Tony Benn | Labour Party | Political Struggle |1981

TV EYE reports the intense struggle already underway for the
Autumn election for the job of Deputy Leader of the Labour
Party At each of the major union conferences so far? its been a major issue - nobody doubting that whether or not the challenger Tony Berm unseats the incumbent Dennis Healey.
First shown: 28/05/1981
If you would like to license a clip from this video please e mail:
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Quote: VT24645
16 MM film available

[@richardlaversuch9460]

Tony had a great redeeming sense of humour and a way with words and phrases. His daughter Melissa is a charming person. Tony advised any person with a great truth to tell to speak it without fear or favour; and that is what I am trying to do.

[@JK-br1mu]

Here's a great truth: far left economic policy makes the common man's life worse.

[@toastedterps]

Same, brother, same. God bless.

[@matthewhendy5785]

Great man.

[@jojojojo4332]

to bad he turned out to be slightly rotten in the end.

[@amberpuga7322]

I so much admire Tony Benn to no end

[@zeddeka]

What on earth for? He was an eccentric demagogue, full of moral vanity and false piousness, whose stupidity condemned millions of working class people to years of Thatcher.

[@amberpuga7322]

@@zeddeka Bollocks coming from a Tories

[@jonathanhadley2555]

T H Tony Benn actually gave up a Peerage & so easy could have been part of the Land & Gentry that have been pulling the strings behind the scenes:-(

[@zeddeka]

@@amberpuga7322 no, coming from a labour voter who lived through the 80s and desperately wanted a labour government, but saw labour wrecked by Tony Benn. People like you need to grow the f*ck up. Politics isn't a hobby.

[@zeddeka]

@@jonathanhadley2555 i know all about his background. What's that got to do with anything? He was also a millionaire who fiddles his will to avoid tax. He hopelessly out of touch, and a terrible hypocrite. As someone who was around in those days, I can assure that most of the working class thought he was a clueless upper class eccentric

[@Liberaven]

4:03 Corbyn spotted

[@TheSuperLegoMan100]

Interesting that David Owen was exactly right: Dennis Healey did squeak home with just a few votes in the deputy leadership election

[@vincentsmit1935]

David Owen was right more often than people think, but less often than he does.

[@dalemartinpromotions4692]

Dr David Owen’s speach at the fringe in Blackpool was absolutely class. “Fudging and muddging, Slush and Mush”

[@leifkeane]

Thanks for posting.

[@staceygrove5976]

13:47 I heard Benn speak at a public meeting in East London almost twenty years ago, and he was absolutely electrifying, despite the fact that he was suffering from leukaemia at the time and using a walking frame. Disappointing though that he refused to acknowledge Frank Chapple's criticisms in this clip.

[@truckerfromreno]

A political giant. If only we had men of his stature in parliament today.

[@sasi6897]

We had a person of his stature as leader of the labour party for 5 years before Starmer.

[@latinamerican1000]

Quality political reporting is not seen in the mainstream media anymore.

[@jakehaymes4438]

Yes

[@nunomartins4265]

guess why

[@shivrajb640]

We need another Tony Benn!

[@alfranco2177]

so sad to watch this. These are the liberal cucks responsible for giving our country up to the alien invaders.

[@allpoliticsnoeconomics4186]

James Dowds I think by liberal cucks he was referring to the centre-left or the "right of the Labour party" who eventually won the war and allowed Labour to become more right wing than the Liberals. We never got a leader who fought for redistribution of wealth. John Smith died before he could wipe the floor with Major, then someone from your section of the spectrum won the leadership and therefore the country for 13 years. 38 years of neoliberalism has gotten us here. And if anyone doesn't like it, join your local Labour party and participate

[@tomgibson6801]

"alien invaders." their human beings you racist fuck

[@whatamalike]

We have one, he's called Jeremy Corbyn.

[@thethirdman2135]

@@whatamalike , Jeremy corbyn cannot connect with British working class peoples concerns on immigration and love of country

[@richardsharpe2966]

The reporter is Bryan Gould who later became a Labour MP now is a academic in his native New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@stuartwilliams-fw4vo]

No it’s not. It’s Llew Gardener.

[@uktravel8341]

In reality coal-mining was declining in Britain since 1920 and there wasn't much Benn could have done about it. Other manufacturing industries from after the Second World War. All to do with foreign competition and the rise of powers like China and Japan- making an industrial working-class the mainstay of its support was a mistaken move for the Bennites.

[@edmund184]

Benn was certainly right on the European Union.

[@thethirdman2135]

Corbyn now supports staying in the European union, what a kick in the teeth to labour leave voters

[@everettduncan7543]

@@thethirdman2135 no wonder labour lost to the tories

[@everettduncan7543]

@Sultan King yea that sounds like nonsense

[@Jeremy-y1t]

Thankfully Benn ensured Labour was unelectable throughout the 1980s.

[@danhall6922]

Great man

[@zeddeka]

Great for Margaret Thatcher

[@stormytempest3907]

@@zeddeka Gang of 4 split the. Labour Vote!

[@nedlightowlers5168]

In my opinion, we'd be much further along and more similar to Scandinavia in terms of living standards if Benn had won. It hurts. We are more powerful than we've been for decades. Do not give up. We have the middle class students who make up much of the membership on our side (they're fucked by this system too) - now we need to rebuild working class democracy if we want to win.

[@bongsquadronmusic9335]

You got smoked in Dec 2019 mate. The working class abandoned the Labour Party in droves. Shove that working class democracy up your A.

[@nedlightowlers5168]

@@bongsquadronmusic9335 Working class have no love for the Tories either. By & large we don't vote, and some just went Tory for Brexit. Won't be easy to rebuild trust, but I think before you act triumphant you should realise the working class think your side are a bunch of pricks too.

[@zeddeka]

And yet the working class were amongst the groups of people who disliked Benn most, just as they dislike Corbyn now. Benn's followers were an unrepresentative slice of labour party members, most of whom were out of touch middle class hobbyists, who had no understanding of the working class. It's no coincidence that Corbyn was a disciple of Benn.

[@bongsquadronmusic9335]

@Bessie Hillum fully agree. Middle class champagne socialists & their rainbow worldview destroyed UK

[@shaunobrien8975]

In the area that I grew up in people didn't like being told what to do or what to think, especially by those in a position of power and it's only natural that those in working class jobs who have had to deal with a boss dictating much of their life aren't overly pleased with authority. Now you have young people, students and graduates (many of whom end up in the managerial class themselves) dictating to those who never had such opportunities how they should think and what they should do, often making mass generalisations based on age. Of course people are going to vote against this, I'm a young graduate myself but I constantly find myself frustrated with the lack of awareness from my peers on how their actions are turning people against Labour.

[@grahamjohn3198]

4:03 Jeremy Corbyn in the audience.

[@funwitholdconcretethings8721]

thought it looked like him lol!

[@sfwplant]

I think folk singers did irreparable damage to Socialism. And Rostrums.

[@Yourismouter]

the best pm we never had,

[@thethirdman2135]

Cobblers

[@simonmorgan7981]

Really

[@conradnoel]

The narrator said “Benn sounds like a schoolmaster”. And, “He doesn’t trust the media”. I wonder why Tony didn’t trust the media😂😂

[@johnrider5701]

The best prime minister we never had..

[@MrGoneTroppo]

Hurrah for Tony Benn - he ensured that there could never be a Tory government ever again!

[@callumclark4021]

lol he kept Labour out of power for years.

[@Harry-me1zq]

Growth in Public Services paid for by the Taxpayer that can't get help from Council services unless it's between 9/5 Mon/Friday.

[@triciacol]

How we miss Benn(Tony) and Hitchens(Christopher)!!!

[@harryantino]

Patricia et Colin Clegg two greats and I say that as conservative

[@jayd4ever]

why christopher hitchens

[@GabrielWard2001]

I love both Benn and Hitchens. Was Hitchens in this video ?

[@jakehaymes4438]

triciacol Agreed totally.

[@RobertBurke-tq9zu]

Hitchens said he had differences with Benn, he never expanded on it, I wonder what they were.

[@BillieFingers]

Wow news was presented so much more intelligenty back then.

[@politicalphilosophy-thegre3894]

Thanks.

[@garyroe2929]

They think Corbyn the first to do all this , Ben was trampling the festival boards years before him 👍👍

[@gjingodjango]

God bless Tony Benn.

[@LinkJosssssh]

5:48 Omg that song sounded amazing

[@iandander2473]

OMG, you're a fucking idiot.

[@robertpeston6692]

Let's get together - Canned Heat, 60s hippie track well, late 60s

[@khairulnaeim756]

Know.. what is better, build for country and our advantage in politics also wealth...that how we play..of course..it will come with power...too..

[@TelexToTexel]

Tony Blair the upper-class person who went slumming and did his best to divide the working class, so that Thatcher could rule in the 80s.

[@zeddeka]

Tony Blair?? Or Tony Benn?

[@TelexToTexel]

@@zeddeka Good to see some people still awake 👍

[@KimPhilby203]

And what did you do?

[@TelexToTexel]

@@KimPhilby203 I am an Scandinavian social democrat

[@Flubbydubbydoodoo]

Well, the public services did grow… but it’s not a source of revenue, it’s a blight on the taxpayer and is bankrupting the country.

[@romanalsace-lorraine3302]

Back To The Future - Marty!

[@Tombombadil2]

Absolutely..he was if nothing else a true democrat

[@professorspf]

It's remarkable how anti-Benn the broadcaster is...

[@zeddeka]

Outside of some of the labour party members, most people really didn't like Benn

[@fredfredrickson5436]

Par for the course.

[@forsdykemontague1017]

They would have finished the country had they got power!

[@Dusty3030]

I remember him. He closed grammar schools, while his kids went to private schools. Typical scummy labour, just as Abbott does.

[@BritishRaceCaller]

Actually his kids went to ordinary comprehensive schools and he was never minister for Education. Other than that you are right!

[@bluebirdtechnologygrouplim3304]

Aristocratic socialist raised taxes in workers while the whole time he was evading taxes for years. Typical Labour socialist

[@carlbirchall1632]

Labour spend so much time and effort in fighting

[@craigburgess7105]

all fluff -no idea what actually to do - still like him /no person in UK political history beyond one has ever rushed as quickly from one position to another

[@craigburgess7105]

a wally in the end

[@wilsonfisk6626]

Neil Kinnock

[@TheForkhandles]

The Oswald Mosley of the 1980s Left.

[@terrychamberlin8242]

Like the miners strike in 80s if they won Ben's policy's would be much more civilised, privatisation of assets, homelessness, vast inequality raw sewage in rivers and sea and at the same time as share holders and ceo making huge profits, i could go on the problems we have today Ben cauld see

[@grahamrogers3345]

Benn was right

[@rayrussell1519]

dennis healey bilderberger srcret group 89 per cent please all famous film actors had to leave england

[@ian_b]

The tactics of Militant described by Healey are now the mainstream, sadly.

[@jbmuggins8815]

michael crick, the leading militant scholar, and someone completely opposed to labour, stated that momentum are nothing like militant in their tactics. they're simply one of the sections within labour, such as the soft left tribune group or Progress on the right. please reply.

[@ian_b]

@@jbmuggins8815 I didn't mention Momentum. What I said is that the tactics described by Healey in the video are now the political mainstream.

[@jbmuggins8815]

@@ian_b sigh, perhaps you could elaborate

[@jbmuggins8815]

@Bessie Hillum the faction providing the ideas to the leader of the party, hence why Labour will continue to do terribly

[@Poshypaws]

"The tactics of Militant described by Healey are now the mainstream, sadly." What utter tripe!

[@NicholasKinich]

Real labour

[@firehammer7585]

"... a vegetarian."

[@Lord-Panda2112]

And they still lost.

[@khairulnaeim756]

What will be next... maybe toilet or something.... yeah on the bed...😂

[@khairulnaeim756]

There is lots and lots of type industrial...one of them is military....lads😂

[@paulrimmer2853]

Maggie loved the Bennites, they gave her two whopping majorities.

[@khairulnaeim756]

For real 😂this man say money gone waste to army... another clown 🤡😂...

[@khairulnaeim756]

Where growth to come... must be comedian or actor...for one use only 😂 pay

[@lameduck3630]

Economically illiterate.

[@richardlaversuch9460]

Jungian analysis of the Benn psyche would be revealing...

[@zeddeka]

Denis Healey described Tony Benn as the living definition of what Karl Marx wrote when he discussed "feudal socialists" (upper class socialists) "Half lamentation, half lampoon; half an echo of the past, half menace of the future; at times, by its bitter, witty and incisive criticism, striking the bourgeoisie to the very heart’s core; but always ludicrous in its effect, through total incapacity to comprehend the march of modern history. The aristocracy, in order to rally the people to them, waved the proletarian alms-bag in front for a banner. But the people, so often as it joined them, saw on their hindquarters the old feudal coats of arms, and deserted with loud and irreverent laughter."

[@callumclark4021]

Good orator but his ideas were wacky. He advocated for less defence at the height of the Cold War. He wanted to keep mining going when the miners were down to digging dirt. He wanted a “siege economy” to close us off from the rest of the world. He was a dinosaur even back in 1981. That being said- certainly a political giant.

[@michaelpastor6901]

Perfectly put !

[@rickyp6815]

diggin dirt my arse. what a crock.

[@callumclark4021]

@@rickyp6815 they were. Most of the miners admitted it. Some coal mines were potentially economic but not without significant efficiency measures which the unions kept opposing. Coal has been mostly phased out in this country’s energy mix now anyway so either way there wouldn’t be a coal mining industry in 2025 regardless.