When I Die

by Philip Gould

  I am very busy on Philip’s legacy, of which this book is a part, as are the film made by Adrian Steirn and the portrait that can be found at the back of this ebook which will be part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. I want to help fund more research and support the charities that are building awareness of oesophageal cancer and how it can be treated and prevented.

  I have not worked out the purpose of Philip’s death for me, or for our daughters, Georgia and Grace. For us, the core of our life has simply been ripped away.

  If we are to make sense of it, then we will do so through Philip’s fearlessness in the face of death, his understanding that there is such a thing as a good death, and perhaps somehow, through this book, as he carries on touching people’s lives and giving them insights. That was Philip’s great gift when he was alive. Let it continue in death.

  Letter to a Friend

  Alastair Campbell

  The High Mass Requiem for Philip Gould was held at All Saints, Margaret Street, London W1 on Tuesday 15 November 2011 before a packed church which included two former prime ministers, who both read lessons, and many other leading political figures. At the request of the family, Alastair Campbell read out the email he had sent his friend just before Philip died. This is the full text of that email.

  Dear Philip,

  I hope, as do so many others, that somehow you find within you the strength to carry on. The courage you have shown since the day you were told you had cancer has been inspiring. If anyone can keep on defying the medical odds, you can.

  But if this does defeat you this time, I don’t want you to go without me saying what a wonderful person you are, and what an extraordinary friend you have been. Of all my friends, you are the one who touches virtually every point of my life – past, present, politics, work, leisure, sport and holidays, education, books, charity, and, more important than anything, family and friendship. I have been blessed to know you. So has Fiona. So have Rory, Calum and Grace. For so many of the happiest moments of our lives, you have been there, indeed often the cause of the happiness.

  You’ve always been there in tough times too. You remember the Alex Ferguson quote: ‘The true friend is the one who walks through the door when others are putting on their coats to leave.’ You have displayed that brand of friendship so often, so consistently, and with such a force as to keep me going at the lowest of moments.

  When I got your moving, lovely message on Tuesday, and was convinced you wouldn’t see out the night, I felt like a limb had been wrenched from me. You know my crazy theory that we only know if we have lived a good life as we approach its end – perhaps we only know the real value of a friend when we lose him. The loss for Gail, Georgia and Grace will be enormous. But so many others were touched by you and will share that loss.

  My favourite quote of our time in government came not from me or you, or any of the rest of the New Labour team. It came from the Queen in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks ten years ago. ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’ You are much loved. There will be much grief. But it is a price worth paying for the joy of having known you, worked with you, laughed with you, cried with you, latterly watched you face death squarely in the eye with the same humility, conviction and concern for others which you have shown in life.

  I will always remember you not for your guts in facing cancer, brave though you have been, but for the extraordinary life force you have been in the healthy times. Your enthusiasm, your passion for politics, and belief in its power to do good, your love of Labour, your dedication to the cause and the team – they all have their place in the history that we all wrote together. I loved the defiant tone of your revised Unfinished Revolution, your clear message that whatever the critics say, we changed politics and Britain for the better. So often, so many of our people weaken. You never did. You never have. You never would. That is the product of real values, strength of character, and above all integrity of spirit.

  In a world divided between givers and takers, you are the ultimate giver. In a world where prima donnas often prosper, you are the ultimate team player. Perhaps alone among the key New Labour people, you have managed to do an amazing job without making enemies. That too is a product of your extraordinary personality, your love of people and your determination always to try to build and heal. It has been humbling to see you, even in these last days and weeks, trying to heal some of the wounds that came with the pressures of power. We can all take lessons from that, and we all should.

  Of course I will miss the daily chats, the banter, the unsettled argument about whether QPR are a bigger club than Burnley. More, I’ll miss your always being on hand to help me think something through, large or small. But what I will miss more than anything is the life force, the big voice. You have made our lives so much better. You are part of our lives and you will be for ever. Because in my life, Philip, you are a bigger force than the death that is about to take you.

  Yours ever,

  AC

  Acknowledgements

  Gail Rebuck

  There are many people to thank in the creation of this book. First, Keith Blackmore, who agreed to become the book’s editor, taking time off from The Times where he is deputy editor and behaving with such compassion and commitment to the project. Ed Victor, friend and agent extraordinaire, for relentlessly championing Philip and his writing and for being such a great neighbour and friend to the whole family. It was while sitting with Ed on our weekly ritual of Sunday afternoon coffee that Philip asked for a ‘deadline’ for the book, missing the irony of his request.

  Alastair Campbell was as close to Philip as it was possible to be, both as a friend and a political ally, an unfaltering presence, coaxing him on with humour and support. All the Campbells–Millars have been stalwart through these miserable years, an extension of our family, providing respite for us all in France and Scotland. Tony Blair became such a crucial and strong pillar of both spiritual and intellectual support for Philip. He texted us from all over the world and his concern was a great comfort to Philip.

  Matthew Freud entered Philip’s life in 2000, wearing leather trousers as he recalls, but despite that they became close friends and intellectual sparring partners. Both showed a deep sense of personal integrity and constantly sought out purpose both in their own lives and in those of their clients. All at Freud’s have been complete rocks, none more so than Nicola Howson. Matthew and his wife, Liz Murdoch, have become a central pillar in all of our lives and their generosity has no limits. Pete Jones, whom Philip met at university, was a wonderful and constant friend to him all his life.

  Thanks through this period also go to Stephen Badger for his spiritual wisdom and support, to David Kamenetzky and Anna-Lena Wetzel, to Noreena Hertz, a founding member of the ‘Ask Philip Club’, to John Thornton, and to Antonio Lucio who immortalised Philip in a leadership award and continues to be a great friend and mentor. And a very special thank you to all who have contributed to Philip’s charities. You know who you are and you will help make Philip’s legacy a reality.

  Thanks also to Philip’s Labour family. The day after he died the house was filled with his political friends: Peter Mandelson, Tessa Jowell, Margaret McDonagh – the New Labour version of the Jewish shiva. Our house has been full of letters from party staff, from the politicians Philip spent countless afternoons discussing politics and purpose with: James Purnell, David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Douglas Alexander, Gordon Brown and his friends from No. 10 days, Sally Morgan, Anji Hunter, Peter Hyman and many more he never told me about. I know that the Labour Party was always a home from home for Philip and that the friendships he made there sustained him right through to the end. In his book The Unfinished Revolution, Philip thanked so many more who had helped and sustained him.

  I would like to thank The Times newspaper and James Harding for the beautiful way they presented Philip’s words and the support they gave to Philip and this project.

  Thanks to the innumerable medical staff who supported Ph
ilip through his cancer journey, for the care, kindness and dedication with which they took us through the hardest times. Particular thanks are due to the brilliant Professor Mike Griffin, who operated on Philip when few else could and gave us an extra year, and Claire Sedgwick, who was always at the end of a phone for all the crises. Thanks too to Professor David Cunningham, who never gave up on Philip and lifted us through some of our darkest days, and all at the Marsden, especially Dr Kaz Mochlinski, Dr Jervoise Andreyev and Dr Craig Carr, and all at the Intensive Care Unit.

  Thank you too to all those who wrote so beautifully on Philip’s death. Philip had too many close friends to begin to mention here, but we appreciate deeply all the support and love we have had over the last few years.

  I must also thank my colleagues at Random House for their support through these difficult times. Thanks to our authors who have become friends, to Nigella Lawson for bringing smoked salmon and bagels to feed everyone on the night Philip died, to Ian McEwan and Annalena McAfee for insisting I go out when all I wanted to do was disappear and Carmen Callil who was so supportive throughout. And thanks to so many more authors for your words of comfort and inspiration.

  A thank you, too, to all at Little, Brown, especially Tim Whiting for his sensitive editing and to Ursula Mackenzie for supporting all Philip’s projects.

  Thank you to my dear friend Susie Figgis, the best casting director in Britain, for her unwavering support and for being there on this whole journey, forever at my side. That is real friendship, built up over forty years. To my parents and brother, who have known Philip since I first introduced my gawky university friend nearly forty years ago and who took him into the family. To Philip’s sister, Jill, who gave him so much comfort in his final months. And finally to the girls – Georgia and Grace – the Three Gs, as we are now known – for their love, compassion, humour and wisdom beyond their years. They are Philip’s true, lasting legacy.

  Keith Blackmore

  Editing this book has been a privilege for which I must first and foremost thank Gail Rebuck and Georgia and Grace Gould, whose kindness and patience made it a simple task indeed. Ed Victor’s help and advice was, as ever, invaluable. I must also thank my colleagues at The Times, especially my indomitable boss and friend, James Harding, for allowing me the time to do it. I am also especially grateful to Roger Alton, Anoushka Healy, Simon Pearson and Anne Spackman for filling whatever gaps I left behind at the paper. Richard Whitehead edited the original newspaper serialisation so thoroughly that my work in that area was greatly reduced. Adrian Steirn kindly gave permission to use material from his interviews. Lastly I must thank my wife, Winifred, and children, Sian and Ben, for putting up with me as I plunged into Philip’s extraordinary world for days at a time.

  All royalties from this book will go to:

  The National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Fund, to target national awareness of oesophageal cancer and to research early diagnostic tests that could significantly improve life chances.

  Donate online at www.justgiving.com/nogcf or by post to:

  The National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Fund

  c/o Newcastle Healthcare Charity (Reg. 502473)

  Charitable Funds Office

  203 Cheviot Court

  The Freeman Hospital

  High Heaton

  Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DN

  and to:

  The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. This money will support a full-scale study into Dr Andreyev’s groundbreaking digestive symptom control protocol for chemotherapy and radiotherapy patients, and Professor Cunningham’s cutting-edge research into genetic predisposition to develop oesophageal cancer and appropriate targeted drug responses.

  Donate online at www.royalmarsden.org/philipgould or by post to:

  The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

  Downs Road

  Sutton SM2 5PT

  A Short Introduction to Oesophageal/Gastro-oesophageal Cancers

  The oesophagus leads from the mouth into the stomach. The tumours that develop in the lower area of the oesophagus, called adenocarcinomas, are commonly grouped with cancers in the area of the gastro-oesophageal junction. Much of the treatment and research work in this field has dealt with these together. They are separate from the different cancers that affect the middle and upper parts of the oesophagus, which require a separate management approach.

  In total, every year around half a million people worldwide are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, and more than four hundred thousand of them die of the disease. It remains very difficult to treat, as frequently it will have spread from the primary tumour site by the time of diagnosis, preventing it from being surgically removed and so requiring any treatment to focus on simply control and containment.

  Even when surgery is undertaken with curative intent, the majority of patients suffer recurrences and succumb to their disease. On the most recent data for gastro-oesphageal cancers, five-year survival following surgical resection and peri-operative chemotherapy or post-operative chemo-radiation ranges from 30 to 35 per cent.

  And it is a disease that is on the rise. According to Cancer Research UK, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the lower third of the oesophagus and gastro-oesophageal junction in Britain over the past two to three decades. This is particularly true in Scotland, and most notably among men. The male to female ratio is now more than two to one, making it one of the highest gender differentials of any non-occupational cancer.

  The risk of developing the disease also increases with age, with it by far most commonly occurring in the older population. Overall, oesophageal cancer is responsible for almost 3 per cent of all cancers in the United Kingdom and is therefore in the top ten of cancers in this country.

  There is undoubtedly scope for improving outcomes, the main factor being earlier diagnosis, before the disease becomes too established in a patient. The problem with this is that the symptoms of early gastro-oesophageal cancer are very common, especially heartburn/indigestion/dyspepsia. It is now being stressed by clinicians that any new symptoms such as these are enough to warrant seeking medical advice. Diagnosis at an early stage should increase the chances of obtaining a cure. But this will also be aided by improving local treatments with enhanced surgical techniques and more modern radiotherapy equipment.

  Where the disease recurs or has already spread at the time of diagnosis, there is development work in progress on better general treatments. Combination chemotherapy offers benefits with respect to tumour response and survival when compared to single agent chemotherapy regimens, but this comes at a cost of increased toxicity. The older age of many patients, the fact they are likely to have other common health issues, plus cancer-related debilitation frequently lead to difficulties in successfully applying this approach and it also makes it often problematic to enter these patients into clinical trials.

  In order to improve these outcomes and avoid the toxicity of conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, the focus of many investigators’ research has shifted to the use of novel molecular therapies. This involves identifying cell characteristics that will enable targeting treatment very specifically to each individual cancer.

  A major example of this is Trastuzumab (herceptin) for patients with gastro-oesophageal cancer that on laboratory analysis is positive for the HER-2 receptor. And the work is going further, beyond cell level, to look at each patient’s genetic material. This is heading towards the goal of personalised medicine which will lead to the provision of individually targeted treatments.

  This introduction to cancer of the oesophagus was contributed to this book by Dr Kaz Mochlinski and other staff at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

  Obituary

  The Times

  As a full-time political strategist Philip Gould was a pioneer in British politics. In assessing public opinion British party leaders had, before Gould, variously drawn on press proprietors, opinion pollsters, and public relations and advertising men. They had, however, resisted the importati
on of the American political consultant, and Gould was careful to call himself a strategist not a consultant. He regarded focus groups and market research as an important part of the democratic process, enabling people to speak to their rulers.

  He was one of a half dozen crucial figures who helped Neil Kinnock and then Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to modernise the Labour Party. However, his influence was not confined to helping Blair to win the 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections. He played a continuing role in interpreting public opinion and advising when Blair was Prime Minister. Gould was a force for the professionalisation – some would call it the Americanisation – of the Labour Party.

  A workaholic, Gould did not relax easily and found it difficult to read or converse for leisure. He had strong opinions, showed emotions easily and exuded energy. There was something almost bipolar in his shifts between political optimism and pessimism.

  His management of focus groups was interventionist, as he interrupted speakers with his questions, directing them to get to the point, usually his point. He was a leader’s man, working directly to Blair, who was also impatient with much of the culture and structure of the party.

  As a child Gould suffered from dyslexia and he left his secondary modern school in Woking, Surrey, with only one O level. The adolescent Gould was a Labour activist. Both his parents were on the Left politically – his father was a primary school head teacher. As a mature student he studied at evening classes for A levels, eventually gaining a place at Sussex University to study politics and later studying at the LSE. He spent some time in advertising, started an agency which he sold, and then he took a year to study at the London Business School.