Frederick Forsyth RIP

The novelist Frederick Forsyth CBE, author of books like "The day of the jackal" and "The Odessa file" has died at the age of 86. 










When I was Chairman of St Albans Conservatives during the last period the party was in opposition, Frederick Forsyth came and spoke to one of our constituency fundraising dinners.

This was a previous period on which lots of pundits were writing the Conservatives off and saying we would never hold power again. Such people were wrong then as I believe they are wrong now, but then as now we certainly had a mountain to climb, some lessons to learn and some mistakes to make sure, and convince people, we would not make again. 

Frederick Forsyth gave us a frank and well-argued address with hard-hitting home truths about what we needed to do to regain power, some of which was broadcast on television that week, with the camera cutting to the faces of myself and members of the audience looking very somber as we listened. David Cameron subsequently successfully adopted some of the things Forsyth suggested.

He was a lovely man as well as a very successful novelist. He will be missed.

Rest in Peace.

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