Pulaski

Tony Benn might have been a more polished politician, but he was a political wingnut. There was a reason why he was pushed out of the limelight after the 1970's, ..... his political agenda had niche appeal, but he he was the poster child for "loony left" ideas that the Conservatives just loved to point at and say "If you vote Labour, that is what you're going to get!"

BristolUK

Ah yes, dignity in retirement, decent wages, safety net , NHS, health and education, public services to serve the public rather than the shareholders....

Crazy stuff.

BritInParis

The ultimate champagne socialist.

Pulaski

I didn't say he had no good ideas, just that he had more than his fair shar of hairbrained ones. ...... And he was completely delusional about what "decent wages" meant because he didn't seem aware that a business has to sell sufficient quantities of well made products and/or compete against global suppliers, to generate the revenue to pay those wages. If his backers were making top quality products and/or producing at prices competitive with other countries, then they would have had an excellent claim for "decent pay". As it was the "old industries" were producing crap and at too high a cost, ..... when they were producing anything at all!
For once you and I agree entirely.

Novocastrian

And for once I disagree. Tony Benn, as already been mentioned, was a man of integrity, perhaps born to champagne but moral and admirable enough to spit it out.

He was elected to the Commons before his Dad croaked, making him unwillingly a Viscount and he immediately did what he could do to stay in the Commons, which was to bring about the 1963 Reform Act, which allowed him to renounced his unwanted and poisonous Peerage.

Many of you will have heard of Paul Foot, his son, because he was a journo later on, but I knew him when he was a true son of his father.

Respect.

Pulaski

You are awfully confused. Paul Foot was the son of Michael Foot, and was unrelated to Tony Benn.

Novocastrian

Oh yes, Whatever, all the same stuff really.

I;m going to bed now.

Shard

Been overdoing it on the champagne ?

BritInParis

Only for his son (not Paul Foot) to become the 3rd Viscount Stansgate upon his death. He didn't change the law so he could renounce it, merely postpone it to allow him to continue sitting in the Commons because he didn't want it to affect his Parliamentary career by being shuffled off to the Lords early.

I would agree that he did admirably stick to his principles despite the damage done to his career but then it's easy to comment on what's right for the common man from your mansion house in Holland Park. After all you don't have to worry about money when you have plenty of it.

Dennis Skinner, on the other hand, is the dictionary definition of a working class hero. You don't need to agree with anything he says but you can't fail to admire his tenacity and work ethic.

BristolUK

Ah, Dennis. The Beast of Bolsover

Pulaski

Him and the Mouth of the Humber. What a pair!

Novocastrian

Medicinal purposes only.

ChrisBan

Stop your whinging: why the Left are such bad losers - Telegraph

Shard

I too found the headline "Awkward" a bit contrived.