Betty Boothroyd leads by example over vaccine – The Yorkshire Post says
Betty Boothroyd #BettyBoothroyd
NewsOpinionColumnists BETTY BOOTHROYD’S steely look – a trait of her Yorkshire upbringing – is instantly recognisable in the photos of the former Speaker receiving her Covid vaccine and, again, leading by example.
Tuesday, 22nd December 2020, 4:34 pm
Updated Tuesday, 22nd December 2020, 4:39 pm
Wearing a face mask, her fortitude, so emblematic of those grew up in the shadows and horrors of war, is still plain for all to see as the 91-year-old looks into a camera at the hospital where she had the injection.
And then there are the words that she allowed Cambridge University Hospitals NHS to publish: “I’ve been excited about coming here, it’s absolutely the right thing to do. It’s the ammunition in the war against this illness.”
Sign up to our daily newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise
All that was missing was the Speaker’s famous robes, though Baroness Boothroyd was in fact sporting a portcullis brooch which bears witness to her status as one of Britain’s greatest post-war Parliamentarians, and one of the most loved.
Images that show that the Dewsbury-born nonagenerarian to be in good health, they’re also important to help those who harbour doubts about the efficacy of the vaccine.
Yet, as Baroness Boothroyd was so keen to stress, it is the only ammunition – other than common sense and human kindness – that the country has in this ongoing war against an invisible enemy.
And, at a time when trust in politicians and politics per se is at such a low ebb, it’s even more important that much respected public figures do speak out like this. For their experiences and example are more likely to change opinion, and ultimately the course of history, than nameless politicians who would have been called out of order long ago by Baroness Boothroyd when in her pomp.
Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.