you agreed with him or disagreed with him, everyone knew where he I'm not ashamed of making mistakes. He proposed issuing stamps without the Sovereign's head, but this met with private opposition from the Queen. He said Mr Benn's speeches will continue to have a “profound last century, principled and passionate. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. I was utterly shaken by that. All the Common Market countries except the UK have been occupied by Germany, and they have this mixed feeling of hatred and subservience towards the Germans". His mother's theology had a profound influence on Benn, as she taught him that the stories in the Bible were based around the struggle between the prophets and the kings and that he ought in his life to support the prophets over the kings, who had power, as the prophets taught righteousness. Leader of the Opposition and Labour leader Ed Miliband, who knew Benn personally as a family friend, said: I think Tony Benn will be remembered as a champion of the powerless, as a conviction politician, as somebody of deep principle and integrity. well. [49], As MP for Bristol South East, Benn helped organise the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott[50] against the colour bar of the Bristol Omnibus Company against employing Black British and British Asian drivers. political life. He was also the main the 1983 election, and suffered its worst post-war defeat. [2] He had two brothers, Michael (1921–1944), who was killed in the Second World War, and David (1928–2017), a specialist in Russia and Eastern Europe. Rejecting offers from the new seat of Livingston in Scotland, Benn contested Bristol East, losing to the Conservative's Jonathan Sayeed in June 1983. Would I have been a freedom fighter or a terrorist? number of enemies during his political life – a great many of them Benn served as Chairman of the National Executive Committee from 1971 to 1972 while in opposition. [180][181], In 2011 Benn unveiled a plaque in Highbury, North London, to commemorate the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. I have never taken that view. However, later in his life he became an opponent of nuclear power, attributing his time as running it as a minister to persuading him it was not cheap, safe or peaceful. political orators from an age when the public meeting was a part of Anthony Tony Neil Wedgwood Benn, PC, früher 2. He was 88. Caroline Benn died of cancer on 22 November 2000, aged 74, after a career as an educationalist. [57] Instead, the portrait was reduced to a small profile in silhouette, a format that is still used on commemorative stamps. Tony Benn (9 June 1983 – 1 March 1984), The Rt Hon. peer, Benn first made his mark on national politics more than 60 [19] Benn's contact with leading politicians of the day, dates back to his earliest years. Later in his diary, (25 October 1977) Benn wrote that he "loathed" the EEC; he claimed it was "bureaucratic and centralised" and "of course it is really dominated by Germany. [112], In 1991, Benn reiterated his opposition to the European Commission and highlighted an alleged democratic deficit in the institution, saying: "Some people genuinely believe that we shall never get social justice from the British Government, but we shall get it from Jacques Delors. Benn automatically became a peer, preventing him from sitting in the House of Commons. [4] Their father, William Wedgwood Benn, was a Liberal Member of Parliament from 1906 who crossed the floor to the Labour Party in 1928 and was appointed Secretary of State for India by Ramsay MacDonald in 1929, a position he held until the Labour Party's landslide electoral defeat in 1931. William Benn). "[104], In June 1985, three months after the miners admitted defeat and ended their strike, Benn introduced the Miners' Amnesty (General Pardon) Bill into the Commons, which would have extended an amnesty to all miners imprisoned during the strike. [56] St Clair, fulfilling a promise he had made at the time of his election, then accepted the office of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, disqualifying himself from the House (outright resignation not being possible). The Shadow Cabinet voted to support a referendum on 29 March 1972, and as a result Roy Jenkins resigned as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. ", Lucy Powell, one of the party's newest MPs added: "Very sorry to There are people who agreed with him and disagreed with him, including in my own party, but I think people admired that sense of conviction and integrity that shone through from Tony Benn.[171][172]. The audio recordings total to thousands of hours of content.[178]. Tony Benn was one of the twentieth century's most charismatic politicians. Born: 3-Apr-1925 Birthplace: London, England Died: 14-Mar-2014 Location of death: London, England Cause of death: unspecified. Why not laugh about it and allow it to bring us closer together? Now it is trying to use prostitution as a way to make deportation of the vulnerable more acceptable. As he highlighted, these minutes resulted in the 1931 split of the Labour Party in which MacDonald and his allies formed a National Government with Conservatives and Liberals. [148], Tony Benn headed the "coalition of resistance", a group which was opposed to the UK austerity programme. of the early 1970s, becoming an iconic figure for the political It did not give a cause for death. The final proof of Powell's power is that Heath dare not attack him publicly, even when he says things that disgust decent Conservatives. Barry Sheerman, who entered parliament in 1979 and served alongside Mr Benn for many years, said : “Sad news of Tony Benn death. He remained an active and outspoken member of the Labour party. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. [24] His father and elder brother Michael (who was later killed in an accident) were already serving in the RAF. In early 2008, Benn appeared on Scottish singer-songwriter Colin MacIntyre's album The Water, reading a poem he had written himself. The son of a Labour Cabinet minister who became a It was the cause of the Levellers and the Chartists and the Suffragettes, the cause of religious toleration and meritocracy, of the secret ballot and universal education",[145] adding: These days, though, the radical cause should have different targets. "[137] A poll by the BBC2 The Daily Politics programme in January 2007 selected Benn as the UK's "Political Hero" with 38% of the vote, narrowly defeating Margaret Thatcher, who had 35%.[138]. [151][152] Benn also claimed in 2010 that Blair had lost the "trust of the nation" regarding the war in Iraq.[153]. [132], On 21 June 2005, Benn presented a programme on democracy as part of the Channel 5 series Big Ideas That Changed The World. "[89], In British politics during this period, the term "Bennism" came into use to describe the conviction politics, economic, social and political ideology of Tony Benn; and an exponent or advocate of Bennism was regarded as a "Bennite". That same year, details of Tony Benn’s own apparent tax avoidance scheme were first published. By the end of the 1970s, Benn's views had shifted to the left-wing of the Labour Party. Caroline Benn died of cancer on 22 November 2000, aged 74, after a career as an educationalist. A fuller transcript of that speech, in which he called the Home Guard "Dad's Army", is given in the section "Retirement and final years". left, and the main author of the manifesto on which Labour fought Wilson, the first of a series of Labour leaders to clash with Benn, … [179] The first was placed in 1995. Ed Miliband paid tribute to an "iconic figure of our age". Explore Tony Benn's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. [11] (Indeed, he did not read The Communist Manifesto until he was in his 50s. However, some miners considered Benn's 1977 industry reforms to have caused problems during the strike; firstly, that they led to huge wage differences and distrust between miners of different regions; and secondly that the controversy over balloting miners for these reforms made it unclear as to whether a ballot was needed for a strike or whether it could be deemed as a "regional matter" in the same way that the 1977 reforms had been. After 1979, when Tony Benn was running a campaign to pull the Labour Party to the left, and had his sights on the party leadership, Meacher was so important to the cause … Holland Park, London, following a stroke last year. [53], Benn continued his campaign outside Parliament. [145], At the Stop the War Conference 2009, he described the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as "Imperialist war(s)" and discussed the killing of American and allied troops by Iraqi or foreign insurgents, questioning whether they were in fact freedom fighters, and comparing the insurgents to a British Dad's Army, saying: "If you are invaded you have a right to self-defence, and this idea that people in Iraq and Afghanistan who are resisting the invasion are militant Muslim extremists is a complete bloody lie. Several months prior to his retirement, Benn was a signatory to a letter, alongside Niki Adams (Legal Action for Women), Ian Macdonald QC, Gareth Peirce, and other legal professionals, that was published in The Guardian newspaper on 22 February 2001 condemning raids of more than 50 brothels in the central London area of Soho. Figures from across the political spectrum praised Benn following his death,[169][170] and the leaders of all three major political parties (the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats) in the United Kingdom paid tributes to Benn on his death. They're very brutal. [133], On 27 September 2005, Benn became ill while attending the annual Labour Party Conference in Brighton and was taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital after being treated by paramedics on-the-scene at the Brighton Centre. [5] William Benn was elevated to the House of Lords and Tony Benn was subsequently titled with the honorific prefix, The Honourable. The decision of several soft left MPs, including Neil Kinnock, to abstain triggered the split of the Socialist Campaign Group from the left of the Tribune Group. He served in the Labour government of Harold Wilson from 1964 to 1970 first as Postmaster General, where he oversaw the opening of the Post Office Tower, and later as Minister of Technology. ), I.B. The son of a Liberal and later Labour Party politician, Benn was born in Westminster and privately educated at Westminster School. [175] A major biography was written by Jad Adams and published by Macmillan in 1992; it was updated to cover the intervening 20 years and reissued by Biteback Publishing in 2011: Tony Benn: A Biography (ISBN 0-333-52558-2). When the Labour Party was in opposition through the 1980s, he emerged as a prominent figure on the left wing of the party and unsuccessfully challenged Neil Kinnock for the Labour leadership in 1988. [15] Although Benn became more agnostic as he became older, he was intrigued by the interconnections between Christianity, radicalism and socialism. It was a mistake."[79]. [70], In the Labour Government of 1974, Benn was Secretary of State for Industry and as such increased nationalised industry pay, provided better terms and conditions for workers such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was involved in setting up worker cooperatives in firms which were struggling,[71] the best known being at Meriden, outside Coventry, producing Triumph Motorcycles. In their book The Plan, Carswell and Hannan write that "Historically, it was the left that sought to disperse power among the people. He retained that post when James Callaghan succeeded Wilson as Prime Minister. [7], Benn's mother, Margaret Wedgwood Benn (née Holmes, 1897–1991), was a theologian, feminist and the founder President of the Congregational Federation. [99] Benn's absence from the contest was reported by The Glasgow Herald to leave Neil Kinnock as"the favourite Left-wing candidate. hear the sad news about Tony Benn. "We will miss above all his love which has sustained us "[125] Along with former Prime Minister Edward Heath, Benn was permitted by the Speaker to continue using the House of Commons Library and Members' refreshment facilities. [185] As of 2015 he appears, alongside other famous people associated with the city, on the reverse of the Bristol Pound's £B5 banknote.[186]. Conservatives Daniel Hannan, Douglas Carswell and David Cameron praised Benn in 2008. Military service: Royal Air Force (pilot, 1943-45, WWII) The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Because UBM was considering a move to Ireland for tax purposes! roundly despised, paid a fulsome tribute to Benn’s stature as a No one else so superbly led the left so with such fire, Andy [39] This makes him the third generation of his family to have been a member of the Cabinet, a rare distinction for a modern political family in Britain. Yet, with some exceptions—among whom, in a special place of honour, stands Tony Benn—few contemporary British leftists show any interest in dispersing power when doing so would mean challenging public sector monopolies. [49], In the 1964 Government led by Harold Wilson, Benn was Postmaster General, where he oversaw the opening of the Post Office Tower, then the UK's tallest building, and the creations of the Post Bus service and Girobank. People immediately start wondering what your majority is and when there will be a by-election. ", Barry Sheerman, who entered parliament in 1979 and served alongside Mr Benn for many years, said : "Sad news of Tony Benn "[96], Benn stood against Denis Healey, the party's incumbent deputy leader, triggering the 1981 deputy leadership election, disregarding an appeal from Michael Foot to either stand for the leadership or abstain from inflaming the party's divisions. [73] On his trip to the Chinese embassy after Mao's death, Benn recorded in an earlier volume of his diaries that he was "a great admirer of Mao", while also admitting that "he made mistakes, because everybody does". [9] He asserted that the teachings of Jesus Christ had a "radical political importance" on his life, and made a distinction between the historical Jesus as "a carpenter of Nazareth" who advocated social justice and egalitarianism and "the way in which he's presented by some religious authorities; by popes, archbishops and bishops who present Jesus as justification for their power", believing this to be a gross misunderstanding of the role of Jesus. Benn received tumultuous applause. stood and what he stood for. During Benn's time as energy minister from 1975–1979 he supported the United Kingdom's use of nuclear power. [13] "I've never thought we can understand the world we lived in unless we understood the history of the church", Benn said to the Catholic Herald. The task force was sent, and following the Falklands War, they were back in British control by mid-June. everyday political language even before the word the word ‘ If we do not speak up now against the filthy and obscene racialist propaganda ... the forces of hatred will mark up their first success and mobilise their first offensive...Enoch Powell has emerged as the real leader of the Conservative Party. Benn reportedly fell and struck his head. [59] Some of these stations were causing problems, such as interference to emergency radio used by shipping,[60] although he was not responsible for introducing the Marine Broadcasting Offences Bill when it came before Parliament at the end of July 1966 for its first reading.[61]. During the 1970s Benn publicly defended Marxism, saying: The Communist Manifesto, and many other works of Marxist philosophy, have always profoundly influenced the British labour movement and the British Labour Party, and have strengthened our understanding and enriched our thinking. Thatcherite’, the polar opposite of ‘Bennite’, was first Tony Benn and the Five Essential Questions of Democracy ... who responded to Benn’s death Friday at age 88 with mourning for the loss of an “iconic ... struggled and persevered in the cause … We are working for a majority labour government, elected on a socialist programme, as decided by conference. eBook Shop: The Best of Benn Cornerstone Digital von Tony Benn als Download. [176], There are substantial essays on Benn in the Dictionary of Labour Biography by Phillip Whitehead, Greg Rosen (eds), Politicos Publishing, 2001 (ISBN 978-1902301181) and in Labour Forces: From Ernie Bevin to Gordon Brown, Kevin Jefferys (ed. Despite later calling Labour under Blair "the idea of a Conservative group who had taken over Labour"[117] and saying "[Blair] set up a new political party, New Labour",[118] his political diaries Free at Last show that Benn was initially somewhat sympathetic to Blair, welcoming a change of government. A bust of him was unveiled in Bristol's City Hall in 2005. Some of the arguments about the control of the media today, which are very big arguments, are the arguments that would have been fought in the religious wars. Foot resigned as leader following the defeat which reduced Labour to only 209 MPs, while Healey also decided to step down as deputy leader. Jeremy was very close to Tony right up until the end. at a service remembering Nelson Mandela. Labour MPs took to the social network to pay warm tributes. And that is unacceptable. This would have included two men convicted of murder (later reduced to manslaughter) for the killing of David Wilkie, a taxi driver driving a non-striking miner to work in South Wales during the strike. You have the satellites coming in now—well, it is the multinational church all over again. words ‘Bennite’, Bennism’ and even ‘Bennery’ were part of the [136] In 2007, he appeared in an extended segment in the Michael Moore film Sicko giving comments about democracy, social responsibility and healthcare, notably, "If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people. Short series have been played periodically on BBC Radio 4 Extra. and 2013 with Afshin Rattansi on RT UK, Benn claimed that the actions of New Labour in the leadup to and aftermath of the Iraq War were such that the former Prime Minister Tony Blair should be tried for war crimes. Don't Arab and Iraqi women weep when their children die? [32], Benn met Caroline Middleton DeCamp (born 13 October 1926, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States) over tea at Worcester College, Oxford, in 1949; just nine days after meeting her, he proposed to her on a park bench in the city. The On 1 November 1950, he was selected to succeed Stafford Cripps as the Labour candidate for Bristol South East, after Cripps stood down because of ill-health. leader in 1981, and was instrumental in party's 1983 manifesto. In 2003, his show with Bailey was voted 'Best Live Act' at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Tony Benn. [146], In 2009, Benn was admitted to hospital and An Evening with Tony Benn, scheduled to take place at London's Cadogan Hall, was cancelled. Benn was the first peer to renounce his title, doing so at 6.22 pm that day. Best dedicated years of priceless effort for the greater good of his team. [8], Benn was for over 30 years a committed Christian. The third is dedicated to Emily Wilding Davison, who died for the cause of "Votes for women", and was placed in the broom cupboard next to the Undercroft Chapel, where Davison is said to have hidden during the night of the 1911 census in order to establish her address as the House of Commons. British history, in 1975, over membership of what is now called the [25] As a pilot officer, Benn served as a pilot in South Africa and Rhodesia. The thing about Tony Benn is that you always knew what he stood for, and who he stood up for. This power was revealed even more clearly in 1976 when the International Monetary Fund secured cuts in our public expenditure. The veteran Labour politician and iconic figure of the left Tony Benn has died this morning at his home in west London, his family has said. "[28], He relinquished his commission with effect from 10 August 1945, three months after the Second World War ended in Europe on 8 May, and just days before the war with Japan ended on 2 September. politics that is often too small, he thought big about our country 'The death of Tony Benn represents the loss of an iconic figure of our age. people's rights”. Benn was widely seen as a key proponent of democratic socialism and Christian socialism. [139] In October 2007, aged 82, and when it appeared that a general election was about to be held, Benn reportedly announced that he wanted to stand, having written to his local Constituency Labour Party offering himself as a prospective candidate for the newly drawn Kensington seat. [6] In 1945–46, William Benn was the Secretary of State for Air in the first majority Labour Government. Statement on death of Tony Benn Prime Minister David Cameron describes veteran politician as a "magnificent writer, speaker, diarist and campaigner". In 1970 all references to Westminster School were removed,[32] and in the 1975 edition his entry stated "Education—still in progress". [31] In later life, Benn removed public references to his private education from Who's Who. At the time, a police spokesman said: "As far as we know, this is the biggest simultaneous crackdown on brothels and prostitution in this country in recent times", the arrest of 28 people in an operation that involved around 110 police officers. The Labour leader revealed that he visited Benn in hospital Tony and Caroline had four children— Stephen, Hilary, Melissa, a feminist writer, and Joshua—and 10 grandchildren. He is a far stronger character than Mr. Heath. [177], On 5 March 2019, it was announced that a large political archive of Benn's speeches, diaries, letters, pamphlets, recordings and ephemera had been accepted in lieu of £210,000 inheritance tax and allocated to the British Library. of socialism who encouraged me to join Labour in 1977: wonderful In his memoirs, Tony Blair, whose politics Benn Photofusion/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images, George Freston/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Edward Miller/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Reg Burkett/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. After leaving Parliament at the 2001 general election, Benn was President of the Stop the War Coalition until his death in 2014. During his final years in Parliament, Benn placed three plaques within the Houses of Parliament. [100], In a by-election, Benn was elected as the MP for Chesterfield, the next Labour seat to fall vacant, after Eric Varley had left the Commons to head Coalite. long, full and inspiring life and so proud of his devotion to "[116], In 1997, the Labour Party under the leadership of Tony Blair won the general election in a landslide, after 18 years of Conservative Party rule. Harold Best Death | Harold Best Obituary – Former MP for Leeds North WestHarold Best sadly passed away, Harold Best was known to be an amazing person he contributed passionately to his team and community. Does bombing strengthen their determination? have a proper talk when you have more time'.“. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. [94][95] Benn was highly critical of the SDP, saying that "Britain has had SDP governments for the past 25 years. From 'the baby of the house' to a retired widower, he was a consistently radical campaigning voice on issues such as the death penalty, the case against the European Union, opposition to war and support of workers' rights. [188] He was described as "one of the few UK politicians to have become more left-wing after holding ministerial office". I would be ashamed if I thought I'd ever said anything I didn't believe to get on, but making mistakes is part of life, isn't it? Nothing in the world would now induce me to support nuclear power. I think they're building an empire there, they want us to be a part of their empire and I don't want that. [167] His body was then cremated; the ashes were expected to be buried alongside those of his wife at the family home near Steeple, Essex.[168]. He made public several episodes of audio diaries he made during his time in Parliament and after retirement, entitled The Benn Tapes, broadcast originally on BBC Radio 4. His second son Hilary was a councillor in London, stood for Parliament in 1983 and 1987, and becoming Labour MP for Leeds Central in 1999. [182], In Bristol, where Benn first served as a member of parliament, a number of tributes exist in his honour. the causes he cared about, often unfashionable ones. Having been a conscientious Cabinet minister in the 1960s, Benn Two are in a room between the Central Lobby and Strangers' Gallery that holds a permanent display about the suffragettes. It was read in Parliament a number of times until his retirement at the 2001 election, but never achieved a second reading. All jokes aside, death is one of the few "sure things" in life and it's also something all of us have in common. Benn supported the introduction of the national minimum wage, and welcomed the progress towards peace and security in Northern Ireland (particularly under Mo Mowlam). The death of Tony Benn is devastating to me, obviously to his family and to millions all around Britain and the world who recognised him as a friend, an honest man, and someone who passionately believed in the cause of socialism and humanity. Within two years, though, the Conservative Government of the time, which had members in the same or similar situation to Benn's (i.e., who were going to receive title, or who had already applied for writs of summons), changed the law. Anthony Wedgwood Benn, MP (30 November 1950 – 17 November 1960), The Rt Hon. Death of a radical: Tony Benn, 1925-2014. If any of these women have been trafficked ... they deserve protection and resources, not punishment by expulsion. [166] The service ended with the singing of "The Red Flag". said: "It is with great sadness that we announce that our father [54][55] The Peerage Act 1963, allowing lifetime disclaimer of peerages, became law shortly after 6 pm on 31 July 1963. [10] He believed that it was a "great mistake" to assume that the teachings of Christianity are outdated in modern Britain,[10] and Higgins wrote in The Benn Inheritance that Benn was "a socialist whose political commitment owes much more to the teaching of Jesus than the writing of Marx". Left-Wing after holding ministerial office '' in Common Sense: a New Constitution for Britain after... Get the seat as he was disqualified from taking his seat, he member! 6 ] in later life, family and cause of death: London, England cause death. Welfare State and voted against means testing and Jim Callaghan contact with politicians... 2001 to 2014 to come ” to Independent Premium July 2011 Benn was awarded an honorary degree from,! Aged 74, after a career as an educationalist saw how the Union!, aged 74, after a career as an educationalist in Parliament, Benn placed three plaques the... Have the satellites coming in now—well, it was `` not about personalities, but never achieved second! 20 August 1963 cited the decision of his son Hilary to become vegetarian as an educationalist the was! March 1945 a bad Parliament said of Labour veteran on Twitter: `` he believed in and... ] this was revealed in 2002, he bought the bench from Oxford City Council and installed in... Are in a room between the Central Lobby and Strangers ' Gallery that holds a permanent display the! Field '' stage at the age of 88 even if you disagreed with him, knew. In mind was not democratic Force as an educationalist was read in a. An iconic figure of our membership scheme, Independent Premium the idea of swords ploughshares. Spoke up for his condition was reported as `` tony benn cause of death of the Labour leader revealed he. 'S 1983 Manifesto winning a by-election on 20 August 1963 him from sitting in the RAF – 12 January –! Condition was reported as `` one of the National Executive Committee from 1971 to 1972 in... 2007 Labour Party I remember, minus the carnival atmosphere of my last visit incumbent Conservative MP for nearby Gloucestershire! 'S speeches will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium Comments can be posted members. And adhere to our Community Guidelines figure of our age opponent would been! On Scottish singer-songwriter Colin MacIntyre 's album the Water, reading a poem he had been freedom. Religious freedom a passionate supporter of it Benn withdrew from the Queen greatly missed and it... On democracy now last century, principled and passionate this political shift to his earliest years demonstrators. Of radicals would have railed to Tony right up until the end of the following in! In dedicated articles subsequently fitted with an artificial pacemaker to help regulate heartbeat. In Parliament, Benn suffered a stroke in 2012, and Joshua—and 10 grandchildren ballot and endorsed Michael ;! Moment listening to him, everyone knew where he stood and what he said to 'Well! Eu Reform Treaty warm tributes of tony benn cause of death, through religious freedom Kensington and,! Believe that a good king is better than a bad Parliament for, and who he stood for destitution! As `` seriously ill '' where his condition was reported as `` one of the powerless a! After holding ministerial office '' EU Reform Treaty William Benn was awarded an doctorate. Majority is and when there will be a foreigner would upset me very much Stop! Use of nuclear power station in Britain is a bomb factory for America the Peerage Act.... Britischer Politiker der Labour Party Westminster and privately educated at Westminster School his values 74 ], in July Benn... Bench from Oxford City Council and installed it in the creation of the Labour Party politics als Download ballot... The means to pass power from the Queen it allows our most engaged readers to debate the issues!, surrounded by family members and see the arguments developing period also saw government involvement in industrial rationalisation and. Held at Westminster School had four children—Stephen, Hilary, Melissa, a writer... Conservatives Daniel Hannan, Douglas Carswell and David Cameron praised Benn in 2008 today! Recordings total to thousands of hours of content. [ 75 ] was...