RIP Tony Benn

[Levied Troop]

Damned annoying Minister I gather.

I read a lot of Political Diaries, and the feeling creeps over iresistably that he was a bit of an arse. Of course, having 'met' him at various meetings and stuff he was always a lovely chap and a good speaker and things, but as part of a Government? Awful

Not so much an arse as an ideas man and quite inspirational. But not a practical implementator, he needed other people for that - but he needed to then let them get on with it and he did like to get into the detail.

[Rumplestilzskin]

...as an old fashioned Labour Voter...

Wow! You hard me fooled. I had always imagined you as only being early to mid 50s in age.

[kawasaki]

I liked him as a man. He had the courage of his convictions.

Probably one of the last honest(ish) politicians. The buggers we've got now are all style and no substance.

[Duff]

Damned annoying Minister I gather.

I read a lot of Political Diaries, and the feeling creeps over iresistably that he was a bit of an arse. Of course, having 'met' him at various meetings and stuff he was always a lovely chap and a good speaker and things, but as part of a Government? Awful

Not so much an arse as an ideas man and quite inspirational. But not a practical implementator, he needed other people for that - but he needed to then let them get on with it and he did like to get into the detail.

Sounds about right. Very sad day. He was exactly the sort of person you wanted in the Commons, but the last one you'd want as a Minister.

[Duff]

I liked him as a man. He had the courage of his convictions.

Probably one of the last honest(ish) politicians. The buggers we've got now are all style and no substance.

That's the same horseshit people have been saying since the fucking neo-lithic. "These tribal leaders we have now aren't a patch on the ones from my fathers time." It was bollocks then and it's bollocks now.

[AKULA]

I liked him as a man. He had the courage of his convictions.

Probably one of the last honest(ish) politicians. The buggers we've got now are all style and no substance.

That's the same horseshit people have been saying since the fucking neo-lithic. "These tribal leaders we have now aren't a patch on the ones from my fathers time." It was bollocks then and it's bollocks now.

Top post.

Just ask Frank if you don't believe him.

[Derek H]

That's the same horseshit people have been saying since the fucking neo-lithic. "These tribal leaders we have now aren't a patch on the ones from my fathers time." It was bollocks then and it's bollocks now.

Youth of today, no respect for their elders!

[Hermit]

I liked him as a man. He had the courage of his convictions.

Probably one of the last honest(ish) politicians. The buggers we've got now are all style and no substance.

That's the same horseshit people have been saying since the fucking neo-lithic. "These tribal leaders we have now aren't a patch on the ones from my fathers time." It was bollocks then and it's bollocks now.

More true now, though. he was one of last of the real Labour party men, not like the gobshite remnants of New Labour we have in Westminster now (and that includes his son), who've abandoned their traditional Labour Party principles and aren't sure what they stand for anymore. Bob Crow realised that, which is why his union cut all funding to them.

Tony Benn proved himself when he stood for parliament in Chesterfield, in the mid-1980s. They were suspicious of this southerner at first, but then they saw that he actually was honest and took to him, making him MP. Not many politicians can do that on their own.

Who's left now? Dennis Skinner and perhaps a few others?

[Homo Neanderthalis]

I liked him as a man. He had the courage of his convictions.

Probably one of the last honest(ish) politicians. The buggers we've got now are all style and no substance.

That's the same horseshit people have been saying since the fucking neo-lithic. "These tribal leaders we have now aren't a patch on the ones from my fathers time." It was bollocks then and it's bollocks now.

Fucking neolithic cunts. Coming over here, knapping our flints.

[Ace From Outer Space]

Tony Benn was a bit of a legend for me when I was growing up. RIP Tony, you made a big impression on many people from my generation.