Madam President, Odile, Madam Prime Minister,
I have known Lord Slynn for a very large part of my life. I first came cross him when he taught me when I was at university at Cambridge. He used to come down at weekends after a very busy week working at the Bar, and taught people like myself – who were not very good students – our law.
He was a remarkable man, and he created great influence upon me and others in our admiration for the law, which we did not have at the time being students. We learnt a great deal from him, not only about the law itself, but about what the law can achieve and what the law can give in its way.
He was responsible for my stage at the Bar. He arranged that. He arranged where I presently work through his efforts and his encouragement. I have always owed a great debt to him.
I came across particularly with him again in the European field when he first became Advocate-General at the European Court and then became judge at the European Court. In both those fields, he was remarkable. He had a wonderful appreciation of the law. He had a very good understanding of what cases were about. And he had a remarkable influence upon not only the law, but upon the development of the legal traditions of the European Community which still remain to this day.
But the stage where I particularly got to know him particularly well was the last years since 2002 when I was involved with him, through him, at his request, on defending and appearing for the PMOI in the European Court. That stage it was originally a French case brought in the French Language. And I had to get permission to speak English since my French was not good enough at that case to put forward in the arguments that we wanted.
There was tremendous support from Lord Slynn in those days. He believed passionately that the cause was right. But the problem was that everyone knew that terrorists, or so-called terrorists, don’t win cases. It was a very difficult case.
We had all the merits on our side but none of the politics, as politicians would have seen it. All the governments were against us. But, mainly because of him, because of his enthusiasm, his determination and his support, we presented the arguments which won the day.
We were thrilled that we had won. But that was not the end of it, because almost immediately we were put back on the list – in fact were remained on the list. We attacked again. Again Lord Slynn was tremendously persuasive about all these matters.
He was a great influence. He attended meeting after meeting with us, encouraging us, helping us to present the case in the most attractive way and in a way that could succeed. And the second battle we won. Again thanks to him. That was the judgement that was the one immediately before the great manifestation in Paris. And most of us thought we had won the day. But he said, be careful because things don’t always go quite as you think in this world. And of course, he was right, because the victory was snatched from us by the next measure that was taken by the European Council.
I remember at that meeting, some of the speakers praised the British judges because they said the British judges had stood up for what they had believed, and what they thought was right. Of course, they were right. But the one man who deserved the greatest enthusiasm and support was Lord Slynn who almost single-handed with his other colleagues had brought forward not only the English case, but the European case at the same time. And his contribution was enormous at that time. And the third case we won again.
When one added all these cases up, I think there were 17 decisions taken against the PMOI by the European Council of Ministers, and we won every single battle of those stages, thanks to Lord Slynn. In fact, the score we had reckoned was 17-nil to us.
But that was Lord Slynn’s contribution and Lord Slynn’s efforts. Not the advocates in case. Because Lord Slynn saw the merits of the case, Lord Slynn saw the justice of the case, and he saw everything that was about the case. So that was a remarkable achievement. And when we won the last battle, I remember saying how wonderful when we were taken off the list, he said no, we have not won until we were taken off the United States list. And one of the great sadness for me is that was not achieved during his life even if the other parts were achieved.
The English list, British list and the European list. But he must have been very sad that he had not achieved the last list in his life time.
But I hope and I expect that would be achieved and dedicated to him in his memory when that victory is achieved and as it should be in its time. So what I liked to do to join with the others who had spoken so eloquently and much better than I can do about the remarkable achievements of Lord Slynn not only in his personal life, in his life as a jurist, in his life as a man who understood the world, the man who is generous, the man who is thoughtful, a man who has been so helpful to others. But I like to pay tribute to him particularly for what he has done for you. And this is a wonderful occasion now. Thank you for asking me to make this contribution and to make this presentation now.
Thank you very much.
The last thing I would like to say is one of the greatest pleasures of my life and that is that my son who is now aged 21, Lord Slynn is his godfather or was his godfather. That has been a great pleasure to me. Lord Slynn was my god father in law. And this was wonderful thing that he was godfather to my son.