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| Geoffrey stands in as all eyes
are on Nye |
From left: journalist Geoffrey Goodman, Michael Foot, Geoffrey
Roberston QC, Lord Keith Brookman former general secretary
of the Iron and Steel Trade Confederation |
THE remnants of Old Labour turned out in force for the fourth
Nye Bevan lecture at Portcullis House, opposite the Houses of Parliament.
I was surprised to see Geoffrey Robertson QC give the lecture, not
least because the eminent Jack Straw was down to speak when I checked
a fortnight ago.
I felt a collective sigh of relief when Robertson walked in instead
of Jack – breaking the mould of Labour politicians to give
the speech since it began in 2001: Gordon Brown, Neil Kinnock, Robin
Cook. Sources reveal that Jack didn’t give much of a reason
for his late withdrawal. Is it presumptuous to say he is losing
touch with Labour’s roots?
Stand-in Robertson talked about a bright young 17th-century lawyer,
whose life I fancy Robertson aspires to.
John Cooke was a plebeian barrister who drafted a law that enabled
Parliament to hold Charles I to account for war crimes.
The Tyrannicide Brief as he calls it now has its legacy in International
Law and the trial of tyrants like Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic.
But what about our own tyrants and their more recent war crimes?
After his speech I asked Robertson if he thought it was outrageous
that some people believed Tony Blair and President Bush ought to
be arraigned before the international court over the Iraq war.
Robertson responded with a typical middleman response.
“It’s not outrageous it is just wrong as a matter of law,”
he said. “To be arraigned it would have to be a matter of aggression.
In the International Criminal Court Charter there is no definition
of crime of aggression. This part of the charter is being addressed
in a conference in 2009 – and I suppose by then these two will
no longer be around.”
Our Mo had a lot of bottle
A COLLEAGUE who had always admired Mo Mowlam from afar found
himself sitting next to her at the theatre a few years ago.
He got chatting to her and ended exchanging phone numbers. After
that, he spent occasional dinner evenings at her Hackney home.
It was at one such party at her house that the subject of living
wills was brought up, and as his girlfriend at the time was working
for the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, and knowing Mo had suffered
from a brain tumour, suggested she filled in one of the wills.
It’s a legally binding document that allows you to say what
treatment you want if you should lose consciousness and be unable
to dictate the medical care you wish to have.
Mo agreed and in August, when she fell ill again, the doctors deferred
to her living will.
This allowed a person who was so dignified in life to die with dignity.
Such thoughts came back to my colleague when he attended a celebration
of Mo’s life on Sunday at a memorial at the Theatre Royal,
Drury Lane.
Among the guests were Jon Snow – who used his towering height
to queue jump at the bar – Lenny Henry, Jeremy Irons and Patrick
Kielty whose father was killed by Irish loyalist paramilitaries.
On stage Paul Merton kept things together while chums told stories
of evenings at Hillsborough Castle – Mo’s official residency
as Northern Ireland Secretary.
Such tales reminded my colleague of the nights he had enjoyed in
her modest, terraced home in Hackney, after she had left the Commons
because of ill health. Great quantities of good whisky were drunk
with her husband Jon cooking, music-playing and much dancing.
Neil Kinnock, Betty Boothroyd and Clare Short made tributes from
the stage, while Tony Blair’s video-taped contribution was
met with boos from some of the audience.
It was a grand affair, the type of thing Mo would have wanted. It
reflected her sense of fun, her generosity of spirit and positive
outlook. Her friends feel her loss still so keenly.
Julian and the great outdoors
WHEN it comes to outdoor activities Julian Fulbrook knows his
business.
I have always envied Mr Fulbrook. Somehow, he is able to perform
as a senior law lecturer at the London School of Economics, hold
down a responsible job as a senior Labour councillor at the Town
Hall, and still play a part in local affairs, at one stage helping
to run the scouts in Holborn. As a family man, off he would go every
year to some camping holiday or such with his wife and three children.
I hardly need to add that Mr Fulbrook (pictured) would turn up at
the Town Hall on his bicycle.
I am not surprised to receive this week a copy of his latest book
on ‘Outdoor Activities’ and negligence (published by Ashgate,
and to be reviewed shortly) which, appositely, opens with the school
trip at Lyme Bay in Dorset in 1993 that ended in tragedy when four
teenagers died.
Teachers in Camden terrified that children in their charge may suffer
an accident, on school trips or in the playground, will find much
in this book to hold their attention.
Time’s up!
Blair: Discredited? |
TURN the clock back ten years and it was a young, fresh-faced
Tony Blair MP who was guest of honour at the Islington Fabians’
annual dinner.
Last night (Wednesday), however, it was William Keegan, economic
editor of the Observer, who sat at the top table at the Resource
Centre in Holloway Road.
After his talk he told me: “Blair is a completely discredited
figure over Iraq.
“It’s the most disgraceful episode of hubris of a British
leader in my lifetime, including Suez.
“Although Suez was a terrible episode, Iraq is even worse.”
Mr Keegan, who has written a book about Gordon Brown, added that
the chancellor was “head and shoulders” the best contender
to take over from the Prime Minister.
He said: “It should have happened a long time ago.”
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Angelino's finest are put to the test
WE came across Angelino Wines, sandwiched between two colourful and
aggressively self-promoting Australian wine sellers, at Islington’s
London Wine Event at the end of October.
Its owner is Farrell Anglin, whose imagination was caught by a lecture
on the history of wine making at Southgate College.
FULL STORY
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