IT is unfortunate that, at Jeremy Thorpe's funeral service his friend Steven Atack said that the Liberal Party - that is, the Liberal Democrat Party from 1987 - had "'never found it in its heart" to re-embrace Mr Thorpe after his downfall ("Four former Lib Dem leaders join Deputy PM for Thorpe funeral", The Herald, December 18).
Mr Attack was obviously unaware of the event in Portcullis House, Westminster, on July 15, 2009 under the auspices of the Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art. The committee's remit includes ensuring that leading and notable parliamentarians are represented in either portraits or sculptures in the Permanent Collection of the House of Commons.
At the event, portrait busts were unveiled of three former Prime Ministers - Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Andrew Bonar Law and Neville Chamberlain - and of Jeremy Thorpe. The Thorpe bust was cast by Pangolin Editions from an original by Avril Vellacott.
Those present at the unveiling, in addition to the Speaker and the chairman of the advisory committee, included Jeremy and Marion Thorpe, Nick Clegg, MP, Liberal Democrat Leader and a number of other prominent Liberal Democrats. So, at least to that extent, Mr Thorpe was re-embraced after his downfall.
Incidentally, the High School of Glasgow was then also well represented as both Sir Henry and Bonar Law were former pupils.
Dr Alexander S Waugh,
1 Pantoch Gardens, Banchory.
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