Tony Benn
Tony Benn - Power democracy
"If you meet a powerful person – ask them five questions:
What power have you got?
Where did you get it from?
In whose interests do you exercise it?
To whom are you accountable?
And how can we get rid of you?
If you cannot get rid of the people who govern you, you do not live in a democratic system."
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
bomber stealth suicide politics terror
“There is no moral difference between a Stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. They both kill innocent people for political reasons.”
― Tony Benn (1925-2014)
pleasure embarassment photography
“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.”
― Tony Benn (1925-2014)
money help kill
“If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people.”
― Tony Benn (1925-2014)
control fright demoralise
“I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralise them.”
― Tony Benn (1925-2014)
power democracy rid
“What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you”
― Tony Benn (1925-2014)
control people frighten demoralising
“I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralise them.”
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
marx russia jesus christ blame inquisition spain
“The Marxist analysis has got nothing to do with what happened in Stalin's Russia: it's like blaming Jesus Christ for the Inquisition in Spain.”
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
broadcasting important broadcasters
“Broadcasting is really too important to be left to the broadcasters.”
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
final victory defeat battle fight fought toughen blood
"There is no final victory, as there is no final defeat. There is just the same battle. To be fought, over and over again. So toughen up, bloody toughen up."
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
democracy threat revolution cynic despair manage represent
"If democracy is ever to be threatened, it will not be by revolutionary groups burning government offices and occupying the broadcasting and newspaper offices of the world. It will come from disenchantment, cynicism and despair caused by the realisation that the New World Order means we are all to be managed and not represented".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
government refugee instructive
"The way a government treats refugees is very instructive…"
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
nelson mandela terrorist nobel peace protest democracy
"Nelson Mandela was a terrorist. And then he wins the world peace prize and becomes president of South Africa. That's how change happens. It's very important not to differentiate protest from the democratic process."
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
police media army control white hope change administration
"The police are controlled by the whites, the media are controlled by the whites, the army's controlled by the whites, what hope is there for change? Administration changes from underneath."
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
establishment thatcher blair major disguise politics
"The Establishment decided Thatcher's ideas were safer with a strong Blair government than with a weak Major government. We are given all these personalities to choose between to disguise the fact that the policies are the same."
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
obligation obey legal moral history breake freedom honoured
"There may be a legal obligation to obey, but there will be no moral obligation to obey. When it comes to history, it will be the people who broke the law for freedom who will be remembered and honoured".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
encouragement important young league table demoralise
"Encouragement is the most important thing in the world for young people, rather than league tables, which demoralise everyone".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
market force homeless victim pensioner
"I do not share the general view that market forces are the basis for political liberty. Every time I see a homeless person living in a cardboard box in London, I see that person as a victim of market forces. Everytime I see a pensioner who cannot manage, I know that he is a victim of market forces"
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
imperialism humanitarian burden cross native
"Remember, imperialism is always presented as humanitarian: the white man's burden, the cross going round the world, the poor benighted natives, the sun never sets. . . So you have to be very careful about humanitarianism".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
democracy paliamentary political sham
"It is not surprising that more and more people are coming to the conclusion that the ballot box is no longer an instrument that will secure political solutions... They can see that the parliamentary democracy we boast of is becoming a sham".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
progress ignore mad dangerous disagree
"It's the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you're mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause and then you can't find anyone who disagrees with you".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
britain suffer galloping obsolescence
"Britain today is suffering from galloping obsolescence".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
journalist responsible international nuclear war week
"I think if journalists were responsible for international policy we'd have a nuclear war every week".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
mistake learn
"I've made every mistake - but mistakes are how you learn".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
unite sunni shite kurd americans ISIL IS
"The one thing that unites Sunni, Shiites and Kurds is they want the Americans out".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
imperialism democracy connection
"There is no connection between imperialism and democracy. I mean when we ran an Empire which we did when I was born, there was no democracy anywhere".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
men hate love church split homosexuality gay
"When you think of the number of men in the world who hate each other, why, when two men love each other, does the church split?"
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
faith die doctrine kill difference world
"A faith is something you die for; a doctrine is something you kill for; there is all the difference in the world"
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
language war office ministry defence hydrogen bomb deterrent
"I'm interested in language. We used to call it the War Office. Then it became the Ministry of Defence. We used to talk about the hydrogen bomb, now we talk about a deterrent. And the language is very cleverly constructed to give the impression that it's not what it is".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
war defence nuclear bomb
"We used to have a War Office, but now we have a Ministry of Defence, nuclear bombs are now described as deterrents, innocent civilians killed in war are now described as collateral damage and military incompetence leading to US bombers killing British soldiers is cosily described as friendly fire. Those who are in favour of peace are described as mavericks and troublemakers, whereas the real militants are those who want the war".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
civil service rusty weathercock opinion wind
"The Civil Service is a bit like a rusty weathercock. It moves with opinion then it stays where it is until another wind moves it in a different direction"
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
exhaustion old age younger appreciate
"The exhaustion of old age is something people who are younger don't fully appreciate".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
britain colony british empire liberate ourselves
"Britain is the only colony in the British Empire and it is up to us now to liberate ourselves".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
NYT superpower world USA peace movement
"The New York Times said, 'There are two superpowers in the world: the United States and the world peace movement'."
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
treaty rome EU EEC laissez faire bureaucracy
"[I am against] the Treaty of Rome which entrenches laissez faire as its philosophy and chooses bureaucracy as its administrative method".
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)
reluctant peer persistent commoner
"I am not a reluctant peer but a persistent commoner"
—Tony Benn (1925-2014)