Veteran labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody , who was MP for Crewe since 1974, has died.
She was a genuine Labour politician, socialist and self-confessed battle-axe who never feared taking on the neo-Thatcherites who have hijacked her party.
My favourite memory of her is of a slimy Blair, avoiding the question as usual, saying look y'know it's difficult and Gwyneth replying icily "life is difficult Prime Minister".
Perhaps she is best described by Tony Benn as a political signpost, rather than a weathervane. A signpost points in the right direction whereas a weathervane points in whatever direction the opinion polls and focus groups indicate.
Sadly the Labour Party is now run by the latter.
