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I've watched most of the programmes from 'Ted Heath Night' over the past couple of days. I was far too young to have much awareness of him at the time but they really bring home what a hopeless communicator he was and surely one of the worst Opposition leaders we've ever had. I still find it hard to believe that he actually won in 1970 given how wretched his performance in Opposition was. To get an idea of what I mean, just sample the beginning of the Panorama programme from October 1967 - Heath opening a Conservative club in Keighley: some truly cringe-inducing jokes about how attractive the young Conservative girl in attendance is! It all sounds horribly scripted (and no doubt was). Sadly, it doesn't include my favourite Heath exchange from around this time:
Man in Pub (to an electioneering Heath): I'm what you'd call a home-loving man.
Heath (thinks for a moment): Why don't you go home, then?
In this he was clearly well ahead of his time - it's been going down big in the House of Lords lately I hear
To name-drop bigtime, I did once dine with him in Balliol. He had been invited to talk to a small group of ex-students and the college chaplain about the Brandt Report. Very good once he got going, but beforehand absolutely no small-talk or even social graces whatsover!
I keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here!
I still experience tremors recalling being rippled to shreds by a feminist for repeating a "joke" about "Sir" Edward Heath, not realising that it referred to his sexuality, apparently. Others may remember it. This was in the early 1970s.
I once got an extra glass of red wine from the "Armorial Pursuivant" or somesuch at the Royal College of Arms for identifying the diagonal motif of Ted Heath's Arms, which I've failed to present to you, sorry. ( can someone oblige?, ta!)
and didn't he say that the hobby of ocean racing was like tearing up fivers in the shower?
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