Iain Duncan Smith has written a tribute to John Profumo on the day of his funeral:
"Toynbee Hall is one of the jewels in the crown of this nation's charitable sector. It is the kind of caring institution that commands the love and respect of the British people, an institution that never walks away from people, however hopeless or disadvantaged their circumstances may seem. Toynbee Hall gave John Profumo his second chance in life and he used it well. It was at Toynbee hall that I first met him and discovered – through others – all the good work that he had done. So many people, who owe the quality of their lives to him, spoke warmly of this one time disgraced politician. Everyone deserves a second chance. It's what you do with it that marks your life. Real greatness for John Profumo lay not in counting honours and awards, or amassing fame and fortune, but in using his second chance to give other much more vulnerable people their second chance."
See the full article in The Yorkshire Post.
Its a shame nobody has commented on this yet.
Profumo represents a now tragically by-gone era when politicians had honour and resigned when they did something wrong. Contrast that with today, and we could do with a lot more politicians with the honour of John Profumo. I think IDS's tribute is very good.
Posted by: Rob Largan | March 20, 2006 at 15:26
Some might draw comparisons between the two... (not that IDS did anything scandalous)
Posted by: Samuel Coates | March 20, 2006 at 15:52
Yes I'm sorry that I have not commented on this.Perhaps one always looks back with rose tinted glasses but it does seem that politics was a much less dirty game in the 1960's than it is today.Perhaps that is one of the reasons why IDS who seems a wholly honourable man did not prosper as leader.
I hope people will honour John Profumo in death as they didn't during his life.
Posted by: malcolm | March 20, 2006 at 16:03
Even CNN has reported it.
Posted by: Samuel Coates | March 20, 2006 at 16:41
Contrast Profumo with the politicos of today: He lied to the House of Commons, he was caught. He did the honourable thing - said 'fair cop' and departed. He never complained, never sold his memoirs, and devoted the rest of his life to doing something useful.
Blair lied to the House and the country with his '45 minutes' claim. He was also caught. He didn't even apologise, (or admit the lie) and was re-elected.
Profumo's 'crime'? A sexual indescretion. (Let he who without sin cast the first stone.) No one got hurt.
Blair's crime - over 100 British servicemen dead.
A sad sad refelction on the times in which we live.
Posted by: Jon White | March 20, 2006 at 16:57