This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/aug/17/give-credit-where-its-due-to-edna-healey
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Give credit where it’s due to Edna Healey | Give credit where it’s due to Edna Healey |
| (4 months later) | |
| The anecdotage in these columns about Denis Healey (Letters, passim) largely reflects his “bluff Yorkshireman” persona, which I always felt was mostly assumed for political purposes. It fails to give due credit to his equally remarkable wife, Edna, who, in her unassuming way, was his equal, perhaps in some ways more than his match, for intellect, energy and charm. I can personally vouch for all these qualities, especially the energy, since, as a junior dogsbody in his office at the Ministry of Defence, I was deputed to accompany her on a round of visits to schools and hospitals during an official tour of British bases in Cyprus. She ended up fresh as a daisy while the rest of us were exhausted. My boss, accompanying Denis himself, had a far easier time of it. Those not fortunate enough to have met her in person should read her books, especially Lady Unknown, her biography of Angela Burdett-Coutts, the Victorian philanthropist.Michael BellLondon | The anecdotage in these columns about Denis Healey (Letters, passim) largely reflects his “bluff Yorkshireman” persona, which I always felt was mostly assumed for political purposes. It fails to give due credit to his equally remarkable wife, Edna, who, in her unassuming way, was his equal, perhaps in some ways more than his match, for intellect, energy and charm. I can personally vouch for all these qualities, especially the energy, since, as a junior dogsbody in his office at the Ministry of Defence, I was deputed to accompany her on a round of visits to schools and hospitals during an official tour of British bases in Cyprus. She ended up fresh as a daisy while the rest of us were exhausted. My boss, accompanying Denis himself, had a far easier time of it. Those not fortunate enough to have met her in person should read her books, especially Lady Unknown, her biography of Angela Burdett-Coutts, the Victorian philanthropist.Michael BellLondon |
| • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com | • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com |
| • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters |
| • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with other Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread in our print edition | • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with other Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread in our print edition |
| Denis Healey | Denis Healey |
| Labour | Labour |
| Politics past | Politics past |
| letters | letters |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |