In terms of sheer, jaw-dropping, ‘no I don’t believe it’ surprise, the best political moment of 2002 had to be the day when we learnt about John Major’s affair with Edwina Currie. Not only did it amaze everyone who knew either of them, it also threw up so many wonderful ‘what-ifs’. If the affair had come to light earlier then the course of history would have been changed – Douglas Hurd, Michael Heseltine or Ken Clark might have become Prime Minister; Neil Kinnock might have won the ’92 election; John Smith may have made it to Downing Street … and Gordon Brown might be Prime Minister today. So much in politics is down to timing.
Jackie Ashley writes for the Guardian
For me, the political moment to savour during the last year was the European Parliament’s courageous decision to ‘punish’ the Robert Mugabe regime by refusing entry to two Zimbabwean ministers who are on the EU travel ban list. My immediate response was ‘and about time too’. On all counts that government is failing and continues to prey on its citizens. The ruthless greed for power and wealth exhibited by Mugabe’s cohorts is limitless. The country is in freefall: institutions are weakened and Zanu PF thugs manipulate everything, including delivery of food to starving people. I am proud of the principled stand my parliament took.
Glenys Kinnock is MEP for Wales
One can think of a number of important moments. When the US administration was persuaded to go the UN route over Iraq. When Ian Duncan Smith lost any hope of surviving as Tory leader in the long term with his breathtaking misjudgement over the adoption bill. But for me, in my current job, it has to be when the Commons voted for the most radical package of modernisation for decades. It would have been a lot more difficult to preach about reform to public services while resolutely failing to reform ourselves.
Ben Bradshaw MP is Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
An American president and his food made my best political moment of the year. No, not meeting Bill Clinton while drunkenly (me, not him) passing McDonalds in Blackpool, though that did happen, but hearing in January that the hapless George W Bush had choked on his pretzel and fainted. It could have happened to anyone but that it was him seemed to confirm his ineptitude. ‘My mother always said when you’re eating pretzels, chew before you swallow,’ he said. Not advice that Bill seemed to need as he munched on his steak-burger and fries.
Ellie Levenson is editor of Fabian Review
No contest: Bill at Blackpool. Why? Three reasons. He gave us a breathtaking show of statesmanship that eclipsed our squabbling and sneering. He reminded us that a politician can still use Shakespeare’s language to illuminate and to inspire rather than to temporise. And it was the best laugh this year to see the hard men and women of the party fighting to touch his hand before fainting at his feet.
Trevor Phillips is chair of the Greater London Assembly
The sequence of Tony Blair’s and Bill Clinton’s conference speeches. We needed some inspirational reminders that this business is all about values, about why we do it, not just about how well we mean to manage it. These speeches did exactly that – placed us amidst the need to act as members of an international and domestic community, empowered precisely by being members of a community. And both stressed how corrosive it is to allow malign forces to disrupt community, especially in the name of bigotry. The great privilege of sitting where you can see everyone in conference is the sight of comrades being asked to think about it, engage in it, and then embracing it with such energy. That collective adrenaline tells you when you are in good shape.
David Triesman is general secretary of the Labour Party
2002 was the year we discovered that in matters of presentation, if not policy, the Conservative Party is in a league of its own. First up was Edwina Currie, whose revelations about her affair with John Major managed to do for him what six years as Prime Minister never had: get voters interested in something he’d done. Then Theresa May showed that for the Tories, political stature is as easy to acquire as a natty pair of leopard-print shoes. Poor old Iain Duncan Smith’s attempts to improve his image haven’t been quite so successful – if the Quiet Man gets any quieter he’ll be a mime artist. Now that really would be putting presentation over substance…
David Lammy MP is chair of Progress
Light relief from the Tories has cheered up a pretty depressing political year. Their inept attempts to force their members and activists to encourage more women to become MPs shows they have learned none of the lessons which enabled Labour to tackle this problem with relative success. They have made no mention of the need for education programmes, discussion, debate and persuasion based on demonstrating the added value of diversity. They almost made me forget the dire international situation, which we all hope will improve in 2003.
Margaret Prosser is former deputy general secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union
As the Member of parliament for Salford, an inner city constituency, I represent a community which really suffered under eighteen years of the Tories. So I am particularly pleased to see additional money being invested in our National Health Service, giving local communities the facilities they want in the areas they want. In Salford we have benefitted from £45 million to establish ten family clinics across the authority. In my constituency, local people are not just being consulted but are an integral part of the design of the new facilities and the services they provide. This is really giving back power to the people, encouraging a rebirth of common ownership in our public services.
Hazel Blears is MP for Salford
Political highlight: Gordon Brown’s masterful spending review, which will see record injections of cash into our schools and hospitals, and his budget, with an extra 1p on National insurance to help fund it. Strangest moment: sitting in No 10, waiting to see the Prime Minister, and learning from Sky News on in the corner that I was to be Secretary of State for Wales. These days the media knows your next job before you do! But best moment: the birth of my first grandchild, Harry. No political event can beat that.
Rt Hon Peter Hain MP is Secretary of State for Wales
My political moment of 2002 was the local elections in May, which saw Labour take back control of Oxford City Council from the Liberal Democrats. After a hard-fought election campaign the count was electric. Many from the Oxford University Labour club stood for election, so students who had been getting out the vote all day filled the town hall. Although I lost my unwinnable seat, three Labour students were elected, so it was a victory for all of us.
Ellie Reeves is chair of Labour Students