Another of the good guys leaves us

[chickenfeet]

There is a certain irony that when I first read the news of Tony Banks' massive stroke I was embroiled in several debates about how rotten and vicious politics has become. It's ironic because Tony was one of the good guys. He never lost the basic decency that made him treat everybody like a real person, not just a rung on the ladder of his own ambition.

I knew Tony when he sat for Tooting on the GLC. I was the constituency political education officer for most of the eighteen months I lived there and so got to know Tony reasonably well. He threw the best parties at his rambling "fixer upper" of a house (when he bought it there was a tree growing in the living room). I guess that's how I want to remember him; a decent bloke who laughed a lot and threw great parties.

I feel diminished this morning as I think of Tony spending his last hours on life support in Florida.

Comments

[karen2205]

All the Labour politicans I had some degree of respect for seem to be dead/dying - Robin Cook, Mo Mowlam, now Lord Stratford:-(

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

It's not a comfortable feeling.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I heard him speak at a dinner some years ago, and Chelsea were playing the same night. The man sitting next to me was also a Chelsea fan, with the logo just visible through his white shirt, and I believe they had a quick whisper over scores at one point.

I can't remember what he thought of Abramovich, but I hope he derived some satisfaction from living to see Chelsea crowned.

[scarletdemon.livejournal.com]

I really liked him, from what I saw of him. I was very sad to hear of him having such a massive stroke. :(

[itchyfidget.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that someone you knew and liked has died :( I hadn't formed any strong opinions of him but by all accounts he was a thoroughly decent bloke. Very young :(

[violetsaunders.livejournal.com]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4591570.stm

His death has just been announced - very sad day.

[coughingbear]

I was very sad when I heard, and am again just now to hear that he has died. I never met him, but I always enjoyed hearing him on the radio, and as you say he struck me as a politician who had not lost himself on the way.

'A decent bloke who laughed a lot' is not a bad epitaph.