The ex-leader of the Labour Party has died, aged 96, it has been announced (BBC).

RIP.

That is tragic news. My condolences go to everyone at Westminster Abbey and Mick's family.

What awful news that is!!!!

We may all as people vote for differant political parties from across the country, but in times like these, we are united by the grief and sadness of the loss of a human being.

R.I.P Michael Foot.

He had a squad number at Plymouth, I believe...

Probably should be a minute's applause/ silence at their next home game.

RIP, It certainly puts everything into perspective...

i've had to leave work, its too much for me this one, first him from the beeb, now another guy i don't know! Why is everyone close to me dying?

why is it always men? There is going to be NO men left at this rate......which means........women will be the best footballers

Wil they take their tops off when they score?

He had a donkey jacket.

RIP Michael and condolences to his family and friends.

He is widely regarded, by all parties, as being one of the finest political minds in recent history and was a very principled man, who wouldn't accept any honours or a peerage. He also loyally followed Plymouth, not the most fashionable of clubs, for almost 90 years having watched his first game in 1923.

Yet, because he wasn't as media-savvy as someone like Blair or Cameron and because he was vilified by the press for his attire he will only be remembered as the bloke who wore a donkey-jacket. Anyway, respect - Michael Foot.

Wasn't he into unilateral disarmanent? The Falklands would be Argentinian now if he'd been in power.

Shows how much you know. Foot was an ardent supporter of British control in the Falkland Islands and was one of the first politicians to argue that the Falkland Islanders should be defended and liberated. He even accused Thatcher and Lord Carrington of betraying the Islanders because they dithered over Argentina's 'foul and brutal' aggression, for which he was applauded by many Conservative MPs.

Anyway, a very sad day. The last of the true political intellectuals and another window to the past closed. RIP Michael.

To be honest, the news channels are playing the famous clip of him in this jacket at the Rememberance Parade - I don't see anything particularly wrong with it.

It's only because now politicians where sharp business suits that people would think of him, as the Americans say, a "maverick", an independent thinker.

SO he wasn't into unilateral disarmament and a CND supporter?

Or are you saying that he was advocating the defence of the Falklands using pea shooters, rotten apples and appeasement?

Of course he was a CND supporter. I know warships in the Falklands conflict carried nuclear weapons but the armed forces succeeded without them obviously. I don't think the future would have been any different (focusing on the Falklands only by the way) if he had been PM at that time.

Mr R, we can only go by what's been made public, but one thing's for sure ....
theres more to it than anyone on here will ever know.

Aren't you bored with yourself yet?

I don't agree.

Do you not think that the mere possession of nuclear weapons could have discouraged other countries from joining in and supporting the Argies?

Nuclear weapons have generally been classed as a deterrent, and in this instance I think that they were.

He was an idealist, big on principle and rights ...so what the hell was he doing in politics?

Did they...?

I don't know if the ships did, but I'd be genuinely surprised if there wasn't a submarine in the area armed to the hilt with them.

The only submarines in the area where nuclear powered, they were not equipped with nuclear weapons however, just torpedoes and only recently Harpoon missiles which also are not nuclear.
The nuclear ballistic submarines which do carry nuclear missiles would have been nowhere near the place for obvious reasons.

fully concurring - a highly astute man and would have been a good PM actually

Totally agree, he was simply ridiculed by the TORY PRESS, because they knew he was a danger to them.

I was led to believe so...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003 ... nformation

and that seems to back it up.

They refer to nuclear depth charges which obviously could only be used against a submarine and by their very nature be dramatically less powerful than a conventional nuclear weapon.

I bet they'd still make a fucking big bang like.

Michael Foor was of the same ilk as Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner. You can disagree with just about everything they say but still hold them in the highest of esteem.

RIP.