Tony Benn RIP

[echt]

To raise an entirely appropriate to the memory of this man.

A superior shocialist, as Peter Tinniswood (of blessed memory) styled him.

In the end, even Labour Party moved away from the type of socialism that he espoused. State control of the commanding heights of the economy was no longer tenable after Margaret Thatcher.

Always seemed like a gentleman and really believed in his politics and beliefs.

A man of peace.
RIP Tony Benn.

A very nice man, personally and professionally. He was a great help when I wrote to him whilst researching my MA. Completely unpatronising, yet so fiercely intelligent and well read. I'm really sad. RIP.

RIP. If only there were more politicians like him.

RIP, a man of total integrity.

Great man, and a shame the left didn't have the guts to follow him. Would have been a Very British Coup indeed and Thatcher would never have existed.

Harold Wilson summed him up following Benn's Time as Postmaster General.

"Tony did a great job..... produced a lot of pretty coloured stamps"

Impressed with his conviction over his beliefs (like Dennis Skinner) but they were outmoded and outdated even for labour.

I always believed he was the greatest Prime Minister we never had. He was a truly great, compassionate promoter for social justice and a great loss to both politics and society. RIP.

RIP an intelligent, principled and passionate man. Met a fair few times - he was always kind, funny and interested in what people had to say. A sad loss but not an unexpected one

We lost a good 'un. RIP Tony Benn.

Maybe we'd be in a better state if "the type of socialism he espoused" was a reality now, MoreBeta, however, I hope this thread is a tribute, rather than a denigration of his politics and what he stood for.

A politician with principles - not to many of the around these days. I might not have agreed with all his views but I did respect him.

RIP. My sympathies to his family.

I had huge admiration for him despite not sharing many of his political ideas. He was a very principled man who was also a gentleman.

I remember him at one of the Stop the War marches before the march started, waiting at one of the gathering points. He was sat quietly on some steps by himself, just like any other person. That will be my enduring image of him.

Quite, CuntyBunty. The naysayers need to start their own he-was-a- mistaken-dinosaur-cunt-but-a-bit-of-shame-he's-dead thread.

RIP - a good man.

Hear Hear - RIP Tony.

A giant of a man. RIP.

outmoded and outdated even for labour.
Really? opinion polls regularly show upwards of 60% support for major utilities, railways etc. to be returned to the ownership of the people.

I really don't want this thread to be a criticism of Socialism and Tony Benn .

echt started this as a tribute.

There's no greater tribute than to point out what a great socialist with real political integrity he was, how right he was (and is) about so many issues.

A principled intelligent man.
Unlike the slippery spin obsessed wankers who now mostly inhabit politics.

One of the few left wing men who were actually prepared to have their attitudes to women questioned, who wasn't unafraid to challenge his own assumptions and who was connected to life and the struggle for fairness and justice right to the end.

RIP Tony.

We need more politicians like him these days.

his sufferagette memorial in the HoC on another thread