Dame Tessa Jowell R.I.P.

[Quia Differt]

I fully realise that " The Chapel Of Rest" is the customary place to pay tributes to those that have been taken from us but feel that an exception should be made in respect of Dame Tessa.

As everyone knows she was, until recently the M.P. for the Dulwich and West Norwood Constituency

She was above all else a great Humanitarian and the standing ovation she received from all sides of The House Of Lords recently showed the universal love and warmth that people felt for her.

A sad loss as she was only 70 years old.

Dame Tessa Jowell R.I.P.

[Jellybeanz]

She was an incredible MP. She personally helped me out with a personal matter many years ago and I had the honour of meeting her at a local community group meeting a few years later and thanking her. She was warm, genuine and approachable.

She will be a huge loss.

[malumbu]

Worked with her on the Olympics and shared the odd conversation. Good to hear all of the positive tributes from all sides.

[Monkey]

She was a wonderful MP and, as was said above, a great humanitarian. A huge loss to her family but also to the country.

[JohnL]

One of the good ones.

[Lynne]

Can I mention her whole-hearted support of Tony Blair and the invasion fiasco?

[JoeLeg]

There?s a lot of people who were part of that. But it wasn?t the sum total of everything she did.

[Lynne]

Of course, not, but there was also the Gambling Bill, making it easier for people to gamble, and the Licensing Act, extending drinking hours, and the cutting of the arts budget to fund the Olympics.Not to mention being the only London MP not to live in their constituency.

[Robert Poste's Child]

It's OK to have negative opinions but when someone has just died and people who knew and loved them are grieving, it would be kinder to hold off expressing them. De mortuis nihil nisi bonum, and all that.

[Pugwash]

Although not a labour supporter, I knew Tessa well as we appeared at various community events. I even had to share a platform with her for some question and answer event. I remember that well as I was in old casual clothes and was part of the audience when she spotted me and called me up. very embarrassing.

Tessa was good at remembering people's names, I spotted her at Dulwich Hospital one day cutting a birthday cake on the ward ( I was on the ward in connection with my work) she called me over and introduced me to the birthday person,

I think I went up a notch with the nursing staff that day,!

She was also very involved with Christ Church Barry Road.

[JoeLeg]

Lynne Wrote:

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> Of course, not, but there was also the Gambling

> Bill, making it easier for people to gamble, and

> the Licensing Act, extending drinking hours, and

> the cutting of the arts budget to fund the

> Olympics.Not to mention being the only London MP

> not to live in their constituency.

Ok, she did some stuff that you disapprove of. She wasn?t perfect; none of us are. I wasn?t her biggest fan either, but I hardly think this is the time and place to conduct an excoriation of her work. But if it makes you feel better carry on.

[Lynne]

I wouldn't call my post an excoriation. Just a few facts.

[robbin]

In (slightly) poor taste, in light of the timing. Also, almost all of what you listed, I think were good things (e.g. extended drinking hours, Olympics) - so in reality those are just your opinions - not "just a few facts".

[Lynne]

Well, they are facts, not "just your opinions". I didn't actually give an opinion

[rendelharris]

Lynne Wrote:

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> Well, they are facts, not "just your opinions". I

> didn't actually give an opinion

Don't be disingenuous, you gave one very clear expression of disapproval regarding the Iraq war and followed them up with "and also" - clearly meaning them to be viewed pejoratively.

On the wider point I agree that both her support for Iraq and the Gambling Bill were hardly her finest hour, but wouldn't you hope when you die that people might focus on your good qualities, just for a day or two?

[robbin]

Quite - and let's not forget that a huge number of people were taken in (quite reasonably/honestly) by what turned out to be misleading intelligence, including a good number of the (majority) of MPs that voted. That doesn't mean they were responsible for any wrongdoing, or anything deserving of censure. I don't recall Tessa ever being accused of sexing up a dossier or bullying anyone in relation to the Iraq vote. To me she seemed like a good person and a decent MP, the likes of which I wish we had more of.

[JoeLeg]

Lynne Wrote:

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> Well, they are facts, not "just your opinions". I

> didn't actually give an opinion

Yeah you did, you know what you meant. Don?t act innocent. At least own your opinions.

[JohnL]

She had successes.

The liberalisation of pub hours was a great success IMHO. We used to get them in the hour before last orders and pile out in the streets at the same time as all the other pub goers piled out into the streets. There were quite a few fights. I just don't see that happen now (although could be age LOL)

Olympics 2012 was the best time for the UK - when Brexit was just a twinkle in Nigel Farage's eye. We actually felt united.

[Lynne]

OK, they are my opinions. Something I believe I'm entitled to. I was merely trying to differentiate to robbin the difference between a fact and an opinion. I don't think that making gambling easier has helped people,especially those with financial problems who are desperate enough to take a risk. I don't think that extended drinking hours has dome much for town centres and I don't think the invasion was much of a good thing.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Lynne, no one's said you don't have a right to an opinion - several people have said the opposite. The main point is that it's coming across as insensitive and not the right time given it's still only a few days since she died. Give people a bit of space to remember her in a positive way.

[robbin]

Lynne Wrote:

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> ...I was merely trying to differentiate

> to robbin the difference between a fact and an

> opinion.

Thanks Lynne, but with respect that is also a little disingenuous, given that you have just agreed that what you were asserting earlier on were "just facts" are in reality your opinions. In any event, professionally I grapple with differentiating fact from opinion on a weekly, if not daily basis, so I think I'm ok on that score.

Anyway, time to get back on topic?

[peckham_ryu]

Lovely tributes on yesterday?s Last Word: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2mrcc

Very few of us manage to live well enough to have such wide-ranging touching and affectionate anecdotes told of our lives.