| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
iwarburton
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 2133
Location: Northumberland
|
 Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:49 am Post subject: Welcome Back, Mr Benn?? |
 |
|
Tony Benn, who retired from Parliament in 2001, is looking to stand at the next General Election, by which time he could be anything up to 85 years old.
It's hard not to feel some sympathy--he lost his wife just before retiring and may feel a bit purposeless even now. Also, he clearly is still very active mentally.
But I doubt if I would vote for an 85-year-old candidate, regardless of party represented.
Then again, Sir Winston Churchill would have been nearly 85 at the time of his last election to Parliament in 1959.
Am I being ageist to Mr Benn?
Ian (59 years and 2 months!) |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 4861
Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ian Paisley will be upset. At 81 he is currently father of the house as well as being 1st Minister of Northern Ireland and head of a church.
_________________
His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Behind Geddon's Wall
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 1553
Location: Kingston Upon Hull/ The Cloud Factory
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hull East is currently looking for an MP, I for one would be glad to have him as our MP come the next General Election. Most of our representatives in Westminster are grey, featureless automatons who toe the party line, Tony Benn would certainly spice things up.
_________________
Geddon
You simply mustn't blame yourself -- the days were perfect
And so were exactly what I was born to spoil
For I am the Rider to the World's End
Bound across the cinder causeway
From the furnace to the quarry
Through the fields of oil |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
firewirefred
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I have the utmost respect for Tony Benn, and I'd love to see him back in the Commons - preferably as my MP!
I've just finished reading his autobiography and it's excellent. What I like about Tony Benn is that he hasn't wavered one bit from his original philosophies or political beliefs.
Only one thing I disagree with him about is the reasoning for his action in closing down the pirate radio stations when he was Minister of Posts and Telecommunications back in 1967, but other than that I very much agree with him on most matters - especially the reasons why the UK and USA are maintaining such a high presence in Iraq and Afghanistan! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 4861
Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| firewirefred wrote: | What I like about Tony Benn is that he hasn't wavered one bit from his original philosophies or political beliefs.
|
Well he is a harmless old eccentric so nobody bothers to scrutinise his statements too much but only a fool doesnt change his beliefs in light of the world changing around him.
Wonder if his son is excited at having his dad back at work with him?
_________________
His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
firewirefred
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| gfloyd wrote: | | Well he is a harmless old eccentric so nobody bothers to scrutinise his statements too much but only a fool doesnt change his beliefs in light of the world changing around him. |
I don't think he is an old fool - and I applaud him for holding onto his basic principles in an age when the majority of other senior politicians are only worried about image, focus groups and pandering to the latest trends in an effort to retain their seats and their status.
Like I said, I found his autobiography an enlightening read - and an entertaining one at that (I found his self-depracating humour a suprise).
| gfloyd wrote: | | Wonder if his son is excited at having his dad back at work with him? |
I feel sure that he will be. After all, Benn Snr was in the Commons when his own father was a senior Minister. And Benn Jnr (Hilary) has been an MP alongside his father for several years anyhow.
I wish we had more MPs like Tony Benn. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 4861
Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
No Benn has the luxury to be principled when he knows he will never have to implement anything or take hard decisions. Politics is about the art of the possible or to put it bluntly: compromise.
_________________
His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
firewirefred
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| gfloyd wrote: | | No Benn has the luxury to be principled when he knows he will never have to implement anything or take hard decisions. |
Tony Benn had to implement many difficult policies and he had to take many hard decisions throughout his long parliamentary career, it would appear. From my understanding, his underlying principles have changed very little in all that time - even though he has been in a position of having to face the harsh realities of being a senior Government minister. His father was in exactly the same position - and no doubt his son will be too.
| gfloyd wrote: | | Politics is about the art of the possible or to put it bluntly: compromise. |
I wouldn't say it was about "compromise" all of the time - Thatcher wasn't best known for her ability to compromise, after all, but there are certainly many times when compromise has to be reached, of course. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
