Simon |last=Heffer |author-link=Simon Heffer |newspaper=[[Daily Telegraph]] |date=2 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803102802531 |title=Norman Tebbit |website=[[Oxford Reference]] |access-date=10 March 2014}}</ref> He was portrayed as a sinister, leather-clad [[Skinhead|bovverboy]] beating up fellow cabinet members and keeping order in [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s cabinet, by the satirical TV puppet show, ''[[Spitting Image]]''. The Professor of English at [[University College London]], John Mullan, has written: "In ''Spitting Image'' and probably the middle-class imagination, Norman Tebbit was given an Essex drag on his vowels which he hardly possessed. He should speak in that way because of what he represented".<ref>Mullan, John [http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/mullan.htm 'Lost voices'], ''The Guardian'', 18 June 1999.</ref>

On 23 February 2010, Tebbit was alleged to have attacked a ceremonial Chinese dragon during a [[Chinese New Year]] parade in [[Bury St Edmunds]]. He is said to have been unaware it was Chinese New Year and to have "kicked the rear of a child who was dressed in the traditional costume of a dragon". Tebbit later said: "I don't think my reaction was extreme at all. I placed my hand on the drum so I could diminish the noise and asked the drummer what was going on and got a rap on the knuckles for my pain. I was then barged by the dragon. I barged it back and might have done something like kick it. I wasn't sure how to deal with it. I've never been barged by a dragon before". A local Conservative town councillor, Mr Chung, visited Tebbit the day after the incident and received an apology. Chung said: "I said his actions were upsetting. He apologised. He only then understood what he had done".<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8529927.stm | location=London | work=BBC News | title=Tebbit apologises after Chinese dragon 'kerfuffle' | date=23 February 2010}}</ref>

In May 2009, Tebbit urged voters to snub the main three political parties in the [[2009 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|upcoming EU Parliament election]]. Tebbit, who in March 2009 said that he would vote for the [[United Kingdom Independence Party]] (UKIP), stated: "Local elections, the great British public should just treat as normal", but suggested using the European election to send a message to the implicated parties. Tebbit said that there were a series of smaller parties people could vote for in addition to UKIP, including the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]], but he urged against voting for the [[British National Party]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5311556/MPs-expenses-Lord-Tebbit-says-do-not-vote-Conservative-at-European-elections.html |title=MPs' expenses: Lord Tebbit says do not vote Conservative at European elections |work=The Daily Telegraph |author=Moore, Matthew |date=12 May 2009|access-date=13 May 2009 | location=London}}</ref>

In July 2013, Tebbit was one of the guests on an episode of [[Peter Hennessy]]'s [[BBC]] Radio 4 programme ''Reflections''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036y7ws/episodes/guide |title=BBC Radio 4 – Reflections – Episode guide |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 November 2013}}</ref> in which he talked about his life and career. Earlier that year he paid tribute to Margaret Thatcher, saying he wished there were "someone like her now".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk_uk_norman_tebbit_pays_tribute_to_margaret_thatcher_1_2008386 |title=Suffolk/UK: Norman Tebbit pays tribute to Margaret Thatcher |work=East Anglian Daily Times |access-date=17 August 2014 |archive-date=29 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429202839/http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk_uk_norman_tebbit_pays_tribute_to_margaret_thatcher_1_2008386 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2016, Tebbit contributed an interview to the documentary film ''[[Bobby Sands: 66 Days]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/prison-diary-kept-by-ira-hunger-striker-bobby-sands-used-to-help-create-film-743780.html|title=Prison diary kept by IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands used to help create film|date=8 July 2016}}</ref>