Grief brings the political world to a halt

I want to join the rest of the country in expressing my condolences and heartfelt sympathy for Conservative leader David Cameron and his wife Samantha, whose six-year-old son Ivan died yesterday. Ivan had a severe, progressive neurological condition, and his
parents knew from the day he was born that he could die in childhood. But, I imagine, this doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I was completely shocked when I woke to the news yesterday. I was very moved by Brown's decision to cancel Prime Minister's Questions; and by the tributes in the Commons. It was a strong reminder that whatever our political beliefs, and however fiercely one side may oppose the other, we are united in our humanity, and grief. Brown too, after all, knows what it is like to lose a child.

“I know that in an all too brief life, he brought joy to all those around him and I know also that for all the days of his life, he was surrounded by his family’s love,” said Brown.

"Politics can sometimes divide us. But there's a common human bond that unites us in sympathy and compassion at times of trial, and in support for each other at times of grief.

William Hague, speaking in place of his leader said: “His parents lived with the knowledge for a long time that he could die young, but this has made their loss no less heartbreaking."

There is an article here here in the Times by writer Andrew Brereton whose son also dies from cerebral palsy.

Interestingly, the political comment that has come out of this tragic event is of how much Ivan has shaped Cameron and his Conservative party - namely his strong appreciation of the NHS given how much his family had come to rely on it.

In his first speech as party leader he said: “I believe that the creation of the NHS is one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. When your family relies on the NHS all the time – day after day, night after night – you really know just how precious it is.”