Michael Foot: RIP

The former Labour leader Michael Foot has died at the age of 96. He was a brilliant man, a prolific writer (‘Guilty Men’ being a seminal work), a natural orator and a legendary if infamously unsuccessful leader of the Labour party. Foot’s political legacy will be much-discussed and much-disputed no doubt in the coming days and the media will be full of profiles, essays and obituaries. Also focus will surely rest on Labour’s 1983 general election defeat under Foot and the latter’s “crazy” left-wing election manifesto, often described as “the longest suicide note in history”.

Here are a few ‘media’ clips which should be useful: 1. BBC - Former Labour Leader Michael Foot Dies

1. BBC Radio 4 – on iplayer is ‘Michael Foot: Champion of the Left’ a moving tribute by Donald Macintyre [currently the Independents Jerusalem correspondent but formerly their Political Editor]. Well worth a listen.

2. BBC Newsnight from Wednesday 3rd March also on iplayer – again focuses on the death of Michael Foot and looks too at how the Labour Party has changed since Michael Foot was leader. Click here for the link.