Airey Neave’s escape from Colditz, quite possibly the most remarkable thing a British politician has ever done, defined his years to come.
Disregarding senior officers who frowned on such attempts, Neave was undeterred against overwhelming odds and the risk of death.
During one of his earlier attempts, he failed because of his colour-blindness after he painted his uniform the wrong colour.
Nevertheless he eventually made it out, driven as he was by a sense of duty to his country. In war as in politics, Neave’s attitude was always to get on with it.
On the 40th anniversary of his assassination, Parliament can learn much from this quintessential establishment figure who threw open the doors of opportunity to our first female prime minister.
Running against the convention, when politics was a man’s pursuit, he recognised the talent of Margaret Thatcher, a grocer’s daughter, and chose to put his faith in her.
Witnessing her strength of character and vision to lead the country, the two formed an unbreakable bond. As a believer in meritocracy, he used his privileged position to break down the barriers for Thatcher’s rise.
Neave demonstrated that social reform is not a battle between the haves and the have-nots. It is about how change can only come about when both sides work together to achieve a common goal.
He went into Parliament to serve. Before his murder, he was offered any cabinet role he wanted. Instead of a prestigious Great Office of State, he chose Northern Ireland (despite the security risks involved) because of his belief that he could make a difference there for the better.
In an era when politics has become about being someone rather than achieving something, Neave stands as a reminder of all the right reasons why people enter public life.
On the 40th anniversary of his assassination, we are reminded that the job of MPs is to make difficult decisions on behalf of the country often at huge personal cost. In extreme cases, as we saw with Neave and more recently Jo Cox, it can even cost MPs their lives.
I have fundamental differences of opinion with many members of parliament, but one of the reasons we have failed to make headway on leaving the EU is because we continue to question each other’s motives, thinking the very best of our own decisions and the worst of our opponents.
Too many MPs and commentators are embracing the narrative of “broken politics”, harking back to a gilded age that never was, one with far less scrutiny of parliament and without the relentless news and social media coverage that generates much heat but little light.
We should honour the memory of past members like Airey Neave by treating each other and the institution of parliament itself with more respect. Nobody should denigrate it for doing exactly what it should be doing - debating and arguing the most difficult and complex decisions of our time.
This article was first published in the Telegraph, 30th March 2019
