It’s been announced today (Friday, September 26) that former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell has died at the age of 84.
Born in Glasgow in 1941, he was educated at the city’s Hillhead High School and the University of Glasgow, where he was elected chair of the Liberal Club in 1962.
He was a talented sportsman, captaining the Great British athletics team in 1965 and holding the British record for the 100m sprint from 1967-1974 (with a time of 10.2 seconds).
Ming, as he was generally known, first stood for parliament in 1976, but did not win the North East Fife constituency until 1987, winning successive elections until standing down in 2015, the same year he entered the House of Lords.
He was a short-lived leader of the Liberal Democrats between 2006 and 2007, but was a political giant of his party, also serving as Deputy Leader, as well as being a spokesman for defence and foreign affairs.
It was in the latter role that he became a prominent opponent of the 2003 Iraq War, criticising Tony Blair’s unwavering support of President George W. Bush.
Here are 11 revealing quotes on what he thought of Blair and other political ruminations.
1. Menzies Campbell on...former Labour leader John Smith
"It can fairly be said of John Smith that he had all the virtues of a Scottish presbyterian, but none of the vices." | Getty Images
2. Menzies Campbell...on Tony Blair
"Overall his period in office can only be characterised as a decade of missed opportunities in which the hopes of the British people for a new kind of politics were shattered." | Getty Images
3. Menzies Campbell on...the environment
"We should be working towards a carbon-neutral Britain by 2050. We should be working towards the elimination of petrol-driven motor cars, we should be really radical in what we do - the urgency of the problem is really enormous." | Getty Images
4. Menzies Campbell on...wanting to become Lib Dem leader
"Under my leadership the Liberal Democrats would not be making polite interjections from the sidelines, we would be hammering on the doors of power." | Getty Images