#BTColumn – Barbados’ first Life Peer, Lord Woolley

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Vincent “Boo” Nurse

Barbados TODAY is proud to showcase a story of the remarkable work and life of the first Barbadian Life Peer who now sits in the House of Lords in Westminster, London.

Simon Woolley, now Lord Woolley, is the son of Lolita Woolley of St Philip and was born in Leicester in the UK in 1961.

The early life of the young Barbadian was anything but normal and for reasons untold he was sent to a foster home at age three before adoption by a couple. His adoptive parents were an Irish father and a Welsh mother, and they formed the bedrock of his life for a considerable time.

They obviously had a marked effect on the character of the young man, and he acknowledges great appreciation for the care and love they gave to him.

As the noble Peer approached adulthood, he searched for and found his natural mother at the age of 20. Alas, the path immediately after was not smooth and there was a disconnect between mother and son until he reached the age of 40. At this point, life with mother really did start, and they have been inseparable ever since, like the peas in a pod.  Lord Woolley values highly the times he has had with his mother over the last 20 years.

Lord Woolley started his career on the lower rung and trained as a motor mechanic before switching to sales, selling bathroom showers and advertising.

Although he was highly successful, he said he felt inadequate and unfulfilled mainly because he did not have a formal and higher education.

He longed to fill what he saw as a void in his life and consequently enrolled at Middlesex University to study Modern Languages.

Spanish was his first love, and he journeyed to the Latin American countries to get a natural feel for the region and its language and culture.

I asked the Lord about the benefits from these travels and he said they defined him as a person. Lord Woolley took up his story: “I saw and observed the struggles of the people of the region in their fight for equality of opportunity and privilege. They were fearless in their battles against oppression and seemed not to be troubled by any danger to their physical being. I was moved to see the solidarity shown.”

The Peer was obviously touched by his experiences in Latin America and he continued: “Those were turbulent times and they deeply impacted my consciousness.

I then reasoned that if the people in their fight for equality were without fear when their lives were possibly at risk then I would have all reason to return to the UK and join the
struggle for equality in a place where there was no risk or physical danger.”

I sensed a deep passion in the heart of one who had been raised in a working class environment, lived in a council house and was without a great notion of the injustices of the society around him that did not think favourably of those from his background.

And so I interjected: Indeed you have delivered fine and noble words of intent, but what action did you take to make a reality of your dreams and aspirations?

I said it would have been a long and winding road littered with obstacles and challenges and Lord Woolley replied that he was motivated because: “There were many injustices that needed to be put right. Black people were dying in police custody and nobody was held to account. There was a need for political power where Black people would demand rather than request action, and that demand could only be strengthened with the power of the vote.”

Warming to his theme, Lord Woolley said: “We needed to bring awareness regarding the power of the Black vote, hence the Operation Black Vote caucus, a group which I am proud to have lent support and energy.” And he emphasised that the Black vote could be used to send people of like minds and ideals as our representatives to parliament.

Lord Woolley joined with the political firebrand Lee Jasper, and together they brought Operation Black Vote to the notice of both the British Press and Black people in the UK.

By now, Lord Woolley (then plain Simon Woolley) had become a name spoken in the corridors of power and Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed him to sit on the Equality and Human Rights Commission with the remit to champion the causes of Black people in the UK.

And so, this quietly spoken and confident son of the Bajan soil from humble beginnings was thrust at the top table to fight for those of similar ilk who he had left behind to pursue an ambition first nurtured in the steamy streets of Latin America. His rise to prominence could not have been born of tokenism and was surely merited.

Lord Woolley was made a Knight of the Thistle in October 2019 for his services to racial equality. But the awards were not at an end, and nine days after receiving his Knighthood he received a call from Prime Minister Theresa May who stunned him with an offer for him to take a place in the Upper House of Lords.

However, the Barbadian prodigy was not easily taken by the lure to don the ermine gown. He said: “I had assumed that the Prime Minister wanted me to go to the Conservative benches, and I told her that I was not a party politician.

She understood my position and suggested I should go to the Upper House as an Independent (Cross Bencher) where I would be able to put my arguments and proposals from a more advantaged and privileged position.” In the end, Lord Woolley was persuaded, and he duly accepted the Peerage.

But is there another side to the Noble Lord? Is there a hinterland? Indeed, there is, and like most West Indians of his age he is mad about cricket and proud of the examples and performances set by the great team of the seventies and eighties. He said: “They gave a pride and sense of belonging that were not imaginable before. Their performances made me walk tall.” The Peer has one son Luca with whom he shares a passion for all sport.

And a final word from the Noble Lord: “I feel honoured and blessed to be afforded these positions but in the final analysis it is not about me but about what I can do for my fellow man. I will do all I can to fulfil the confidence placed in me by those who feel that I have a meaningful contribution to make.”

Vincent “Boo” Nurse is a Barbadian living in London who is a retired land Revenue Manager, Pensions and Investment Adviser. He is passionate about the development of his island home and disapora.