The headline above may seem unkind, but rest assured that the target is not the late Michael Foot, but rather British media reporting of current affairs and one of the most principled politicians of the 20th century. I was never particularly keen on Foot’s Old Labour politics, but I like to think I can recognise a great individual, whatever his ideological makeup or level of management skill.

RIP Michael Mackintosh Foot (1913–2010)