[145], At the Stop the War Conference 2009, he described the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as "Imperialist war(s)" and discussed the killing of American and allied troops by Iraqi or foreign insurgents, questioning whether they were in fact freedom fighters, and comparing the insurgents to a British Dad's Army, saying: "If you are invaded you have a right to self-defence, and this idea that people in Iraq and Afghanistan who are resisting the invasion are militant Muslim extremists is a complete bloody lie. In a debate in the Commons just after the Falklands were recaptured, Benn's demand for "a full analysis of the costs in life, equipment and money in this tragic and unnecessary war" was rejected by Margaret Thatcher, who stated that "he would not enjoy the freedom of speech that he put to such excellent use unless people had been prepared to fight for it". [128], He toured with a one-man stage show and appeared a few times each year in a two-man show with folk singer Roy Bailey. Tony Benn, pictured in 1967, puffs on his pipe as he listens to speeches during the second day of the 66th annual Labour Party Conference, in Scarborough, England. [32] Despite this, Benn was overwhelmingly popular with Labour activists in the constituencies: a survey of delegates at the Labour Party Conference in 1978 found that by large margins they supported Benn for the leadership, as well as many Bennite policies. [29], After attending Mr Gladstone's day school near Sloane Square,[30] Benn attended Westminster School, and studied at New College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics and was elected President of the Oxford Union in 1947. [42], Benn and his wife Caroline became vegetarian in 1970, for ethical reasons, and remained so for the rest of their lives. Tony Benn was for decades the most independent-minded, powerful and passionate voice of the hard-left at Westminster, and the man whose crusading zeal led to the new law which allowed him to renounce his own peerage and return to the House of Commons. [75] In the resulting leadership contest Benn finished in fourth place out of the six cabinet ministers who stood—he withdrew as 11.8 per cent of colleagues voted for him in the first ballot. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. [33] In the 1977 edition, Benn's entry disappeared entirely,[34] and when he returned to Who's Who in 1983, he was listed as "Tony Benn" and all references to his education or service record were removed. Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014) was a British politician, writer and diarist who served as a Cabinet minister in the 1960s and 1970s. He remained an active and outspoken member of the Labour party. [48] He became the "Baby" again in 1951, when Teevan was not re-elected. Benn supported the introduction of the national minimum wage, and welcomed the progress towards peace and security in Northern Ireland (particularly under Mo Mowlam). Government is responsible for explaining what it has done and I don't think we were told the truth. Why not laugh about it and allow it to bring us closer together? [179] The first was placed in 1995. Tony Benn, a passionate orator, prolific diarist and provocative icon of the British left who became the first peer to surrender an aristocratic title to remain in the House of Commons, died early on Friday at his home in west London, his family said. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? [15] Although Benn became more agnostic as he became older, he was intrigued by the interconnections between Christianity, radicalism and socialism. The third is dedicated to Emily Wilding Davison, who died for the cause of "Votes for women", and was placed in the broom cupboard next to the Undercroft Chapel, where Davison is said to have hidden during the night of the 1911 census in order to establish her address as the House of Commons. of socialism who encouraged me to join Labour in 1977: wonderful [49], As MP for Bristol South East, Benn helped organise the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott[50] against the colour bar of the Bristol Omnibus Company against employing Black British and British Asian drivers. [151][152] Benn also claimed in 2010 that Blair had lost the "trust of the nation" regarding the war in Iraq.[153]. [32], In 1972, Benn said in his diaries that "Today I had the idea that I would resign my Privy Councillorship, my MA and all my honorary doctorates in order to strip myself of what the world had to offer". [171][172], Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg called Benn an "astonishing, iconic figure" and a "veteran parliamentarian, he was a great writer, he had great warmth and he had great conviction ... his political life will be looked back on with affection and admiration".[172]. Former cabinet minister Peter Hain said: "Tony Benn was a giant The term "Bennite", generally understood to mean a radical left-wing position of corporatist but compassionate socialism, was derived from Benn's … He was an influence on the politics of Jeremy Corbyn, who was elected Leader of the Labour Party a year after Benn's death, and John McDonnell, who was Corbyn's Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. I've made a million mistakes and they're all in the diary. Nationality: England Executive summary: Radical left Labour MP. Approximate latitude/longitude from Google Maps and Earth: 19°31'21.8"S 29°55'58.7"E; Tony Benn, "First Solo," in High Flyers:30 Reminiscences to Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force, Michael Fopp (ed. The former prime minister Gordon Brown also paid tribute to a “ "[28], He relinquished his commission with effect from 10 August 1945, three months after the Second World War ended in Europe on 8 May, and just days before the war with Japan ended on 2 September. The veteran Labour politician Tony Benn has died aged 88, December 2013: Tony Benn speaking during a commemorative service for Nelson Mandela held at Westminster Hall, October 2011: Tony Benn, as president of the Stop the War Coalition, at the 'Antiwar Mass Assembly' organised by the Stop the War Coalition at Trafalgar Square - calling for the British Government to immediately withdraw troops from Afghanistan, September 2010: Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers interviews Tony Benn for The Quietus about his book, Letters To My Grandchildren, August 2009: Tony Benn at the Cenotaph on Whitehall at a ceremony after the death of the 200th British soldier Afghanistan, May 2009: Tony Benn attends a vigil organized by Tamil Students in Parliament Square, held the vigil to remember victims of the civil war in Sri Lanka, April 2009: Tony Benn speaks as protesters and members of The Stop the War Coalition gather at the US Embassy to march to Trafalgar Square demanding action on poverty, climate change and jobs,ahead of the G20 summit, May 2008: Tony Benn speaking at march for a free Palestine on the 60th anniversary of Israel's nationhood, June 2004: Tony Benn argues with Frank Maloney, Ukip's London mayoral candidate, as Maloney campaigns in London, February 2003: Former politician Tony Benn arrives at the British Book Awards at the Le Meridian Grosvenor House in London, February 2003: Tony Benn seen during his press conference at the Ministry of information in Baghdad ahead of his interview with Saddam Hussein to talk about the US-Iraqi confrontation, February 2003: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein being interviewed on TV by Tony Benn in Baghdad, September 2003: Tony Benn speaks to a fan at the signing of 'Tony Benn's Greatest Hits' at HMV Oxford Street, London, October 2001: Tony Benn, in the year he stood down as an MP, speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, April 1999: Tony Benn at a demonstration to protest against Nato's bombing of Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force, May 1998: Tony Benn smokes his pipe during a conference at the Marina Leisure Centre in Great Yarmouth, October 1966: Labour MPs Tony Benn and Jennie Lee at the opening session of the Labour Party conference in Brighton, October 1964: Tony Benn places an official report on broadcasting into his dispatch box on his first day in his new Cabinet role of Postmaster General, October 1962: Tony Benn lights his pipe during a speech at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, October 1951: Tony Benn with his wife, Caroline (1926 - 2000) and their second son, Stephen, after his Christening at the House of Commons crypt, November 1920: William Wedgwood Benn, 1st Viscount Stansgate (1877 - 1960), the Liberal politician and father of Tony Benn, at his wedding to Miss Margaret Holmes, Tony Benn, as president of the Stop the War Coalition, at the 'Antiwar Mass Assembly' in 2011, Tony Benn speaking alongside other anti-Common Market Ministers Michael Foot, Peter Shore and Barbara Castle in 1975, In pictures: Tony Benn, reflections of a life at the heart of British politics, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Veteran Labour politician Tony Benn, 88, dies at home, Obituary: When the Labour Party was in opposition through the 1980s, he emerged as a prominent figure on the left wing of the party and unsuccessfully challenged Neil Kinnock for the Labour leadership in 1988. I think you do plant a few acorns, and I have lived to see one or two trees growing: gay rights, freedom of information, CND. [13] "I've never thought we can understand the world we lived in unless we understood the history of the church", Benn said to the Catholic Herald. Twitter: "Tony Benn was a magnificent writer, speaker and Best dedicated years of priceless effort for the greater good of his team. During the 1970s Benn publicly defended Marxism, saying: The Communist Manifesto, and many other works of Marxist philosophy, have always profoundly influenced the British labour movement and the British Labour Party, and have strengthened our understanding and enriched our thinking. I'm not ashamed of making mistakes. “Tony Benn spoke his mind and spoke up for his values. his views once led The Sun newspaper to question whether he was It was read in Parliament a number of times until his retirement at the 2001 election, but never achieved a second reading. William Benn was given the title of Viscount Stansgate in 1942: the new wartime coalition government was short of working Labour peers in the upper house. recently and  “as I left he said to me 'Well, old son. A British MP for 50 years, the veteran statesman was loved and loathed - but he was the champion of the left. [63], The mainstream press attacked Benn for using language deemed as intemperate as Powell's language in his "Rivers of Blood" speech (which was widely regarded as racist),[63] and Benn noted in his diary that "letters began pouring in on the Powell speech: 2:1 against me but some very sympathetic ones saying that my speech was overdue". His main opponent would have been the incumbent Conservative MP for the predecessor seat of Kensington and Chelsea, Malcolm Rifkind. In the Labour government of 1974–1979, he returned to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Industry and subsequently served as Secretary of State for Energy. 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