MO Mowlam was a member of a truly rare breed. She was a popular politician.

Indeed, for a while, she could lay claim to being the most popular politician in the world.

Her death will be a cause of sadness around the world because she touched so many people with her unique blend of humour, honesty, and downright ordinariness.

"Our Mo" - as Tony Blair once described her before they went their separate ways - will be remembered for the vital role she played as Northern Ireland Secretary in bringing together sworn enemies and making them look to the future.

What she lacked in the analytical attention to detail of her successor Peter Mandelson, she more than made up for in the warmth of her personality.

Too blunt at times, perhaps. Over-cavalier, maybe. But while other politicians succumbed to an inflated sense of their own self-importance, Mo joked about the silly wigs she wore after an operation to remove a brain tumour.

And it is the power of that common touch, the way she connected with people - from working-class North-East constituents to members of the Royal Family - which is the lesson to be learned by others in elected office.

Too often, politicians are not trusted and seen as out of touch. That erosion of confidence has led to a crisis in politics and, for the sake of democracy, it has to change. The people, particularly the young, need to be re-engaged.

If there were more politicians like Our Mo - honest, straightforward and free from spin - that task would be much, much easier.