RIP Sir Alfred Sherman, one of Mrs Thatcher’s intellectual inspirations:

During the years when his star was in the ascendant, Sherman’s clear thinking and willingness to say the unsayable – Sir Keith Joseph once described Sherman as the Tory Party’s “hair shirt” – provided a vital stimulus to Mrs Thatcher, giving her the intellectual confidence to proclaim her radical free-market vision in her early years as leader.

As the obituary makes clear, Sir Alfred fell from favor, probably for good reasons, but there is no denying his role in helping Margaret Thatcher break out of the post-war economic consensus. For that, he deserves to be remembered.

Iain Dale has his own memories here.