John Gulliver: Illtyd Harrington, we miss the wit and wise words
Illtyd Harrington with his Freedom Pass
OBITUARY writing has been in decline for some time. When somebody famous dies these days, shift reporters will be sent to quickly find tributes to the departed, which will essentially mean a trawl of tweets rather than the collection of the hidden anecdotes which animate a life story.
This is why the CNJ published the tribute to Dame Maggie Smith that our late literary editor Illtyd Harrington wrote when they were both still alive. At the time, she was championing Downton Abbey and it was an occasion to write nice things about someone before they died rather than after.
How time flies, though. Tuesday was the ninth anniversary since we lost Illtyd, aged 84; it’s nine years since his coffin disappeared for cremation at his funeral to the strains of Josef Locke’s Blaze Away. One last smile after a lifetime of wit. How we wish he was still here, filing his mix of waspish but fair book reviews and comment pieces, while teasing us all for not knowing our history in his gruff Welsh tones.
Our sister paper in Westminster, where he was a councillor for several years, na
Illtyd: a man of honour
Illtyd Harrington with Harold Wilson
A POIGNANT sharp memory flew back uninvited as newspaper columns filled up over the weekend with stories of the age-old row as to who made out Harold Wilson’s (dis)honours list 50 years ago.
The memory was of my old colleague and friend Illtyd Harrington, who died two years ago.
As a local government grandee, Illtyd, then chairman of the Greater London Council in the mids, was close to Harold Wilson who told him at No 10 Downing Street that he needed him in the House of Lords because of his weight of local government experience.
He duly put down Illtyd’s name, and all should have gone as planned.
But it never happened. When Wilson’s list was published his name was mysteriously not on it.
In those years MI5 was reckoned by most thinking politicians to be out of control. Thatcher tried but failed to ban Peter Wright’s book Spycatcher on the period.
Illtyd had become a victim of the spy mania.
An old Welsh valley boy from a left-wing family, Illtyd never quite fitted in London political circles with some Labourites. The fact that he was gay didn’t help.
But he remained true to his socialist principles all hi
Illtyd Harrington, former deputy leader of the GLC and New Journal columnist, dies at 84
ILLTYD Harrington, the New Journal columnist and books editor, passed away this morning (Thursday) after a short illness.
The 84 year-old served as deputy leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) under Ken Livingstone in the s.
He had grown up in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales but his nephew Richard Harrington, the actor, recalled that he had a ‘Dick Whittington moment’ when he visited the capital for the first time as a year-old, falling in love with the city.
With Harold Wilson
With the New Journal's Tom Foot at the funeral service for Tom's great uncle, Michael.
Campaigning to save the freedom pass for elderly passengers
Illtyd, a school teacher before switching to London politics, enjoyed a 50 year relationship with his partner Christopher Downes, the theatre dresser who died in
Illtyd with James Callaghan
He was writing columns from his home in Brighton, Sussex, often acerbic recollections of his time in Labour Party circles, right up to last month.
Topical Encyclopedia
The descendants of Abraham hold a significant place in biblical history and theology, as they are central to the unfolding narrative of God's covenantal promises. Abraham, originally named Abram, is a pivotal figure in the Bible, known as the "father of many nations" (Genesis ). His descendants are traced through his sons Ishmael and Isaac, and further through Isaac's sons Esau and Jacob, who is later named Israel.Ishmaelites
Ishmael, the firstborn son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maidservant, is considered the progenitor of the Ishmaelites. God promised Hagar that Ishmael would become a great nation (Genesis ). The Ishmaelites are often associated with the Arab peoples and are mentioned in various biblical accounts, including the account of Joseph, where they are identified as the traders who sold him into slavery (Genesis ).
Isaac and the Israelites
Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, is the child of promise through whom God's covenant with Abraham is established (Genesis ). Isaac's descendants, through his son Jacob, form the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob, after wrestling with God, is renamed Israel (Genesis ), and his twelve sons
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