Robin Cook posted by bat020

Just a few thoughts in reaction to the sad news of Robin Cook's sudden and untimely death, in lieu of a proper political obituary which I am sure will be forthcoming from mine host.

Cook was one of the very few Labour politicians to command any kind of popular respect among the wider public. The primary reason for this, of course, was his resignation in March 2003 from Tony Blair's cabinet over the decision to invade Iraq.

Whatever the actual reasons behind his falling out with New Labour, Cook's actions – above all, his resignation speech – symbolised the possibility that a politician could put principle over careerism and truth over spin. In a parliament dominated by cretins and creeps, this was no mean achievement.

Over the next few days there will no doubt be a torrent of hypocritical tributes from Cook's erstwhile colleagues praising his integrity, intellect etc. His serious political weaknesses – the humiliation of his "ethical foreign policy", his support for bombing of Belgrade, his support for the invasion of Afghanistan – will be glossed over.

But his record notwithstanding, for most people Cook was "one of the good guys" (as a friend of mine put it), someone who stood for a different vision of Labour party, one that didn't invade foreign countries and lie to its own people. That vision was always a mirage, but Cook's passing also marks the passing of that mirage.

On that note, one final point. Cook's untimely death leaves a gaping hole in the Labour party. He was the only anti-war Labour MP of sufficient stature to make a credible bid for the leadership. Now that he's gone, there is no way that Labour can "draw a line under Iraq" after Blair's departure. The party is now wedded to its war – and the political ramifications of that brute fact will be Cook's real legacy.