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Tony Benn


CrackpotForeigner

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Listening to a full-on posh type expound socialist views was a bit of a revelation for this colonial. I suppose he could afford it, but his heart was in the right place and I respected him.

 

RIP Tony Benn.

 

Some facts from Wikipedia (where else?):

 

Vegetarian since the 70's

As a young boy he met Gandhi, since his father was Secretary for India.

Margaret Rutherford, the actress, was a cousin.

The smaller queen's head on postage stamps was his work, although he proposed doing away with it altogether.

A passenger on the last Concord flight, as a guest of the BBC (he had contributed to its development).

Most nobly of all, his workers' co-operative initiative is credited with keeping Triumph motorcycles in production until 1983.

Edited by limpid
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Along with Enoch Powell, the most iconic politician of the 60s and 70s. Like Powell, he was way too radical, but held strong to his convictions, which I admired.

He had a good innings and his passing marks the last breath of radical socialism in the UK, unless George Galloway is re-adopted.

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Along with Enoch Powell, the most iconic politician of the 60s and 70s. Like Powell, he was way too radical, but held strong to his convictions, which I admired.

He had a good innings and his passing marks the last breath of radical socialism in the UK, unless George Galloway is re-adopted.

AFAIK Dennis Skinner is still alive ...
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Along with Enoch Powell, the most iconic politician of the 60s and 70s. Like Powell, he was way too radical, but held strong to his convictions, which I admired.

He had a good innings and his passing marks the last breath of radical socialism in the UK, unless George Galloway is re-adopted.

AFAIK Dennis Skinner is still alive ...

A product of televised Parliament but, without that, most of the country would never have heard of him.

Agreed that in him breathes a few more gasps though ;)

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Whatever you thought of his political views (I agreed with most of them) he was an MP that stood for something and never gave in to the media or towing the party line.  Wish we had more like him.

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I have to say that I admired Benn immensely, even if what he often said was so pleasing to the ear and so much what I wanted to hear, that I was always on my guard.

 

I never believe anyone who claims that we can enjoy all the benefits of socialism but with no sacrifices.

 

But the great thing about Benn was that he was a toff who knew the secrets and class loyalties of the ruling classes and revealed them.

 

This gave us insights which those same ruling classes would rather we didn't have because the one thing they are really good is hiding their privileges and keeping their secrets.

 

So for that alone I think Benn was a great man.

Edited by MakemineVanilla
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