One of this week’s Guardian leader columns, ‘In praise of…’, was deservedly dedicated to Shirley Williams, a Lib Dem peer, founding member of the SDP, and former Labour education secretary. Here’s a snippet:
Forever running late, but with a warmth that ensures she’s forgiven, Williams has great faith in reasonable compromise. She has pursued a more softly-softly approach towards the dreadful health bill than we have advocated. But survivors of the SDP’s internecine wars recall a wily chair perfectly capable of calling a crunch vote when an awkward customer had gone to the loo, and it is too early to judge what her tactics will achieve. The donnish precision of her words suggests she knows what she’s doing; so does the record. No one did more to end the educational apartheid of the 11-plus. The best evidence suggests this greatly extended opportunity. And in the SDP she blazed the trail on female candidates, which Blair and then Cameron would belatedly follow.
You can read the full tribute on the Guardian website here.
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6 Comments
I’ve a great deal of respect and admiration for Shirley and am pleased she’s still getting positive recognition.
I didn’t realise though that she saw the back of the 11-plus. Forcing a certain type of education on people I think we can all be pleased she tried to get rid of. That what we actually ended up with was ‘comprehensive’ education that’s too academic for some and not academic enough for others is a regrettable disappointment.
Half of the Guardian readership won’t be happy about this. My housemate (a Labour member), whenever I mention Shirley, goes into an apoplectic rage, using some rather coarse and sexist language that I won’t repeat about her ‘treachery’. Never mind that the SDP was founded before he was even born – apparently if it weren’t for the SDP and those nasty liberals, we’d be living in Michael Foot’s glorious socialist commonwealth (apparently something we should desire).
In all seriousness, Shirley is marvellous. She did a lot of great work on the Health and Social Care Bill, and she is the conscience of our party.
Isn’t it curious that the Guardian never mentions the fact that Shirley Williams is a Liberal Democrat? There is a lot of talk about her role in the SDP (which makes the commenters very predictably foam at the mouth with rage), but no mention of the LibDems.
hmmmm…
The comments certainly demonstrate how CiF really is off the deep end. Most of the commentators seem to be living in a reality they’ve carefully constructed so they don’t need to deal with facts that they don’t like.
Shirley is one of the best Lib Dems I’ve ever met. My earliest political memory is when my mum gave Shirley a lift in her car. I was in the back asking the sorts of questions only small kids can ask. She still gives brilliant speeches and puts people in their place very well.
Shirley williams came to support my General Election campaign. I, and my fellow capaigners had never met a promminent politician who is such a genuinely warm natural person. Exposure to the Westminster bubble hasn’t produced the usual super-ego. I followed her from Labour via SDP to Lib Dems , our political principles remain unchanged and she articulates them brilliantly.
If anyone is thinking of joining Labour I strongly recommend the Guardian blog on the Shirley article. I had forgotten that Labour is founded on grassroots bitterness and bile.
Interestingly, Labour supporters I know are divided equally on Shirley – for every bile-spitter there’s a big fan, who recognises her genuinely altruistic approach to politics and her deep concern for everyone in society.
Anyway, the point of this – she’s guest of honour at our (Westminster Lib Dems) dinner on Dec 8th and there are still a few tickets available.