SPRING 2006 • NUMBER 130 - Winston Churchill

champagne and brandy than most historians can write afteryears of study.I appreciate most of all Churchill’s ceaseless effort torally the like-minded and the skeptics to the cause of freedomand moral courage. His union with his aristocraticsoulmate FDR, one a Tory, the other a liberal, was a strokeof fortune for free men and free women for which weshould all be forever grateful. Together they understoodthat there are times when common cause and commonground are a much higher calling than narrow, selfish, ideologicalpursuits—which leads me to some observations onthe current conditions of the American political arena.It is, and I worry, in a troubling condition, a frayedconstruct rewired to short circuit the general welfare,diverting power and influence to the special interest; moreover,at the national level, the system is all but closedexcept to those who are encoded with specific DNA.Is this hyperbole? I don’t think so. Consider the currentshorthand for describing the vital signs of the nationalpolitical culture: red state, blue state, separate and unequal.The operating strategy for both parties is to divide andconquer, to alienate and belittle the beliefs of the other, tosuppress any discussion of common ground or commonpurpose, to conduct campaigns that are heavy on characterassassination and light on unconventional thinking or iconoclasticcandidates.I’m not naive; I’ve been at this for more than fortyyears. Politics has always been a rough trade. But the placeand influence of narrowly cast single interest organizations,and the amount of money that is now available, has infusedtoo much of our media, present company included, wherethe best and brightest in this society may wonder, “is this anoble calling for me?” Moreover I would suggest that all ofthis is happening just at the time where the challenges ofthe country require more common ground, not less.As Winston Churchill reminded us in every decade ofhis life, public service is not simply an honorific—it’s aresponsibility. Politics is a two-stroke engine: win the electionand then govern, be accountable, victory is a due bill,it should be paid in full by governing for all, not just for aselect few.There was a time not so long ago in this country, in asetting not so different from the one we are enjoying herethis evening, when the informal discussion would havebeen about the call to public service. Do those discussionsgo on now? In classrooms, ivory towers, boardrooms, laboratories,law offices? If they do the dialog is faint and short.The country is interested in solutions; it longs to beinvolved in a meaningful way in its own destiny. During acritical time in the history of mankind Winston Churchillgave hope and leadership to that calling. In this country thegreatest generation by sacrifice and commitment also gavehope. So I believe it is time for all of us to carry on thelegacy of the Greatest Generation, by re-enlisting as citizensto reclaim the greatest political system that has ever beenenvisioned from the zealotry of the entrenched. It is time toignite a citizen’s crusade, if you will, against too muchmoney, too many narrow interests, too little commonground, too much exclusion from the common arena. It’stime for us to make a stand, so that a hundred years fromnow, someone can stand at this hall and say that they, too,were a Great Generation.Celia SandysI am truly delighted tohave been invited to speak totonight. Emery and WendyReves were an important partof Winston Churchill’s lifefor many years, first whenEmery was representing mygrandfather’s literary interests,and later when he andWendy put La Pausa, theirbeautiful house in the south of France quite literally at mygrandfather’s disposal. He spent many months there, andhe used it at will and his family and friends spent a lot oftime there too. I first went to La Pausa in 1968 andremained friends with Wendy ever since.I had to have a Churchillian nap this afternoon,because I was up half the night reading a new book calledDo Not Disturb, by Laurence Geller. He swears it’s not biographicalbut I can tell you it’s a wonderful, wonderful readabout the hotel business and you’ll never look at a hotel inthe same light again when you’ve read it. I thoroughly recommendit, and I thank Laurence for all he has done forThe Churchill Centre, and to make this night possible.My grandfather would surely approve of this award toTom Brokaw. If they had ever met they would certainlyhad a great deal to talk about. They both paid their bills byjournalism and authorship. When sending some money toa widow of a Boer War casualty who had helped himescape as a prisoner of war, Churchill wrote: “I’m sorry Icannot send more but I have to earn everything I spend.” Ihave to say he was very good at spending. And earning.Like Tom, my grandfather was always center stage, hisinfluence ranging over the important domestic and internationaltopics of the day. He lived, as he, himself said, “fromhand to mouth.” I have no idea how the financial rewardsof television journalism compare with those of the writtenword in the first half of the last century, but I trust it hasnot left you, Tom, wondering whether you will have to sellyour house in order to balance your books. That was aprospect that my grandfather faced when his wartime jobrendered him nearly bankrupt!Winston Churchill used radio to good effect. LikeTom, his several careers were all based on brilliant >>FINEST HOUR 130 / 39