Interview with Tony Benn

Emdad Rahman: We are meeting a Labour party Politician and former MP who has spent the vast majority of his illustrious life serving though politics. The national treasure we are referring to here is the great Tony Benn.

Born in April 1925, Tony Benn, an RAF Pilot during the Second World War, is the current President of the Stop the War Coalition and has served as a Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament. In 1950 Benn, who was hugely influential in the establishment of the 1963 Peerage Act, succeeded Sir Stafford Cripps, winning Bristol South East to become a Labour MP. On taking his oath, he became the youngest MP, or “Baby of the House”. His record lasted a day, but he did retain the title after Thomas Teevan failed to get re-elected in 1951.

Benn’s father was Viscount Stansgate. After his death in 1960 Benn automatically became a peer and was thus prevented from sitting in the House of Commons.  Insisting on his right to abandon his peerage, Benn renounced the title he inherited from his father, who under Winston Churchill, had been made a Labour peer in 1942.

Speaking to Kevin Zeese in 2005, Benn said: “My Great-grandfather was a Congregational Minister and my Mother was a Bible scholar, and I was brought up on the Bible, that the story of the Bible was conflict between the kings who had power, and the prophets who preached righteousness. And I was taught to believe in the prophets, got me into a lot of trouble. And my Dad said to me when I was young, ‘Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to let it (be) known.'”

Under Harold Wilson’s Government of 1964-70, Benn served as Minister of Technology, supervised the opening of the Post Office Tower and retained his cabinet position, as well as holding the office of Postmaster General. During the 1974-79 Labour years, Benn returned to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Industry, and then Secretary of State for Energy. He retained his post even after Harold Wilson was replaced by James Callaghan as Prime Minister. As the Labour Party’s most notable figure on the Left, Benn is a massive inspiration and a hugely important figure in the British Socialist movement. In the aftermath of the London riots Benn’s words ring true: “It is truly unfortunate that we lost a young life with the death of Mark Duggan. The riots give us insight into the harsher elements of our society.”

“Our services are stretched. There is unemployment and depression. Our Police are overwhelmed. They are finding it difficult to deal with the people’s sense of despair, which is a lot to blame for criminal activity in our society.”

Benn is President of the Stop the War Colition, which was set up after 9/11/2001. He once said of Margaret Thatcher: “The word terrorist is a term of abuse used to describe those with whom you disagree. According to Mrs Thatcher the ANC are terrorists.”

After the publication of Tony Blair’s memoirs Benn famously wrote in the Observer:
“My interpretation of New Labour was that it arose when Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson concluded that Labour could never win unless it adopted the economic policy that Mrs Thatcher had set out. In this regard it succeeded and transformed British politics in a very fundamental way, culminating in Labour’s defeat in the 2010 general election. This was brought about by the alienation of New Labour from its natural base of public support, and created a general sense of cynicism about British politics from which we are still suffering.

“Those who read A Journey would do well to discover the thinking that lay behind this move to the right and why it is that so many solid Labour supporters feel deeply disappointed by the outcome. Indeed, it should become clear to every reader that the book is a journey describing Tony Blair’s political career with very little in it about the history and nature of the Labour party, which I do not believe he ever understood or liked very much.”

“What makes a good leader?” I ask. “Encouragement. Hope and encouragement.”

“What about Government cuts?” “We are being driven back into another recession. What we want is economic growth. When you make drastic and unthought-of cuts, you reduce spending and create despair. I think this is a very damaging policy that will lead to much despair. “Despair is a very negative force if there is no hope for anyone.” Referring to the Coalition Government Benn adds: “A lot of liberals are not happy. This Coalition is causing a lot of damage and many good people are rightfully concerned. We need to give people genuine hope.”

Benn is a paid up member of the Ed Miliband club. “I voted for Ed. He came to me as a work experience student aged fifteen. Before he was elected people were disillusioned. They saw someone they trusted and they voted for him. I hope he is a success. It will be all about what forces he can mobilise in his campaigns.”

The historian Alwyn W. Turner has written that Tony Benn had “emerged during the 1970s as the most persuasive and charismatic leader of the left for two decades, charming, funny and impassioned, as adept in the television studio as he was at mass rallies.”It’s easy to see why. For decades Tony Benn has been one of Britain’s highest profile Politicians. Aged 86, he is still full of boundless energy and vigour. He is a gentleman who is able to light up a room with his charisma, affability, wit and is a dying breed – a Politician who is revered by all who have the good fortune to experience his jovial nature. “I joined the Labour Party in 1942 aged 17 and was an MP for 52 years,” he reminisces with a genial smile.

Tony Benn is the stalwart of stalwarts. Barring John Parker, the veteran vegetarian has served more years as a Labour party Member of Parliament than anyone else.For us, it’s been inspiring sitting in the shadow of greatness. Having dedicated a whole life serving the interests of others, is it high time Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn put his feet up and took a back seat? Still full of beans, and with a twinkle in the eye, Benn doesn’t hesitate: “I will never hang up my boots.”