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Robin Cook Seriously Ill

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Politics & Debate
Peronsally I can stand the gnome-like "dumped my wife at the airport" twat, but I know a few of you see him and an icon for sticking by his principles (eventually ;) )...

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    post edited for respect

    RIP Robin
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    He's died....

    That was unexpected...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Man Of Kent wrote:
    Peronsally I can stand the gnome-like "dumped my wife at the airport" twat, but I know a few of you see him and an icon for sticking by his principles (eventually ;) )...

    Story

    RIP
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    On of the last true labour mp's left.... gone
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm absolutely stunned. So sudden. So tragically sudden.

    May he rest in peace.

    :(
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Indeed sympathy to his survivors, but my opinion of him doesn't change.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A genuine and devoted politician whose life was dedicated to serving the people and countries he represented. We need more like him in British politics.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    He certainly had principles and stuck by them and for that I respect him but I think he was a pretty useless foreign secretary.

    Just very sudden and unexpected, really sad. RIP.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Born Slippy wrote:
    A genuine and devoted politician whose life was dedicated to serving the people and countries he represented. We need more like him in British politics.

    the first respectable post you've made yet
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Disillusioned wrote:
    He certainly had principles and stuck by them and for that I respect him but I think he was a pretty useless foreign secretary.

    Just very sudden and unexpected, really sad. RIP.

    Agree - I disagreed with his politics, but he was only 59 and its rather sad when someone that young dies.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    He made some stupid decisions and was pretty awful as the foreign secretary, but he was an intellectual and held his views for their own sake - not just to win votes.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Note to Labour Mp's who are in Tony's way -

    DON'T GO HILL WALKING.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    One of the few Labour MP's who I thought had morals, he may not have been great at actual office but was a good orator and intelligent man.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A sad loss. Arguably the brightest and most intelligent Labour politician, and a man of great political integrity.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Without wishing to be cynical I'm not sure Robin Cook had the great integrity everyone suggests he had. He was on his way out, having been removed as Foreign Secretary and downgraded to Leader of the House (one of the great non-jobs in British politics). If he'd resigned when he was at the top or still on the way up, perhaps, but he used his resignation as a way to make himself popular with the Labour left and to set himself up as a powerful player under a new Labour Prime Minister
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Idon't share your view at all I must say. You must remember that Cook was in favour of the containment policy on Iraq. It was not his fault that the war happened when he was Leader of the House instead of foreign secretary. He did say repeatedly that at most he could only approve of use of force if it was approved by the UN.

    It wasn't, and the war was clearly going to happen, so instead of keeping quiet for the sake of ambition he resigned and directly attacked Tony Blair's decision in what has generally acknowledged as one of the best and most eloquent resignation speeches in modern British political history- which even won him the spontaneous applause practically the entire House of Commons, including foes and opponents.

    Subsequent criticism of British policy on Iraq (i.e. of Blair's decision and indeed the New Labour cabinet) doesn't strike me as good career move. If Cook was going to be put back in the Cabinet by Brown was because of his great calibre as a politician, and in spite of his direct criticism of the government. Indeed, most political commentators in the papers seemed to agree that Cook proved a sharper and more effective government critic than the opposition parties themselves.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Shame that his stance over Iraq (after he was Foregin Secretary) seems to have clouded the vision with regards other examples of his "principles"

    Examples being the earlier bombing (whilst he was Foreign Secretary), which he defended in Parliament, and his sanctioning of the sale of Hawks to Indonesia. Not to mention his "principled" stance on shagging-your-secretary-and-then-dumping-your-wife-in-the-departure-lounge-of-an-airport-because-it's-about-to-become-public.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Man Of Kent wrote:
    Shame that his stance over Iraq (after he was Foregin Secretary) seems to have clouded the vision with regards other examples of his "principles"

    Examples being the earlier bombing (whilst he was Foreign Secretary), which he defended in Parliament
    I think it is perfectly compatible to agree to a tactical bombing designed to destroy some alleged WMD sites, as Cook and the rest of us were told in 1998, and opposing a full war and invasion based on non-existent evidence. Two completely different cases altogether.

    I didn't agree with the 1998 bombings either or with Cook's stance at the time. But he clearly thought he was doing/supporting the right cause at the time, and I think he's shown more integrity over Iraq on the whole than 99% of front bench MPs from all parties concerned- or at least from both Labour and the Tories.
    and his sanctioning of the sale of Hawks to Indonesia
    That was his biggest fuck up as a politician alright, the farce that the ''ethical foreign policy'' descended into.
    Not to mention his "principled" stance on shagging-your-secretary-and-then-dumping-your-wife-in-the-departure-lounge-of-an-airport-because-it's-about-to-become-public.
    Not that it should have anything to do with his politics career (unless he was a 'backs to basics' moral crusader preaching one thing and doing another), but seeing as it was all going to the press the following morning coming clear before leaving the country on a holiday seems much more proper than waiting until you're away to me.
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