I was saddened to hear of the death of John Prescott. I did have some dealings with him earlier in my life, and he is a person I greatly admired. My first encounter with him was back in 1974 when I was a Parliamentary Candidate. I stood in the old seat of Scarborough which in those days was regarded as a safe Tory seat. I was holding a public meeting and I wanted a speaker. The Labour Party was concentrating on what they thought were winnable seats so did not think I deserved a “heavyweight”. Then at the last minute someone suggested the new MP for Hull, John Prescott.
I waited outside the hall, worried he might not show up. Then a jaguar appeared and there was John Prescott. He had hardly met me but got up onto the platform and gave a barnstorming endorsement of me. I have always been grateful for that. He was a very generous man.
I caught up with him again during the North East Devolution Referendum in 2004. The Labour government had committed itself to devolution referendums in Yorkshire, the North West and the North East. The concept of a regional assembly was linked to the reform of local government which was very unpopular. Older readers will remember that we used to have both counties and district councils which were much closer to people. I still encounter people who wish we still had them. The government abandoned the referendums in the North West and Yorkshire, and in the end only the one the North East went ahead.
On reflection I realise the proposals were flawed. They would have led to conflict between the regional body and the local authorities. The powers were very limited, mostly dealing with transport. Tony Blair was not very enthusiastic about devolution in any case. But John knew it was a manifesto commitment and stepped forward to campaign for it. I have always been a believer in devolution and helped his campaign. He had such a crowded schedule I remember having to remind him where we were, and tell him the name of the local newspaper. But he campaigned and spoke a language people understood. I remember him attracting an audience in the middle of Peterlee – no mean feat.
Despite his efforts we did not win. But I admired John’s efforts and sticking to his guns when many other local politicians kept out of the way. He laid the foundations of a movement which eventually resulted in the Combined Authority and elected mayor.
He was one of a generation of politicians who could give rousing speeches on the stump. I can remember hearing Neil Kinnock doing the same. Nowadays in an age of social media we do not seem to have such people. If a national politician goes anywhere today it is always very closely choreographed and organised, and sometimes there is an arranged audience as well. Not many people will get up on a stage in the middle of Peterlee like John Prescott did and attract a crowd.
There are other things we should remember him for too. He was always passionate about transport, and it was on his watch that free bus passes were introduced for pensioners. They proved so popular and vital for sustaining bus networks, that subsequent Conservative governments did not dare remover them.
But I think his main contribution to our politics was in uniting the Labour Party Since its foundation it had always had two wings, the trade unions and the, for want of a better name, the intellectual one. When Tony Blair introduced the idea of “New Labour” and modernising the party to make it more electable, many of the older members were very suspicious, particularly about the commitment to abandon the automatic commitment to nationalisation. Step forward John Prescott, a man with a traditional background. His championing of Tony Blair did much to convince sceptics and enable the party to stay united. Many of us are very grateful to him for that.
There is always a danger that a progressive party, such as the Democrats in America or the Social Democrats in Germany pursues policies which they feel are good for people and society, but do not always seem to be so for the electorate. The Democrats paid the price in America for becoming disconnected from the people, and the Social Democrats look like they are doing the same in Germany. We need people like John Prescott to make sure that governments who want to reform and improve society stay in touch with those they seek to govern. He is greatly missed.
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