Vale Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter is 98, and in hospice care meaning he will die quite soon. Almost every decent person can only admire the work he has done as a former President, and his work ethic where he was still active into his late 90s.

He was not a successful President. I was just starting to follow US politics in 1980 when Reagan got elected and thought the US chose well. Most historians rank Carter in the third quartile, so a poor President, but not one of the truly terrible ones.

But as a former President, he has worked tirelessly for good causes. Not holding international talkfests, but actually getting out there and making a difference.

His Carter Centre has helped eradicate diseases and provided election observers for many decades. He has been a major figure in Habitat for Humanity which has built 35 million houses. Carter himself has led work projects constricting over 4,000 houses – and doing this well into his 90s.

He is a man of deep faith who has been teaching Sunday School at his local church since the 1980s. He even carried on teaching while battling cancer.

He is a great example of someone you can profoundly disagree with politically, but still respect immensely.