William waldegrave autobiography
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This man was my MP for several years and, even though my politics were radically opposed to his, I always found him to be gracious. His hand-written replies to my many letters always got to the point and answered the questions I had actually asked. He was not afraid to go against the party line, e.g. he opposed the death penalty.
Whilst lamenting the death of one-nation Toryism, he soon bought into the myth that trade union leaders were ‘thugs’ in the pay of the USSR.
He makes a valiant attempt to explain why the poll tax was fairer than the rates.
The youngest of seven children, and the son of an earl, Waldegrave&#;s quintessentially English upbringing would go on to shape the course of his life, instilling in him a sense of independence and self-discipline needed to steel one for a successful career in government. Formative years spent at Eton, Oxford and Harvard fortified his resolve to enter the political establishment, and by the early seventies he finally achieved his greatest ambition.
(Waldegrave recounts how, at the age of fifteen, a schoolmaster at Eton told his class to write out their life’s ambitions. His included being foreign secretary in Macleod’s government, becoming Prime Minister, revising the then propoal to demolish Trafalgar Square and in retirement
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William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill
British politician (born )
William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North HillPC (; born 15 August ) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Cabinet minister from until , and is a life member of the Tory Reform Group. Since , he has been a life peer in the House of Lords. Lord Waldegrave was Provost of Eton College from to Additionally, he was Chancellor of the University of Reading from to [1][2]
Waldegrave's memoir, A Different Kind of Weather, discusses his high youthful political ambition, his political and to some extent personal life, and growing acceptance that he would not achieve his ultimate ambition. It also provides an account of the Heath, Thatcher and—to a lesser extent—Major governments, including his role in the development of the Poll Tax or community charge. It includes a chapter entitled 'The Poll Tax – all my own work'.[3]
Waldegrave served as a Trustee (–) and Chair (–) of the Rhodes Trust, during which time he also helped to create and served as a Trustee of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. His portrait hangs at Rhodes House, Oxford.[4]
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