RIP Tony Benn

[eclectiktronik]

We've lost an exemplary figure.
One who kept up the struggle, and stayed true to his principles right to the end, in stark contrast to the party around him that had long ago lost its way. Eloquent in word and coherent in deed. An inspiration in the truest sense of the word. RIP Tony.

And he was good on Ali G too

[Plainstone]

We've lost an exemplary figure.

And how. Two of my closest friends here only knew him from the Michael Moore documentary Sicko, but even just his appearance in that made a deep impression on them.

Someone I used ot know often told the tory of meeting him at a debate at her high school in Scotland. She asked him who he most admired in politics, and he replied "Enoch Powell", because only Powell had the intellectual rigour to have a proper argument with.

And yes, he WAS great on Ali G

[toby.d]

I only learnt about this the day before last but wow, what a huge loss. I think I first got to know about him when my A-level politics teacher played the class a CD he had of Tony Benn speeches set to music. It was weird and cool of the teacher to admit to playing this CD a lot to 'relax' and I think everyone was taken in by this old politician guy who seemed to actually know what was going on. I can't think of anyone else in politics at the moment who real people can relate to - very sad.

Last week was a bad week for the country what with Tony Benn and Bob Crowe checking out.

[treeboy]

Been overseas, so only just found out the sad news. I always thought of him as an honest man with a very strong sense of what was right, and had the ability to connect with "ordinary" folk like me. He had the ability to cut through the political gobbledygook, and make a point in a way I could understand.