Right to the End

By Allison Hill

In April 1968, Arthur and Alma Hill were sitting opposite their friend Enoch Powell as he delivered his Rivers of Blood Speech. In 1984, this politically active couple were staying at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, when the IRA bomb went off, killing their close colleagues. These events had a huge impact on them and their immediate family.

Politics dominated Arthur and Alma's lives. Each stood for parliament at separate times. They went on to hold senior positions in the Conservative Party, often spoke at the Party Conference, and enjoyed various visits to Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.

As the youngest of their three Children, Allison witnessed it all. It was fascinating, but there were downsides too. Her father held very rigid views which he expected everyone to adopt. 'Right to the End' is Allison's brief memoir of what it was like to have highly political parents and how we can, perhaps, all learn to deal better with such entrenched attitudes in this time of political discord.

Allison also shares her thoughts on dealing with the death of pets, and more recently, losing her mother to MND. There are many light moments too!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allison Hill
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781916398009

Allison Hill

Allison writes both fiction and non-fiction.  Her works include poems, articles, short stories and full-length pieces. Her debut novel is on its way. Much of Allison’s work is social commentary. Having politically active parents formed the basis of her memoir Right to the End and sparked her interest in current affairs. Allison’s writing often features the environment and conservation, animal welfare, caring for the elderly and controversies around food and health. She likes to draw attention to these serious subjects, often lightened with touches of humour. Allison lives in Teddington with her two young cats, Muswell and Alfie. When not writing, she loves travelling to far-off places, especially if it involves photographing wildlife.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Little Lies and Blind Beliefs

‘When I grow up, I’m going to vote Labour,’ Stephen, my brother, calmly stated. We were sitting at the kitchen table having dinner when he made this pronouncement. Christine, my older sister, and I exchanged looks then waited for my father’s response with a slight sense of dread. I was only six, but I knew Steve had just said something highly controversial. And so it proved.

‘What?!’ my father asked, a mix of surprise and disapproval.

‘I’m going to vote Labour,’ Steve confirmed.

Dad put down his knife and fork and stared at my brother. ‘No child of mine will vote Labour. I am your father and you will vote as I do. Conservative.’

Steve uttered his dissent and my father took a deep breath, ready to reinforce his command.

‘Darling...’ my mother tentatively interrupted, then became more confident. ‘Why don’t you ask him why he wants to vote Labour?’

That sounded like a good idea, but my father would have none of it. ‘I am your father and as long as you are living under this roof you will do as I say. You will vote Conservative.’

We carried on eating in silence. Then Mum deftly changed the subject, imposing peace as she so often did.

I looked at my brother to sense his mood. He revealed nothing. What he had done was either brave or foolhardy. He knew what my father’s reaction would be. We all did. It was a clear edict that no one ever said anything negative about the Conservatives. Or anything positive about any other party.

Politics was a major part of our parents’ lives and featured strongly in our childhoods. Even at my young age, I had already experienced the thrill of canvassing for local councillors. Being directed up drives and garden paths, eagerly pushing election leaflets through letter boxes, was a serious task. It’s what we did. Our duty.

Steve has similar memories of being called upon to canvass when he was five. That was during the 1955 General Election when my father stood as Conservative candidate for the Rowley Regis and Tipton constituency in the West Midlands. Even though this happened before I was born, Dad’s candidacy remained a major part of his identity. He was a politician. He had stood for Parliament. When he announced, as he often did, that one day he would be an MP, you could see the belief glinting in his eyes.

Dad kept one of his election leaflets as a souvenir. It included the observation, ‘Food is now un-rationed and has never been so plentiful and of such good quality. The housewife is free to choose what she wants and from where she wants to buy.’ Mum very much took on that role of ‘housewife’ and my parents were a classically happy couple. They met just after the war, at work. Mum was a secretary for a car showroom and Dad was the Sales Manager. He loved cars, so it was the ideal job for him. Having been in the RAF in the war, as a flight engineer, he was seen as a great catch. Mum was very nervous as she approached him for the first time with the words, ‘Mr Hill, would you like a Malteser?’ and offered her much-loved chocolate rations. What a coincidence that years later I worked for the company that made Maltesers.

Mum quickly went beyond being just a classic housewife. Together both parents became active in the local community and in politics, although Dad always led the way. He held various posts as a local councillor, school governor and chair of the local Conservative Association. Mum followed on the same path. During those early years of my childhood, I watched her get avidly involved in Meals on Wheels, the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service and a Tory Ladies Luncheon Club. She too was a chair of school governors and held many other posts.

I was aware that not all parents shared this commitment to politics, and that having a mother who took on such roles was a little unusual. Mum was aware of it too and could be anxious before meetings and other events. Steve remembers that when she was preparing to give her first speech, she carefully wrote notes in large capitals on postcards and practised on him for hours. Yet she had