Like Father Like Son?

Agreed. You have to know a family quite intimately, to know that.

Disgusting, really, to use someone else's dead father to make political capital.


I may not have had a lot in common with Tony Benn, but in fact I did find that he and I did have something in common in later life and his story gave me great heart and hope.

Do you share political views with your parents? I don't. Tony Benn was a fascinating, articulate orator who I enjoyed listening to but didn't agree with his politics either.

It is up to each person to hold their own views otherwise what's the point? We should believe in debate and democracy unlike Daesh.

I have never liked Hilary Benn and find him a characterless, uninspiring politician.

I'm obviously in a minority of 1 but I was not particularly moved by his speech. It's easy to rouse people by shouting about the undoubted barbarity of the enemy - the vast majority of people agree with that whatever their beliefs as to the bombing may be. It was the strategy that was in doubt, not the vicious behaviour of ISIS.

Do you share political views with your parents? I don't.
If I did, I would have a split personality

I wonder if Tony Benn would have felt the same about this intervention as he did about Iraq? As Hilary said, it's raw fascism we're dealing with now. That wasn't the case when Tony opposed the Iraq war.

Whatever the case, I think the suggestion that Hilary was trying to 'outdo' his father is just plain silly. What does it even mean, this 'outdo'?

Eloethan - we're in a minority of two - I share your view on this.

I watched his speech live on tv, brilliant and from the heart, he wrote it that day on the benches as he listened to the debate.As a matter of fact, I saw that not only the Conservatives but the far section of Labour MP's presumably the moderates and the Lib Dems ALL applauded loudly.The SNP did not, just as you would expect of them, and Corbyn sat stony faced and did not say anything or make eye contact even when Benn sat down next to him( in fact, barely made room for him to sit down at all, that's how narked he was!)

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tony Benn always opposed war and violence and questioned the reasons and the propaganda used to take a country to war. He would certainly have wanted to know more about how IS was funded and where they were getting the arms and resources from.

I didn't hear the speech but a friend who did said he sounded like Hitler!
I would call that hearsay, not evidence

But they have all had whatever briefings they needed or wanted on how they get funding, etc etc etc.
We don't know everything they are privy to.

Didn't make eye contact ? All that was going on and there should have been eye contact?

I didn't hear the speech but a friend who did said he sounded like Hitler!
And in fact that is a very strange thing to say, as Hitler was a fascist and that seems to be what we are fighting again.
or the friend is

No, there was no briefing on who is buying all the oil, who is selling the arms, what banks are involved , the questions were asked but no answer given because there is no intention by this government to find out. Use intelligence to find a man in a vehicle, the best intelligence in the world we are told, so why have they not been able to hunt out where the money comes from or where it is kept, I doubt under their mattresses , millions are passing into and out of Syria, certaintly not by cheque in the post.

Who is making billions out of this

I heard Tony Benn several times at anti war alleys he would not have said what his son said, he would have said what Corbyn asked , who is funding IS, who is selling arms etc

Well, his son is not him. He has a mind of his own.

It's like following a very clever sibling through school, the constant comparisons must be disheartening.

Why can,'t a grown man make his own decisions.? He is not a child.!

Hilary Benn received a handclap from BOTH sides because he showed guts.

I watched the whole days debate and I honestly do not for one moment believe Benn was given the response he did for voting for the government benches, he received the response because all there knew exactly what had just happened, he voted with his conscience , he voted after much thought, he voted knowing exactly what the repercussion to him personally would be , he voted for what he thought was in the best interest of the United Kingdom not the Labour Party and not himself. In other words he put party politics to one side and did what he felt was for the best even if it meant being hung for. That is why they clapped.

I said on another thread. I actually found there was a 'conviction politician, on the Labour front benches and I was surprised it was mild mannered Benn.

Don't you think Jeremy Corbyn is a conviction politician POGS? I don't mean do you agree with him. If not, how would you describe him? I'm not having a go here, I'm interested in your opinion.

Margaret Becket was another who spoke with conviction in favour of more airstrikes. She and Benn tipped it for me. I still don't know if it's the right thing to do, but I never felt not supporting France with more airstrikes was the right thing to do either. Such situations as this are never clear cut. It's a judgment call and I think we should give credit to people on both sides of the issue that they have given it long and good thought and come to a decision based on good motives. I don't think there is a 'right' way in situations like this; there's only the choice of trying to decide what will deal with the evil most effectively. If MPs are mistaken in their decisions, they have done it with the best of intentions.

I'll answer your question, nightowl. Yes, I do think Jeremy Corbyn is a conviction politician. I think Hilary Benn is too.

Now it is being admitted that the fight to rid Syria of IS will take at least two or three years, if not longer.

I can't remember Cameron saying that before he won the vote.

rosequartz I didn't say Benn was a fascist, I said my friend said he sounded like Hitler (he meant his style of oratory).

Oh, and now it's a minority of three!

Benn didn't shout. He spoke with feeling and his voice was sometimes louder than at other times but it was well modulated.

Hitler? Nonsense.

My feeling is both are conviction politicians, but although I watched HB sit respectfully for hours next to the leader of his party IMO that wasn't reciprocated when it was time for his speech.

It amuses me how people want to parade their dislike of certain politicians. It isn't about the personalities for me, but about the issue of how to deal with fascists. I can sympathise with both sides of the arguments. I don't believe I'm the only one who does this, but perhaps these threads get dominated by people with very certain and unchangeable viewpoints.

I'm hardly ever certain. Somebody famous said about that how the wise are full of doubts.

Not that I'm claiming to be wise, just illustrating my point. I'll look up the quote's provenance.