Michael Foot Dead

Michael Foot has died today aged 96. They were talking about how he was an end of an era, that there is no one like him left. A genuine socialist, a person who conducted himself respectfully, someone who said things as they were, no spin, who wasn't rude to those who thought differently and the thing they did not say but all this adds up to - a person of integrity.

Not quite correct though, Tony Benn is still around.

alexa said:

Michael Foot has died today aged 96. They were talking about how he was an end of an era, that there is no one like him left. A genuine socialist, a person who conducted himself respectfully, someone who said things as they were, no spin, who wasn't rude to those who thought differently and the thing they did not say but all this adds up to - a person of integrity.

Not quite correct though, Tony Benn is still around.

Click to expand...

He sharpened his 'political teeth' in my city by being MP for Devonport, way before my time. Then moved onto bigger things. In saying that he never forgot his roots, and would often speak highly of Plymouth. He was a life long [suffering] fan of Plymouth Argyle [that must of been painful].

I agree him and Benn have plenty in common and are from a bygone era in politics when left truly represented left.. but unfortunately it did not appeal enough to earn a place in power.

Paul

gunner said:

He sharpened his 'political teeth' in my city by being MP for Devonport, way before my time. Then moved onto bigger things. In saying that he never forgot his roots, and would often speak highly of Plymouth. He was a life long [suffering] fan of Plymouth Argyle [that must of been painful].

I agree him and Benn have plenty in common and are from a bygone era in politics when left truly represented left.. but unfortunately it did not appeal enough to earn a place in power.

Paul

Click to expand...

Thanks Paul, that's interesting background.

Yes, it is a shame. I think it was Tony Benn who tried for a while telling people exactly how things were and came to the conclusion people just could not hear.

There was such a hope for being able to produce a fair society with social justice and equality of opportunity for all.

Labout had its faults. It over used buraucracy's rather than giving decision making power to the people - something Thatcher used to her advantage cemented in spin.

Labour also being supported by the Unions was always blamed for anything they got up to.

But it was a time where I think there was a lot more morality than in the 'everyone for themself' culture of spin we have today.

It makes you think, when Benn goes, does it all become folklore!

I heard a man speaking about the poverty of workers conditons the other day and I thought, 'oh my gosh, is someone actually going to start speaking again'.

The other thing they mentioned about Michael Foot was him being one of the people who fought against fascist ideas and who remembered and worked for them not returning.

Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

I was saddened to hear of the death of Michael Foot, valiant journalist, principled politician, talented author and thoroughly decent human being. He led the British Labour Party at a time when it was unelectable but did so with honesty and integrity. He opposed Britain's membership of the EU but, unlike the current anti-Europe brigade, did so from an internationalist stance. At no point was it ever about xemophobia; his opposition was based on the imposition of market capitalism across the continent. "What kind of democracy permits only one economic option?" He had a point!

Michael Foot obituary | Politics | The Guardian

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Andalublue said:

I was saddened to hear of the death of Michael Foot, valiant journalist, principled politician, talented author and thoroughly decent human being.

Click to expand...

I watched some labour members of the time reflecting that he may have been a rubbish politician and leader but a decent human.

Andalublue said:

-- He led the British Labour Party at a time when it was unelectable but did so with honesty and integrity.

Click to expand...

Michael Foot made the Labour party unelectable, under his reign as leader the trotskyites and loonies in Labour councils like Liverpool took large parts of the party and made the party as a whole into a national embarrassment.

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

I wonder if Andalablue will be saying the same of Foot's direct Tory equivilent Margaret Thatcher - principled politician, actual Prime Minister, chemist, orator, war leader, restorer of Britain's prestige and position amongst the top nations of the world, human being.

Not to speak ill of the dead, but with all this sucking Foot off everywhere it also must be remembered that his politics nearly killed Britain before 1979 and would have led to surrender during the Cold War had he ever been a leader in power.

He was apparently honest but he was also one of the 'anti war' crowd to be both a rabble-rousing thorn in Churchill's side during World War 2, as well as Bruce Kent's best pal in proclaiming the innocence and victimhood of the Soviet Union in later years.

He was one of many in Labour a little too sympathetic to the Soviets than was good for him, whilst at the same time being hypocritical enough to rail against its National Front counterpart. I believe this quote can be attributed to him: "When I went to Moscow and Leningrad in 1982, there was a powerful impulse to get swept up in the passion and romance of The Revolution."

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Infinite Chaos said:

I watched some labour members of the time reflecting that he may have been a rubbish politician and leader but a decent human.



Michael Foot made the Labour party unelectable, under his reign as leader the trotskyites and loonies in Labour councils like Liverpool took large parts of the party and made the party as a whole into a national embarrassment.

Click to expand...

Not true. He was not a Prime Minister-in-waiting leader of the opposition, he was a Leader of the Opposition at a time when Labour had no chance of being elected after the late-70s mess and the early-80s Falkland effect. He was a good leader of the opposition, as many Tories have been gracious enough to concede. He was a loyal leader of HM opposition during the Falklands and acquitted himself well in parliament - he was a superb orator.

He was always going to be a caretaker leader of the Labour party while it reorganised itself, something that was a long, hard, painful process.

I notice RoP contributed to this thread. Don't know what he said as he is on my ignore list (actually he IS my entire ignore list).

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

I notice Andalablue's snooty 'no platform' with much comedy. I suppose I'm meant to feel some sort of shame, but I suppose it's a signal that he's scared to take on somebody with as firm a set of principles as he thinks he has! Otherwise I'm sure he would chew me out like a man.

Bit of a pity to note that I've clubbed the poor little Red into submission, just as I was starting to enjoy myself. But not taking part in the democratic process if things don't go your way is the tool of his communist trade. Good job I don't live within shooting range of him, lest I end up in a pit in his back yard with the back of my head blown away.

Alright, I'm sorry Andalablue, if you're reading! Please come back! I promise that if you deign to talk to me again I'll not make my arguments so trenchant, conclusive and painfully true!

....Hmm, you're not reading. In that case I'll just say Here Commie, commie commie! oooo, scaredy-cat, scaredy-cat, cowardy-cowardy custard!

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Infinite Chaos said:

Michael Foot made the Labour party unelectable, under his reign as leader the trotskyites and loonies in Labour councils like Liverpool took large parts of the party and made the party as a whole into a national embarrassment.

Click to expand...

Labour was unelectable until it became New Labour.

Thatcher destroyed the Unions, far more easily than she expected apparently. It was a time when changes had to be made and Labour were unable to come up with covincing alternative.

But it could have gone other ways. Did you know for instance that the conservatives had a green paper looking at the possibility of everyone getting a wage as a right and then working to improve their standard of lving.

Personally I hate the way we have developed and fear for the world my grand child will meet.

I think a lot of the rights which people fought for have been lost and I see little integrity in politicians, little vision for a genuine better quality of life. I think we have lost our heart.

Little girls of 9 now sexual objects in dress if not in other ways.

Becoming rambos off to war against International Law.

Everyone has become the big fat capitalist trying to grab the last penny out of the other - the difference is it is now fashion.

Spin, no effort even at integrity.

Neo Nazi's on the rise.

Nah, not for me.

I liked the people of integrity and vision we once had and regret that Labour's desire for power over took theirs.

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Andalublue said:

I notice RoP contributed to this thread. Don't know what he said as he is on my ignore list (actually he IS my entire ignore list).

Click to expand...

Ive not compiled such a list, but i can empathize with your first choice

Paul

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

I seem to upset many Lefties.

Good work, quite a jubilee today. I wonder if I'm on the hate list of anyone else in the Peace-n-Love brigade?!

There's nothing very moral about hyperinflation, wildcat strikes, union barons dictating government policy, power cuts, rampant debt, decaying industry, crippling taxation or the uphill struggle to run a business. That, and more, is what we had under Labour in the 'good old days' when Labourites had cordial relations with communist dictators like Ceaucescu. People were really poor then, frightened of being unemployed or redundant on the breadline without knowledge they'd get a job again.

I can see an extremity the other way these days but people are much better off. The average person lives much better than Sun King Loius did and despite all the outsourcing and dismantling of the final crumbs of industry, even these days, the dark, dank days of the '70s aren't quite back yet.

Talk of 'equality and social justice' was always just rhetoric. Old Labour didn't give it to us in its 90 years and all New Labour gave us was Trevor Phillips and oxymoron Human 'Rights' legislation.

We're supposed to think 'Ooo these Old Labour monoliths wanted so much and spoke fine words', but they never gave us anything but austerity and hatred towards the rich and 'reactionaries'.

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Andalublue said:

I was saddened to hear of the death of Michael Foot, valiant journalist, principled politician, talented author and thoroughly decent human being. He led the British Labour Party at a time when it was unelectable but did so with honesty and integrity. He opposed Britain's membership of the EU but, unlike the current anti-Europe brigade, did so from an internationalist stance. At no point was it ever about xemophobia; his opposition was based on the imposition of market capitalism across the continent. "What kind of democracy permits only one economic option?" He had a point!

Michael Foot obituary | Politics | The Guardian

Click to expand...

"What kind of democracy permits only one economic option?"

Click to expand...

Indeed, Andalublue, but the rub in that assinine comment is that economic policies are often forced on people, which is certainly not freedom.

If another person and I vote to take all your money and possessions, do you feel that's democracy?

That is called "The tyranny of the majority", and if that's your idea of democracy I doubt it will be around much longer in your part of the world. The man was an ass, as well as a Foot, but because he was on the Left and sympathetic to Communism he is treated with far more respect than he deserves.

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Grant said:

Indeed, Andalublue, but the rub in that assinine comment is that economic policies are often forced on people, which is certainly not freedom.

If another person and I vote to take all your money and possessions, do you feel that's democracy?

That is called "The tyranny of the majority", and if that's your idea of democracy I doubt it will be around much longer in your part of the world. The man was an ass, as well as a Foot, but because he was on the Left and sympathetic to Communism he is treated with far more respect than he deserves.

Click to expand...

You think that making a free democratic choice is asinine? Your "Tyranny of the Majority", or Hailsham's "Elective Dictatorship" is exactly the system that is currently in use. Governments can and do decide to take your money, whether you like it or not. You have a once-every-few-years opportunity to effect that and precious little democratic involvement between elections. Foot was particularly interested in extending the democratic process and improving participation in the political process.

I'm not sure whether you know much about Michael Foot or not. I'd guess not because he was no apologist for the soviet empire, quite the opposite. I suspect you are calling him an ass simply because he was of the left, which is asinine in itself, no?

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

Republic_Of_Public said:

I seem to upset many Lefties.

Good work, quite a jubilee today. I wonder if I'm on the hate list of anyone else in the Peace-n-Love brigade?!

Click to expand...

Don't overstate your impact, upset and left are strong words. You probably would not know a left leaning person if he/she slapped you in the face.

I was merely stating how i empathised with their first choice because of the constant, incoherent ramblings of gutter ****e that unfortunately you espouse on an all to often basis..nothing more

Paul

Re: Michael Foot - Remember when politicians had principles?

gunner said:

Don't overstate your impact, upset and left are strong words. You probably would not know a left leaning person if he/she slapped you in the face.

I was merely stating how i empathised with their first choice because of the constant, incoherent ramblings of gutter ****e that unfortunately you espouse on an all to often basis..nothing more

Paul

Click to expand...

He mistakes upset for "can't be bothered to engage with pig ignorant regurgitation of someone else's bigoted ideas with nothing original or interesting in compensation".

I say he's the only one because despite some fairly rabid political foes on this forum, some of them (Ethereal, Gardener, LaMidRight etc) have some ideas of their own and are able to argue their case. They don't seem to get their jollies by calling Gordon Brown or Obama a c**t, nor their opponents generally traitors and swine.

The ignore list I reckon is there for good reason but best used sparingly.

And

Ooo, talking to me now are we? (Or at least at me.) But Andalablue should remember that thing about people in glass houses. There's not much room to complain about my abuse of Gordon Brown (though, as I recall, not Obama with that word) when you read what he wrote about Oriana Fallaci for example. And there's no love lost between the likes of him and Margaret Thatcher.

And it's also interesting how much like injured kittens some people behave like when all they have to do is puncture my bigoted, ill-conceived opinions with just a single, well turned eloquent phrase. Particularly when I used to get absolutely clobbered by the likes of PeteEU for a good long time on here a few years back. He used to deliver quite a few sharp kickings, but I don't think he touches me much these days.

Quite intriguing that 'pig ignorance' is used to describe dissenting points of view, regardless of the support evidence, data which even justifies the swearing and accusations of treason levelled at our new ruling class. Another one for the doublespeak glossary, such as 'spam' to describe the supplementaries I provide in spades. These go with the lengthy paragraphs I write which outline my position on certain subjects. Or perhaps he ignores those as they are not to his liking. Of course old Andy rarely provides any, hoping people think him big and wise enough to be taken at his every word.

And I must have had some sort of impact, otherwise why go to all the bother of pointing out I'm 'no platformed'? As such, the circus rolls on...

O-BITCHERY with Johnathan Leftwinger, Labour MP for the cunstituency of Asylum East:



OH MY GOD MATE!



The esteemed, hallowed and absolutely perfect Michael Foot, gallant ex-leader of our celestial Labour Party, has passed away at the age of 96. A great man, he stood up for the very socialist values which led to the fascist Public voting for Margaret Thatcher in 1979. (A baffling state of affairs unless you understand that Left Wing Purity is far too highbrow for them to understand.)



But there’s a wing to the wang, in the shape of evil, disgusting hatemonger Geert Wilders being taken to court for blasphemy in Amsterdam. That’ll teach him a lesson for exposing the so-called ‘seemier’ of Islam, which simply can’t carry on not being fully integrated into Western society and culture. And just to make sure he’ll get sent down for offending peaceful Muslims so much that they riot, judges have ruled the truth inadmissible on a legal point and banned most of his witnesses from appearing.



Phew, the equilibrium of Marxist idealism has been restored! The world can be made to bend to our will in the name of Peace again, just so long as people we don’t like can be de-humanised and slandered!



And on the subject of dehumanisation, the wicked, wicked tabloid media are calling the killer of James Bulger horrible names again. Typically, the worst offender is the paper which also had the severe bad taste to betray Labour, apparently because we’re treasonous, incompetent politically-correct wankers! As if!



And what’s more, even our own generation of liberal-left godless churchmen now think that the moral fabric is being corroded too much under PC rule. THE REVISIONIST TRAITORS! As Popeye the Misogynist, Sexist Marine-Based Relic of Machismo-Man says, “I’ve had as much as I can stands and I can stands no more”!



VOTE LABOUR! We must rescue the party’s repressed collective neurosis by ensuring that this battle of nerves between we and the Public be ended at all costs. (The sooner those bastards are kept in their place the better! We’ve got a country, which doesn’t deserve its status in the world, to ruin!)

___________________________

Link: Don't LABOUR under your usual misapprehensions!