Shirley Williams, one of the most influential and popular political figures in the UK in the 20th Century – “Shirl the Pearl” – has died aged 90. Originally a Labour MP and one of the first women cabinet ministers, she was in the “Gang of Four” who split away from Labour in 1981 to found the Social Democratic Party and later supported the SDP’s merger with the Liberal Party (the LibDems). Her career in politics spanned more than 50 years.
Shaped by her childhood as the daughter of two busy and remote parents – the pacifist/activist Vera Brittain, the principal breadwinner of the family, and her academic father George Catlin, who failed in his political ambitions – she grew up imbued with feminist ideals but lacking in emotional nurturing. She was sent to the States in 1940 with her brother John, labelled but unaccompanied by adults through the Battle of the Atlantic, supposedly to protect them from the war.
Her mother, Vera Brittain, wrote the heartrending, best-selling classic Testament of Youth, later made into a television series, about her experiences in the first world war as a nurse and losing her brother, fiancée and two close male friends, which sent her into a nervous breakdown in the aftermath.
Shirley Williams evolved into a dedicated egalitarian, responsible for the controversial abolition of the socially divisive 11-plus examination, and became an internationalist with a distinguished academic record. Despite the admiration she attracted she was also criticised for being indecisive, incapable and disorganised due to an inability to prioritise; and her other failing was a dislike of making enemies so she lacked a ruthless edge.
Shirley Williams was born 27 July 1930 4am London and had a first house Leo Sun sextile Mars in Gemini and a 2nd house Leo Moon Mercury trine Uranus in her 10th – well designed for a public and reforming career with Leo plus Uranus in her 10th. She had Pluto in Cancer on her Ascendant which would give her a slightly enigmatic image – pleasant but impenetrable. Her hard-working Saturn in Capricorn in the 6th was in a see-saw opposition to Jupiter in her 12th. She also notably had a vague, disorganized Neptune in her 3rd house as well as a charming Venus.
Her mother Vera Brittain, 29 December 1893 had a trickier chart with two Yods: Her Capricorn Sun was sextile Uranus inconjunct Neptune Pluto in Gemini; and her Saturn sextile Mercury was inconjunct Jupiter in Taurus. Her super-confident Jupiter also opposed vengeful Mars in Scorpio squaring onto a detached Venus in Aquarius – a curiously hybrid mix. When World War 1 started one of her Yods had moved to sit on top of the other by Solar Arc, for long years of crisis which defined her life – tr Neptune Pluto in Cancer were also moving to oppose her Capricorn Sun through the whole ordeal and after.
It wasn’t an easy relationship with her daughter Shirley, who always felt she came a poor third behind her favoured brother and her mother’s various causes. Vera’s tricky Neptune Pluto was conjunct Shirley’s Mars and square her Venus which would set up aggravations.
Pic: University of Essex
RIP Shirley, thank you for your tremendous influence on other women as a politician. You and Barbara Castle were world leaders for the women politicians that followed.
“she was criticised for being indecisive, incapable and disorganised due to an inability to prioritise; and her other failing was a dislike of making enemies so she lacked a ruthless edge.”
Hate to bring up the gender with a such an obvious trailblazer, but when has a prominent male politician been criticized (seems my phone autocorrect is American since it underlines “criticised”) for being “disorganized” or even unable to prioritize? “Visionary” male politicians and business leaders, now that I think of it, are not generally speaking expected to be organized, it’s their aides’ job. Many male politicians (and business leaders) obviously are very organized, but it almost never comes up in public discourse on them. I think Joe Biden’s propensity for order was a running joke at Obama WH, but it never came up much during his campaign, while the fact Liz Warren had a plan for everything was touted everywhere.
With Shirley Williams, I think her Leo Moon/Mercury – especially if in 2nd house of values – would have likely made her a highly principled person, to the point of sometimes looking indecisive, because politicians usually have to make some amendments to their beliefs to seem coherent. In fact, being part of founding a party to fit her vision seems to support this.
If the female politicians are expected to be the same as their male counterparts, is it diversity ? The argument for diversity is that it brings with it the diversity of skills and knowledge.
Just saying 😉
Thanks for doing a piece on her. Very important woman, and remember her from my childhood as a decent sort.
I imagine that south node in Libra square Ascendant Pluto in Cancer must have contributed to her indeciveness, perhaps based on a not unjustified fear of rejection.
Yes, me too, it’s like I grew up with her, along with other great political women like Barbara Castle. She always struck me as a politician of honesty and integrity.
Whenever I see that Neptune/Pluto in Gemini conjunction in the natal charts of people of her mother’s generation, I can’t help but shudder at the horrific outcome of its generational impact – the youth sacrificed and slaughtered for no good reason.