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TONY BENN
An edited version of the transcript of the online chat with Tony Benn, which took place Friday 19 July 2002 10pm-10.40pm
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Mike You say we can't make voting compulsory but if there was a 'none of the above' box wouldn't that send a strong message to politicians?
Tony Benn I have heard it said that it should be linked to the National Lottery to encourage people to vote. In Australia, they do have compulsory voting by law, and I believe it works quite well.
Barryms Do you believe it was right for the tube staff to strike and cause the great inconvenience to working Londoners?
Tony Benn Yes, I believe that the railway unions were absolutely right, because they were drawing attention to safety, and not wages.
Mark1 Considering your strong belief in education, do you support or condemn grammar schools? Would you like to see them abolished?
Tony Benn I think every child should have the right to go to a school with the full range of subjects. Every grammar school is balanced by three secondary modern schools, and you cannot choose a person's life chances by an exam at 11.
rft777 What can one do to effect change? I feel that any action is ignored by the effective powers.
Tony Benn Progressive change is brought about by people banding themselves together to campaign. That is how we got the vote for men and women, and that is how all progress is made. It is a long, hard job, but I know of no shortcut.
JBeaty I would be interested in hearing who you believe to be the best Labour leaders of all time: your reasons, and your comments on the on leaders that could try harder.
Tony Benn I admire Clement Attlee - a modest man who carried through a huge programme of reform after the war. But he could not have done it unless there was a mass support from people in Britain. It is movements, not leaders, who make progress.
emjay Do you accept the majority of the UK wants a Royal Family? (especially after Jubilee). What could take its place satisfactorily?
Tony Benn Many countries elect their head of state, but this is not a criticism of the Queen, because she was born in the right bed of the right parents at the right time. If the monarch is popular, why not elect?
clive Do you respect political opponents, if so who?
Tony Benn I respect everybody who says what he or she means and means what they say and does it without personal attacks. The signposts tell you the way they think we should go, but the weather cocks have no opinion until the focus groups and the spin doctors and the pollsters tell them what to say.
mark Despite the abomination of his regime, can the world really allow the US to take pre-emptive military action against Saddam Hussein?
Tony Benn If America bombs Iraq, which Bush has made clear he wants to do, it will be a breach of international law against the UN charter, and a war crime. I am 100% opposed to it.
AdamNieman Tony, we need you now more than we ever did. Who can step into your shoes?
Tony Benn I think there are many members of parliament who are trying to explain their position plainly, and I believe that the best way of doing it is not only in the House of Commons and the television studio, but in the street and at meetings. People then can join in. We need real democracy to be reborn.
slim Do you think that there is ever a justification for the suicide bombers in Palestine? How can the Palestinians best advance their cause?
Tony Benn Israel is occupying land that does not belong to it, just as Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait and was driven out.
Israel has built huge cities for Israelis in Palestine, and will not let Palestinians go back to their homes in Israel. There can be no peace, no end to suicide bombings, and no end to Israeli air attacks, without a Palestinian state, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops.
Simon1 What more should the West be doing to oppose Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe?
Tony Benn The elections in Zimbabwe were not fair. In Saudi Arabia, America's closest ally, there have never been any elections, and the only way to get democracy is by struggling for it inside your own country. When Zimbabwe was a British colony, the whites ran it with no democracy for Africans, and we must remember that.... if our advice is to be taken seriously.
MarkEvans How would you like to see the Upper House reformed?
Tony Benn I want an elected parliament, because I will not obey laws passed by people I did not elect, cannot remove, and who do not have to listen to us.
jmhannan Has your political career been a success or failure?
Tony Benn I do not think of parliament as a career, but a vocation, and I would be happy if on my gravestone were the words 'Tony Benn encouraged us'. That would be enough for me.
DHS On your tour which questions from the audience seemed to come up most? What are people really concerned about?
Tony Benn Most people asked about New Labour, and many asked about the danger of war against Iraq and also about privatisation which most people do not want.
aidan Do you think socialism will make a come back in the Labour party?
Tony Benn Socialism is an explanation of the world, and provides some guide as to how we might improve conditions, and has a moral base, and I believe it is what most people would like to see, even if they think it is a bit idealistic. The NHS was the most socialist and the most popular measure ever introduced in Britain.
sam Do you think students are beggining to lose their traditional socialist spirit and the next generation is condemned to a 'third way' future because of this?
Tony Benn Young people are nowadays taught to believe that profit is more important than people, but millions of youngsters are actively campaigning for peace, democracy and social justice. It is a pity that we rarely hear about them on the mass media.
Tim> As a former pilot, do you belive that bodies such as the Civil Aviation Authority which control so much of the countries infrastructure, should be publicly accountable?
Tony Benn Air traffic control is essential for safety and should be publicly owned and publicly accountable. Most people would agree.
Continued...
Previous programmes on BBC Four
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Further links
Tony Benn's extreme opinions and powerful rhetoric made him one of Parliament's most entertaining advocates. Read his profile.
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BBC News
On the eve of his departure from the House Of Commons, March 2001, Tony Benn talks of his hopes for the future
More live chat transcripts
Roly Keating Controller, BBC Four
Ray Gosling veteran TV and radio broadcaster
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