Yet here was being hailed and praised, the Commons all full of jokes and chuckles. Even Jeremy Corbyn tried to be jolly with a humiliatingly bad attempted joke about Strictly Come Dancing. Only Angus Robertson of the SNP seemed interested in doing to job his voters sent him to Westminster to do, and his reward was disapproving tuts and groans from the rest of the House.

A lot of people like this stuff, these non-partisan moments when the House unites to pay tribute to one of its own. They talk about politicians putting the voter-repelling acrimony of party politics aside for a moment and recognising the departure of a significant figure in our shared history with appropriate generosity.

That is claptrap, generally spouted by people who spend too much time at Westminster. I've probably written such things myself over the years. If so, I'm sorry.