Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Obituary: Baroness Ewart-Biggs

Anthony Barnett
Monday 19 October 1992 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

LATE in her life Jane Ewart-Biggs gave invaluable support to the new movement of Charter 88, writes Anthony Barnett.

She was a founder signatory, a member of the Charter's first Council and was especially helpful in getting us to clarify our image. She was thoughtful and had an exceptional ability to ask a simple but perceptive question that would go to the heart of an issue. Jane worked on and signed the letter that we sent to all prospective parliamentary candidates a year before the 1992 General Election. This letter described Democracy Day and asked the candidates to accept the invitations to Democracy Day meetings that they might receive from their constituents. In this way, before her illness overtook her, she played an important part in taking the issues of democracy out to the country, not the least of these Proportional Representation, which she did her utmost to persuade Labour to adopt.

(Photograph omitted)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in