Dame Unity Viola Lister, DBE ( Webley; 9 June 1913 – 15 December 1998) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

political activist. She served on the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

from 1949 to 1965 and on its successor the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

from 1965 to 1983.

Early life

She was born in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

to a doctor father and Quaker mother. She had a facility for foreign languages, and this earned her an important post in the Military Censor's office during the Second World War.

Post WWII

Lister was a long-serving member of the

, representing Woolwich West, and its successor body, the

- from 1949 to 1983, and as deputy chairman in 1963–64. She was a passionate

Europhile A Europhile is a person who is fond of, admires, or loves European culture, society, history, food, music etc.European Union of Women from 1971, and was a member of the

European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History Initially the Euro ...

and the

Conservative Group for Europe The Conservative European Forum (CEF) was founded in 1969 to promote the UK's entry into the European Economic Community. The organisation is committed to a positive and constructive approach to the UK's relationships with the democracies of Euro ...

. The purpose of the committee was to encourage Tory women to join non-party organisations with charitable purposes and to express the party's view on all matters connected with social welfare. It was the brainchild of Joan Varley, then a senior functionary at Conservative Central Office, who had noted that Labour activists - and Labour views - seemed over-influential in non-political organisations. Lister helped in the drafting of the Tory response to

Barbara Castle Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, (''née'' Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament from 1945 United Kingdom general elec ...

's Equal Opportunities Bill and the preparation of the party's argument for entry into the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

. In 1940 she married an old school friend, Sam Lister (d. 1995), a mechanical engineer who ran a small family firm of manufacturers. Her husband had a keenly developed interest in local government, and became a Woolwich councillor. When it was suggested that he stand for the London County Council, he demurred, and proposed his wife instead. She was duly elected in 1949 and served as an exceptionally effective deputy chairman between 1963 and 1964. She had risen through the voluntary ranks of her party and, in 1971, was chairman of the

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...

, and thus had the duty of taking the chair at the party conference that year. The job of conference chairman in 1971 was a peculiarly difficult one - the party was riven by doubts about the wisdom of the leadership's policy for entry into the European Economic Community, doubts fueled by the rhetoric of

Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell (16 June 19128 February 1998) was a British politician, scholar and writer. He served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Wolverhampton South West for the Conservative Party (UK), Conserv ...

. Lister presided over the fervent and turbulent debate on European policy - there were 125 amendments to the substantive motion - with the strict sense of control which marked all her public appearances - the Government's policy was carried by a strong majority.

Private life

In 1940, she married Sam Lister, an old school friend and mechanical engineer who ran a small family manufacturing company.

Affiliations

* London County Council, 1949–65 * Greater London Council, 1965–83 * Chairman, Women's National Advisory Committee, 1966–69 * Chairman, National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1970–71

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Unity 1913 births 1998 deaths Conservative Party (UK) councillors Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of London County Council Members of the Greater London Council People from Woolwich English Quakers Place of death missing 20th-century Quakers Women councillors in England