12 Comments

• Lloyd 18th Apr '08 - 12:19am

  She was a Labour MP that had a lot of respect for. A very sad loss to democracy.

• David Morton 18th Apr '08 - 12:29am

  A real loss. Exactly the sort of no nonsence backbencher that parliamentry democracies need. Also the kind of character that the cloning of politics is irradicating. God Rest her soul.

• Laurence Boyce 18th Apr '08 - 1:30am

  Yes, the fiercely independent Labour MP who voted . . . in favour of the Iraq war.

  Ah well . . .

• Liam Pennington 18th Apr '08 - 8:04am

  Very sad to hear this news. I always found her to be passionate and independent. A sad loss.

• tony hill 18th Apr '08 - 9:28am

  There was a time when she was pretty typical of Labour MPs: part of the bedrock of entrenched, conservative, labour movement attitudes that did so much to slow this country down for decades. Only she was worse because she was parliamentary spokesman for the British Fur Trade, which made her a particular bete noire of anyone involved with the animal welfare movement. However, as the old Labour Party has gradually been destroyed, people like her who remained consistent to their ideals have come to seem more attractive, because there were also good things about the labour movement, like the way in which it encouraged working class people to get involved in the political process and gave them a route by which they could participate. She was also passionate about public transport and did sterling work holding the government to account, which the vast majority of the wimps on the Labour benches don’t have the guts to do. She will not be replaceable.

• Olly K 18th Apr '08 - 3:47pm

  I met her last year in a meeting to discuss carbon emission reductions.

  I had got 20 seconds into my introduction when I said “we want to make the industry more green”.

  “More green?” she barked backed. “More green? You mean greener, boy!”

  Me: “er, yes”

  Gwyneth: “Were did you go to school? Public school?”

  Me (feeling like a school boy again) “Er, yes”

  Gwyneth: “Didn’t teach you right did they! Greener, not more green. Got it? Continue!”

  She was so refershingly straight and honest. She was awesomely sharp and I will never forget my ten minutes in Norman Shaw North with her. But she was very fair and incredibly courteous, despite my little grammatical tour de force. She will be sorely missed by the world of politics and her constituents – and, dare i say, even by us lobbyists. RIP

• Olly K 18th Apr '08 - 4:48pm

  Also, Laurence – I think there’s a time for being political and a time for being respectful. Today is the latter.

• Laurence Boyce 18th Apr '08 - 5:09pm

  Thanks Olly. I’m sure that had Gwyneth ever corrected my grammar, I would be awestruck too.

• MatGB 18th Apr '08 - 5:17pm

  Laurence, some of our MPs might’ve backed it if they hadn’t decided together it was utterly wrong, and a bunch of others both bought into Blair’s lies and were broadly in favour of the liberal internationalist position. I opposed it because it was being done badly at the wrong time, not because it was the wrong thing to do overall.

  I disagree with most of our MPs on a few issues, normally completely different one, should I denigrate all of them because they’re sometimes wrong? Overall, she stuck to her beliefs, argued strongly for them and was prepared to rebel and back her position up when needed.

  Parliament needs mavericks in order to function, she’ll be a loss to the process.

• Olly K 18th Apr '08 - 5:17pm

  I think you’re confusing awestruck with just paying respects to someone who recently passed away.

  Besides, if i was awestuck by everyone who corrected my grammar I’d be perpetually in awe.

• Laurence Boyce 18th Apr '08 - 5:27pm

  Overall, she stuck to her beliefs.

  Which were . . . what exactly? Because, leaving parliament to one side, it’s not immediately obvious.

• asquith 18th Apr '08 - 5:29pm

  Incredible. Her constituency is next to the one I live in, and she is one of those people that you just assume is going to be around forever.

  Doubtless, she is vastly superior to whatever mindless, careerist drone is going to replace her. Maybe they really don’t have independent-minded MPs like that any more.

  RIP.