Tony Benn died.
It is simple as that. I will not get too much into the politics but the below quotes sum up a human being who was truly a great man.
He was very much misunderstood and had a great sense of humour - in some respects he reminds me of me or perhaps it is his words that shaped me without me realising.
His BEST quote I believe (if not the funniest) IS the Five Questions:
"If one meets a powerful person - Rupert Murdoch, perhaps, or Joe Stalin or Hitler - one can ask five questions:
What power do you have;
Where did you get it;
In whose interests do you exercise it;
To whom are you accountable; and,
How can we get rid of you?
Anyone who cannot answer the last of those questions does not live in a democratic system."
Other great quotes:
"It is wholly wrong to blame Marx for what was done in his name, as it is to blame Jesus for what was done in his."
"A faith is something you die for; a doctrine is something you kill for; there is all the difference in the world" - 1989.
"When you get to No 10, you've climbed there on a little ladder called 'the status quo'. And when you are there, the status quo looks very good" - House of Commons, 1995.
"Love thy neighbour as thyself - that's an aspect of Christianity that hasn't reached the White House."
“We are not just here to manage capitalism but to change society and to define its finer values.”
“The Labour party has never been a socialist party, although there have always been socialists in it – a bit like Christians in the Church of England.”
If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people.
It’s the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you’re mad, then dangerous, then there’s a pause and then you can’t find anyone who disagrees with you.
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Progress is everywhere - and last night we were called mad by a few people as we unveiled our newest idea for JusTaxi - a brand ambassador programme where you can get free taxis in Manchester for a month.
I think Tony might have been proud of that - as long as the free taxis - go to the right people. In his honour I think they might. Perhaps he might not like the idea at all. Who knows. I guess I will never know now.
Truly a sad day. RIP Tony Benn. A legend in my mind, and some said in his own as well.
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