I owe quite a bit to Hella Decide. She was primarily based in Geneva when the Guardian editor, Alastair Hetherington, requested her to comply with the negotiations resulting in Britain’s entry into the European Financial Group (EEC) on 1 January 1973. She agreed as long as she may cowl the story from London. She urged I may cowl the element of the entry talks in Brussels, the place I used to be a contract journalist, and she or he would fly into Brussels for summit conferences attended by heads of presidency.
Her reluctance to be primarily based in Brussels, not probably the most glamourous metropolis, was my acquire, the start of my lengthy profession on the Guardian. She turned a heat and trusted colleague, permitting us to trade private confidences in addition to political gossip.
