John McDonnell shows why paying tribute to Tony Benn and his ideas isnt about nostalgia for a lost past, or mourning the end of a socialist alternative in the party. These ideas are fundamental, absolutely timeless and have a vital role to play in rebuilding the left in the party. We must now take Tonys life and works as a starting point, not an end: I want to go back not to the manifesto of 1983, but to Labour’s programme of 1982, which was the Bennite programme, and virtually all of it was written by Tony Benn. It is worth looking back at what it said. It was absolutely prophetic. It basically said, “We will create a society that is more democratic, more fair, more just and more equal.” How would we do it? Tony’s ideas in that programme were straightforward: we would undertake a fundamental, irreversible shift in the redistribution of wealth and power. How would we do that? Through a fair and just tax system, tackling tax evasion and tax avoidance, taking control of the Bank of England, preventing speculation in the City and the banks because it could be dangerous to our long-term economic health, and creating full employment. That is what he was about. That is what he inspired us to do. leap-lrc.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/tony-benn-what-world-we-would-have.html
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 12:49:28 +0000
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