| 18TH FEBRUARY - The Independent held a 'You Ask The Questions' style interview with deputy leadership candidate and Tony Benn's son Hilary. It contains several tough questions with regards to his father including why, exactly, has he got a girls name? |
| NEWS & COMMENTARY UPDATED 26/08/2008 |
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| MAY 8TH - Mr Benn was interviewed by the Glasgow Herald on the night of the council results last week. Read the article here. |
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| MAY 9TH - Mr Benn had a brief interview with the Arabic Fars News Agency concerning a letter sent from the President of Iran to the President of the USA. Read the article here. |
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| MAY 21ST - Mr Benn appeared at number 12 in the New Statesman's top 50 poll of 'Heroes of our time'. |
| MAY 13TH - Former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of British Land Forces, General Sir Hugh Beach, joined Mr Benn on a delegation to Downing Street opposing military intervention in Iran. |
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| MAY 31ST - An article covered Mr Benn's plans for British oil when he was energy minister and how this was an opportunity missed. We could now be as rich as Norway if we'd only listened to Wedgie. |
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| 5TH JUNE - The Independent Online published questions put to Mr Benn by readers. They're quite robust and makes brief but interesting reading. |
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| 11TH JUNE - Mr Benn has stated that he feels the city of Bristol need not apologise for it's role in the slave trade. |
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| 19TH JUNE - Much has been made of the newly discovered letter that Tony Blair had written to Michael Foot in 1982. In the letter Blair mentions Tony Benn; "In one sense he (Benn) is quite right in saying that the right wing of the party is politically bankrupt. Socialism ultimately must appeal to the better minds of the people. You cannot do that if you are tainted overmuch with a pragmatic period in power. The phrases that rouse us, or should rouse us, are bound to seem stale in the mouth of anyone who has been too closely intertwined with the Establishment. It may not be fair, but it is true.'' Mr Benn appeared on the today programme discussing the content of the letter. You can hear that discussion here. Due to Tony Blair's reference to Karl Marx in the letter, the Independent asked several individuals whether Marx is still relevant. Mr Benn was included. You can read the article here. For the full text of the letter |
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| 25TH JUNE - Mr Benn attended a vigil on Friday organised by Womens Action for Iraq to coincide with International Widows Day. He commented "Every day in the British press we are told about crime and how you've got to deal with it, but the greatest crime of all is the crime committed by Britain and America in Iraq itself." |
| 26TH JUNE - Radio Four programme 'You and Yours' looked at the issue of the electric car and why they haven't really entered into common useage. Mr Benn contributed to the discussion. He was interested in them 40 years ago as Minister of Technology & now his son Joshua has his own electric car and takes him for a spin! Listen to the show |
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| 27TH JUNE - Today, there is an anti-privatisation lobby of parliament. Mr Benn will be speaking along with Labour MP's Frank Dobson, Michael Meacher and John McDonnell. |
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| 12TH JULY - Mr Benn put his name with other signatories to a letter sent to the Guardian protesting about Israel's behaviour in Palestine. |
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| 8TH JULY - Mr Benn has joined the 'History Matters' campaign which stresses the importance of history. The campaign draws together such diverse figures as Boris Johnson, Shami Chakrabarti and David Starkey. Mr Benn commented "that an understanding of history is vital to comprehend how it is that working people have always been persuaded to kill each other in the interests of the powerful guys". |
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| 29TH JULY - Mr Benn appeared on a half hour radio programme on Radio 4 this morning called Sentimental Journey. The presenter Arthur Smith accompanies Mr Benn on a trip back to the place where he was born, grew up and spent most of his political life - the Village of Westminster. Tony even sings a song! |
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| 28TH JULY - Mr Benn delivered an open letter to Downing Street calling for a ceasfire in Lebanon. |
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| 31ST JULY - Mr Benn spoke at another rally yesterday, he said "As we talk, women and children are being killed in the Lebanon by bombs sold and given by the US and passed through British airports with the support of the British government.. . What we are witnessing is a war crime committed by Israel with the support of the American and the British governments - that is the truth." He also called Britain's parliament, currently on summer recess, must be recalled to debate the issue. |
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| Mr Benn delivering the letter |
| 3RD AUGUST - Mr Benn called for people to attend a rally in Manchester on 23rd September at the Labour Party conference to put pressure on Tony Blair to resign. Mr Benn commented; "Fifty years ago the then prime minister Anthony Eden worked with Israel to justify an intervention in Egypt to get the Suez Canal back. He was defeated and left office. Now there is collusion between Israel, the US and Britain to justify further attacks on Middle East countries. And it too will fail. Tony Blair should follow the fate of Eden. I hope everyone turns up in Manchester in September and we have a massive demonstration.”. |
| 3RD AUGUST - Mr Benn has pledged his support to a campaign calling for free bus travel for people over 60 and also disabled people. The campaign is focused on the Cambridgeshire area. Mr Benn stated ""The one thing we can do for older people is make it easier for them to travel. I've got an Oyster card in London and I can go to East Croydon and all over the place. It's revolutionised my life. I've got a car but I don't use it now. It takes people off the roads and it gives people the opportunity to travel and see friends" |
| 6TH AUGUST - Tony Benn will be amongst the speakers at a rally to be held ahead of the demonstration called by the Stop the War Coalition at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. The rally organised by Sheffield Stop the War coalition is on Tuesday 19th September, doors 6.30pm, Starts 7pm prompt. The venue is The International Hall, Ponds Forge, Tickets: £3 waged / £1 concessions. Call Sheffield StWC on 07761-471-441 to book. |
| 8TH AUGUST - Mr Benn has a documentary showing on Channel Four this Saturday (August 12th, 7.10pm) called "Interviewing the Interviewers". He wrote a piece in the Guardian about it, you can read it here. |
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| 15TH AUGUST - The Rastafarian poet Benjamin Zephaniah was asked in an interview who were his guru's spiritually and musically... His answer Peter Tosh, David Bowie, Robert Marley, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X. Billie Holiday, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Blackalicous, Hung Thanh, Tony Benn |
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| 15TH AUGUST - In a piece entitled 'Celebrity Surfers' the Guardian asked, amongst others, Tony Benn where he spends his time online; "I'm what they call a 'silver surfer': I'm 81 years old and rely on the internet for all sorts of information, although when my laptop crashes I have to call my grandchildren. My most important website, the Information Clearing House, is American and sends me email updates regularly covering the peace movement in the States, the trade union movement and some things that are happening here too". To see this website |
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| 16TH AUGUST - Mr Benn again labelled the British government a disgrace over its conduct in the Middle East crisis.
He stated: "While this slaughter was going on, with 1,000 people killed and a quarter of the Lebanese population homeless, we were not only supplying weapons ourselves to Israel, but we were making it possible through Scottish airports for the Americans to arm Israel with the weapons that were being used to kill the Lebanese. It was an absolute disgrace." He added: "I wonder whether this was not all planned by the Americans some time back with a view to having an excuse to attack Syria and maybe even Iran. That's the real danger. If Israel or the US attacks Syria or Iran then I think we could be in very deep trouble indeed. "It's strange to me. When 1,000 Lebanese are killed that's called a police action but when a bus or a train is blown up in London that's called terrorism. "What's the difference, the moral difference? There's no difference. It's a war. This idea that terrorism has nothing to do with war is absurd." "There will never be peace in the Middle East until the Palestinians have a state under internationally recognised boundaries and Israel will have to withdraw, but they haven't the slightest intention of withdrawing and the US are supporting them." He also said: "Bush said God told him to go into Iraq. Now if that's not Christian fundamentalism I don't know what is." |
| 31ST AUGUST - Tony Benn is interviewed before his one man show in Croyden (FairfIeld Halls) on September 8th. |
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| 2ND SEPTEMBER - Tony Benn will be in Coventry for a Stop the War public meeting this evening. Commenting on the Second World War he said: "I remember the bombing in Coventry.
Perhaps, I think, in Coventry, people won't have to be reminded so much what war does.
It absolutely destroys everything."
The meeting, organised by the Stop the War Coalition, is at the Methodist Central Hall at 7pm - admission free |
| 3RD SEPTEMBER - Roy Bailey is the singer described by Tony Benn as "the greatest socialist folk singer of his generation”. Along with Mr Benn, he performs the 'Writing on the Wall' performances, an anthology of dissent in words and music. Roy has handed back his MBE in protest at the government's stance on the middle east. |
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| 4TH SEPTEMBER -
Government plans to identify potential troublemakers even before they are born have been denounced by Tony Benn as "eugenics".
Mr Benn dismissed the plan as one of "a million new gimmicks" outlined by the Prime Minister. "This one about identifying troublesome children in the foetus - this is eugenics, the sort of thing Hitler talked about". He added: "I just think that people don't believe him any more. |
| 12TH SEPTEMBER - A review of Mr Benn's meeting held in Croyden on the 8th. |
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| 12TH SEPTEMBER - Tony Benn spoke at a TUC fringe meeting yesterday; "I'm given up protesting – it shows you've lost. We should be demanding," |
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| 12TH SEPTEMBER -
Mr Benn is speaking tonight at a Redbridge Stop the War public meeting. He will be speaking alongside George Galloway MP, Dr. Azzam Tamini (Palestinian Refugee) , Lindsey German (Convenor Stop The War), Rose Gentle (Military Families Against the War)
7pm East Ham Town Hall, Barking Road, E6. (Nearest Tube - East Ham) |
| 14TH SEPTEMBER - Mr Benn appeared on the Today programme discussing the role of the deputy leader within the Labour Party. Typically with the BBC, the reporter writes off Mr Benn as 'hard left'. |
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| 18TH SEPTEMBER -
Tony Benn has voiced his support for a campaign to stop closures at Hitchinbrooke Hospital. He said: "I am firmly opposed to these closures and service cuts.
I will support any campaign by the unions and others to stop them. There are a lot of these hospital closures and service cuts going on. The money that has been spent on the Iraq war should have been spent on the NHS. A fraction on the money could have saved both Hinchingbrooke and Cambridgeshire's mental health services. The Government is more interested in making war than it is on spending money on the NHS. It just doesn't see spending on health as a priority. I am particularly concerned about cuts in mental health services. The population is getting older with more people living into their 70s, 80s and 90s - I should know as I am one of them - and more money is needed for them and the drugs they need which are very expensive. I was a strong supporter of the NHS when Nye Bevan created it before I was an MP and when I became one in 1950. I sat on the Commons benches for two years when Nye was health minister. He resigned because of quite small cuts in the NHS so I know what he would do in the current circumstances in Cambridgeshire. He would oppose the cuts and closures like me. You can't say this is a betrayal of the NHS by a Labour government because it is not one. Tony Blair said quite clearly when he became leader it wasn't the Labour Party but New Labour. He still believes that - as you could tell from his speech to the TUC conference this week. He supports privatisation and cutbacks in the NHS. And it's not just the money being spent on the war in Iraq - which is a good point in itself. Even Gordon Brown has said he would spend £20 billion replacing Trident which isn't even fighting a war but preparing for a war that is never going to happen. That is money which could be spent on the NHS. The fact that this hospital was completed and built under Margaret Thatcher shows what a success the NHS has become. It is ironic that doctors opposed the creation of the NHS but now at Hinchingbrooke and elsewhere they are now trying to defend it. We need to be expanding the NHS not cutting it back. This was one of the reasons I left the Labour Party in 1997 - because it wasn't prepared to spend enough on the health service which has made a huge difference to many people's lives. I know it is always difficult to get the money for it - Nye had to fight to get the money needed for it himself. But people should not be considering closing this hospital and cutting back mental health services in Cambridgeshire - I am simply opposed to this and will support any campaign to stop it." |
| 18TH SEPTEMBER - After Tony Blair was heckled at the TUC, the Independent asked various people how they dealt with hecklers, Mr Benn was one of them. "I was once speaking at a school and the place was packed. Jammed to the rafters, hot and incredibly stuffy. This chap interrupted once. And then he interrupted again. I said: "Let's hear what this gentleman has to say." It turned out he was calling for somebody to open a window. I've actually got a lot of time for hecklers because they're passionate people with something to say. Sometimes they can ask impossible questions. My father once had a heckler who asked: "What hope is there for the country if people like you get elected?" It was an unanswerable question. But I normally stop speeches to engage with hecklers, and I've invited them on stage. If they don't have a point to make you try to deal with the situation as politely as you can. The best speech at last year's Labour Party conference was made by a heckler. It was a one-word speech. Walter Wolfgang said: "Nonsense!" It will probably be on his ID card for life. Or if we do not get ID cards, it will still be on the database". |
| 20TH SEPTEMBER - Mr Benn is attending the opening of a memorial to the singer Paul Robeson at the School for Oriental and African Studies in London this evening. He commented; "he was one of the greatest figures of the past century. He stood for everything I believed in". |
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| 21ST SEPTEMBER - Mr Benn spoke at a Stop the War meeting in Sheffield held to publicise the rally in Manchester on the 23rd of September. |
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| 2ND OCTOBER - The Pensions Action Group in association with SAGA are campaigning to improve the entitlement of the estimated 125,000 people who have lost their accrued pensions rights as a result of occupational schemes being wound up. You can sign their online petition here. |
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| 21ST OCTOBER - The New Statesman have an article discussing men with handbags (it's true) and suggests Tony Benn could do with one. When the artist Humphrey Ocean painted Tony Benn's portrait in 1996, he described Benn as being well turned out, but said his suits were "always disfigured by the wealth of gadgets, beepers and pagers in all pockets". (you may have guessed that it's been quiet on news stories this month). |
| 24TH OCTOBER - Tony Benn has commented on Jack Straw's proposals for reforming the House of Lords and denounced them as "utterly ridiculous". He said: "What the Prime Minister has done is to modernise the House of Lords back six hundred years. When the Lords began there were no hereditary peers, they were all the King's cronies. He's reinstated that system and calls it modernisation. In a democracy, you vote for the people who make the laws you're expected to obey." |
| 25TH OCTOBER - Tony Benn is confirmed to speak at a People’s Assembly on Islamophobia. The Stop The War Coalition called the meeting for Saturday 18th November. Open to delegates and observers £6/£4, 10.00am to 5.30pm Camden Centre Judd Street, London WC1H. Phone 020 7278 6694 E-mail office@stopwar.org.uk |
| 31ST OCTOBER - Tony Benn addressed the march on Sunday protesting against the new £3,000 maximum top up fee that universities are allowed to charge. He told the students that top-up fees were "absolutely wrong".
"The education of everybody benefits everybody," he said. "If I go to my doctor, I benefit from her education; why should doctors graduate with debt of £41,000 to keep you and me fit? If people are in debt they are slaves and we must see that does not happen," he added. |
| 31ST DECEMBER - Tony Benn is a contributor to a documentary due to be shown on BBC 4 on the 3rd January at 9pm. Christopher Meyer, former ambassador to Washington, tells the story of how Britain came to be mortgaged to the Americans during World War 2, a debt only paid off at the end of 2006 Also of interest is a Radio 4 afternoon play, 1st January at 2.15pm, titled 'Attlee Confidential' A unique drama-documentary insight into the workings of the post war Labour Governments of Clement Attlee. Journalist and broadcaster Charles Wheeler, together with a star cast, helps re-create the mood of those often highly divided Cabinet meetings, using the original notebooks of the then cabinet secretary Norman Brook. We hear, in their own words, the disputes over nationalisation policy and the setting up of the NHS, the Atom bomb and Indian independence. |
| 19TH JANUARY - Tony Benn's name has been added to the growing list of people calling for an independent commission into the events surrounding the 11th September 2001. He commented; "...the Bush administration has never offered a detailed and documented account of its claims about the events of 9-11 which have allegedly revolutionized human affairs. Nor has it explained obvious and serious discrepancies in its own statements and actions. No systematic proof has ever been published or offered as to who the terrorists were, how they operated, where they came from, and why they were not stopped.... The Kean-Hamilton panel’s limited funding from Congress makes a mockery of the tragedy of 9-11, considering that it is only a small fraction of the huge sums spent to investigate Bill Clinton. ... We therefore call upon statesmen, thinkers, journalists, investigators, artists, scientists, jurists, academics, humanitarians, religious leaders, activists and other eminent personalities from around the world to form an Independent International Truth Commission dedicated to preventing unproven assertions about 9-11 from setting the stage for a new world conflagration." |
| 19TH JANUARY - Tony Benn won the BBC's Politics Show Poll for Britain's top living political hero. In typical Benn style whilst accepting the award he commented; "Well it's a little embarrassing 'cos I don't believe in heroes, but still, thank you very much" Itt was neck and neck for most of the poll between Margaret Thatcher and Tony Benn with Thatcher in the lead at one stage. Some of the comments from voters were : 'Tony Benn - for always asking the right questions, for his idealism, for his innocence, his longevity and his warmth and making me believe,even for a short while, that we could change Britain for good for everyone'. Chris Harpum, UK 'It's got to be Tony Benn. Margaret Thatcher did more to ruin the social fabric of this country than any other politician'. Graham Petersen, England You can read the full transcript of Mr Benn's interview on the Politics Show |
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| 1ST FEBRUARY - Mr Benn commented on John McDonell's candidacy against Gordon Brown in the future Labour leadership election and said "If John McDonnell did not get onto the ballot paper, it will be the death of the Labour Party as we know it." He also said "If it turns out that the Labour Party have a coronation, I mean we might as well have a heredity leader of the Labour Party". |
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| 30TH JANUARY - Tony Benn took part in a meeting at Rochdale Town Hall concerning the West's role in the middle east. Mocking America’s ‘war on terror’, the former cabinet minister said: "Bush said God had told him to go into Iraq as if God was always on the phone to the Pentagon." He claimed lessons needed to be learned from the war, which he believed was triggered by an ‘imperial’ nation’s lust for oil. "This is the first generation in history who, with chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, could destroy the human race," he warned. "For a fraction of the cost of the Iraq war, everyone in Africa with Aids could have received free drugs and Bush could have protected New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina." |
| 30TH JANUARY - Regarding the debate on the Church of England's role in society, Mr Benn commented ""Church and state should be separated... The Church is our oldest nationalised industry. No government should be controlled by religion. It is totally undemocratic, it is all rubbish." |
| 26TH JANUARY - Tony Benn spoke at a conference opposing the privatisation of the NHS at Friends Meeting House in Euston on Saturday. He said: “The NHS came about because of the power people exercised at the ballot box. They brought health care with their votes instead of with their wallets, but now with NHS privatisation it’s going the other way. Soon only people with money will be able to afford the best health care.” He added that, instead of “spending all this money on Iraq”, cash should be spent on the NHS. "The people don't want war and they don't want privatisation. "It's time that we brought all the opposition to New Labour together. Everyone active in defence of the NHS should come to the Stop the War demonstration on Saturday 24 February." |
| 17TH FEBRUARY - An interview with Tony Benn and Workers Liberty on Ireland was posted. The article dated back to September 1994. |
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| 21ST FEBRUARY - Tony Benn has given his support to the campaign against cuts to opening hours at the William Morris gallery. In a letter to Tessa Jowell and council leader Clyde Loakes he wrote "It would be a major tragedy if this famous gallery were to be unable to carry on for the benefit of visitors from all over the world, and the financial savings would be derisory as set against the loss... William Morris was one of the very greatest artists and socialists who has ever lived... It's part of my life. I was actually horrified to find they are cutting it back... I have been greatly influenced by William Morris. He was a really major figure. There's a connection between the art and the politics and I think the connection between those two and his writing is something that Walthamstow should be immensely proud of." |
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| 21ST FEBRUARY - Mr Benn stressed the importance of the demonstration in London on the 24th. |
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| 21ST FEBRUARY - Mr Benn was interviewed by Democracy Now after Tony Blair announced partial withdrawal of troops from Iraq. You can listen to the audio here. |
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| 24TH FEBRUARY - Tony Benn spoke at the Stop The War Rally today. He commented ""The first time I was here to protest, it was for Indian independence, the Brits had locked up Gandhi and the empire fell." |
| 25TH FEBRUARY - Tony Benn put his name to a letter requesting Michael Meacher withdraws his candidacy from the Labour leadership election and back John McDonell. |
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| 12TH MARCH - The next edition of Tony Benn's diaries are due to be published in October. Entitled 'More Time For Politics' it covers the period from 2001 to 2007. You can pre-order it from Amazon. |
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| 1st JUNE - Mr Benn added his signature to a letter which calls for respect for the Venezuelan government’s decision not to renew RCTV’s broadcasting licence |
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| 1st JUNE - Mr Benn was at the Hay literary festival covering his new volume of political diaries, due in Autumn. He spoke to Sarfraz Manzoor about what inspired him to keep a diary. You can listen to that podcast here. (it will take quite a while to load but bare with it, you'll get there). During his speech he said to laughter that his favourite quotation was: "'Love thy neighbour as thyself' - that's an aspect of Christianity that hasn't made the White House." he added that a diary allows you three goes at understanding your life - the first time when you're experiencing something, the second when you dictate it at night "when the pressure's off", and the third "when you read it and realise that you were wrong". |
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| 17th JULY - Tony Benn appears in Michael Moore's new film 'Sicko' covering the state of the health system in the U.S. Michael Moore says he first spotted Mr Benn on an edition of Question Time on the BBC seven years ago. 'I didn't know who he was, but he spoke about student loans and said it would create a generation of wage slaves with debts. He asked: "Why wouldn't employers want that?". Benn argues that for-profit healthcare and the other instruments of the corporate state, like student loans and bottomless credit-card debt, perform a crucial function for that state. They undermine democracy by creating a docile and hardworking population that is addicted to constant debt and an essentially unsustainable lifestyle, that literally cannot afford to quit jobs or take time off, that is more interested in maintaining high incomes than in social or political change. Moore seizes on this insight and makes it a kind of central theme. You can watch the clip of Mr Benn |
| 2ND MAY - Neil Clark wrote a blog for the Guardian imagining Tony Benn became prime minister. |
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| 14th JULY - The extensive interview we did with Tony Benn is now available as a microsoft word document, email us for a copy |
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| 15th September - Tony Benn will be speaking at the 'Not One More Death Demonstration' on Monday 8th October The Stop the War demonstration coincides with the day Parliamentre-assembles, will begin with a lunchtime rally in Trafalgar Square, at which the speakers will include: Tony Benn, Mark Steel, ex SAS soldier Ben Griffin, NUS President Jemma Tumelty, Stop the War's National Convenor Lindsey German and Billy Hayes, General Secretary of the CommunicationWorkers Union. |
| 15th September - Tony Benn will be appearing at the Cheltenham Literature festival alongside Oona King on the 6th October. The event will take place at Cheltenham Town Hall, tickets are £7. |
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| 13th September - Tony Benn has contributed an original drawing to help raise money for a wildlife trust.. |
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| 3rd September - Tony Benn made a speech at the Burston Strike School Rally on the 2nd September. Mr Benn, a regular speaker at the rally, said the Higdon's story was “inspirational” and that is why he keeps coming back.
“It's always in my mind, September and Burston. There are a lot of demonstrations like this - Tolpuddle, Glastonbury - and all of them are really illustrations of our own history and that's what makes them interesting,” he said. “I gave up protesting, and I'll tell you why. You are saying I have lost. We should be in the business of demanding justice and trade union rights. That's what the Higdons did. They beat the system. Burston inspires me, people go away thinking it's got to be done, it can be done.” One of the keynote speakers, Mr Benn added: “Every generation has to fight the battles all over again. There's no railway station marked peace. People come back here because you are learning from the story. It is not nostalgia.” |
| 10th September - Mr Benn gave his support to the Daily Mirror's Honour the Brave campaign. A former RAF pilot himself, he said: "The bravery of our servicemen and women abroad should be recognised... Certainly I agree the bravery of our servicemen and women abroad should be recognised. Such a medal is a good idea.
"The main thing is that they should be properly cared for when they are wounded or their relatives and loved ones looked after if they are killed. .. But a medal such as the one you are talking about would be a good thing for our troops." |
| 15th September - Tony Benn's new diaries are set to be released in October. Mr Benn will be attending several events to promote the book. For more information on these events. You can now pre-order the book from Amazon. |
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| 21th September - Tony Benn will be speaking at various events at Labour Party conference. Sunday 23 September 2007 (7pm). Labour Against the War conference fringe meeting. Venue: Bournemouth International Hotel, Priory Road, Bournemouth. Speakers include: Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Yasmin Khan (de Menezes Campaign), Milan Rai (Peace News), Christine Shawcroft (LP NEC), Walter Wolfgang. Alan Simpson MP (chair) Monday 24 September 2007 (7pm). Labour Briefing / Socialist Campaign Group / Campaign for Socialism Venue: Royal Exeter Hotel, Exeter Road, Bournemouth Speakers include: Tony Benn, Rob Kelsall (GMB), John McDonnell MP, Gordon McKay (Campaign for Socialism), Cllr Susan Press, Darren Williams (Welsh Labour Grassroots), Christine Shawcroft (LP NEC) Tuesday 25 September 2007 (7.30pm). Another World is Necessary - LRC Rally & Social Venue : Marsham Court Hotel, Russell-Cotes Road, East Cliff Speakers include: Tony Benn, Billy Bragg, Brian Caton (POA), Katy Clark MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Lynne Jones MP, Paul Kenny (GMB), John McDonnell MP, Keith Norman (ASLEF - tbc), Mark Serwotka (PCS), Christine Shawcroft (LP NEC), Alan Simpson MP - tbc |
| 28th September - One of Tony Benn's grandchildren has been selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Worthing East at the age of 17. Mr Benn commented "I'm very proud of her... "She is very knowledgeable and committed and has helped me with my campaigns in the past." |
| 28th September - Tony Benn gave a mixed reaction to Gordon Brown's conference speech. He asked the question; "In a government of all talents, where's anyone on the left included, where's any trade unions?" He also stated; "It was a speech with which you could win a general election without any doubt. It was personal to him - his background, his family, his eyes, his education - which was authentic. Listening I knew he believed what he was saying and trust is far more important than charisma. It was a speech you could go to a general election with. I'm not in favour of prime ministers setting their election date but given Gordon Brown does have that power, if i was asked to advise him I would that is the sensible thing to do." |
| 20th October - Mr Benn has donated a signed personal drawing to a charity auction in aid of Dorset wildlife trust. You can bid on the picture on Ebay |
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| 18th November - A new band 'Target Renegade' have sampled Tony Benn's voice for a new song 'No Escape', you can listen to the song on their myspace page. |
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| 27th November - After a gap of a number of years, Tony Benn is taking his one man 'show' back on the road. Organiser Clive Conway stated 'He played to sell-out audiences everywhere last time and we were all taken aback by the way it all took off , particularly Tony,'... "He stopped a few years back to concentrate on other things, like his writing, so it's great he can now do some more. There's going to be lots of demand." Dates confirmed so far are 21st Feb 2008 : Regents College Theatre, London 29th Feb 2008 : Wimbledon Theatre 20th Mar 2008 : Birmingham Town Hall 11th Apr 2008 : Cheltenham Town Hall |
| 21st February - Mr Benn will be speaking at an 'anti acadamies' conference on the 8th March, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS, 10.30am to 3.30pm other speakers include: Francis Beckett, Fiona Millar, Ken Purchase MP, Jon Cruddas MP, Frank Dobson MP, Christina McAnea (UNISON head of Education), and representatives from the TUC, ATL, NASUWT, NUT and UNISON. For more information |
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| 16th February - Mr Benn wrote to all 646 MPs urging them to back a referendum on the EU constitution. You can read the text of the letter |
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| 13th February - An interview appeared in the 'Ham & High' with Mr Benn. You can read the interview |
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| 7th February - Tony Benn wrote a poem for a song performed by Colin Macintyre who used to perform under the name Mull Historical Society. For more information |
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| 4thFebruary - The Wilson doctrine concerning the banning of the bugging of MPs was dismissed as a "complete illusion", by Mr Benn. He stated that the bugging of Sadiq Khan highlighted a practice that had been going on for years.
"The Wilson doctrine is a complete illusion," Benn told the Guardian. "They have always intercepted MPs. The idea that MPs have been protected is not true." He said that he had been wary of making too much of this in the past because he knew he would be accused of being paranoid. He pointed to his diaries showing what happened when he wrote to Merlyn Rees, the then-home secretary, asking if his phone was being tapped. Rees replied saying that he could not answer the question. "That had been the practice and [Rees] was not prepared to vary it in respect of a member of parliament. The fact that I am a privy counsellor, a cabinet colleague and a senior member of the government made no difference to him," Benn wrote in his entry for October 11 1978. Benn later took the matter up with James Callaghan, the then-prime minister. Callaghan told Benn that his phone was not being intercepted. According to the diary entry, Benn replied: "I did not say it was. But my son picked up my voice on the radio the other day, and my daughter made a call and heard a recording of what I had just said." Benn said today: "The reality is that we have never been told the truth about what the intelligence agencies are up to... The truth has come out," he said. "This has been going on for a long time. We have been living in a police state for a long time." |
| 26th August - Tony Benn sends the following message urging people to join the Stop the War demonstration at the Labour party
conference in Manchester on Saturday 20 September.
STOP THE SPREAD OF WAR War in the Caucasus has highlighted the growing danger of war spreading. Seven years after the start of the war on terror, occupation continues to bring misery to Iraq and Afghanistan, but the consequences of the war are spreading. US policy of expanding NATO eastwards has been an important feature of the conflict between Russia and Georgia, as has the West's desire to control the oil and other natural resources of the region. The British government continues its uncritical support for George Bush, with foreign minister David Miliband echoing Bush's claim that invading other people's countries is not acceptable in the 21st century. Their hypocrisy is staggering. The war on terror has been a failure and the majority of people in Britain want the British troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Their view is matched by the majority of citizens in Iraq and Afghanistan, where high levels of violence, death, refugees and lack of basic facilities are all part of everyday life for millions. Despite all this,the US is stepping up its threats against Iran. When he came to office, Gordon Brown promised to plan troop withdrawal from Iraq. He has reneged on that promise. We are demonstrating in Manchester to make clear we want to stop war spreading and we want all the troops home now. We urge you to join us. - TONY BENN. |
| 26th August - Mr Benn will be speaking at a convention of the Left in Manchester on Sunday 21st September in Manchester. |
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| 2nd August - Mr Benn commented on the rumours surrounding the Labour Party leadership; "If we are going to recover, it won't be because of personalities and all that.
The policies must be based on common sense and meet peoples' needs.
If we do that, it will absolutely transform our party." This is an short piece relating to New Labour with Tony Benn on Sky News, it takes a few seconds to load and there is an advert before it starts. |
| 30th July - Tony Benn commented on the death of former Labour MP Eric Varley ; "Former Labour Cabinet minister Tony Benn said: "I worked very closely with Eric over the years. He had a very long stretch as an MP and was very well respected. It is a great loss." |
| 22nd June - Tony Benn wrote about Karl Marx as part of an Observer piece on '10 Ideas That Changed The Course of History : "Marx's analysis is uniquely important because it studied the development of modern capitalism. He said the conflict in the world is not between genders and races, it's between the 95 per cent who create the world's wealth and the 5 per cent who own it. His analysis of where power lay explained it so clearly that the people who were being exploited realised this. He gave us the best explanation of what was going on at the time, and it's even more relevant today. Capitalism has got stronger but people are beginning to understand what it's about. He helps people to understand for example, that America invaded Iraq because they wanted the oil. And don't forget his moral judgment - anyone could have written a book about capitalism, but he said it was wrong. That's what gives strength to it. I think Marx's ideas are inextricable from the idea of democracy. Stalin distorted them to justify a dictatorship but you can't blame Marx for that. Stalin has nothing to do with Marx in the way the Spanish Inquisition have nothing to do with Jesus". |
| 8th May - Tony Benn spoke in Dublin against the Lisbon Treaty. |
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