lord harris of high cross 10th

Lord Harris of High Cross (10th December 1924 - 19th October 2006)

His Grace is immeasurably saddened by the news that Ralph Harris has

died.

Ralph was a founding father of the Institute of Economic Affairs

because his Christian faith persuaded him that the liberalisation of

economic structures was the key to feeding the poor and housing the

homeless. He was one of those profound thinkers of the right, with a

maddening independent streak, who bothered to argue that in order to

be able to give a coat to those who have none, one must have been in a

position to earn two in the first place. To focus purely on the need,

which the Church frequently preached, ignored the reality that wealth

creation is the most effective means by which the plight of the poor

may be eased. He possessed immeasurable insight into how the European

Union damages the United Kingdom, and saw all things clearly, in three

and sometimes four dimensions.

His Grace was frequently confronted by Ralph's pipe(s) - an

unmistakable aura - and challenged on levels that few political

philosophers are now able to reach. He was unique; a man of his time,

who (thankfully) coincided with the rise of a political soulmate in

Margaret Thatcher.

You will be missed, my friend.

God bless.