Letters | 31 July 2010

Colourful Mo

Sir: I am surprised to read Charles Moore (The Spectator’s Notes, 24 July) opine that ‘in a better world’ there would have been no film about Mo Mowlam but instead one depicting the ‘heroic struggles’ of Owen Paterson.

Mo Mowlam was vibrant, colourful and exuberant — an authentic character who was in every sense entertaining. Her story captivated millions; her unorthodoxy was appealing and her eccentricities made for compulsive viewing. She spoke her mind, even when that mind’s capacity was in moving decline. A film about Owen Paterson, by contrast, would not only be irredeemably dull; it would be viewed in just two households — those of Paterson and (if he has paid his TV licence) Moore. And Pierce Brosnan would certainly have turned the part down.

Parliament needs more colourful, free-thinking, vivacious individuals such as Mo Mowlam. Sadly, all the parties seem to want at the moment are drab, grey, on-message, compliant clones.