Talk:Michael Foot

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Contents 1 Biography assessment rating comment 2 Comments 3 Reading habits 4 WWII 5 Relevance of mention of Blair and Brown 6 Like his father?

[edit] Biography assessment rating comment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. Cite sources. -- Abebenjoe 07:24, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Comments

not... a good orator...

This does not do Foot justice - before his election as Leader he had the reputation of being a very effective left-wing orator. The rather different challenges of being Leader of a 'broad church' party did appear to dampen his natural style though.

Linuxlad 20:49, 14 Nov 2004 (UTC)

'Wilson came to an accomodation with Foot as its Leader...' Eh?

I think you may mean

'Wilson, as its Leader, came to an accomodation with Foot...' Linuxlad 20:25, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC)

This was an outrage from NPOV perspective, including idiotic libel. Needs care . . . —Preceding unsigned comment added by Paulanderson (talk • contribs) 01:08, 26 December 2004

[edit] Reading habits

I've fixed the English of that final paragraph about Foot's reading habits, and also removed the reference to Hazlitt being "lesser known", on account of him being the most important English essayist of the nineteenth centuryBedesboy 21:08, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WWII

As it stands, there's no explanation of how or why Foot, who was of military age, was not in the armed forces during the war. Was editing a newspaper a reserved occupation? If anyone knows, I think this merits explanation.Bedesboy 21:08, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

I couldn't agree more. Everything I have read and heard supports the view that he was a consciencious objector. Apparently he had some sort of skin disease which prevented him from being called up, but on the other hand, he didn't even serve in the Home Guard. This fact is always ignored by his supporters, who also conveniently forget that he refused to vote in favour of rearmament in the 30s. Try as hard as you can but it is extremely difficult to find out why he didn't serve in some capacity in WW2. His supporters just don't want to discuss it.

Paul Murphy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.40.178.247 (talk) 19:11, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

He volunteered but was turned down because of his asthma -

(Interviewer) "French readers who know your name from the post-war Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (C.N.D.) might presume that you did not fight in World War II because you were a Conscientious Objector to war. In fact this is not the case. Serious health problems prevented you from being a volunteer or a conscript. Had the situation been different, given the British people’s tremendous determination to fight, do you think you might have served in the armed forces?"
(Michael Foot) Yes indeed. I went along as soon as the war was declared, but I was turned down because I had asthma, chronic asthma. Yet I was in London throughout the whole of the Blitz, and I was doing, I think, an important job. I was not a Conscientious Objector because I had never been. I respect Conscientious Objectors, but I’d never taken their view about war resistance. In the First World War, those who refused to participate had, I think, a much stronger case.

From "British Society during World War Two - An interview with Michael Foot", by Norma Denny, found at [1]. DuncanHill (talk) 12:22, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Relevance of mention of Blair and Brown

I don't think, 'Among the Labour MPs newly-elected in 1983 in support of this manifesto were Tony Blair and Gordon Brown' is strictly relevant on this page. The views of very minor MPs at the time was very little to do with Foot's leadership. It's an interesting contrast with their views but not here. Ideas?

Also, the reference to the 'donkey jacket' needs to be clarified. It's a well-known political myth. The coat was expensive - Aquascutum I think. The Queen Mother complimented him on it. Perspective, perspective! Julian —Preceding unsigned comment added by Juliankaufman (talk • contribs) 12:55, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Like his father?

I have removed the first part of the sentence "Like his father, Foot was president of the Oxford Union", because Isaac Foot never went to university - he left school at 14, worked as a clerk for the Admiralty and then trained as a solicitor in Plymouth. DuncanHill (talk) 11:49, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

However, Michael's brother John was President of the Union in 1931. DuncanHill (talk) 12:52, 10 April 2008 (UTC)