edcayton Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Just heard this on the news. I didn't always agree with what he said, but I think he was the most committed man in politics. I'm really sorry that I never got to see his show with musician Roy Bailey. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Yes, he was a man, and politician, of conviction, and to be admired for that even if you didn't agree with him. We don't see his like today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 A man of conviction, not afraid to speak his mind. He had a backbone, unlike a lot of todays politicians. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2014 I went to one of his roadshows in Salisbury, very much a Conservative town. Yet the audience loved him. Clearly respected for his humour and honesty in politics. Before the show, he had dropped in to visit Edward Heath. He firmly believed that politics was about policy not personality. Not often true nowadays. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I heard him speak on many occasions as an adolescent, attending the Durham Miners Gala. A man of conviction and passion who had a vision for the future. The labour party is more grey today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2014 Principled, erudite and charming; he reached and affected many people, not just within the party. RIP Tony. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londontram Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I went to one of his roadshows in Salisbury, very much a Conservative town. Yet the audience loved him. Clearly respected for his humour and honesty in politics. Before the show, he had dropped in to visit Edward Heath. He firmly believed that politics was about policy not personality. Not often true nowadays. Yes back in the days when left was left and right was right, you knew what the man stood for and respeced him for that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 "Transport is an essential public service and ought to be publicly owned and publicly controlled. We need an enormous expansion in the investment in our railways and that is the best way of achieving it." Tony Benn. You had to love him for that, at least. RIP. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 In his autobiography he said that politicians fall into two categories; signposts and weather vanes. He noted with some disdain that since he first entered parliament the character of the majority of politicians therein had changed from the former to the latter. Incidentally, his autobiography - "Dare to be a Daniel" - is well worth a read. He was a principled man, yet honest and gracious - a rare combination indeed. We will miss him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 "Transport is an essential public service and ought to be publicly owned and publicly controlled' I remember that so well. And how stupid the usual Red Tops were to simply dismiss it as Marxist cant. There will be paeans written about him today and deservedly so. I'll limit my comments to the fact that not only did he bring colour and interest to British politics, he also showed that it can have integrity. How many can do that today ? Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGC Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Tony Benn was committed to his visions, and would happily discuss / argue his beliefs with anyone, but he would never tell the other person their beliefs were wrong as he respected their right to hold their own opinions, whether they agreed with his or not. I get fed up with todays politicians telling me what I must believe - I have a brain of my own and Tony Benn respected that. Oh for more like him in todays politics - the country would be so much better for it. RIP Tony. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danemouth Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I met Tony Benn whilst taking photographs at a South Wales Miners Gala in the mid 1970's. Whilst I did not agree with his politics he was very personable, a brilliant orator and a man of principle. I wish I could say the same of the current batch of politicians of all parties! RIP Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2014 Definitely a man of principle but I found him to have a tendency - like many conviction politicians (of all shades) - to be rather weak on facts. It was, I thought, absolutely hilarious that when during the Flexible Rostering dispute he stood alongside some of his constituents outside Bristol Bath Road loudly condemning the iniquitous proposals of the BRB and quoting a roster as an illustration of the horrors to come; only thing was that he quoted part of a then current Bath Road roster. Alas you can sometimes see through arguments when you know the facts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 A rather different calibre and caste of Socialist than the one we mourned earlier in the week, dare I say. R.I.P Tony. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Like the late Ray Buckton - devil in the media, nice guy in person. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Unlike Ed, I was lucky enough to see Tony support Roy Bailey a couple of years ago. Ever the dissenter, he sat on stage puffing on his characteristic pipe full in the knowledge that he was in a non-smoking venue. In the mid 80s I had to visit the House of Commons for work, sitting in the officials' box behind the Speaker's Chair ready with briefing material for the Minister [the late Angela Rumbold] who was to reply to the debate. Tony Benn spoke. When read in Hansard his words appeared ordinary, almost prosaic, but when delivered by the man himself in the Chamber came with a significant force. It is improbable that we shall see his like again. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Whilst I rarely agreed with Tony Benn's politics (although when he was right he was spectacularly right - as in his comments about the lack of transparency and true democracy in the EU), I respected him as a politician who had principles and stuck to them. There are very few politicians of the twentieth century of whom this can be said and Tony Benn was one of those few. He was very clear about what he stood for and what he believed in; if he said in 1970 that "the best balloons are red ones", he'd still say it in 1980 and again in 1990 and so on. Not like too many politicians nowadays - of all political colours - who have their snouts in the public trough. RIP Mr Benn. I won't miss your politics, but I will miss your integrity and principles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2014 Quite funny this morning to hear the BBC Breakfast presenter state "Tony Blair, Benn" had died... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2014 A conviction politician who spoke and cared passionately about issues. I may not have always agreed but I had a great deal of respect for him. So many of todays politicians are superficial and appear only to be interested in sound bites! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2014 A conviction politician who spoke and cared passionately about issues. I may not have always agreed but I had a great deal of respect for him. So many of todays politicians are superficial and appear only to be interested in sound bites! Agreed! A lot of the current crop just deserve to be convicted. Bogey man of the Left (according to most of the "popular" press) - I always thought he came over as pleasant and reasonable. I never quite forgave him for his Marine Offences Bill which finished nearly all the pirate radio stations off back in '67, mind! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2014 This is interesting >> http://www.retronaut.com/2014/03/tony-benns-secret-plaque-in-the-houses-of-parliament/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 A man who not only changed the law but changed the constitution. He wanted to be an MP and although his birth decreed he should go to the other house he fought the system and got his way. RIP Tony. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted March 14, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2014 One of his claims to fame was he traveled with me, on the train, from Birmingham to Bristol back in the 1980s - he found me interesting company. Or was it the other way around ? Like others I didn't often agree with him and like StationMaster says some of his points were not always right but an MP who sticks to their guns is a rare commodity. RIP Tony. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyfox Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 A giant, a hero. A man of conviction. A great loss. Like Bob Crow, RIP comrade - the struggle against inequality, greed and the fight for justice and freedoms for all will go on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted March 15, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 15, 2014 He was an articulate and thoughtful man with a genuine gift for public speaking. He also appears to have been a genuinely warm and good humoured human being. I never agreed with him on many policy issues but politics will be a poorer place without him. One of his most endearing qualities (to me at any rate) was that he separated politics from people and he clearly had very warm relations with many who hated his politics and vice versa, in this era of spin doctors and politics at the lowest common denominator that seems to be a dying thing. I used to enjoy watching one of the late night politics shows where Tony Benn and William Hague chatted about topical issues, for all that they were poles apart politically there was clearly a genuine warmth between them and it was a hoot to watch as they were both very gifted speakers. You can't imagine Ed Balls and George Osbourne arguing the issues of the day anything like as articulately or with the same sense of good humour and camaraderie. A sad loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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