Mark Peel has written a perceptive, balanced and well-researched biography of Shirley Williams, one of the most gifted politicians of the last half-century. She was a Labour cabinet minister from 1974 to 1979, one of the founders of the Social Democratic party, and a former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. As Peel argues, though she never became prime minister, as some predicted she would, Shirley still retains a unique place in our public life.
Shirley had an unusual childhood. Her mother, Vera Brittain, was a caring but distant figure. Her father, George Catlin, was an academic who tried unsuccessfully to be a Labour politician. In the first three years of the war, the 10-year-old Shirley and her 13-year-old brother were sent without their parents to the United States.
After a glittering career at Oxford and fighting two general elections in a Tory seat, she was elected to parliament in 1964. With her wonderful voice, outstanding speaking ability and sharp intelligence, she quickly climbed the political ladder. Harold Wilson brought her into his cabinet in 1974 and his successor, Jim Callaghan, made her secretary of state for education. Despite criticisms of her performance (mostly, in my view, unfair), her reputation remained high and, if Labour had won the 1979 election and she had held on to her seat, there was an outside chance that she could have become leader of the party.
I was Shirley’s parliamentary private secretary for her last year in government and remained close to her until she and the other members of the ‘Gang of Four’ left Labour. Though sharing her view of what was happening in the Labour party, I was devastated by her decision. I believed that the better course was to stay and fight. I still think she made a mistake, not because her leaving affected the result of the 1983 general election or even that of the 1987 general election, but because the Labour party was, and is, Shirley’s natural home.
Peel highlights Shirley’s decision not to stand in the Warrington by-election in 1981 as a key moment, which led to her subsequent failure to become leader of the SDP. As she wrote in her autobiography: ‘I did not dither, I quailed.’ Peel is right to stress her lack of ruthlessness as a handicap.
Peel quotes William Hague’s remark in an Oxford Union debate: ‘In politics, Mrs Williams, it isn’t enough to be nice.’ But this misses the main point about Shirley. Her honesty, decency and, yes, her niceness are what makes her such an inspiring politician to so many people. They like it that she is an intensely human person, who really cares about people and is interested in what they say. They also appreciate her idealism and commitment to liberal values and social justice. It is this combination of qualities that makes her a special person. British politics is all the better for Shirley’s contribution.
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Giles Radice is a member of the House of Lords
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Shirley Williams: The Biography
Mark Peel
BiteBack Publishing | 480pp | £25