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I did not agree with several of Tony Benn's views but he was one of the very few politicians I've had any time for. He was motivated above all to fight for those he saw as oppressed and never compromised his beliefs. He consistently opposed Britain's membership of the EU, not because he was a little Englander with an abiding phobia about France and Germany, as many UKIP types are, but because he recognised it as fundamentally undemocratic and corrupt. He was at the forefront of those opposing the disastrous, pointless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One or two of those attacking him here appear to come under the category 'Sun-reading ignoramus'!

She gets ?700 for sitting on the sofa next to Michael Portillo.

jackdore wrote:

>
> One or two of those attacking him here appear to come under the
> category 'Sun-reading ignoramus'!
>
Or possibly genuine socialists.... such as Denis Healey's former chief of staff who had his to say about St Tony's attempt to become deputy leader of the party:

I believe that Benn was a parasite on their idealism. He annexed their loyalty to ideas and great causes and identified it with loyalty to himself. Eventually, John Silkin stood against him to resist this annexation and allow people to vote for most of Benn's policies while rejecting his designs on the Labour party itself.

Benn's claim to the deputy leadership was built on a multiple series of lies. The very idea that the party's deputy leader defines and safeguards party policy was a lie. Benn's own loyalty to current party policy was selective, and abandoned at will, as over Nato and Ireland. Benn had his personal foreign policy, which Denis Healey trenchantly described as "deserting all of our allies at once and then preaching them a sermon".

Benn never dealt with any objection, principled or practical, to any part of his programme. For example, he assumed that Britain's European partners would be eager to help us leave the (then) European Community overnight, and shut out their goods from our markets while leaving their markets open to ours. In fairness, Benn's acolyte, Chris Mullin, anticipated some of the challenges to a prospective Benn government in his didactic, dystopian novel A Very British Coup. It was a poor advertisement: our economy is sabotaged and our democracy destroyed.

Benn and his supporters constantly peddled a false narrative of the previous Labour governments, and his own role in resisting its 'surrenders' to the IMF and other international capitalist conspirators. They encouraged the de-selection of MPs simply for supporting decisions by that government and its ministers.

Full article:

Well I have no idea whatsoever if what you say is correct.

Even if it is correct what Abbott earns will be small change compared to what someone who has held a Cabinet job in government could earn if "selfish gain" to use randyandy's phrase is all that they were interested in.

For example, John Reid joined G4S as a director on allegedly an annual screw of ?50K. His agents who flog him to speak at various conferences charge
between ?5K and 10K for him.

Some of George Bush's mates asked him to join the Chertoff Group as part of their global leadership team etc etc.

So if all Abbott is interested in is her own "selfish gain" she obviously made something of a cockup in slagging off the likes of Blair and not towing the line like your typical senior New Labourite who would have made it to a Cabinet post and instead turned up on a few political tele shows watched by an audience of.....well me and a handful of others for sums that John Reid wouldn't bend over to pick up

David Johnson wrote:

> Well I have no idea whatsoever if what you say is correct.

It is correct.

>
> Even if it is correct

Which it is.

Well I have no idea whatsoever why you are responding to me over a post by randyandy. I merely revealed what she gets for appearing on This Week. I couldn't give a stuff what she earns and made no comment one way or the other.

"I merely revealed what she gets for appearing on This Week. I couldn't give a stuff what she earns and made no comment one way or the other."

Hence the subject of your post "Dirty Diane" Very even-handed.

I don't believe you anyway... !wink!

David Johnson wrote:

> "I merely revealed what she gets for appearing on This Week. I
> couldn't give a stuff what she earns and made no comment one
> way or the other."
>
> Hence the subject of your post "Dirty Diane" Very even-handed.

Who said I was trying to be even-handed?

> I don't believe you anyway... !wink!


And why don't you believe me? How much do you reckon she gets before I prove I'm right and wipe that smug grin off your face?

You say

"made no comment one way or the other."

You also use the subject "Dirty Diane".

The above two phrases are contradictory. My rather pedantic Essex Lad.

"And why don't you believe me? How much do you reckon she gets before I prove I'm right and wipe that smug grin off your face?"

So go on - prove you are right.

Shouldn't take you long to verify. She's the first one on the list.

MPs' Register of Members' Interests



ABBOTT, Diane (Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Fees received for co-presenting BBC?s ?This Week? TV programme. Address: BBC
Television Centre, Wood Lane, London W12 7RJ:
(Registered 4 November 2013)
24 October 2013, received ?700. Hours: 3 hrs.
(Registered 4 November 2013)
31 October 2013, received ?700. Hours: 3 hrs.
(Registered 4 November 2013)
28 November 2013, received ?700. Hours: 3 hrs.
(Registered 12 December 2013)
19 December 2013, received
?700. Hours: 3 hrs.
(Registered 7 January 2014)
9 January 2014, received
?700. Hours: 3 hrs.
(Registered 13 January 2014)
30 January 2014,
received ?700. Hours: 3 hrs.
(Registered 4 February 2014)
!happy! !happy! !happy! !happy! !happy! !happy!