Another of the old school gone

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 18 April 2008 11:14:19

I noted, reading the news today, that the politician Gwyneth Dunwoody has died. She was one of the old style politicians whose passing is marking the end of an era.

Politicians of her era were, perhaps, no more trustworthy than the younger generation (there have always been and will probably always be parlimentary scandals), but they did tend to have a courage and independance that is largely lacking in politics today. They were interested in issues more than presentation and had a substance that many younger politicans could, I believe, learn from. They were the sort of people who learnt the rule book inside out and used it, effectively, to be awkward buggers because they understood and used the power of the backbencher.

Women like Dunwoody (and Barbara Castle) were the ones that gave rise to true feminism, (even if they didn't use the term), rather than the radical version of the 1960's. These were the women who didn't shout alot about what was wrong but rather just got on with doing their bit to change it; to try and create a better world for all people regardless of gender. These were the type of women who were actually responsible for ensuring we got the Equal Pay Act and the like.