Tony Benn dead.

mex

mex

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aged 88. one of the very few politians I had any respect for.
 
mex said:
aged 88. one of the very few politians I had any respect for.
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Agreed with very little of what he believed in but unlike most he was an mp with conviction and integrity. He had a personality, would speak his mind and very interesting. Better than 99% of the plastic idiots in the commons!
 
The man who once said he's giving up being in Parliament to concentrate on politics....
RIP Tony Benn
 
First Bob Crow and now Tony Benn! That's the left for you ... one out, all out!


[Actually I shall miss them both!]
 
cambsno said:
Agreed with very little of what he believed in but unlike most he was an mp with conviction and integrity. He had a personality, would speak his mind and very interesting. Better than 99% of the plastic idiots in the commons!
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This ^ RIP Tony Benn
 
cambsno said:
Agreed with very little of what he believed in but unlike most he was an mp with conviction and integrity. He had a personality, would speak his mind and very interesting. Better than 99% of the plastic idiots in the commons!
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Well said.
I do agree that there are very few politicians (of any ilk) who have so consistently held true to their beliefs. I could probably count the politicians I would personally trust on the fingers of one hand. He was one. RIP
 
Old school. RIP.
 
Sad but inevitable as we all face the same outcome.

I enjoyed and will continue to enjoy Tony Benn. his legacy,( writings and conviction in all he did.

For viewpoints and an in depth commentary, anyone interested in contemporary political social history, his books are as goof as any. The fact that he recorded a vast amount of 'live" meetings and commentary is testament to his own need to leave a legacy of sometimes fascinating. sometimes mundane (but real) verbal records of someone at the heart of politics.

A loss today but the legacy starts now

RIP Anthony Edgewood Benn

S
 
He was a politician of principle. There are almost none left - perhaps Dennis Skinner. All the rest just seem to come in and out with the tide.
 
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Dennis Skinner is a fantastic constituency MP and an old school Labour MP.

None of any of the new "professional" politicians are built of the same stuff (whatever party).

Love him or hate him he works hard for his constituency.

S
 
I view Tony Benn as a, far superior, equivalent of Michael Heseltine - a splendid orator whose actions in government never came close to matching their words. If anyone can point me to a ministerial success of Benn's, I'd like to hear about it!

But I recently watched him being interviewed by that clown Laurie Taylor as part of his Sky "In Conversation" series. Taylor berated Ben for not being left wing enough [sic!] because ... he was friends with Enoch Powell [double sic!]. Benn had to explain to him that Powell was totally sincere in his convictions and, like Margaret Thatcher, had always considered his position and would present his case with evidence and reason. Tony Benn went on to say that he admired politicians who were signposts rather than weather vanes - which calls to mind his quote that he never thought the Labour Party manifesto would be written by Dr Gallop and Dr Mori. He was one such signpost himself!

Anyway he was a pipe smoker, and we're the good guys!
 
Be interesting to see what the guys working in the motorcycle industry (as was) in the early/mid 70's thought of him, in particular those working for what was a profitable Norton factory that suffered because of the Labour Govt backing of the workers co-operative at Triumph. Shut in of motorcycles owned and paid for by Norton couldnt then be sold to the USA, previous Conservative Govt promised funding cut-off by the then incoming Labour Govt and the resultant collapse of the industry. In all fairness it was already in a probable terminal decline but certainly pushed over the edge by Benn and his colleagues. So much for supporting the workers.
The current Triumph factory/owner has little or nothing to do with the original Meriden Triumph other than the fact Bloor purchased the name and then produced some fine motorcycles off the back of the tank badge.

As with Crow I feel sorry for his family but he certainly was no saint as far as I am concerned.

Matt
 
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I suppose the same could be said of many politians regardless of their party line, however Benn at least stood up and told you as it is/was without feeding the polony that the vast majority of R's holes in Westminster on both sides of the house see fit to do in order to gain their expenses.
 
 
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