Interview: Tony Benn

11:09am Monday 30th June 2008

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Britain’s foremost socialist, Tony Benn, shared his forthright views with Citizen reporter, Nazia Parveen, following a conference in Preston.

The political heavyweight was the star attraction at a two day British Labour Movement and Imperialism Conference, which was held at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston on Thursday.

The longest serving Labour MP in the party’s history, said he was impressed by the questions put to him by students at the hour-long session following his speech He said: "I’ve had a very nice time and I had some very good questions from people.

"In 1965 I opened the post office here, when I was postmaster general and have been back many times and have always found it very friendly and enjoyed it."

Mr Benn, who retired from the House of Commons in May 2001 after 50 years in Parliament, agreed that local Labour politicians were suffering as a result of national Labour party policies, when told that Preston went from being a Labour stronghold to being taken over by a Tory administration, last year.

He said: "In politics you have to say what you mean and mean what you say and let people make up their minds.

"I disagree with many of new Labour’s national policies - the war, privitisation, student fee’s - I don’t support them so I can understand why other people are feeling dissolusioned."

The well-known diarist and writer, stated that the decline in industry in former mill towns like Preston was the reason for the current economic crisis.

He said: "Allowing Britain to be de-industrialised by default over the last 50 years was a big mistake.

"We used to have the biggest motor industry in the world and the biggest motor car industry in Europe.

"Thatcher closed the pits and now the price of coal has gone through the roof, we have 300 years of coal under our territory with no mines to dig it and we are fighting wars on energy- people are beginning to see that it is lunacy."

Mr Benn also talked of how proud he was of his son, Hilary Benn, the present secretary of state for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

He said: "He stood twice and then got elected and as a minister he is very active and committed and I am very proud of him.

"Everytime there is a flood it lands on his desk- At the moment it is a very big issue and he is doing his best."

The 83-year-old also gave his support to Conservative MP David Davis, who recently stood down from the shadow cabinet to force a by election, in protest at new anti-terrorism law.

"This is a very important issue and if you are arrested and then released everybody would still know that you were held on suspicion- it is an attack on civil liberties."

Mr Benn’s visit to the city coincided with the Queen’s visit to Fulwood Barracks.

Although an outspoken critic of the unelected monarchy, Mr Benn, recalled a "happy memory" when he danced with the Queen in 1945 after winning the waltz in a raffle.

Asked if he would ever stand in Parliament again, he joked: "I did my 51 years and my sentence was commuted. I was let out on licence."

Dr Billy Frank, senior lecturer in the Centre for Employability Humanities said: "It is a fantastic achievement for us to attract a politician of the stature of Tony Benn to UCLan."