My late friend Simon Hoggart couldn't stand him but I like him a lot. He's seriously ill in hospital, aged 88, just around the corner from me here in West London.

a true gent.

True Gent? or a 'holier than thou' Politician ?

I am 100% positive that in his TV interview career, he was a dab hand at accepting nothing of fact put to him about past decisions in high office, but in post carreer interviews was equally a dab hand in claiming all manner of things he was either not or very loosly involved in............

He held high office in the late 60's and Labours 70's Governments, and I really haven't ever got the impression from him that he accepts any liability for the shambolic situation of that time...........but with his rose tints on, he'll claim all manner of decisions that ought to have been taken on his advice that were not carried out in the 80's / 90's.............by that I mean, he accepts no dodgy Labour Government tenure where he did have imfluence, but then claims the opposition did very poorly whent they were 'in'................because they didn't take his very own excellent advice...................

Every bit a Politician, not quite the projected man of the people I think he liked to portray

I don't wish ill of him at this time though.......unlike the Thatcher haters who gladly did a dance.

Hope he gets well soon. He never really understood ordinary working people - he seemed to think they all wore miners' hats in the house, singing old folk songs and debating Christopher Caudwell, but he always meant well. The further away from power he got the more popular he became. His diaries are hugely entertaining - he appears to survive on Pizza Express pizzas!

Mr Reason wrote:
True Gent? or a 'holier than thou' Politician ?

I am 100% positive that in his TV interview career, he was a dab hand at accepting nothing of fact put to him about past decisions in high office, but in post carreer interviews was equally a dab hand in claiming all manner of things he was either not or very loosly involved in............

He held high office in the late 60's and Labours 70's Governments, and I really haven't ever got the impression from him that he accepts any liability for the shambolic situation of that time...........but with his rose tints on, he'll claim all manner of decisions that ought to have been taken on his advice that were not carried out in the 80's / 90's.............by that I mean, he accepts no dodgy Labour Government tenure where he did have imfluence, but then claims the opposition did very poorly whent they were 'in'................because they didn't take his very own excellent advice...................

Every bit a Politician, not quite the projected man of the people I think he liked to portray

I don't wish ill of him at this time though.......unlike the Thatcher haters who gladly did a dance.

Spot on, Mr Reason.

He is like ALL Labour politicians ... never accept responsibility for the mess.