Rt Hon Barbara Castle

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the Baroness Castle of Blackburn - better known to most people as Barbara Castle. For 34 years she served as the Labour member for the constituency of Blackburn, and she rose to high office in the Wilson governments of the 1960s and 1970s. As the first woman Transport Minister, she introduced, amidst great controversy, the breathalyser and the motorway speed limit. She was also at the centre of legislation over equal pay for women. Then, 10 years ago, she opted out of domestic politics and into the European cauldron.

Now retired from that too, and recently having celebrated her 80th birthday, she'll be looking back over her long and passionate political career, and forward to making her mark on the House of Lords.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Choices

1.

George Frideric Handel

He shall feed His flock (from Messiah)

Soloist: Grace Bumbry Orchestra: Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

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2.

Louis Armstrong

On The Sunny Side Of The Street

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3.

Fred Astaire

Cheek To Cheek

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4.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major 'Eroica'

Orchestra: London Classical Players

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5.

Castaway's favourite

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I Have A Dream (speech August 28 1963)

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6.

The Beatles

Love Me Do

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7.

The Laggan

Bandiera Rossa

8.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Symphony No. 5 in D major

Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra

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Book

The collected works by William Morris

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Luxury item

Typewriter

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