I was very sorry to hear of Shirley Williams' death. Her warm, sensible, conversational style reminds us of what has been lost from British politics in recent years.
Her Guardian obituary speculates that she might have made a more attractive leader of the nascent SDP than Roy Jenkins, which makes a lot of sense.
Yet I cannot remember this possibility being talked about at the time. Put it down to sexism.
It also worth pointing out that Shirley Williams was not an insipid moderate.
In her Labour days she was seen as being in the mainstream of the party and received a lot of trade union support in its internal elections.
Her decision to leave was down to her strong opposition to Trotskyism and belief that it had no place in the Labour Party.
Again, the existence of a politician with principles and deeply held beliefs reminds us of what we have lost.
Shirley and Tony Benn would have made ideal team in another world
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