Congratulations to the amazing Shirley Williams who has been made a Companion of Honour in the New Year Honours list.
Tim Farron said:
Shirley is a liberal lion. She is a hero of mine and many, many others. She is a tireless and doughty campaigner for progressive politics. Britain is a better place because of her.
Her determination created the enlightened comprehensive education system we have today.
Shirley is also an inspiration for female politicians across the world. She is a trailblazer who has shown girls, like my own, that they can do anything they want to with skill, determination and passion.
Shirley Williams gives politics a good name.
Dick Newby, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords also paid tribute:
Shirley has a passionate view that the world can be made a better place by enlightened political action. She combines this with a unique ability to connect with people from all groups and formidable energy. She is truly inspirational.
Tomorrow we will publish a round-up of Lib Dems who have been honoured this year in the New Year Honours list. We can’t always spot them all, so please contact us on [email protected] with the names of any you know.
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6 Comments
Also now Sir Steve Webb
Splendid news, and well said, Tim. Shirley is certainly a hero and inspiration to me.
One of the finest people in our public life , one of the greatest in our party, one of the best in our country . The kind of honour , called a companion of honour , giving our honours list meaning.
Get rid of the honours list.
Shirley Williams has been one of the outstanding figures in British politics over the last four decades and served in Parliament in support of good causes for even longer.
She was brave to face the wrath and much opprobrium from within her old party when she helped to found the SDP. I was proud to help her become that party’s first person to be elected as an SDP MP at Crosby in November 1981, and by Christmas that year the Liberal-SDP Alliance rose to 50% in the national opinion polls.
It is my view that she would have made a greater success of the leadership of the SDP than Roy Jenkins (although I also admired him greatly).
She worked tirelessly and selflessly throughout these decades and when I asked her to visit constituency campaigns in the the general election campaigns I organised whilst Charles Kennedy was Leader, she gave the candidates in them a major boost and invariably gave me a very accurate picture of the campaign there on the ground.
Some of the issues, and her courteous but very effective style of speaking are illustrated by her valedictory speech in the House of Lords: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2016-01-28a.1464.2&s=speaker%3A12959#g1469.0
Like Chris Rennard I helped Shirley Williams at Crosby in 1981 .
I t was very very cold.
The SDP Landrover played Chariots of Fire and Bill Rodgers through a Loudhailer urged the voters of Waterloo and Blundell Sands to vote for Shirley
Great times