Westminster: Memorial Service for Jim Dobbins MP

For only the second time in over 470 years, a Catholic Mass was held in St Margaret's Church, Westminster yesterday. Parliamentarians from both houses gathered for the Memorial Mass for the late Jim Dobbin, MP for Heywood and Middleton who died on 7 September 2014. Jim's wife Pat with members of his family and friends attended. Bishop Terence Brain, Mgr James Cronin and Fr Kevin Tierney were on the sanctuary. Last year a similar Mass was held for the late Paul Goggins MP.

Canon Pat Browne, the Roman Catholic Duty Priest for Parliament was the principal celebrant. Baroness Berridge read the first reading and Sir Alan Meale MP for Mansfield read the responsorial psalm.

Archbishop Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark preached the homily. Reflecting on the life of Jim Dobbins, he said he was someone who had lived the Beatitudes to the full, all his life. Praising his kindness, dedication and strong principals, the Archbishop said: "He was a wonderful witness of a man of faith who had adhered fully to the Gospel demands."

Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin Chaplain to the Speaker read the bidding prayers.

At the end of the Mass, David Crausby MP for Bolton North East, and Lord Alton of Liverpool gave the following tributes:

David Crausby MP

I first met Jim Dobbin in early 1990 at the selection conference for a Parliamentary Labour Candidate in Bury North. He began his speech with the words "My name is Jim Dobbin and I'm very pleased that my mother didn't call me Robin."

He delivered the line with such humour that the constituency membership was still laughing when he got to the end of his speech. While I can't remember anything else that he said that night I voted for him because I liked him and we remained friends ever after.

I have often said in his company and he took it in good spirit, that he built a political career on on that line - well - that line and getting himself arrested on a picket line and charged. Something for which he was eventually found not guilty.

I sometimes felt he was disappointed to be found not guilty because he was proud of his active trade union involvement and his time in the police cells .. he didn't miss many opportunities to raise the question of his arrest in order to demonstrate his left wing Socialist credentials. We both lost the election in 1992. I lost in Bolton and he lost in Bury, but we were finally elected together in the Labour landslide in 1997.

His wife Pat once said "keep and eye on him" but I think in truth that he was keeping an eye on me. Government in 1997 under New Labour was difficult and he soon felt the need to rebel against the Whip. I think he began with the rebellion against cuts in lone parents benefits. Subsequently whenever he felt that we were about to do something that was in his view wrong he was unshakable in his opposition.

He was without any mistake a man of principal. An independent thinker and very much his own man.

He was the proud son on a coal miner and a mill worker. A dedicated member of the Co -Op and a committed European. He studied hard to become a Microbiologist and he felt privilege to serve the NHS and represent Rochdale as its council leader. until he was elected MP for Heywood and Middleton in 1997. In more recent years he was to become a committed member of the Council of Europe. He threw himself into the role with tremendous energy and he commanded enormous respect from politicians from right across the continent. But most of all he was a man who never forgot his roots, A family man. A devout Catholic and I have to say an extremely biased Celtic supporter. A man of good humour who enjoyed his life to the full. We will not see his like again and he is seriously missed by all his friends and of course his loving. family.

Lord David Alton

Those of us who gathered for Jim's funeral at Salford Cathedral and who are here at St Margaret's tonight were proud to count Jim Dobbin as a colleague and a friend. His many friendships crossed the political divide and encompassed members of both Houses of Parliament and people of all faiths.

Each year, with his devoted and redoubtable wife, Pat, we undertook a sponsored walk for the charity, Right To Life. On one occasion walking across Morecambe Bay we were joined by Ann Widdecombe. At one point Ann found herself up to her waist in water - and Jim, eschewing all party advantage, very gallantly waded in to get her back onto firmer ground - thus preserving Ann for her future role on Strictly Come Dancing.

Ann and Jim may have had diametrically opposed views based on Right and Left but, as so often happens at Westminster, "causes" can often throw people together in most unlikely ways - and Right and Wrong become more important than Right and Left.

Jim and I first got to know one another through our work as members of all party parliamentary groups. He served as Vice Chairman of the All Party Group on North Korea, which I chair, and we established another to promote Human Dignity. With great skill and dedication He chaired the all-party parliamentary pro-life group, championing palliative care for the terminally ill, care for the unborn child and their mothers, and opposing the destruction of human embryos.

His passion for the rights of disabled people was undoubtedly influenced by the disabilities experienced by two of his grandchildren: one of whom, Jim, named for his grandfather, began his undergraduate studies in economics at Baliol, Oxford this academic year.

It wasn't a theoretical issue for Jim when, in 2006, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology called for a debate on Dutch-style eugenic "mercy killing" of severely disabled babies, Jim said: "This sends the message that only the perfect are acceptable and the disabled can be discarded."

As a microbiologist Jim argued for good science and good ethics to march hand in hand. His final speech in the House of Commons was to urge caution over producing "three-parent designer babies" through the controversial mitochondrial replacement technique.

Jim's principles were rooted in his Catholic faith. Pope Benedict XVI made him a Knight of St.Gregory but there was not a drop of sectarian blood in him. An active member of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship, it was a sign of the high esteem in which he was held across both Houses, that he was asked to act as Chairman of the annual National Prayer Breakfast.

Mr Speaker Bercow, who attended his funeral rightly described Jim as "a deeply principled and independent-minded parliamentarian".

All of us who were privileged to know him were keenly aware of the unswerving support given to him by Pat, who shared his causes and convictions with equal passion. Their love and commitment to one another gave Jim great strength.

In a climate where there is so much cynicism and criticism of politics and politicians, tonight is an opportunity to acknowledge the vocation and work of a good man, a principled and dedicated parliamentarian, who never forgot his roots or the common good - and to thank Pat and her family for Jim's public service and commitment to his country, his constituents, his conscience and his causes.

Requiescat in pace.