On July 30, 1990 Ian Gow, Conservative MP, a strong opponent of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, an erstwhile close friend and colleague of Airey Neave's, a man who worked closely with the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was assassinated by a bomb planted under his car in his constituency. Direct violence entered British politics again as it had done with the assassination of Airey Neave.
In the Guardian Jonathan Aitken and Edward Pearce called him "a Thatcherite romantic" and said
With the assassination yesterday of Ian Gow, the House of Commons has lost one of its most admired and courageous characters. In government he had played a pivotal role in the making of the Thatcher revolution, while on the backbenches he was one of those rare parliamentarians who could captivate both sides of the House with a stylish humour that was sui generis.Mrs Thatcher lost one of her strongest supporters in her fight for her position though, apparently, Mr Gow had decided that her premiership had run to its natural close and she ought to resign. Perhaps, with him around the resignation and events surrounding it would not have been quite so messy. Perhaps.
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