Tony Benn - Afternoon plus - Thames Television

[@duncanpoundcake]

I remember Afternoon Plus. Could you imagine this programme happening today with this calibre of politician on ITV in the afternoon?

[@pauladams8996]

Good to see footage of Tony Benn when he was in his prime and at the height of his popularity ( or notoriety depending on your view ) and still at the heart of politics.

[@kevinstewart9469]

Hillary benn

[@johnnotrealname8168]

​@@kevinstewart9469His son?

[@highdefboxing8056]

@@kevinstewart9469 An idiot.

[@gold76]

Whether you agree with his ideals and beliefs or not, he was truly a man of principle, Erudite and didn't dodge a question. A fascinating snap shot of a turbulent period in UK history. Thames made some great programmes and it was a crying shame that they lost the franchise in 92

[@MrDanielfff777]

why did they loose it

[@Tridhos]

Chris Goulding I agree but just like Corbyn, when the Bennites were in the ascendency Labour suffered its biggest defeats ever allowing Thatcher and now Johnson to ride roughshod over the working classes.

[@MrDanielfff777]

@@Tridhos Dont cry about it yh

[@stevenperren6364]

He was a self indulgent Pratt who single handedly enabled Thatcher to thrive. He was a disaster, and so was his dullard successor Corbyn ,who had none of Benns intelligence and charisma.

[@robertbell9935]

@@Tridhos How was 40% vote at general election of 2017, 10% more than 2015, and Tories losing their majority, amongst Labour's "biggest defeats ever"?

[@marcusbrooks1776]

The Greatest Prime Minister we never had!

[@attlee45]

I think that his protege, Jeremy Corbyn, will be PM before long.

[@Dom-td4vn]

attlee45 this comment didn’t age well

[@naveed210]

Dom didn’t age well in the same way right wing voters’ brains didn’t develop well. It’s key to make the distinction of “voters”, because those who voted Johnson in are of a liberal mindset, in fact, Corbyn is more conservative on a personal level than Johnson. Now we hear they only voted Johnson because he was “the lesser of 2 evils.” Imagine thinking a serial cheater and a pathological liar was less evil than Corbyn. 😂🤦🏽‍♂️

[@philjones6054]

@@naveed210 I'd take Boris over Corbyn all day long. Corbyn is a commie.

[@naveed210]

melanie Mcdonagh so you think Johnson is conservative because he wears a blue tie? Stupid! 😂🤦🏽‍♂️ are you sure you’re not one of the mothers of his many abandoned children? 🤔🤣

[@patsyparisi2620]

Back when interviews were dignified and were professionally conducted

[@nicholasrice8083]

RIP Tony Benn, RIP Real politics, RIP Integrity

[@notsuretbh7215]

I may not whole heartedly agree with Tony but after reading his diaries I've realised what a hole has been left in British politics with his passing, here was a principled man who fought for his beliefs a far cry from the weak-willed sychophants who pollute both parties these days if only more politicians these days had their own ideas or even a spine to stand up for what more than their SPADS have told them

[@alabamarabbit1971]

A great speaker and person, what have we got now.....!!

[@Tannhauser108]

What a loss to British democracy and socialism that we don't have politicians expressing these arguments on television, so eloquently at that.

[@tomgibson6801]

we have corbyn now :)

[@MrDanielfff777]

@@tomgibson6801 And now you don't lol

[@jayrox40]

@@tomgibson6801 Who?

[@tomgibson6801]

@@jayrox40 A good man destroyed by the establishment

[@stevebbuk]

What a genius. a one-off whom we will never see again.

[@marlenejones1433]

We so badly need someone like Tony in the Labour Party today, a great man true to his principles. R.I.P Tony.

He lived in fantasy land, total loonie.

[@marira5930]

"I change my mind quite often, if I'm persuaded I'm wrong" how different, and how much wiser an approach than Thatcher's "No U turns", which people seemed so to admire.

[@herbert9241]

" Benn represented the politics that lead Britain to total economic ruination by 1979. Benn's ideas were tried from 1945-1979, more than 30 years, and they were tested to Britain's destruction." Or it was broadly Benn's socialist credo which rebuilt Britain after the second world war, depending on the disposition of one's perspective. By the way, Chris, would you care to substantiate the characteristic "communist traitor" which you attribute to Wedgie Benn? It's just that in every speech, debate or interview I've ever heard him participate he's assiduously upheld the ethos of democracy. And I don't believe he was ever implicated in shipyard arson or gunpowder plot but if you could furnish a link to specific legal conviction/s I'll acknowledge your faculty for enlightenment. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure Benn's occasional references to the Nazi Reich stopped somewhere shy of endorsement. Is it this which makes him a traitor to you, Chris?

[@IshtarNike]

They still admire it. Johnson's government on brexit for example. Now, ironically he's the U-turn king when it comes to covid but for some reason he's been given a free pass on that one.

[@hayleyanna2625]

A man of integrity. A socialist who genuinely care about working class people and wanted to change the system, which is systematically wrong. The distribution of wealth is dispicable, the 10% profit enormously while the rest work exceptionally hard and have little to show for it. Superb public speaker and great human being. Much missed.

[@stevenharry8]

Hello ❤

[@zeddeka]

He did more to keep Margaret Thatcher in power than anybody else. He wanted to take the country much further in a direction it wanted desperately to get away from. Perhaps the best description of him came from Barbara Castle: "He's like a kid with a chemistry set who ends up blowing up all his mates with his schoolboy experiments".

[@StephenFiorentini]

To my generation, this type of Labour is unrecognizable

[@imonthebox1148]

What is your age ?

[@Erkidude]

I wish I could speak like this, beautiful man]

[@pgl0897]

He Encouraged Us

[@humanforfreedom9583]

I’m a staunch right winger and Thatcherite but always respected Tony Benn for his wisdom on the EU and foreign policy.

[@hazelwray5307]

Foreign policy. Your not an Atlanticist ?

[@notsuretbh7215]

There's a surprise, though I do personally find it fascinating to hear anecdotal stories of Maggie going to see Tony speak in the commons and applaud him on Europe, such opposites coming to a same conclusion

[@andrewk2996]

Im a Tory but always liked Benn, a man of principle.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

Same, I disagree with pretty much everything he argues for but by God is he awesome to listen to.

[@chrish12345]

great man

[@fingerscrossed2453]

A time when politicians could give straight answers...

[@curleyteeth]

Great to listen to and see a real politician instead of the Eton boys that we have to put up with now.

[@curleyteeth]

***** Read up on Tony Benn and then you would be sure of the man and his beliefs.Then get back to me.Jim.Liverpool.

[@zeddeka]

curleyteeth You do realise Tony Benn was a millionaire who went to a very exclusive private school himself ?

[@ThomasDanielsen1000]

Tony Benn went to Westminster school and to Oxford... Yeah, really a man of the people

[@brendansheerin8980]

@@ThomasDanielsen1000 it's not where you come from that counts, it's whose side you are on that matters

[@jameshaynes7062]

@@ThomasDanielsen1000 When Tony Benn renounced his peerage, he proved beyond all doubt that he was a "man of the people."

[@ptiquinquin]

We miss him a lot. The media wouldn't let him speak about his views on Brexit.

[@cookerldc]

He died 2 years before the referendum. Maybe that was a factor in him not being heard on the subject of The UK leaving the EU.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

​@@cookerldcHe was on record against the European Union and the Common Market. Even Baroness Thatcher after her ousting would nod along when Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn would rattle on about sovereignty.

[@mrsfreeeeducation]

RIP Tony Benn

[@joedisco]

True socialist in the best sense of the word. True intellectual too.

[@myroseaccount]

This is just before the Falklands War in 1982. It was looking like Labour could have won the next election when this interview was made. As I look back now the 1983 general election was really a khaki election

[@adampowell5376]

It is interesting how the country and the party are in a similar place now.

[@jaegerubbe5956]

Tony Benn is a political hero, he always spoke straight. No one like him exists any longer.

[@Abunadsal]

A unique politician of very high integrity and principles which Jeremy Corbin followed faithfully.

[@stevenperren6364]

Followed faithfully to defeat and irrelevance. What fucking use is that ? Being pure and impotent ? Fuck that shit.

[@davidbarker8492]

Tony Benn was a great man, no question, although I disagreed with him on Europe, and much of what he said was remarkably prescient, including the influence of the media on politics and culture, and predicting the Con/Lib coalition of 2010-15. This interview couldn't possibly happen now with the likes of Morgan and Neil, who won't even let their counterpart finish a sentence before they crudely interject. What has happened to our civilisation and why?

[@royhypnol3735]

Uncontroled immigration.

[@thejfoshow1320]

@@royhypnol3735 ?

[@andrewdevine3920]

It's funny that Benn says people are angry because they can't hear voices agreeing with them. These days people blame extremism on being able to go on the internet and choose to only hear voices that agree with you.

[@ustwoalberts]

Tony Benn did what so few people in power seem to have done - i include the mass media here-: his history homework. AND he was a popular constituent m.p. Now THERE's a combination more could aspire to !

[@zeddeka]

He lost his seat in Bristol in 1983

[@leemorgan8478]

The Majority of people in Britain supported everything what he said considering in the 1980's only thirteen Million people really voted Tory . He was my Hero was Tony Benn him & Aneurin Bevan & of course Michael Foot & Clement Attlee great men who cared for the working classes .

[@elena16350]

A politician that’s sadly missed"

[@Shocking603]

You would never see this kind of honesty today. Modern politicians would have squirmed and trotted out slogans throughout!

[@markcoupe845]

a fantastic human being bravo

[@johnrider5701]

The best prime minister we never had .

[@DeepakVerma-cd4fe]

We miss u Tony Benn it’s not the same without you

[@blaxtru]

"The Labour Party will never split." It did and was out of power for 18 years.

[@bripat22]

Robyn Hoode Well, at the time of this interview , the SDP had already broken away in their ill-fated adventure I think Benn is speaking here about the Right of the Party that remained

[@herbert9241]

Surely it was the Right of the party that goose-stepped to the ranks of the SDP.

[@hazelwray5307]

@@herbert9241 A faction of the Right.

[@Abdalla.97]

Great man 👏👏👏

[@Psylenoz]

He is a signpost ✌🏼✊🏻

[@explorer806]

"Beaten in '79...after having been in office since '64 (with a break)" 😂

[@MichaelHoare-t5q]

After 40 years Starmer has taken the Labour Party no further forward and I have voted Labour for 45 years not any more. It is not the party for the working class

[@jaywalker3087]

Tony and John Smith , two of the greatest prospective Prime Ministers we should have had.... You Couldn't Buy Them !!

[@secularscot9804]

He fucking killed this interview!

[@lindashone2267]

A real politician with conviction of his beliefs. Who would you belief today.

[@mikebeevers2416]

A fantastic man (and I'm a Tory).

[@billybabu]

Greatest MP in my lifetime 🙏🌹🙏

[@uttaradit2]

labour mps are light weights in comparison

[@ownSystem]

Great blueprint for UK today

[@david-pb4bi]

Why don’t we have intellectuals in politics nowadays?

[@MagicNash89]

5:09 - "The tyranny of Brussels" - yes, that awful "tyranny" that the UK somehow peacefully left a few years ago😅Thank God he never made it to the PM seat.

[@MackemdownsouthF.T.M]

At 23 minutes...🙌

[@lewisbaitup6352]

Politicians like Benn are the most interesting types, I don't believe that representative democracy is the way to enact socialism and realise true democracy like how Benn would've wanted but seeing a politician of his type actually persuing that is always a nice change even tho at the end of the day I believe that their efforts will be in vein.

[@MagicNash89]

"I don't believe that representative democracy is the way to enact socialism" - this is a Bolshevik line from 1917-1918, you can read in a history book how that ended in 1991 - with the restoration of representative democracy.

[@lewisbaitup6352]

@@MagicNash89 anarchists also believe this, the way the bolshieviks pursued it was completely wrong because they didn't put power in the hands of the people but instead claimed to represent the peoples' interest while repressing them and gunning down their revolutions.

[@lewisbaitup6352]

Ok but im an anarchist, not a bolshevik so that doesn't apply, and their mess up wasn't not believing in liberal democracy, their mess up is using the state and failing to enact actual workers controll and instead opting for something that feels like parody.

[@johnking5174]

Tony Benn as the "Postmaster General" during the Labour government of 1964 pushed through the harrowing off air of the pirate radio stations. He also spoke about his belief that BBC and ITV should have more TV hours provided to them under the restrictions and did nothing to extend their hours at all. He said one thing, and did nothing.

[@waynedlima2226]

This man is just so missed by the democratic world ! He came with the word for the democratic world and we heard him not ! That is the loss of the entire world aspiring for equitable democracy 🙏🏽

[@bereal6590]

I really liked Benn. Some things I don't agree with but I suspect that's because now it's 20/20 hindsight. Otherwise brilliant

[@lebateaurouge2861]

Although I am a great admirer of Tony Benn, I wish he would have compromised more often. If he had become the Labour leader in 1980, as most people thought at the time, and had compromised with the Labour right, the SDP-split might have been avoided, and 11 years of Thatcherism could have been avoided as well.

[@MarineAqua45]

If Kinnock had asked for Thatchers resignation after the Falklands, he might have won the 1983 election or if 30 year old Tony Blair at the time had run for Labour leader?

[@bripat22]

+MarineAqua45 Michael Foot was Labour leader until after the 1983 election

[@kingoftheseamusic]

Who are the two interviewers?

[@TheDuncs11]

Simon Reed and Elaine Grand

[@bertiodvonrastenburger1129]

Head and shoulders above much of the dross we have in public life now....

[@adampowell5376]

I think it is a pity Tony Benn was never Prime Minister (even though I think he was wrong about Israel).

[@mattdavies7398]

Within the first 15 seconds of the interview starting, you get a great example of classic, Bennite dissembling. Labour had not been in power from 1964 - 1979 "with a break" - a "break" suggests a few weeks or months. Labour was in power 1964-1970 and then 1974-1979, the Conservatives from 1970-1974. That is not being in power except for "a break" - that is two very distinct, separate periods.

[@LazarusMaria]

+Matt Davies it kinda is though. who defines a break?

[@simonmhood69]

A hero of mine.. I don't have many heroes.

[@TheSuperLegoMan100]

labour party has been out of power since 1979

[@tombroderick7206]

So Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were never Prime Ministers? GET A GRIP!

[@TheSuperLegoMan100]

@@tombroderick7206 "labour" prime minister I said

[@welshentag6552]

It's kind of like "good cop, bad cop", but more "reasonably critical cop, reasonably critical cop".

[@jayd4ever]

respect to him even though i support conservatives

[@MagicNash89]

25:02 - "When theres unemployment people swing to the right" - a bit of a dubious statement really, not supported that much by history. More like people vote AGAINST the incumbent government. Whether its left or right is less of an issue - see the example of France in 1932 voting left-wing amid Great Depression continuing problems.

[@garvintimmann]

Blair has done something to Benn

[@amazoniaamazonia7225]

Old school Labour man, back from a time before Blair and his chums destroyed the Labour Party.

[@Willtext]

Benn would of made a decent James Bond 😎

[@uttaradit2]

villan

[@chrisrogers8111]

Yp SDP 4 exLabour who form IT and Joined The Liberal Democrats and yes help tories win 2nd Election IN 1983

[@bripat22]

I like Tony Benn but he is being disingenuous here. He did nothing but undermine Michael Foot in this period

[@MrDavey2010]

He was quite bonkers but great to see a real politician.

[@kiltedjohn1000]

War in 3 months time

[@MichaelHoare-t5q]

I only wish Tony Ben became leader of the Labour Party

[@MGJS71]

The wrong Tony got the job.

[@MrDavey2010]

He was a terrific speaker but kept quiet that he was a multi millionaire!

[@fingerscrossed2453]

He stripped himself of his title so he could become an MP....

[@kerryfry1857]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5DSY6eppZJ4aKs

[@richardlaversuch9460]

Lord Stansgate, Anthony Wedgwood Benn should have been true to himself.

[@Knappa22]

How do you mean?? The truest he could be to himself would be to stand by his principles, which he did.

[@williamwilson5577]

You've missed the point, he was true to himself.

[@MVERLAINE1]

A conviction politican but completely and utterly wrong about the the common market/ EU