January 06, 2004
Wonderful story of a woman activist.
I'm a big history buff, and no aspect of history interests me more than the biographies of individual people. People talk about great historical movements and such. But when it comes down to it there really aren't any great movements, just the actions of thousands and millions of ordinary people attempting to deal with the day-to-day realities of the world around them.
But you don't often appreciate someone's life until they're gone, and you can look back and see what they've accomplished. A wonderful case in point is this Scottish activist,
Dame Sheila McKechnie, who spent her life as an advocate of consumer rights, of the homeless, as a feminist, as a member of the House of Commons, and many other things. I found out about her on the
Scotsman's obituary pages. A strange place to browse I know, but you can read about the lives of an extraordinary cross-section of humanity, and gain some perspective on the amazing things some people are able to do with their lives.
Anyway, if you're an activist and perhaps somewhat discouraged, you might give it a read. People do spend their lives fighting for various causes, and in the end accomplishing quite a bit more than you might think is possible. Like I say, you don't see what they've done until it's over. And it's nice when they're recognized. Too bad it's usually not until they're dead.
SHE was fiery, feisty and abrasive. But Sheila McKechnie is remembered by those who worked with her and her many friends as a charmer and exceptionally kind and considerate. Certainly, many people - from the homeless to consumers large and small - have much to thank her for. She was a tireless advocate of upholding what was right and she rebelled against bureaucracy and the political and corporate establishment with relish. She was a born campaigner and, with her alert and well-organised mind, she marshalled an argument with a brisk commitment. McKechnie, for sure, never lacked passion or zeal.
... Dubbed "Super-complainer" by the tabloids (a title that she greatly enjoyed), she raised public awareness of food safety, inadequacies in the NHS and utility companies, inaccurate advertising and misleading information from mortgage companies. She also had a go at the farming industry and denounced the Common Agricultural Policy. But she reserved many of her most poisoned arrows for the financial institutions, which she referred to as "the Wild West".
McKechnie was diagnosed with cancer in 1997 but maintained her heavy workload almost to the end; it was typical of her courage and pluckiness. She served on the court of the Bank of England and was president of the European Consumers’ Association. She was appointed an OBE in 1995 and made a Dame in 2001.
In Britain they acknowledge such people by knighting them. (For Americans who don't know, a "Dame" is the female equivalent of "Sir"). In America, of course, they're lucky if they don't end up on the streets.
