Growing up in the 1980's in one of the most conservative parts of the country made me a bit of a Tory boy, luckily a stage I quickly grew out of it.
Back in the early 80's Michael Foot was seen as a bit of a dangerous leftie who would leave us at the mercy of the Soviet Red Army tanks ready to invade.
While I still disagree with some of his views, the more I read about him, the more time and respect I had for a man who clearly stood by his views and principles even if meant time in the political wilderness
While most people thought of him as a pacifist for his views on unilateral nucelar disarmament, they didn't know that he was equally vocal on the use of force when he felt it was right.
For example;
- In 1940, his booklet denouncing appeasement sold over 250,000 copies
- He was vocal supporter of Nato involvement to stop aggression in Yugoslavia
A few more politicans such as him who are prepared to stand up and not worry about what others think should surely raise the publics respect for politicans.
Today's obituary in the Guardian sums up his life pretty well
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