HIGHLAND PARK/SPECTATOR AWARDS
Parliamentarian of the Year: the winners
THE 17th annual Highland Park/Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year awards, spon- sored by Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky and The Spectator, were presented by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, the guest of honour at the awards presentation luncheon held at the Savoy Hotel, London. The guests were welcomed by Matthew Gloag of Highland Park. The chairman of the judges, Boris Johnson, edi- tor of The Spectator, read out the judges' choices and the reasons for them.
Parliamentarian of the Year: The Rt Hon. Tony Benn, MP In what will almost certainly be the last Highland Park/Spectator awards of the cur- rent parliament, the judges thought it right to salute the departure of two men who have done the most to uphold the tradi- tions and dignity of the House of Com- mons. Tony Benn sacrificed a peerage in order to sit on the green benches and has warned, ever since, of the threats to parliamentary sovereignty from Nato, Amer- ica, the European Union, the monarchy, the aristocracy and many other quarters, with the notable exception of the NUM. His speeches still empty the tea-rooms, and we will be following his career with interest now that he is, as he puts it, retiring to take up politics.
The Rt Hon. Sir Edward Heath, KG, MBE, MP In a lifetime studded with high parliamen- tary moments, few were more glorious than his conduct of the Speakership election. On all sides the fainthearts were calling for a change of policy, as the House divided and redivided all day like some vast protozoon. He would not budge. He shook his head, then his shoulders. There were no U-turns that day. He has been a great Commons man in many senses: he was always there, in his Cornish-pasty shoes, below the gang- way; he can fight a tough corner — in the interests of Iraq, or China, or the European Union; but mainly because he can make a brilliant speech, without a note, in which he can charm as well as bruise.
Minister to Watch: The Rt Hon. Estelle Morris, MP It is widely acknowledged, save by the most implacable Tories, that Labour has made some progress in education. There has been a great emphasis on standards, and even in Islington, where league-table results are notionally on a par with Upper Volta, children show a grasp of key skills. It is quite common for five-year-olds to be able to talk, sing songs, dance around and glue bits of spaghetti on to paper. Much of the credit for this is thought to belong to the schools minister, who pleased. the committee by her love of her subject and her ferocity in the Commons. One judge in particular has commended her refusal to wear 'horrid New Labour chiffon scarves'.
Backbencher of the Year: Andrew Tyrie, MP This year's most rugged individualist was former adviser to Nigel Lawson, and also worked for John Major when he was chan- cellor. He has demonstrated a formidable grasp of tax, the euro, and the issues sur- rounding reform of the House of Lords. Some of the judges were amazed and appreciative that he should continue to consecrate his life to the Commons when, as one put it, he could be earning gigabucks in the private sector. Another noted that he was 'an honest man who ploughs his own furrow'. In spite of this grave political defect, he is tipped as a coming man.
Inquisitor of the Year: The Rt Hon. David Davis, MP No one has done more to embarrass the government over the Dome — with the possible exception of Lord Falconer than the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. He is adjudged to have mas- terfully scrutinised the inscrutable deci- sions of the New Millennium Experience Company. This former Tate & Lyle sugar executive is widely believed to be biding his time on the backbenches in the expectation that his party will one day call him to some higher task. Campaigner of the Year: The Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, QC This distinguished lawyer has made her name by a dizzying production of television programmes and books, many of them revolving on the themes of feminism and injustice, and perhaps best encapsulated by her 1992 publication, Eve Was Framed. Many will have enjoyed her probe into the bungled investigation into who stole the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. But still more will be grateful to her for intercepting the government's attempt to abolish trial by jury. She showed the Lords at its liberal best, and preserved an ancient freedom.
The Rt Hon. the Baroness Young This winner has also vindicated the purpose of the Lords, though not exactly in a liberal sense. For all her moral certainty, she has never sounded hateful, or recriminatory. Her various amendments and motions have generated enor- mous interest among her peers, and some have suggest- ed that their lordships enjoy discussing buggery so much that the Gay Sex at 16 Bill should never be allowed to leave the Upper House.
Peer of the Year: The Rt Hon. the Lord Williams of Mostyn, QC It has fallen to this winner to soothe their male lordships, whose ermine was much ruffled by the challenging attitudes of those female Labour peers known as the Spice Girls: Baroness Jay (Posh Spice), Baroness Hollis (Ginger Spice), Baroness Blackstone (Scary Spice) and Baroness Symons (Sporty Spice). It is perhaps too early to call him Old Spice, since some say he is a future leader of the Lords. Some say he should be called Nice Spice.
Survivor of the Year: Ken Livingstone, MP The Spectator prophesied that his mayor- ship would involve a giant killer newt strid- ing through the city, causing inconvenience to capitalists and motorists alike. We have not been proved wrong yet. The judges saluted his amazing ability to recover from the fatwas of the Labour machine, but do not want to say more for fear of encourag- ing his Godzilla-sized ego.
The judges were: Bruce Anderson of The Spectator, Matthew Parris of the Times, Eh- nor Goodman of Channel 4, Michael White of the Guardian, Robin Oakley of CNN, Simon Hoggart of the Guardian, George Jones of the Daily Telegraph, Frank John- son of the Daily Telegraph, and Alan Watkins of the Independent on Sunday.
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