Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn, originally known as Anthony Wedgwood Benn or Wedgie Benn, but later as Tony Benn, was a British politician who was a Member of Parliamentfor 47 years between the 1950 and 2001 general elections and a Cabinet minister in the Labour governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1960s and 1970s. Originally a "moderate", he was identified as being on the party's hard left from the early 1980s, and was widely seen as a key...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth3 April 1925
ashamed believed life
Making mistakes is part of life. The only things I would feel ashamed of would be if I had said things I hadn't believed in order to get on. Some politicians do do that.
believe people moments
I believe the more difficult the circumstances, the more people will be inclined to trust those in charge at the moment.
believe tragedy politics
In the end, the tragedy of Harold Wilson was that you couldn't believe a word he said
believe ideas politics
She believes in something. It is an old-fashioned idea
father believe house
I don't believe in the hereditary principle in the House of Lords. Imagine going to the dentist, sitting in the chair and he says, 'I'm not a dentist myself, but my father was a dentist and his father before him. Now, open wide!
catching concerned turn
Madam, if you are so concerned about catching BSE, you should do what I do and turn vegetarian.
enter labor manifesto party written
I did not enter the labor Party forty-seven years ago to have our manifesto written by Dr. Mori, Dr. Gallup and Mr. Harris.
anxiety bill cause good house lawyers lords passed perhaps question send
It's a good question why this bill passed through the Commons so easily, but perhaps lawyers in the House of Lords can cause enough anxiety for them to send it back to the Commons for better consideration.
bristol cause equality justice
championed the cause of equality and justice in Bristol
peace people symbol whenever
Whenever a Concorde flies, people look at it, it's very graceful, it's very beautiful, it is a symbol of peace and international understanding.
argument nuclear principles stand treaty uphold
We would be told that it had been done to uphold the principles of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) - an argument that does not stand up to a moment's examination,
favour life means
At the end of my life, I was told to vote for it for pensioners; I' m not in favour of means tests for pensioners or anybody.
record recorded
I can't go to bed if I haven't done my diary. I always record them just as I've always recorded all my interviews and speeches.
business devote family giving parliament people spend time wife
Normally, people give up parliament because they want to do more business or spend more time with family. My wife said 'why don't you say you're giving up to devote more time to politics?'. And it is what I have done.