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RIP – Tony Benn the anti nuclear advocate and friend to all !!

TONY BENN (rap obituary by Dan Bull)

Published on 14 Mar 2014

“Tony Benn had died. He is one of my favourite politicians if not my favourite, for the way he steadfastly spoke his mind with honesty, clarity and passion throughout 50 years as an MP.

He was of aristocratic blood but turned down his peerage (that would have made him a Lord) so that he could carry on serving in the House of Commons.

One of my ambitions in life was to have a cup of tea with Tony Benn and now, I never will.”

Dan Bull 14 March 2014

In 2009, Iain Dale spent two hours, over several mugs of tea, quizzing Tony Benn.

Tony Benn, the longest-serving Labour MP in history, raised a few wry smiles when he resigned from 50 years in the House of Commons “to devote more time to politics”.

Image and quote source ; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/nationaltreasures/2181615/Tony-Benn-portrait.html

Question ; Keynes once said, when the facts change, I change my mind. What have you changed your mind on?

Tony Benn answers “Many things. Nuclear power, for example. In 1955 when Eisenhower said he was going for ‘Atoms for Peace’ I became a passionate supporter of it. Having been brought up on the Bible I liked the idea of swords into ploughshares. I advocated nuclear power as Minister of Technology. I was told, and believed, that nuclear power was cheap, safe and peaceful. Having been in charge of nuclear power I discovered it wasn’t cheap, wasn’t safe and when I left office I was told that during my period as Secretary of State for Energy, plutonium from our nuclear power stations went to the Pentagon to make nuclear weapons. So every nuclear power station in Britain is a bomb factory for America. I was utterly shaken by that. Nothing in the world would now induce me to support nuclear power. It was a mistake. Israel is another one. I was rowing on the Sea of Galilee in May 1945 when the war ended. I was all in favour of a Jewish homeland, but now I see what has happened and it was absolutely wrong.”  http://www.totalpolitics.com/print/1288/in-conversation-tony-benn.thtml

Former Labour MP Tony Benn on how Britain Secretly Helped Israel Build Its Nuclear Arsenal

TONY BENN: Well, of course, Mordechai Vanunu, who was arrested by — he was kidnapped in London by the Israelis — he was telling the Sunday Times what was going on — in prison, much of it in solitary confinement, recently released with restrictions. But he warned us about Dimona. And I did know later about Dimona, as an Israeli military establishment, but I never knew until yesterday, or until it came out a few days ago, that we had helped to assist the Israelis in building it.

AMY GOODMAN: And you, as technology minister, would have had to sign off on this if you had known, is this right?

TONY BENN: Well, it wasn’t put to me at all. It wasn’t put to ministers. I mean, this is the trouble with the nuclear industry, I came not to believe what I was told, and that throws a doubt on more than nuclear power: the question of democracy, if officials can operate as a state within a state. Where is the democratic control of policy? So it was a very, very serious thing to happen. And, of course, it also comes up at a time when, as you’ve been pointing out, there’s a lot of pressure now on Iran not to develop nuclear technology in any form.

http://www.democracynow.org/2006/3/10/former_labour_mp_tony_benn_on

Former British energy minister Tony Benn discusses his time in charge of the nuclear industry and why he changed his views about the controversial energy source.

Part of Tenner Films’ project ’13 Short Films About Atomic Power’

MINISTER from Vicki Lesley on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/3433825

March 14, 2014 - Posted by arclight2011part2 | Uncategorized