Michael Meadowcroft's Guardian obituary of Diana Maddock

Michael Meadowcroft has written an obituary of the Liberal Democrat peer Diana Maddock, who won a famous and unlikely by-election victory at Christchurch in 1993.

He writes:

Maddock ... had considerable organising ability and a great skill in recruiting party workers, as well as in persuading others to take on jobs. It was this proficiency that almost kept her in a backroom role rather than becoming the byelection candidate. 

Following the death of the Conservative MP for Christchurch, Robert Adley, in May 1993, the Conservative party moved the byelection writ almost immediately and Maddock was quickly engaged in telephoning potential candidates. 

However, a number of those she phoned told her that she ought to stand herself, and eventually, at the last minute, she contacted party headquarters to put her name forward.

My own favourite memory of Diana Maddock is of delivering Good Morning leaflets with her on polling day in the 1995 Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election.