Past, Present and FUTURE Jane Ashdown talks to Seth Dellow
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n a wide-ranging audio interview—available in full on the Marshwood Vale Magazine website—Lady Jane Ashdown talks candidly and emotionally about her life in and around the world of politics. A little over two years since the untimely death of her husband, former leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Paddy Ashdown, she opens up about her experiences in places as diverse as Northern Ireland, Geneva and Bosnia, as well as talking about her life as a wife, mother and supporter of her husband. She also discusses some of the more painful episodes of her husband’s career, and offers her observations on what lies ahead after the impact of Brexit and a worldwide pandemic. Those who decide to enter the political arena are usually well aware that this means intrusive public scrutiny and for many the constant glare of a media spotlight. But to inherit the role of the supposedly ‘silent’ partner is another prospect altogether. To be ‘married’ to politics takes enormous courage, fortitude, determination and a level of loyalty found in very few. In Seth’s interview, Jane explains how enormously different she and her husband were. ‘As people we were very, very different’ she says. ‘I’m a slow West Country woman, born and bred in Somerset. Slow to rise; perhaps slightly slow to make decisions—feet of clay that sort of thing. But Paddy was entirely opposite. He had a very ready
12 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2021 Tel. 01308 423031
