No man is a hero to his valet. I had the dubious privilege of serving as John Biffen's last private secretary in the House of Commons from 1992 to 1997. He may well have been brilliant but fun he was not. I have heard and read a lot of piss and wind in recent days about the great man. Very little of it reminds me of the person I knew so well. There was a reasonable turnout at his funeral in Llanyblodwel, Shropshire, on Tuesday. Five years of faithful service led me to nowhere in particular! John didn't keep in touch after '97 and rarely had a greeting for me when occasionally we bumped into one another in the Lords. The last time I met him was at Paul Getty's memorial service when he was looking almost as cheerful as the pic opposite. I knew the next occasion he would be no more. As the man at Shrewsbury crem pressed the button and fired John into the cosmos I raised a glass of champagne to the old bugger. I have signed copies of Inside The House of Commons and Inside Westminster that I could release for a fee - if anyone is keen?
No comments:
Post a Comment