Tony Benn spoke out about the greedy among us, the multinationals, against wars for profit. A champion of the abolition of the monarchy who supported any strike that was going. he stood shoulder to shoulder with us all. with unfaltering belief and abiding determination, with his voice clearly saying that the powerful should always be held to account.
He was one of the most important figures on the socialist left in Britain and there was hardly ever been an important working class gathering that did not tried to secure Benn as a speaker. And whenever possible he would speak.
He was for decades the most independent-minded, powerful and passionate voice at Westminster, and the man whose crusading zeal led to the new law which allowed him to renounce his own peerage and return to the House of Commons.He utterly ignored his own personal prospects in order to get his message across.
Tony was an inspiration to a whole generation of socialists and activists whose radical vision of a better, fairer society continues to inspire today.He was a rare breed indeed, who offered genuine ideas, based on unwavering principles and convictions. A man of great honesty and integrity. The world remains poorer without his warm spirit.
We must continue his deeds, set about building a genuine alternative to capitalism. On the torch of his belief in a better world and his determination , there lies a world where politics is not the language of brute force.
With his articulated voice Tony Benn delivered a vision of the possible, a tireless fighter for peace, justice and equality his legacy remains as strong as ever.
"There is in every human heart from the beginning of time there have been two flames burning, the flame of anger against injustice and the flame of hope that you can build a better world. And those two flames are burning in our hearts today, in the hearts and minds of millions of people. " - Tony Benn
Dare to be a Daniel, was the title chosen by Tony Benn for his early memoir, the first lines of the following poem are from an old salvation Army hymn that had been sung to him by his parents. I try to keep faith, dare to be different.
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone,
Dare to have a purpose firm,
And dare to let it know.
Dare to stand with the voiceless,
the occupied daily denied,
stand shoulder to shoulder,
with devoted words of meaning,
committed breaths carrying no fear.
Seed the earth with love,
persistent grains of freedoms cry,
move forward with language of hope,
in blazing movements of united flow.
Seek out the hallmarks of truth and justice,
drink from the vessels of life,
keep faith as our changeless songs hum out,
in fearless cry, together we right their wrongs.
On the breeze, our voices lift,
for tomorrows bright sun to shine again,
leave footprints by rivers' wave of friendliness,
in flows of solidarity and stealth.
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