Just been watching the documentary about Tony Benn. As a card carrying party member for over thirty years, I still cant make my mind up. In my teens, I admired him for his radical views. But as I got older, I realised that he was partly responsible for the unelectability tag that kept Thatcher in office for so long. Wonderful orator though he was, he undermined every Labour leader while politically active. The stand-out moment was Neil Kinnocks comment about when he was discussing the Council house sales issue with him. TB explained that These are community homes that shouldnt be sold. NKs response, with TBs millionaire status in mind, was Until you have responsibility for paying rent or a mortgage, you are in no position to make that judgement. Dynamite. Having said all that, he meant what he said and said what he meant. But had he been elected leader, Labour would have been dead and buried - permanently. He campaigned against the Iraq war. But his son, Hilary, was a senior Government Minister before, during, and after the war. Hilary defied his dad on the war, but it didnt affect their relationship. He considered Blair to be a virtual war criminal. Did he extend that thought to his son ? He couldnt help being born into fabulous wealth. In fact it embarrassed him. But he did choose to live part of his married life in Holland Park in London. To put it in a Greater Manchester context, its a bit like choosing to live in Alderley Edge or Hale Barns, and then claiming to know what its like to live in a socially deprived area.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 00:51:04 +0000
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