Sir John, Lord Redwood is a former MP for Wokingham and a former Secretary of State for Wales.
I am still in shock over the tragic premature death of Ann Widdecombe. She devoted her life to serving the public and to entertaining them too.
How could anyone want to batter her to death? I hate to think of her suffering from violence. I send my condolences to her family and friends.
Her murder has led to much comment that she represented a past age of politicians, where a few like her had strong principles and convictions that drove their speeches and work.
We are told there are none such now.
I think that does an injustice to some current politicians, and misunderstands Ann who was more complex and nuanced than the outward show of some genuinely strongly held views. Some also suggest Ann was similar to Margaret Thatcher which I think misunderstands both great ladies of politics.
It is true Ann held strong views on some favoured topics and advanced them in clear and robust language. All the time we were MPs together Ann urged MPs against abortion, in favour of the traditional family and against female priests. She had tough views on law and order. Her conversion to Catholicism because she disliked the drift of the Anglican Church away from conventional values was sincere, passionate and consistent.
She also as an MP defended and supported the Maastricht Treaty.
She disagreed with my opposition to the European Exchange Rate mechanism and to my resignation over John Major’s refusal to rule out abolishing the pound. Later she showed wisdom and the ability to change her mind on big issues when she saw she had been wrong about the UK’s damaging and expensive foray into an EU controlled economic and monetary policy.
I was pleased to see her become a good advocate for a self-governing UK.
Margaret Thatcher in contrast did see the perils of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and held out for a long time against it. She judged she could not simply veto and destroy the idea because the Conservative party she led was then full of advocates of us giving in to EU rules, laws and EU economic mismanagement. They joined the TUC and CBI and the other main political parties to insist on this bad error.
When she did finally give way, I arranged an urgent one to one meeting with her, minded to resign my Ministerial post as it was obvious the government was committing itself to a disastrous policy. The meeting did not go as I expected. Margaret told me in private that she thought we few critics of the scheme were probably right, but that she had been forced to accept this policy owing to numbers and to implied threats of resignation by key Cabinet members. I reminded her of the economic ills it would likely bring. She sought to reassure me by saying she would get us out again if markets and the economy behaved as I feared. Her careful words and statement of her political plight with no self-pity made me resolve to fight on for her. I did not mention my original plan to resign.
It ironically fell to John Major, leading advocate of the ERM, to pick up the shattered pieces of the economy and to get taxpayers to pay for the huge losses on currencies. The ERM duly deposited us in a deep recession after giving us a nasty inflation. That took him and the Conservatives out of office for 13 long years until Labour made a worse economic mess. It was so predictable and so avoidable.
Today there are still politicians around with forceful views and a reluctance to bend. Jeremy Corbyn is a strong international socialist, and got more votes for that than Starmer got for something more trimmed and indefinite. The SNP are consistently in favour of independence and use devolved government to split or create divisions in the Union at every opportunity. The Greens and pro Palestine parties are strongly in favour of one side in the Middle East conflicts.
On the right side of clarity Kemi Badenoch has set out core beliefs for Conservative Parliamentary candidates, whilst promoting and encouraging people who are outspoken for good causes like free speech, self-government and the rejection of self-harming and self-defeating net zero policies.
She can, like Margaret Thatcher, catch the public mood for the right kind of change based on some key principles. Margaret would not deviate from household economics. She rightly told us to decide how you would pay the bill before acquiring something. She also believed you should not short change defence as the country relies on its PM to keep us safe.
This generation can find some good politicians with sound principles and understandings to take over from this dire government.
The public is ready for change to common-sense economics, to control of our borders, to less spending and borrowing and lower taxes to propel growth and new jobs. Kemi will lead us in that direction, combining desirable adherence to convictions with necessary adjustments and a pace of change that enough people will accept. Great leaders have good principles, but also need good judgement when the people are not persuaded. Abandoning good principles leads to failure. Trying to push through too much against opposition can lead to defeat as well. Changing views when you are wrong is always essential.
Ann will long be remembered for her forthright views on social policy, law and order and Christian values. Margaret towers above the Prime Ministers of the last century as the greatest peacetime Prime Minister.
Modern politics does have too many left wing MPs and parties that respond to every poll with popular soundbites they cannot implement or will dump if they get into office.
They think public spending should go up faster and the rich should be taxed more. They say more people should be seen as victims and given a work free life on benefits. Their policies throw people out of jobs and millionaires out of the country. It will take another strong and clear thinking Conservative leader to put this right. The public are warming to Kemi who is prepared to call out excessive spending, excessive borrowing, and damaging policies.