Alistair Darling RIP

[shed driver]

Announced earlier, a big figure in the Blair and Brown government.

SD.

[dukeboy749r]

It's the day of bigger names passing away.

Mr. Darling always seemed especially bland to me - which in many politicians may be no bad thing.

[Evercross]

A sensible head when one was needed, twice.

He staved off the worst of the 2008 financial crisis and successfully argued against Alex Salmond's bluff, bluster and fantasy politics with reasoned argument as leader of the Better Together cross-party opposition to Scottish nationalism preceding the 2014 independence referendum.

Politicians of his quality are becoming sadly rarer.

RIP.

[Biker 1]

Yep - whilst I didn't agree with many of his policies, he was of a much higher calibre than much of the junk currently infesting Westminster. RIP.

[anonymous-user]

A decent bloke rare in politics. Can’t think of any in current parties

[Carl_VivaEspana]

He had a perfect personality and temperament as a Chancellor.

I am quite shocked he has died.

[S600BSB]

Evercross said:

A sensible head when one was needed, twice.

He staved off the worst of the 2008 financial crisis and successfully argued against Alex Salmond's bluff, bluster and fantasy politics with reasoned argument as leader of the Better Together cross-party opposition to Scottish nationalism preceding the 2014 independence referendum.

Politicians of his quality are becoming sadly rarer.

RIP.

Agree. Would recommend his book about the financial crisis - Back from the Brink. He was a class act. RIP

[tim0409]

That has come as a bit of a shock; last week I rewatched an excellent documentary on the banking crises in which he featured prominently - he came across really well and always struck me as a decent chap.

Lord James Douglas Hamilton's death was announced yesterday as well, and he was another thoroughly decent Scottish politician. The day after I was elected as a councillor for the ward he lived in, I received a really warm hand written letter on HofL notepaper congratulating me.

There aren't many decent politicians in Scotland of their calibre at the moment unfortunately.

[OMITN]

Evercross said:

A sensible head when one was needed, twice.

He staved off the worst of the 2008 financial crisis and successfully argued against Alex Salmond's bluff, bluster and fantasy politics with reasoned argument as leader of the Better Together cross-party opposition to Scottish nationalism preceding the 2014 independence referendum.

Politicians of his quality are becoming sadly rarer.

RIP.

Agreed. At a time when the masters of the universe had lost the plot, his calm head and clear leadership steered Britain (relatively painlessly) through the storm.

That he went on to do more for the U.K. shows a man who, although without bluster, was a serious man who put the interests of the nation first.

[crankedup5]

OMITN said:

Evercross said:

A sensible head when one was needed, twice.

He staved off the worst of the 2008 financial crisis and successfully argued against Alex Salmond's bluff, bluster and fantasy politics with reasoned argument as leader of the Better Together cross-party opposition to Scottish nationalism preceding the 2014 independence referendum.

Politicians of his quality are becoming sadly rarer.

RIP.

Agreed. At a time when the masters of the universe had lost the plot, his calm head and clear leadership steered Britain (relatively painlessly) through the storm.

That he went on to do more for the U.K. shows a man who, although without bluster, was a serious man who put the interests of the nation first.

Indeed.

[irc]

There was a clutch of high calibre Scottish politicians at the time. Robin Cook. Charles Kennedy. John Smith. Etc. where have they all gone?

Even Salmond, though with many flaws, was an unbeatable debater and did it with a bit of humour rather than disdain and hate

I don't think Sturgeon never realised that if you want to persuade people to share your views then making it obvious you think they are a bit of dirt under your shoe is not a good start.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

86 said:

A decent bloke rare in politics. Can’t think of any in current parties

100% this.

Looking back (I'm 61), I'm quite ashamed at the vitriol I spouted about politicians who were essentially decent human beings with whom I completely disagreed. I never dreamt for a moment that we would be where we are now, with the absolute self serving, scumbags that have occupied govt for the last few years. I remember Cecil Parkinson resigning for getting a woman other than his wife pregnant. But now it's acceptable to have a PM who has done that 5 times.


I could make a list of the top 15 politicians I despised during the 80s and 90s, and I would gladly have a cabinet made up of them all now to replace every one of the current bunch.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

irc said:

There was a clutch of high calibre Scottish politicians at the time. Robin Cook. Charles Kennedy. John Smith. Etc. where have they all gone?

Sadly, they died.

[hidetheelephants]

A rare creature, a transport minister who didn't hate railways and wasn't terrible.

[S600BSB]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

86 said:

A decent bloke rare in politics. Can’t think of any in current parties

100% this.

Looking back (I'm 61), I'm quite ashamed at the vitriol I spouted about politicians who were essentially decent human beings with whom I completely disagreed. I never dreamt for a moment that we would be where we are now, with the absolute self serving, scumbags that have occupied govt for the last few years. I remember Cecil Parkinson resigning for getting a woman other than his wife pregnant. But now it's acceptable to have a PM who has done that 5 times.


I could make a list of the top 15 politicians I despised during the 80s and 90s, and I would gladly have a cabinet made up of them all now to replace every one of the current bunch.

You make a very good point. Not really sure why standards have dropped so low with this government.

[P-Jay]

That's sad. 70 is no age, anymore.

I hope to see more of his kind in Westminster soon. Not necessarily Labour, but sensible, level-headed, reasoned and pragmatic.

[105.4]

Biker 1 said:

Yep - whilst I didn't agree with many of his policies, he was of a much higher calibre than much of the junk currently infesting Westminster. RIP.

Agreed.

[P-Jay]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

86 said:

A decent bloke rare in politics. Can’t think of any in current parties

100% this.

Looking back (I'm 61), I'm quite ashamed at the vitriol I spouted about politicians who were essentially decent human beings with whom I completely disagreed. I never dreamt for a moment that we would be where we are now, with the absolute self serving, scumbags that have occupied govt for the last few years. I remember Cecil Parkinson resigning for getting a woman other than his wife pregnant. But now it's acceptable to have a PM who has done that 5 times.


I could make a list of the top 15 politicians I despised during the 80s and 90s, and I would gladly have a cabinet made up of them all now to replace every one of the current bunch.

I agree with this. In the late 90s I was young and very Labour and I said and thought some terrible things about John Major. In hindsight he was and is another level headed, decent Man who genuinely wanted the best for the UK, but had a different point of view to me (but at 18 I didn't really have half a clue). I'd go as far to say even William Hague falls into that same group, although the memory of his Young Conversative speech makes me bilious.

Thinking about this Guys and those who came before them really reminds me how far we’ve fallen in the UK politically. I’m still a Labour voter, and I hope Keir Starmer is a return to form for us all. The Left of Labour are moaning he’s not firebrand enough, “if you stand for nothing” etc, the stshow that the Tories have become are, throwing st about like Chimps and blowing dog whistles, but I think we could all do with at least a decade when Politics goes back to being the boring last few moments of the news, and that’s more important to me than the colour of the rosette.

[CraigyMc]

S600BSB said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

86 said:

A decent bloke rare in politics. Can’t think of any in current parties

100% this.

Looking back (I'm 61), I'm quite ashamed at the vitriol I spouted about politicians who were essentially decent human beings with whom I completely disagreed. I never dreamt for a moment that we would be where we are now, with the absolute self serving, scumbags that have occupied govt for the last few years. I remember Cecil Parkinson resigning for getting a woman other than his wife pregnant. But now it's acceptable to have a PM who has done that 5 times.


I could make a list of the top 15 politicians I despised during the 80s and 90s, and I would gladly have a cabinet made up of them all now to replace every one of the current bunch.

You make a very good point. Not really sure why standards have dropped so low with this government.

When the populists took over, the competent, "real" people either left or were pushed out.
Example: Rory Stewart. Whether you like his politics or not, he is at least an intellect and trying to do the right thing.

What you get when people like that leave is a cesspit of the calibre of Dorries and Truss.

It'll take a generation to heal.

[CraigyMc]

P-Jay said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

86 said:

A decent bloke rare in politics. Can’t think of any in current parties

100% this.

Looking back (I'm 61), I'm quite ashamed at the vitriol I spouted about politicians who were essentially decent human beings with whom I completely disagreed. I never dreamt for a moment that we would be where we are now, with the absolute self serving, scumbags that have occupied govt for the last few years. I remember Cecil Parkinson resigning for getting a woman other than his wife pregnant. But now it's acceptable to have a PM who has done that 5 times.


I could make a list of the top 15 politicians I despised during the 80s and 90s, and I would gladly have a cabinet made up of them all now to replace every one of the current bunch.

I agree with this. In the late 90s I was young and very Labour and I said and thought some terrible things about John Major. In hindsight he was and is another level headed, decent Man who genuinely wanted the best for the UK, but had a different point of view to me (but at 18 I didn't really have half a clue). I'd go as far to say even William Hague falls into that same group, although the memory of his Young Conversative speech makes me bilious.

Thinking about this Guys and those who came before them really reminds me how far we’ve fallen in the UK politically. I’m still a Labour voter, and I hope Keir Starmer is a return to form for us all. The Left of Labour are moaning he’s not firebrand enough, “if you stand for nothing” etc, the stshow that the Tories have become are, throwing st about like Chimps and blowing dog whistles, but I think we could all do with at least a decade when Politics goes back to being the boring last few moments of the news, and that’s more important to me than the colour of the rosette.

I watched an interview with the ex-head of MI6 today. According to him, the UK has gone "back to being boring" now, according to our international colleagues, and this is regarded as a very good thing compared with the recent crackpot nonsense.