Bill's Comment Page

Baroness Janet Young, a reactionary force in British politics, has died

I do not rejoice when anyone dies, indeed I almost always feel saddened, but I am not going to play the hypocrite and pretend to feelings of enormous grief at the news yesterday of the death of Baroness Janet Young of Farnworth, at the age of 75. An interesting woman, by any standards, in some ways she led an exemplary life and by general consent she was a gifted administrator, although as she never succeeded in gaining elected office (I wonder why?) her contribution to government was purely as an appointed Life Peeress in the House of Lords, from which position she achieved ministerial and cabinet rank. However, specially in her latter years, she became identified with what many, and I am certainly amongst these, describe as a reactionary cabal which fought tenaciously to deny gays and lesbians in Britain their legitimate claims for equality under law - her opposition to the repeal, and indeed her role in causing to be passed into law, of the hateful piece of legislation known colloquially as 'Clause 28' and her opposition to the equalisation of the age of consent and to the theoretical eligilbility of gays being considered as adoptive parents are likely to be her lasting legacy, whether one views this legacy positively or negatively. The Guardian newspaper carries an obituary of Lady Young, in which those who applaud or condemn her are cited.