Thelma Cazalet-Keir (1899 – !989) was a Conservative politician and feminist, serving on the London County Council and as a Member of Parliament. She was also, amongst much else, a member of the Arts Council and a Governor of the BBC.
She was without doubt a woman of strong convictions and not afraid to express them; somewhere between “formidable” and “bloody difficult” on the scale of bossy women. Even in retirement aged eighty-one she wrote to Prime Minister Thatcher, as she then was, advising her not to send British athletes to the Moscow Olympic Games and trying to influence her choice of the next Chairman of the BBC. Mrs Thatcher liked her line of thinking and her political career would have been even more distinguished had they served together.
In the event British athletes did go to Moscow and George Howard was chosen to be Chairman of the BBC. History does not record Thelma’s opinion of George Howard.
Lord Howard of Henderskelfe, George Howard, 1920-1984, Chairman 1980-1983.
A long-serving Governor, Howard was a surprise choice as Chairman. He was nicknamed “Gorgeous George” because he often dressed in caftans. He owned Castle Howard and chaired the County Landowners’ Association but said he would have given up his castle to be BBC Chairman. He defended the BBC’s impartiality and public service status, for example during the Falklands war. Ian Trethowan liked him and described him as supportive with an astonishingly wide-range of interests and knowledge. These went from art to engineering, valuable when programme content and new technology were crucial issues. He retired due to ill-health.
(BBC Website)
She published an autobiography in 1967, From The Wings, that I have not read and have no intention of reading. You may be surprised that I came across her at all but in 1973 she edited Homage to PG Wodehouse, dedicated to Plum’s step-daughter Leonora. You will have correctly guessed that Thelma C-K is Peter Cazalet’s elder sister and Peter is Plum’s step-son. I wonder if she recognised some of her traits among those of the parade of formidable women in the Wodehouse oeuvre?
I have already gleaned something that may come in handy in the annual PG Wodehouse Society quiz in July. Basil Boothroyd, in his contribution, asserts that there are more named butlers (sixty-three, excluding Jeeves who is a valet) than named members of the Drones Club (fifty-three). Other contributors to the homage are Lord David Cecil, Richard Usborne, Claud Cockburn, Henry Longhurst, Sir John Betjeman, Richard Ingrams, Malcolm Muggeridge, Guy Bolton, The Hon William Douglas Home, Sir Compton Mackenzie and Aubron Waugh.
You put Thelma Cazalet-Keir in the category of a formidably ‘bossy woman’. Serving as a London County Councillor, a Member of Parliament, Governor of the BBC and contributing to many other offices, had she been a man would she have been described as ‘bossy’?
I have fallen into error. You are completely right and I have been revealed as the out of date reactionary that I am.