The Gasbuster Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Has passed away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gasbuster Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Wrong section (!) Mods pls move to Non Football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 A great man and real politician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CotswoldRed Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Cameron will tell us he always admired him and was inspired by him. Liar. Great man though was Benn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sglosbcfc Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Very sad, top man and of course a former Bristol South MP. to be fair I am sure the platitudes from all sides of the political divide will be genuine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TV Tom Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 The most honest & genuine politician this country has ever had Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ten minutes of rough Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 A truly great politician, remember when I was a kid, I was in the front garden with me Mum and he was canvassing for the Bristol South candidate, Mum gave him short shrift, saying we are Conservatives here thank you very much, and I am very busy!!! She was awesome my Mum and would have given Margaret Thatcher a run for her money.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dolman Pragmatist Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 A truly great politician, remember when I was a kid, I was in the front garden with me Mum and he was canvassing for the Bristol South candidate, Mum gave him short shrift, saying we are Conservatives here thank you very much, and I am very busy!!! She was awesome my Mum and would have given Margaret Thatcher a run for her money.. What a shame. She would have had a chance to talk to one of the most inspirational men of his generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Genuine legend of politics. One of the few men to sit in parliament during my lifetime who managed to maintain the courage of his convictions. Even if people don't agree with those convictions, you can at least respect his adherence to them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodViler Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Cameron will tell us he always admired him and was inspired by him. Liar. Great man though was Benn. Agree, Cameron will present his usual slimy duplicitous rhetoric. A great man and any Bristolian worth his salt will be proud of him and what he stood for. Sadly, we need more like Tony Benn in this world of me, me, me, politicians and voters. RIP Tony, while you quaff your tea, but make sure you pop down occasionally to add coals to Thatcher's fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 A truly great politician, remember when I was a kid, I was in the front garden with me Mum and he was canvassing for the Bristol South candidate, Mum gave him short shrift, saying we are Conservatives here thank you very much, and I am very busy!!! She was awesome my Mum and would have given Margaret Thatcher a run for her money.. In many ways Tony Benn was a true Conservative in trying to conserve Britain's independence from the hopelessly corrupt EEC project that traitors such as Edward Heath signed us up to. He was born an aristocrat but refused to take an aristocratic title so that he could serve his country in the House of Commons. I admire Tony Benn's refusal to accept his Labour party's move towards the centre left that put him at odds with its later leaders, such as EU traitor Lord Neil Kinnock and known liar and warmonger Tony Blair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myol'man Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Great politician who never went for the popular vote........but, on the other hand his type of policies kept the Tories in power for 17 years. Look up some of his classic quotes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TV Tom Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 So proud he represented me & my city for so long in the old Bristol South east seat for 30 years, stood up for his convictions & the rights of the poor and under-privileged more than any other MP in the last 50 years, never wavered and stayed true to his convictions during all this time unlike the rest of the thieving, gutless immoral scoundrels in the house of commons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkRockDad Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Very very sad news - Politically inspiring but also one of the warmest and most nice persons I have been lucky enough to spend some time with. I remember around 5 years ago he told an interviewer - "All I would want on my gravestone would be: 'Here lies Tony Benn - He enouraged us'" Tony Benn did that and a great deal more too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodViler Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 In many ways Tony Benn was a true Conservative in trying to conserve Britain's independence from the hopelessly corrupt EEC project that traitors such as Edward Heath signed us up to. He was born an aristocrat but refused to take an aristocratic title so that he could serve his country in the House of Commons. I admire Tony Benn's refusal to accept his Labour party's move towards the centre left that put him at odds with its later leaders, such as EU traitor Lord Neil Kinnock and known liar and warmonger Tony Blair. Wholeheartedly agree. Tony Benn was a person of principles in a world full of duplicitous, money grabbers. Kinnock and his wife bloat themselves on EU money, while conveniently overlooking their socialist beginnings and Bliar helps himself to global money, hand over fist, as a peace envoy, after turning the Labour party into a wing of the Conservatives (Clegg is doing the same to the Lib Dems). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Great politician who never went for the popular vote........but, on the other hand his type of policies kept the Tories in power for 17 years. Look up some of his classic quotes ....it was greed that kept the Tories in power for 17 years. Like selling off all our country's silver - like the water and gas and other utilities - for quick share profits for voters........to please the voters. Under Tony Benn's Labour government 1974-79 you could get a council house if you needed one, you could get free university education with a grant, you could get an apprenticeship in a state industry......this was what Tony Benn and his 1974-79 Labour Party stood by - kiss goodbye to all that now and kiss goodbye to our country's independence from Continental EU tyranny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodViler Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 ....it was greed that kept the Tories in power for 17 years. Like selling off all our country's silver - like the water and gas and other utilities - for quick profits for voters........to please the voters. Under Tony Benn's Labour government 1974-79 you could get a council house if you needed one, you could get free university education with a grant, you could get an apprenticeship in a state industry......this was what Tony Benn and his 1974-79 Labour Party stood by - kiss goodbye to all that now and kiss goodbye to our country's independence from Continental EU tyranny. Exactly this. Thatcher sold the people the greed lifestyle, Blair continued it and now Cameron is carrying on with his mothers work. Problem is, there isn't much left to sell, hence the hatred and stigma directed at the poorest, to grab as much money as possible to feed the greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Exactly this. Thatcher sold the people the greed lifestyle, Blair continued it and now Cameron is carrying on with his mothers work. Problem is, there isn't much left to sell, hence the hatred and stigma directed at the poorest, to grab as much money as possible to feed the greed. .....indeed, there is now a real venom, stigma and hatred directed at the poor - it's mainly subliminal at the moment but it's definately there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 .....indeed, there is now a real venom, stigma and hatred directed at the poor - it's mainly subliminal at the moment but it's definately there. Something I thought I'd never say in relation to one of your posts... But I agree RG! I'd add the right-wing press into the 'Directors Of Hate' list too; for some reason it was decided that in the midst of the economic crisis, the people who'd caused it (politicians, bankers, business leaders) must be protected and the poor of society should be vilified as a distraction. So begins a societal obsession with benefit fraud, while tax avoidance by large corporations- which accounts for a figure 100 times greater than false benefit claims- becomes a footnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Hurrah!!! We're back on opposing sides of the coin! Somehow, in my mind's eye, I could never imagine Tony Benn tongueing every inch of EU Fuhrer Angela Merkel's EU jackboots as Camoron, Milipede and Smegg appeared to do when she visited London recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Somehow, in my mind's eye, I could never imagine Tony Benn tongueing every inch of EU Fuhrer Angela Merkel's EU jackboots as Camoron, Milipede and Smegg appeared to do when she visited London recently. No, but he would have been his usual charming self I imagine. One of TBs great qualities seems to have been his open mind and acceptance of the fact that other people have differing views. Something that we all could learn from on here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelRobartes Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Sad news. One of the truly great politicians of the twentieth century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmpowell Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Agree, Cameron will present his usual slimy duplicitous rhetoric. A great man and any Bristolian worth his salt will be proud of him and what he stood for. Sadly, we need more like Tony Benn in this world of me, me, me, politicians and voters. RIP Tony, while you quaff your tea, but make sure you pop down occasionally to add coals to Thatcher's fire. What an interesting and ironic group of statement to make. I'm a Bristolian born & bred who regards himself to be 'worth his salt' (your words, not mine), but I'm not proud of him or proud of what he stood for. I have the up-most respect for him in the way he conducted himself and approached politics, but I do not agree with his ideologies or beliefs. It's interesting that this thread has been descended on by 'left-wing' crowd and already degenerated into the usual Tory/Thatcher bashing, rather than only showing respect. As a [proud] conservative I've notice that since Benn and Crow died, pretty much every Conservative I can think of has had the decency to respect their passing, rather than sling mud and dance on their graves. It's shame I can't say the same about 'the left' with their conduct now and also when Baroness Thatcher passed. Chipdawg, sums it up nicely above: "One of TBs great qualities seems to have been his open mind and acceptance of the fact that other people have differing views. Something that we all could learn from on here" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 No, but he would have been his usual charming self I imagine. One of TBs great qualities seems to have been his open mind and acceptance of the fact that other people have differing views. Something that we all could learn from on here Didn't Tony Benn deliver a speech on Europe where he concluded that it would be impossible for the EU to function given all of the countries involved? He proposed a "Commonwealth" that had obvious trading and other benefits but allowed member states to retain their individuality. This seems totally at odds with the German dominated EU 4th Reich that Angela Merkel advocates. In his day as a young left wing firebrand, I'm sure Tony Benn would have told Angela Merkel as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkRockDad Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 What an interesting and ironic group of statement to make. I'm a Bristolian born & bred who regards himself to be 'worth his salt' (your words, not mine), but I'm not proud of him or proud of what he stood for. I have the up-most respect for him in the way he conducted himself and approached politics, but I do not agree with his ideologies or beliefs. It's interesting that this thread has been descended on by 'left-wing' crowd and already degenerated into the usual Tory/Thatcher bashing, rather than only showing respect. As a [proud] conservative I've notice that since Benn and Crow died, pretty much every Conservative I can think of has had the decency to respect their passing, rather than sling mud and dance on their graves. It's shame I can't say the same about 'the left' with their conduct now and also when Baroness Thatcher passed. Chipdawg, sums it up nicely above: "One of TBs great qualities seems to have been his open mind and acceptance of the fact that other people have differing views. Something that we all could learn from on here" Comparing Margaret Thatcher with Tony Benn and Bob Crow is very much not comparing like with like - Neither Bob Crow nor Tony Benn destroyed families, livelihoods and communities in the way Margaret Thatcher with her ideology and policies of the New Right did. It is the grossest hypocrisy that many on the right now praise both Tony Benn and Bob Crow after their passings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 If there had been more men with Benn's convictions in politics and fewer who saw it as a means to enrich themselves we wouldn't be in half the mess we are in today. I met him a couple of times - once at Glastonbury Festival - and I have to say you couldn't have met a nicer bloke. He was genuinely interested in other people. He gave me his home number and said give him a call whenever: I never did :-( I will send a condolence card to his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTFiGO!?! Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 One of the very few politicians I've heard and intuitively trusted. RIP you hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 No, but he would have been his usual charming self I imagine. One of TBs great qualities seems to have been his open mind and acceptance of the fact that other people have differing views. Something that we all could learn from on here .......remarkable how, if one lives long enough, one can morph from an often maverick dangerous loony into a harmless old buffer. Tony Benn was a champion of the comprehensive secondary school system - the biggest shackle to the progress of bright working class children in my opinion. The man enjoyed a privileged Oxbridge education and then prevented children of the working class enjoying Grammar schools. I was also totally opposed to his views on leaving this country almost defenceless by abolishing our nuclear deterent. At the end of the day Tony Benn was a truely great politician who held some fairly whacky and interesting views, but when it came to observing his socialist principles, he did not budge one iota, irrespective of how damaging or impractical they were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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