An awful lot of parliamentary business is unglamorous and pretty much unnoticed by either the public or the media. Such was European Standing Committee A, to which the kindly Conservative government whips sent me as a new MP in 1992. It was there that I first came across Gwyneth. Watching her in action was the best tutorial a new Member could have in how to use Parliament properly.
The Committee's job was to scrutinise draft European Directives on agriculture and transport. Unusually, the Committee session began with sixty minutes of questions to the Minister responsible for negotiating the Directive on behalf of our country. Woe betide the Minister who had not done his homework. Gwyneth would have read the documents thoroughly and would happily fillet any Minister who had failed to do his homework. I still recall the glint of fear in the eyes of one Minister as Gwyneth rose to her feet, stared into his eyes, announced that she wished to draw his attention to Annexe 8, paragraph 4 (g), asked him what it would cost British taxpayers and then sat down again, leaving the Minister (who clearly did not have a clue about the answer) gesturing to his officials to come up with something, please and quickly!
Watching Gwyneth in action, I learned a number of lessons:
- unglamorous and boring legislation is still important, because it imposes legal obligations on British citizens and costs them money from the taxes which they pay;
- Members of Parliament, whatever their party, have a duty to hold the government of the day accountable for its decisions;
- if you take the trouble to bone up on parliamentary procedure and you do your homework, you will be more effective in your job.
Actually they all seem pretty obvious principles, you only have to look at some pretty senior members of the present government to see that not everyone shares them.
My other favourite memory of Gwyneth is more personal. It was March 1995, and I had spent the night with my wife in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where she was in labour with our second son. It was one of those times when John Major's government was on a parliamentary precipice, and every ninety minutes or so through the night, the midwife called me to the phone to take a call from the government whips' office, asking how things were going and saying how vital it was that I was present for a Bill Committee session the following morning! I do remember, at about 4am, telling them that the government could fall but I wasn't leaving the hospital until the baby was born. Anyhow, all went well with the birth and at 10.30 am I was on a train to London (shaving and changing into a suit en route). I got to the Committee Room at 11.45, and we voted at 12.15. Then Gwyneth, who was chairing the Committee announced that I had just come from the hospital, congratulated me, added "as a grandmother of nine, I think that the congratulations should go to the hon. Member's wife." and then proceeded with the business.
She was a fearless and determined parliamentarian but who always had that human touch. I shall miss her a lot.