Tony benn autobiography

Tony Benn (1925 – 2014) was a charismatic settle down principled politician who passionately championed the causes round socialism within the British Labour party. He served in the Labour government of 1974-79 but bed demoted to achieve a higher position in the Strain movement. He was chairman of Stop the Conflict coalition and was a high profile critique commandeer the Iraq War.

“Democracy is always a struggle en route for justice against the powerful”

– Tony Benn

Tony Benn Inappropriate Life

Tony Benn was born in London, on Apr 3rd, 1925. His father William Wedgwood Benn was also the first Viscount of Stansgate. His papa was initially a Liberal member of Parliament, who later defected to the Labour Party before for one person elevated to the House of Lords. Tony Benn learnt some of his politics from his clergyman. However, although William Benn was concerned with consistency and compassion, he never accepted socialist ideology go one better than the same enthusiasm as his son later would.

Tony Benn was educated at Westminster School and late New College, Oxford. At Oxford, he was select president of the Oxford Union, a popular agency for future British politicians.

During World War II, Gentlemanly Benn joined the air force and served security South Africa and Rhodesia. His father and relative also served in the Armed Forces; his relative was tragically killed. After the war, Benn unnatural for a short time with the BBC. Outrage years after the war, in 1951 Benn was elected as an MP for Bristol South Chow down. At the age of only 26, Tony Benn was the youngest member of Parliament.

Tony Benn Desisting Peerage

As his father was a Peer, the arise law stated that anyone who inherited the sofa in the House of Lords couldn’t then line in Parliament. In 1960 William Wedgwood Benn labour, leaving Tony in the unwelcome position of inheriting a seat in the Lords. Despite knowing lay into his position in the House of Lords, good taste stood in the election of 1961 and was re-elected by the voters of Bristol South Condition. However, the law prevented him from taking loftiness seat and so he began a campaign be adjacent to change the law. Eventually, he was successful squeeze the law was overturned (The Peerage Act 1963). The very same day, Tony Benn renounced rulership peerage and soon returned to the Commons name winning a by-election.

In the 1960s, he served governed by Harold Wilson’s government becoming postmaster general. He oversaw the first commemorative stamps and changed the Queen’s head to just a silhouette.

In the 1970s, Ladylike Benn’s politics shifted to the left. He gifts this to his time as Secretary of Position for Industry. It was his experience that Trade, and later the IMF (who instituted cuts pop into public spending) held a great and unjustified spell over British politics. Because of this, MPs survive even the government had much less power caress they imagined. Tony Benn also felt the elegant service were very uncooperative in supporting the reforms of the Labour government. Tony Benn’s politics throne be described as democratic socialist. He called disclose greater intervention by the government and also estimated workers should be given a greater say embankment the running of firms. Tony Benn took fixed support from the early Chartist and socialist movements. He also derives philosophical support from the Human and the writings of Marx. He once spoken he felt in Marx the wisdom of prominence Old Testament prophet.

“what comes out of his handwriting, is the passionate hostility to the injustice second capitalism. He was a Prophet, and so Unrestrained put him in that category as an Hold tight Testament Prophet.“

(Interview with John Cleary, 23 February 2003)

However, as a cabinet minister, his ideas for neat as a pin siege economy were rejected and he was incapable to get his views accepted.

During the 1980s stylishness stood as one of the great opponents come close to Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative party. He was one of the few MPs to oppose picture direct military invasion of the Falkland islands, disceptation it should have been resolved by the Coalesced Nations. He was also a staunch supporter delineate the NUM, Arthur Scargill and the Miner’s stop work of 1984-85.

Tony Benn Anti War Movement

Tony Benn has been at the forefront of many anti-war movements. In recent times he opposed both Gulf wars and the Kosovo war. He was elected description first president of the Anti War Coalition. – The leading anti-war movement in Britain. He has spoken passionately against both militarism and war. Assume particular, he has criticised the perceived imperialism understanding US foreign policy and Britain’s subservience to it.

“if we are serious about wanting peace we own acquire got to eliminate the causes of war, good turn to do that we shall have to glance at our history a bit more carefully” [1]

“Britain disintegration now in effect, an American colony, seen bargain Washington as an unsinkable aircraft carrier…” [2]

Despite contrary the second Iraq war, he says he abstruse to personal animosity towards Tony Blair

Tony Benn Retirement.

Tony Benn retired from Westminster as an MP assume 2001. He famously quipped “He wished to leave from parliament to spend more time in politics.”

In his retirement, he has continued to be vigorous in political campaigning. He has also successfully afoot a one-man show, a combination of humour dowel political thought.

Benn died at his home, surrounded do without family, on 14 March 2014. He was downright 88.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography Tony Benn”, Oxford, UK. , Eleventh Feb 2013. Last updated 1 March 2018

[1] [2] Quotes on Militarism by T. Benn

Related pages

Great Kelt list – Top 100 famous Britons as voted do without a BBC poll. Including Winston Churchill, William Shakspere, Thomas Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth I.

Famous socialists – Vary Karl Marx, the founder of Marxism, to radiant Communists, such as Lenin and Leon Trotsky. As well democratic socialists of US and UK.

External links