RIP Tony Benn

[Beanz]

The greatest Prime Minister we never had.

[ryanman]

RIP.
Sad news.
Need more like him.

[X]

hmmm, I'm not sure.

Born in London, went to elite schools and Oxford University, never had a real job in his life, somehow 'represented' local people in constituencies like Bristol and Chesterfield.

Wanted to withdraw from Suez, was opposed to the Falklands invasion (maybe he thought we should just roll over and let anybody take stuff from us), supported unilateral disarmament (there's the answer)

I'm not particularly political, nor do I have anything against the chap .... But I'd argue that what we need is people who are different from him in politics. He sounds just like all the other metropolitan elite professional politicians that we are saddled with.

[X]

..... And Nigel Benn would have sparko'd Tony.

[Beanz]

I know what you are saying but I think you are oversimplifying things a little. I did not agree with everything Benn stood for but to call him a metropolitan elite professional politician who never had a real job in his life conveniently misses out the fact that he served as a Pilot in the RAF during the War and perhaps his greatest mark on Politics was the rejection of his own hereditary peerage. Leaving Westminster in 1999 to concentrate on Politics summed up the guys enthusiasm for rejecting the establishment and he was one of the few Labour politicians left who had any understanding of what the party stood for originally.

He did not leave the same kind of mark on social reform and society that somebody like Roy Jenkins did and his anti European stance and ill advised chum fest with Saddam was not something that I can admire, but he was a fantastic speaker and writer. So on reflection not quite the greatest Prime Minister we never had at all. Not even the greatest Labour party politician or Leader, just a guy with a big pipe and a great voice. And now he's dead.

The greatest Labour politician called Tony and the only one called Tony who was not a complete and utter smarmy prick.

[Beanz]

He brought us the GIRO.

[Master]

Benn was different, he had principles and ideas, some one them I disagreed with but he stood by them with conviction. A bit like Bob Crowe who died earlier in the week. Benn tuned down a seat House of Lords, told the queen he was against royals and said Blair was the worst Labour leader ever.

RIP Great politician

[Dia bando]

Tony Benn had principles and values, a great public speaker yes he was born into a privileged life
but he turns his back on it, and gave up his peerage he gave up a lot for what HE believed in.
Remember how many would give up a life of privilege, and great wealth not many.
RIP TONY BENN

[Howlin Mad Missy]

fuck you BBC!

[Howlin Mad Missy]

and I enjoyed him here he actually told him he was wrong instead of playing up the youf/darkie

[Andre]

and I enjoyed him here he actually told him he was wrong instead of playing up the youf/darkie

He's a good sport there.

I likes Winston, you can beat Winston the British bull dog.

[Gandalf]

Very sad news indeed.

I've always had a lot of respect for Tony Benn. Tony Benn was Labour when it was Labour and I do think he was the greatest Prime Minister Britain never had. Tony Benn not becoming Labour leader and the British public thoroughly rejecting those Labour values has led to the Britain that exists today. They voted for temporary solutions that have driven the nation to economic ruin. Short term self interested votes for short term self interested politicians that condemned themselves in old age and their children.

I don't think many ordinary people would with hindsight say he was wrong on the nationalisation of key utilities, the folly of Europe, and his views on foreign policy and the cuddling up to America. If Britain had accepted the pragmatic commonsense of what he was proposing in the 1980's, it would likely be in a more stable place today. Not perfect by any means, but today is a disaster. Being a bankrupt, poodle state, subservient to bankers is just pathetic. Traditional labour was proper and correct. Would Starbucks really pay no taxes under a proper left wing government? Would unregulated finance really be allowed? This should have been stamped out from the off. Not enough Tony Benn's by a good three hundred. Tories are sinister by nature, but these New Labour types are sheer devilry.

The loss of Tony Benn is very sad as he was of a time when politicians weren't just vigilante careerists. There were good people trying to do good things in the Labour Party and he seemed to be a thoroughly decent person. Benn reminds of Orwell (known in text only) in that he was thoroughly middle class, in many ways very conservative, but there was that wonderful socialist streak that came through. Wonderfully English types, but with a shocking combination of names that reads Tony Blair. Rather sinister, but Orwell and Benn were nothing like the awful creation that was Thatcher in drag, war criminal Blair.

[Gandalf]

Tony Benn was a patriot. I don't want to hear anything to the contrary.

[Gandalf]

I know what you are saying but I think you are oversimplifying things a little. I did not agree with everything Benn stood for but to call him a metropolitan elite professional politician who never had a real job in his life conveniently misses out the fact that he served as a Pilot in the RAF during the War and perhaps his greatest mark on Politics was the rejection of his own hereditary peerage. Leaving Westminster in 1999 to concentrate on Politics summed up the guys enthusiasm for rejecting the establishment and he was one of the few Labour politicians left who had any understanding of what the party stood for originally.

He did not leave the same kind of mark on social reform and society that somebody like Roy Jenkins did and his anti European stance and ill advised chum fest with Saddam was not something that I can admire, but he was a fantastic speaker and writer. So on reflection not quite the greatest Prime Minister we never had at all. Not even the greatest Labour party politician or Leader, just a guy with a big pipe and a great voice. And now he's dead.

The greatest Labour politician called Tony and the only one called Tony who was not a complete and utter smarmy prick.

The problem with you is that you are against every policy Benn was for and yet accuse me of being middle class? You defend monarchy and defend Benn elitism, and yet want to blame me for being elitist?

You are the most anti-English person I have ever known and I now see your agenda. No, I am a patriot as I have always been and shall always be. You have the agenda because you not on the Tony Benn page. You dissed him as soon as you could.

[Gandalf]

RIP Tony Benn, some of us agreed with you and we still agree and continue to express as much. One shouldn't start a thread to just polarise a view, but that is the way of a Greenbeanz. If you don't agree, then don't start a thread. This man has a history of causing shit. Tony Benn was always the correct way.