Lena outlived them both
March 4th, 2007Lena Jeger, passionate and principled former Labour MP for St Pancras, has just died aged 91. She was a leading Bevanite and like Nye himself, fought for the national health service throughout her career. She also championed the cause of the Greek Cypriots in the late 1950s, when Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was in favour of giving Turkey more influence on the small island’s affairs. She outlived both of her Guardian obituarists. Both of them died five years ago.
Like Lena, Barbara Castle and Mary Stott, fought for giving women more influential roles in public life. Barbara Castle rose to become one of the most powerful cabinet ministers in Harold Wilson’s government. Mary Stott pioneered a distinctive style of women’s journalism in The Guardian. A style carried on by Jill Tweedie, also alas dead. But the torch is still carried today by Polly Toynbee, who regularly slaughters opponents with her trenchant analyses of sloppy political thinking.