Love of Labour

THE INTRICATE, inner workings of the Labour Party are no doubt of interest to many people. But, unless readers of Joyce Gould’s memoir are political wonks with long memories, the true jewels of The Witchfinder General (Biteback, £25) are to be found away from Westminster.

They are tucked away in local party meetings in Leeds, Brighton, Doncaster and elsewhere, and especially in her recollections of growing up in the Jewish West Yorkshire of the 1930s and 1940s.

Much of the richest material from the Boots-pharmacy-apprenticeturned-Labour-insider and, ultimately, Baroness lies in her detailed retelling of the journey of her grandparents from late 19th-century Lithuania to Leeds.

Harder to keep up with is a young Joyce Gould as she criss-crosses the country, clocking up thousands of miles — and, at one point, a broken back — appealing to Labour activists and speaking at conferences.

Gould was in the front line of the 1980s battle to keep the leadership of Labour’s National Executive Committee and student groups out of the grasp of hard-left Militant movement activists.

While there are extensive sections covering the minutiae of Baroness Gould’s political life— down to which trouser suits she wore and what she had for lunch — some of the giants of 20th-century British politics make alltoo-brief appearances.

Anecdotes about the likes of John Prescott and Jeffrey Archer pop up in equal measures of entertainment, amazement and shock, but without arrogance on the part of the teller — in fact, quite the opposite. Such has been her dedication to the party that she regularly plays down her own role in moments of significance to the Labour Party and to the nation.

Although the book is clearly intended to be a history of Labour activism and internal policymaking, it leaves a lasting impression of the unquestionable determination of Baroness Gould always to do the right thing for her party.

It is astonishing that the now 83-year-old is not more highly acknowledged. Labour’s chief women’s officer, director of organisation, deputy speaker of the House of Lords for a decade, a series of roles on select committees — yet hers is a name unknown outside political circles.

This reader was left with another uncomfortable feeling: it is impossible to put down the book without pondering the current state of Baroness Gould’s party, and its future. After decades on her part of graft, honesty and integrity, where, you have to wonder, does Labour go from here?

And that’s a question that must be considerably more painful to her.

She was in the front line of the fight against Militant After her graft and honesty, where does Labour go?