Free spirit
- 18 May 06, 10:12 AM
Parliament will be a duller place without Eric Forth.
I will miss his outrageously loud ties, waistcoats and the handkerchief which poked flamboyantly from his top pocket.
I will miss his enduring belief that parliament mattered and that it was his duty as an opposition politician to use its procedures in any way possible to slow down and frustrate the government.
I will miss his ideological certainty in an age when it has become unfashionable.
Above all, though, I will miss his mischievousness. It was a heckle of his that fuelled the doubts about Ming Campbell's PMQs performances. As the Lib Dem leader began a question on pensions, Eric shouted out "declare your interest" - bringing the house down and Ming to a stuttering halt.
Bumping into Eric in the lobby afterwards I congratulated him on his perfect comic timing. It was easy, he told me. Ming's speaking notes were written in huge block capitals which were easy to read from Eric's place one row behind him.
Eric made life hell for Ming, the Labour whips and, all too often, the leadership of his own party. It was he who asked David Cameron, "I believe in tax cuts, grammar schools and big business - am I still a Conservative?"
He infuriated and entertained in equal measure. He was a free spirit.
It will be odd to enter the Commons and never see him again.
