Ms Liz O'Donnell:

I am glad the Senator mentioned Mo Mowlam because she has been overlooked in historical terms. Mo Mowlam was the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who actually saw the injustice we were trying to deal with in terms of how the North was, and had been, run. Even though she was representing her Government brilliantly she was a naturally reforming, open politician. She was very inclusive. She took great pleasure in including the small parties and talking to them, especially the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. She had a natural sense of reform. She and Tony Blair were kind of natural reforming politicians. She in particular was hugely popular in Northern Ireland. She was very good at a time when confidence-building was required, in the beginning, and especially with the republican movement. She was popular and open to discussions with Sinn Féin delegates. She was willing to listen, which was so important. For so long the discourse between the British Government and Sinn Féin had been disastrous and there was no listening to the other perspective at all. She was very good and a very important part of the peace process. I am glad there is a celebration of her work in Northern Ireland around the Good Friday Agreement, because she has been overlooked.

She was quite unwell, which made her, I suppose, vulnerable. The drugs she was on made her emotional. I think the Northern Ireland Office thought she was too lax and informal. She was informal. She was a very naturally reforming Labour Party woman politician. She was a great woman, actually. I got on very well with her, the Irish Government got on very well with her and she was very supportive of the women's coalition as well, which you would expect.