What Mo Molam misses most about politics is talking to people - which is just what she will be doing in York on Monday, as she tells CHARLES HUTCHINSON.

MO Mowlam says she can't sing, can't dance, can't write, can't spell, but "something I can do is get on with people".

Outspoken, frank, and free from the shackles of the Labour front bench, the former MP for Redcar is talking the talk once more, this time in An Audience With Mo Mowlam.

On Monday - the event has been switched from November 22 to November 15 - she will be at York Theatre Royal, swapping the political platform for the theatre stage. Not that she sees it that way. "It's a platform to speak from, not a theatre stage. I just see it as a platform. I've always enjoyed talking to people, and politics is about people; always has been.

"I've done plenty of these evenings, and basically people sit down and then I discuss what I want to discuss. I usually start by telling them what I'm going to do and see if they agree, and they usually do. Then we have 25 minutes on Northern Ireland and 15 minutes of questions, and after a break I'll do 20 minutes about myself and then they ask me what I'm doing now. I get questions on anything!"

You can take Mo Mowlam out of Parliament but you cannot take the politics out of Mo Mowlam. "I'm doing these shows because one thing I really miss about being an MP is talking to people. I loved constituency work and this is a form of constituency work," she says.

Since July Dr Mo Mowlam has been the agony aunt for Zoo, one of the perky lads' mags that have proliferated this year. The role presents another chance for discourse.

"I wrote to Zoo saying 'Could I be your Agony Aunt?', and the answer was yes. It gives me a different angle on life. I have a 17-year-old stepson and six nephews and I talk to a fair number of young people - if you don't do that, you don't know what the next generation will do or think," she says.

Mo Mowlam believes passionately in communication and dialogue as the best route to progress, be it in her Zoo column or in the more serious matter of the future of Northern Ireland.

"Talking is always better than killing. I would say that in any situation where you have terrorists around, find a format to talk in rather than kill in," she reasons.

This is her specialist subject. "I did a talk to a media group a few weeks ago on how to get their agenda across to people, how to get people to change their minds, taking into account an organisation's vested interests," she says.

However, she is happy to speak on all sorts of themes. "I do speeches on women, global problems, Ireland; I've been invited to Australia to speak on democracy. I do a whole variety of topics."

Mo was first drawn to politics in her schooldays, and her beliefs have not changed. "I was at a big comprehensive school in Coventry. I played a lot of hockey and netball and I just felt that other schools had better facilities and I wanted to do something about the injustice of that," she says.

"Quality of life, fairness and justice are all principles I believe in. You have to think about how they apply in each situation."

Profile:

Name: The Rt Hon Dr Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam

Born: September 18 1949, in Watford. Grew up in Coventry

Education: Coundon Court Comprehensive School, Coventry; Durham University and Iowa University

Political career: Elected Labour MP for Redcar in 1987; became Opposition spokesman on Northern Ireland that year; appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 1994. Following New Labour's 1997 General Election victory, made Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Left post in 1999; soon afterwards announced intention to retire from Parliament, relinquishing seat at 2001 election

Political achievements: Successful in helping to restore an IRA ceasefire, and in including Sinn Fin in multi-party talks. Paid visit to loyalist prisoners in Maze prison in her attempt to persuade loyalists to sign up to what became the Good Friday Agreement

Since 2001: Momentum, her book chronicling her time in government, was published in 2002. She is an active member of International Crisis Group and lectures extensively worldwide on Northern Ireland peace process, conflict management and political and government reform. Last year she set up Mo Mo Help initiative to assist recovering drug addicts and parents of disabled children. In July, appointed agony aunt of Zoo

Where, when and why in York: Theatre Royal, Monday November 15, 7.30pm, for An Audience With Mo Mowlam Tickets: £3.50 to £15; ring 01904 623568.

Updated: 16:26 Thursday, November 11, 2004