Mo Mowlam transferred to hospice

[Trotsky]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4146272.stm

Critically ill former Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam has been moved from hospital to a hospice in Kent to be closer to her family. Ms Mowlam, 55, was taken to hospital in London two weeks ago. Hospital officials say her condition is still "critical but stable". She has now been transferred from King's College Hospital in London to Pilgrim Hospice in Canterbury, No details of her illness have been given by her doctors. The hospital has refused to say whether or not it is connected to her previous brain tumour.

A pity, as my auld boy used to say, she had more balls and more brains than the rest of the British cabinet combined. When she went into the Maze and told the loyalist prisoners what was what, managing to secure their support for the GFA, she I was in awe. She's some woman for one woman!

[Nono]

Labour is fast tilting to the right: Robin Cook, Mo Mowlam ... Who's next?
You think Mandelson, Campbell & Co. are somehow behind this?

[Trotsky]

Mandy is next if Cambell is behind it!!! A closet homosexual is just not going to fit with Labours new image now is it! Only joking, but seriously with Cambell now being a sitting MP, guess you Brits can all Start marching goose-setp style with straight arm salutes etc shouting "Viva El Tone", and with his Guestapo head Clarke...gonna be fun!

[Matt W]

And that's why I'm thinking it's time to seriously start thinking about doing a TEFL course and staying out in the Far East!

[righthand]

Quote by: Trotsky http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4146272.stm A pity, as my auld boy used to say, she had more balls and more brains than the rest of the British cabinet combined. When she went into the Maze and told the loyalist prisoners what was what, managing to secure their support for the GFA, she I was in awe. She's some woman for one woman!

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"After graduation from graduate school, she worked in New York City and then as a research assistant for Tony Benn, a member of parliament."... CNN "a popular and charismatic figure, known for her outspoken views and sense of humour." "There were also suggestions that Tony Blair had been irritated when the Labour Party conference gave her a longer standing ovation than him. The Prime Minister disputes this but there is no doubting that her searing honesty on everything from the Royal Family to her experimentation with cannabis upset party managers." She became even more outspoken after she stood down as an MP, saying it was "harder and harder to defend what the Labour Government is doing". "We have a Prime Minister who has thrown away the British constitution and seems to see himself as our president", she added.

Do you think she had another US politician in mind.

She has been outspoken in her support for the end of the monarchy in the UK, suggesting the Royals should leave Buckingham Palace and later suggesting Britain should become a republic. "I have been looking at a number of different options to continue to pursue my many interests, including in international affairs, conflict resolution and poverty."

Her entering the Maze is what every newspaper fixes on, as if that was the totality of this great woman.

For me it was her endless good humour in the face of personal as well as political difficulties. Next was her total honesty, a trait not obviously present in many politicians. Well she was honest in spades. That combined with being a lady, allowed her to be brutally honest, whereas a man would get in trouble.

Her shafting began near the close of negotiations of the Good Friday Agreement. Big Ian could not stomach being treated as an equal by a whiskey drinking, honest, WOMAN, and ran to TONY in London. Totally incorrectly, tony dealt with ian so by passing our Mo. It was clear to all that Mo was proving too popular for tony. Worse was when his imminent arrival in Belfast to finalise the Argument was portrayed as the coming of christ and Mo was totally sidelined.

At the recent funeral of another great honest englishman COOK, tony was denounced from the pulpit. Well, I'll denounce him now as a spineless lap dog for his treatment of one of his most loyal and successful cabinet ministers. He later replaced the BEST Northern Secretary EVER with the acknowledged "Prince of Darkness." Good for bile drinking ian and his ilk, but never for the future of peace in the North.

Mo will live on LONG in the affections of the Irish people, long after tony is a foot note on the list of "could have beens".

[Trotsky]

Like I said, more balls and brains than the rest of the British Cabinet combined. Also she got shafted because she represented a viable threat to good ol'Tone's leadership of the Labour Party. And Righthand correctly said, she was far more than one trip to see the Loyalists in the Maze, Of the very view politicans I admire and respect totally, she was one of them. I would love to have seen herself and Mary Robinson (another shafted becasue certain male politicians with Vetos couldn't handle been spoken straight to by a woman) form a double team.....ah well. Heres hoping Mo don't give in easily, not that she ever would!

[righthand]

Mo Mowlam's condition deteriorating
5.30pm Aug 18 2005 Guardian
Press Association

The condition of the critically ill former Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam has deteriorated, friends said today. Ms Mowlam had difficulties with her balance as a result of radiotherapy treatment for the tumour. Earlier this month she fell and injured her head and has not regained consciousness. She had earlier asked in a living will not to be resuscitated and in the last few days, food and water have been withdrawn.

At least she can die with dignity on her terms in the UK.

Renowned for her light-hearted disregard of formality, kicking off her shoes and chewing gum in meetings, she reputedly took her wig off to break tension in tense talks. But there was growing opposition to her from more mainstream unionists. Ms Mowlam worked as a lecturer and university administrator before being elected MP for Redcar in 1987. In 1995 she married Labour-supporting merchant banker Jon Norton, already a father of two.

[righthand]

News just in: Mo Mowlam's has died. May she rest in peace. Great Lady.

[Matt W]

Absolutely. Rest in peace, Mo.

[Trotsky]

RIP Mo, a loss for British politics

[Trotsky]

Quote by: Tony Blair "[She was] great company, utterly irreverent, full of life and fun, Yet behind that extraordinary front presented to the world was one of the shrewdest political minds I ever encountered. She was a natural politician, could read a situation and analyse and assess it as fast as anyone."

A good summary of Mo, pity good ol'Tone didn't realise what kind of person she was before he shafted her.

[righthand]

Mowlam 'will be missed by Irish people': Taoiseach
19/08/2005 - 10:08:40
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/stor...xx&n=125755629

Mo Mowlam was a person and a politician whom the Irish people held in great esteem, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today. Mr Ahern said the death of Ms Mowlam would be met with a great sense of sadness by all who knew her. “Even at her lowest moments, she always seemed to have enough energy and enthusiasm to lift an occasion and to inspire those around her. No matter what the challenge, Mo tackled it with courage and sincerity,” the Taoiseach said. Mr Ahern said she worked tirelessly in the negotiations for the Good Friday Agreement. “As Secretary of State for Northern Ireland she was prepared to take risks for the peace process, risks to secure agreement and risks to implement it,” he said. “If politics is about securing change for the common good, the peace and prosperity we enjoy today are a measure of how Mo’s sense of public service has transformed the lives of people across these islands.” Mr Ahern said the straight-talking politician would be mourned by all Irish people. He added that his thoughts and prayers were with her husband, Jon, and her family and friends. Labour's foreign affairs spokesman Michael D Higgins said Ms Mowlam was a remarkable figure who left an unforgettable impression on all who came into contact with her. “Throughout all the political positions she held, her humanity, her decency and her love of people came shining through at all times,” he said. Mr Higgins said she demonstrated tremendous skill, tenacity and dedication during her two years as Northern Ireland Secretary. “Throughout her time in the Northern Ireland Office her actions were driven by a passionate belief in the future Northern Ireland and its people,” he said. “It was particularly tragic that such a vibrant figure was struck down by ill-health at the height of her powers, but Mo battled that illness with the characteristic courage and determination that were the hallmark of her political career.” Progressive Democrats TD Liz O’Donnell said Ms Mowlam was a funny, refreshing and informed politician. “She was a free spirit, a straight talker and a straight dealer,” the TD said. “I came to admire and really love her very much. She was very sympathetic to the grievances of Irish nationalism and probably the first secretary of State of Northern Ireland to be that way. “I think in that sense it was imperative that she was there in the critical two years when she was secretary of state.” Ms O’Donnell said Ms Mowlam was unorthodox as a person and a politician in many ways. “I think she was particularly good with parties moving away from violence, whether they were Republican or Loyalist, less comfortable as we know with middle-class males of both denominations,” the TD said. Enda Kenny, leader of the Fine Gael party, said the huge courage and honesty Ms Mowlam portrayed in Northern Ireland had also shone through during her long and difficult illness. “The high point of her career was her term as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1997 to 1999,” the opposition party leader said. “During this time, not only was she central in the negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement, but more importantly she was instrumental in convincing nationalist Ireland that the British Government was serious about bringing about a truly inclusive and democratic solution to the problems of Northern Ireland. “The best way of ensuring that Mo Mowlam’s rich legacy is fulfilled is for all involved to ensure that the Agreement is implemented in all its aspects.”

Beat that Tony. The Taoiseach is the Irish Prime Minister and Government leader.

Top headlies news on all TV and radio in Ireland.

She deserves an Irish wake. Only Jack Charlton could compete for Irish affection, a very hard item for any English person to gain.

[righthand]

1. Tributes paid after death of Mo Mowlam

Listen to an excerpt of comments by the former Northern Secretary, Mo Mowlam, on RTÉ's
The Late Late Show in 1999 Audio

President Mary McAleese pays tribute to the late Mo Mowlam

Mark Durkan, SDLP leader, tells Tommie Gorman, Northern Editor, about his memories of the former Northern Secretary

Julia Langdon, author of a biography of Mo Mowlam, recalls the life of a friend



One last one to give you a flavour of the real Mo and not the censored version.

[center]Risk-taker Mowlam played formative role in peace process
19/08/2005 - 08:44:29

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When Mo Mowlam became Northern Ireland Secretary, she may well have had her hero Winston Churchill in mind – and his declaration that history would be kind to him because he intended to write it. Few would dispute Mo Mowlam made her mark in Northern Ireland. During her two years in office she helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, and witnessed unionists and nationalists taking tentative steps towards power sharing. Her reputation was that of a tough talker and a risk taker. But like all Secretaries of State, her departure from Belfast was marked by criticisms and plaudits. Before Mo Mowlam, Northern Ireland’s politics was overwhelmingly male. Many of her admirers welcomed her touchy-feely style as a breath of fresh air in the North, and her ability to call things as she saw them. But to others, mostly unionists, she was uncouth and ill-suited to the role of Secretary of State. Not that she would have cared. Mo Mowlam arrived in Belfast in 1997 as Labour basked in its resounding general election victory. She was familiar to many of the key players, having served as Labour’s spokeswoman on the North since 1994. She also came to the North recovering from a brain tumour operation and having lost her hair during treatment. Within days of being elected, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Belfast to offer Sinn Féin a place in talks if the IRA restored the ceasefire which collapsed in February 1996. But if this was a signal Blair would adopt a hands-on approach to the North, it was also clear Ms Mowlam would not be relegated to a mere supporting role. Within a week of assuming office, she was in Derry insisting her immediate priority was an IRA ceasefire, followed by talks. It was not long before she felt the sharp end of both unionist and nationalist tongues on the thorny issue of the Protestant marching season. As the North went to the polls for local government elections, she toured three parade hot spots – Drumcree in Portadown, the lower Ormeau in south Belfast and Dunloy in Co Antrim. The move was condemned by Ulster Unionist MP Ken Maginnis, who claimed her meeting with nationalist residents’ leader Breandan Mac Cionnaith in Portadown had handed Sinn Féin a propaganda victory. Within weeks, Mo Mowlam was criticised by Mr Mac Cionnaith, who accused her of “playing funny games” with residents after an Orange Order march was forced through the Garvaghy Road. As riots broke out in nationalist areas, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams moved quickly, with one eye on the peace process, to calm the situation. The reason became apparent just days later when republicans announced the restoration of the IRA ceasefire. Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble accused the British government of duplicity. But crucially, the UUP and loyalist parties remained at Stormont as Sinn Féin joined them. Only the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists and the UK Unionists walked out. There would be many testing moments for Mo Mowlam in the negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement – not least when the INLA killed dissident loyalist Billy Wright. The Loyalist Volunteer Force leader’s shooting in the Maze Prison in Christmas 1997 unleashed a wave of violence, with the Ulster Defence Association killing several Catholics. UDA prisoners also voted overwhelmingly for their political wing, the Ulster Democratic Party, to pull out of the negotiations. But in a brave bid to rescue the peace process, Ms Mowlam visited UDA inmates in the Maze Prison. Faced by some of the North’s most notorious hardmen, such as Michael Stone and Johnny Adair, Ms Mowlam persuaded them to stay on board. A Churchill quote may have inspired her move: “Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room!” But to some unionists, another Churchill quote came to mind: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile – hoping it will eat him last.” During the talks, Ms Mowlam acquired a reputation for being blunt. She was overheard telling Mr Adams at one meeting: “Bloody well get on and do it, otherwise I’ll head-butt you!” With no regard to how others might perceive her, she would sometimes take her wig off during talks or even press conferences – not as a sympathy tactic but simply because her head was itchy. One such episode occurred during a particularly combative meeting with some of loyalism’s most notorious hardmen. Observers said the loyalist delegation was left speechless. Her lack of airs or graces sometimes threatened to cause a diplomatic incident. Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness recalls how she once walked in to the party’s room and noticed some lilies on the table – a republican symbol for commemorating those killed in the 1916 Easter Rising. After asking what it was and remarking how nice it was, she left the office with a lily in her lapel. McGuinness said she was fortunate to run into him as she left the office. “I told her to take it off, because if you are seen by any of the unionists, it’s going to cause a major international incident which could be severely to the detriment of this entire process,” he said. “She said ‘Oops’ and took it off, wisely.” Ms Mowlam would often break protocol while in the North, sending her Special Branch bodyguards out to buy her tights and lipstick. She was also spotted wandering around Belfast city centre on unofficial walkabouts and the Giant’s Causeway in Co Antrim. Her finest hour probably came with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and its endorsement in referenda north and south. The Real IRA’s Omagh bomb, which killed 29 people just months later, was undoubtedly a low point. But her increasingly frosty relationship with unionism would ultimately be her undoing. Her wisecrack that it was her mission to “civilise the Ulster male” did little to endear her to unionists. In the days following the Good Friday Agreement her relationship with Mr Trimble deteriorated to such a point that senior UUP figures openly lobbied for her removal in a Cabinet reshuffle. The most dramatic example of the breakdown in the relationship came in the months of political stagnation following the Good Friday Agreement. In July 1999, following proposals from the Irish and British governments to break the deadlock in the peace process, she triggered a mechanism in the Northern Ireland Assembly aimed at setting up the power-sharing executive. But Mr Trimble’s Ulster Unionists rejected the plan, and boycotted the nomination session. Faced by empty Ulster Unionist benches, Sinn Féin and the SDLP went through the bizarre spectacle at Stormont of nominating ministers to an executive which would never come into being. The standing ovation she received at the Labour conference in 2000, while clearly heartfelt by rank-and-file party activists, was reported to have unnerved Cabinet colleagues. And when Peter Mandelson replaced her as Northern Ireland Secretary, reaction, as ever, was mixed in the North. Then SDLP leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume described her contribution to the peace process as “outstanding“, while Ian Paisley said her term in office had been “a failure“. Ms Mowlam simply shrugged off the praise and criticism. As she faded from frontline politics, she maintained contact with friends in the North in politics, the civil service and journalism, and continued to visit as a keen advocate of integrated education for Catholic and Protestant schoolchildren. She received many awards for her work during the formative years of the peace process, and earned the admiration of world leaders such as President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. And while she may have failed to win over the hearts of some hardliners in the North, she would have taken comfort from another Churchill quote: “A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”

We recognize quality in Ireland.

Even the Pope is second headline today.

[Trotsky]

Yes we recognise quality, yet we still elect the likes of Bertie, Caomhin O Caolainn, Mary Harney et al