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Twenty-five years ago, every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I would sit with Paddy Ashdown, Ming Campbell and various others to try to figure out a line that would floor John Major at Prime Minister’s Question Time.<\/p>\n
Today, 25 years on from my time as Ashdown’s press secretary, I listened to Major deliver a stunning sensitive, comprehensive, witty and poignant eulogy at Ashdown’s memorial service in Westminster Abbey.<\/p>\n
The two party leaders clashed repeatedly over economics, health, education and many other policies. After all, one had a Tory worldview, the other a Liberal one. But they had things in common beyond that.<\/p>\n
They shared a silly sense of humour, laughing at one event I recall about Major’s goldfish getting sunstroke.<\/p>\n
But they also shared bigger beliefs. They both believed Britain’s interests lay in being part of the EU – which had led to the LibDems choosing not to bring down the Major Government over the Maastricht Treaty – a big, bold, brave choice.<\/p>\n
They were both internationalists who respected other cultures and traditions, as seen in the reading from the Koran today from the Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina.<\/p>\n
And more important, on a personal level, they were both robust but generous people whose life experiences\u00a0enabled them to get along with world-leaders and normal folk alike. A different generation.<\/p>\n
Hence the courageous and inspired decision to have Major deliver the eulogy to Ashdown today. And he did not disappoint.<\/p>\n
Paddy always said Major had a ‘mind like a Singer sewing machine’. And today’s speech showed that he had known Paddy well in his last years and had done some incredibly detailed research.<\/p>\n
He was able to tell us that that Paddy wasn’t keen on being called “grand-dad” and so invented a new name for his grand-children to call him – Fred.<\/p>\n
He revealed that Ashdown had lately taken on a rescue dog which provided him with the excuse to walk to the pub in his Somerset village of Norton-sub-Hamdon, “sitting on the bench outside and talking to anyone who walked by”.<\/p>\n
He’d also taken to gardening, with “vegetables planted like rows of Marines on parade.”\u00a0 (OMG so true – I remember being shown how exactly to pack Paddy’s briefcase – others remember canvassing sessions that started with instructions to synchronise watches.)<\/p>\n
He reminded us that when Ashdown heard that Serbian hitmen were being offered two million euros to kill him, his response was that he was worth far more than that.<\/p>\n
That, when accused of being a careerist, Ashdown, who might have held high office in other parties,\u00a0replied: “How can that be, I’m a Liberal Democrat”.<\/p>\n
The resilience and humour all came back and the personal, inspirational message that counted today was Major’s remark that not a minute in Paddy’s life was wasted.\u00a0 \u00a0 How we’d all wish that said of us.<\/p>\n
The political message was that there is such a thing as the national interest. It transcends party politics. It springs from personal principles. It demands\u00a0courage, creativity and openness. It\u2019s about wisdom, far-sightedness and balance. Rare gifts.<\/p>\n
One thing I will really remember about Paddy is that he never put anyone down. He once remonstrated with me when I criticised someone, saying that everyone had something to give.<\/p>\n
For all his own achievements, abilities and confidence, whenever he met a new person, he took a genuine interest in them as a unique individual and wanted to know what they contributed to the world \u2013 which made them feel good about themselves and go away feeling happy.<\/p>\n
A great example. Or, as Major put it today, \u201cYour duty is done. At ease, Paddy, at ease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paddy Ashdown. RIP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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