It is a sad coincidence that Michael Foot one of the Labour’s most principled leaders and my Great Gran have died on the same day. Both were part of a generation that stood steadfast by their values through times of immense hardship that brought about the social and political change we enjoy today. They were what my little sister would call ‘old skool’.
In his tribute David Cameron remarked Michael Foot was the “the last link to a more heroic age in British Politics.” – However I contend that that Michael Foot like my Great Gran were part of a generation of heroes, whose achievements and ‘yes we can’ attitude have been passed through to our grandparents, parents and now to us.
Michael Foot was a principled fighter for change, who did not shy away from his values in order to woo an ever powerful media or to manipulate a demanding electorate. My Great Gran was a wife of Yorkshire miner, whose ‘yes we can’ attitude ensured that her 12 children (one of which is my Grandmother) would enjoy the opportunity and promise of the post-war world. Their values were tenacity, compassion and a ‘yes we can’ attitude – that should be at the forefront of our minds as we face the challenges of this young century together.
The aspirations of Foot’s 1983 Labour Manifesto – crudely dubbed the ‘longest suicide note in history’ are not too dissimilar to the promise of change that swept President Obama to office. Foot promised a radical agenda that aimed to extinguish the cold war flame, end crippling unemployment and to create a fairer society that promised equality of opportunity of the many and not just the few. Foot had a ‘Yes We Can’ attitude that today would not be out of place in our mainstream politics.
I do not share David Cameron’s pessimistic observation that with Michael Foot’s death we have witnessed the demise of the last link to a heroic age in politics. We have lost nothing and gain everything. The ‘yes we can’ attitude of Foot’s generation resulted in some of the most magnificent changes in our social fabric such as the creation of the NHS and comprehensive schooling for all.
Today, our globally interconnected generation has once again harnessed that burning desire for change, invoking that ‘yes we can’ attitude that has become inherent to many of us. Our generation has a lot to live up. But with the same ‘yes can attitude’ of our foremothers and fathers, we will do it.
I am very proud to have known a person of this generation of principled fighters, and I know that my generation will continue to seek the change they fought for.
David Cameron sees himself as the heroic rescuer – of course – of our so called broken society. But of course it isn’t broken. What we need is a re-engagement with the attitude described here, on every level. Ironic that the swingeing cuts Cameron talks about will affect him and those like him least. Whilst it pains me to say it, perhaps the can do attitude will only reappear when folk feel under attack or threat?