Remembering Lord Parkinson
Yesterday we learned that our dear friend and Association Patron, Lord Cecil Parkinson, passed away after a long battle with cancer. As a local resident Lord Parkinson was a great supporter of the local Conservatives and we were lucky to have been able to draw on his wisdom and intuition after years of loyal public service.
You will no doubt read a lot about the immense contribution he made to public life, and the Conservative Party in particular. Never a man to shy away from a challenge, Cecil Parkinson turned his success in business into political success on the national stage. He was a close advocate of Margaret Thatcher and played a pivotal role in the Cabinet in the country’s economic success and victory in the Falklands War.
For the Party Cecil Parkinson MP was instrumental in our 1983 general election victory, with plaudits abounds, which led William Hague to appoint the now Lord Parkinson as Party Chairman for the second time to rebuild the Conservatives after the 1997 election defeat to Labour. Locally Lord Parkinson served first as our President for many years, before becoming our Patron in 2013; a contribution for which we are immnesly grateful.
Lord Parkinson had a rare gift of combining a determination to succeed with humour and wit. We will remember him fondly and send our condolences to Lady Parkinson and the rest of his family.