- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Admin Super
A few days before the speech, Powell went to see his good friend Clem Jones, the editor of Wolverhampton’s Express & Star newspaper.
The two men had grown close over the years – their families lived only a few streets away and would go on outings together.
During the visit, somewhat cryptically, Powell told Jones: “When a rocket goes into the sky, the stars burst out. This time they are not going to fall to the ground, they are going to stay up there.”
Jones’s son Nicholas says that while Powell wouldn’t reveal what he was going to say in the speech he promised he would soon be giving, the MP was clearly hinting at its likely impact.
“He was making the point it was explosive,” Mr Jones says.
The friendship between the two men was beneficial for both. It gave Jones a heavyweight political contact, while Powell learned how best to promote himself and exploit the media.
“My father says that he claims to have been Powell’s spin doctor, and Powell was a very good student,” Mr Jones says.
On the day of the speech, Jones and his wife Marjorie were looking after Powell’s daughters.
It was only at this point the newspaper editor actually saw a copy of it.
