Tony Benn

jaysay · 01-07-2008, 04:36

I've just watch Tony Benn on Hard Talk on the BBC news channel (4.30 am) and I have to say the more I hear him the more I admire the man, since he left front line politics. Durring is time in parliament I agreed very little with what he stood fare, in fact I probably thought the same about him as members of the Labour Party thought about MaggieThatcher. I have now heard him interviewed a number of times since he left front line politics 8 years ago, and now he is a free bird as to say, he does talk lot of sense, although I will never agree with his political ethos. His main points were that we as a county don't rule our own destiny, our destiny which is covered by a) the purse b) the sword c) I can't just remember the exact word he used but I'll explain. The purse is ruled by the IMF and foreign bankers, I agree, The sword is ruled my the USA, I agree, and lastley we are no longer ruled by Westminster, but by a bunch of unelected faceless Brussels bureaucrats who no one voted for and can't get rid of and he sited Peter Mandleson, and I agree with that too.
He was also against ID cards the 42 day detention as a breeche of cival liberties seems we agree on a lot of things

steeljack · 01-07-2008, 04:52

sorry , but for some reason I think anyone who went through the first 30 odd years of his life as the Hon. Sir Anthony Wedgewood- Benn, then became known as Lord Stanfield, then changed to Anthony Wedgewood-Benn and then chameleon like became Tony Benn ,after finding his prolitarian roots has some credibility/identity problems.

and also ....who gives his Son a girls name

Maybe I'm old fashioned , but the only honest reason I know to change your name is if you are a woman and you get wed .

jaysay · 01-07-2008, 04:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

sorry , but for some reason I think anyone who went through the first 30 odd years of his life as the Hon. Sir Anthony Wedgewood- Benn, then became known as Lord Stanfield, then changed to Anthony Wedgewood-Benn and then chameleon like became Tony Benn ,after finding his prolitarian roots has some credibility/identity problems.

and also ....who gives his Son a girls name

Maybe I'm old fashioned , but the only honest reason I know to change your name is if you are a woman and you get wed .

As you know steeljack I'm a life long Tory, and never agree with anything TB stood for whilst in front line politics, but I've seen hime speak on a number of occasions in the last few years and at 82 for the first time in his life he is saying things which to me are just common sense

steeljack · 01-07-2008, 05:10

Don't know what it is about the guy (some folks you take to and others an instant distaste) but "Tony Benn" I could never take to , think it was his upper class condescending ' I know better than you' attitude , for some reason I include him on the same list as Lord Longford , Gerald Nabarro (now who remembers him

) and the total tory prig Winston Churchill (the grandson)

MargaretR · 01-07-2008, 05:45

He voluntarily gave up his heredetary peerage in order to be an MP - that is why his name changed.

andrewb · 01-07-2008, 08:28

I was at the Tony Benn/David Davis debate the other week. I liked the guy, he was interesting to talk to. On stage him and Davis put together brilliant arguments, both against 42 days, both against ID cards, both against DNA databases.. real cross party support in the battle against the ever intrusive state.

jaysay · 01-07-2008, 08:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

Don't know what it is about the guy (some folks you take to and others an instant distaste) but "Tony Benn" I could never take to , think it was his upper class condescending ' I know better than you' attitude , for some reason I include him on the same list as Lord Longford , Gerald Nabarro (now who remembers him

) and the total tory prig Winston Churchill (the grandson)

I remember Nabarro (he of the handle bar moustache) didn't like him myself either, as for Longford he was a total prat (with one "t" Rindi

)
Winston Jr could never live up to his fathers greatness, and he just sounded a prig

wadey · 01-07-2008, 11:01

Tony Benn is a decent man but when he was a minister made some terrible mistakes regarding nuclear power/concord etc that we are still paying for. His son Hilary is also a very good speaker. Cyril Smith was 80 the other day and he is still a well loved politician in East Lancs.

Boeing Guy · 01-07-2008, 11:20

Just like Jaysay, I too am a life long Tory, never had time for Tony Benn when he was in the house. But now I have seen him a number of times and he does speak a lot of common sense.

garinda · 01-07-2008, 16:30

It's sweet when things come full circle, and the loony left joins up with the loony right.

derekgas · 01-07-2008, 18:07

Tony Benn could have talked sense when he was in politics, but that would have affected his pay packet now wouldnt it, so he toed the line.