Heard Tony Benn on Any Questions on Saturday - he is usually good value on shows like that. He was responding to a question about whether the Labour Party was still socialist. His reply was that Labour has never been a socialist party, but there were always some socialists in it, like there have always been Christians in the churches.
He also once shared his mother's analysis of the Bible - that it is like the story of the world, a story of the struggle between prophets and kings.
I'm not sure he was a good minister (perhaps he's better suite to the role of prophet), but Parliament is the poorer for not having more people like him.
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An inexperienced TV interviewer once doorstepped Tony Benn for a comment.
'How long will you have on air for this?' asked Benn.
'30 seconds plus my question,' was the answer.
Benn, apparently, listened to the question then spoke for exactly 30 seconds without looking at his watch. He said it was the only way he could be sure his comments arrived on air without being altered.
Genius.
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