Diaries 1987-1992

It is said that most people of appropriate vintage recall where they were when they heard news of the Kennedy assassination; the same seems to be true of Edwina Currie's (EC's) December 1988 statement about how most of the eggs in Britain were contaminated with salmonella bacteria (in this reviewer's case, heard late at night via the BBC World Service at the Grand Hotel, Warsaw). In retrospect, that statement, its effect (huge damage to egg producers and other enterprises) and her ensuing resignation from Government (though not Parliament--she was voted out in 1997) put paid to her political career. These Diaries, published in 2002, cover the period up to 1992.

EC was, at time covered by these Diaries, unsatisfactorily married to Ray, an accountant trainer, who spent much of his time in Derbyshire. They had two daughters, she had one or two lovers, most surprisingly, John Major (he was "outed" in these Diaries towards the end of the book: up until then he is referred to as "B" when in "lover" mode). As for Ray, she alternates between concern for him (albeit very much de haut en bas) and quite blatantly putting him down. Ray's interests of golf, snooker and drinking with his mates scarcely interface with EC's high-profile politicking.

On her own website, EC says she was brought up in "an argumentative Jewish household" in Liverpool. Her Jewishness seems muted, however, despite her obviously Semitic looks. When she visits Israel for the first and only time, she feels little spiritual connection with the place and obviously abhors the notorious Israeli rudeness (which they think passes for cleverness). She also seems to have quite an affinity with Christian spirituality if not the Church(es) and rules and regulations thereof.

EC's life as a Government Minister of State (she never got up to be a Secretary of State) is described in the normal manner of such memoirs: colleagues and their foibles, endless signing of letters etc. Her judgment of people's futures (as of what comes out of her own mouth) is often poor: Ken Clarke is too unhealthy and will probably not last more than 10 years and is too old to be Conservative Leader (he's still around and widely tipped for the job in 2005, 17 years later); Matthew Parris gave up his seat and is "a nobody without a future" (he has been one of the best known political journalists since then), Michael Portillo is "impressive" and likely to lead the Conservatives (no, wrong again, thank God-- his political career is all but over); and so on.

EC's health minister period was notable for its outspokenness: she, not unfairly, said the Scots, Northern English and Northern Irish were themselves to blame for much of their health problems, eating a terrible high-fat diet, excessively drinking and smoking. All true, but the chip and Mars Bars eaters North of Oxford did not want to hear that. The same with salmonella. There was a problem and partly due to the way chickens were and are treated in low-cost battery production, though EC seems to want to minimize the animal cruelty aspects. Unlike Alan Clark, she appears to have little concern for animals.

EC also makes much of her financial worries, partly due to the fact that she and Ray possess three properties, being a quite large house with swimming pool in Derbyshire, a flat in Westminster/Victoria and a house in France. Her financial pressure continues until she starts writing and broadcasting.

These Diaries do tend to show what trivial or at least shallow creatures most politicians are. One does not refer only to EC's colleagues...

Edwina Currie

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