Politics is often associated solely with political parties and their pursuit of power. Perhaps, it is an innate dislike and distrust of those who claim authority over our individuality, which leads to certain caricatures of politicians. The politician is parodied in several ways: as a power-hungry individual, as a populist craving public adulation or as the quintessential establishment figure.

The same political class also tries to project its own image of politics. In his emotionally-charged farewell speech, Tony Blair defended the arena of politics: “If it is on occasions the place of low skulduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes.”

There are elements of truth in both views. Rampant careerism and the precedence of pragmatism over principle have tainted the image of public life. The focus on image over substance fuelled by well-oiled public relations and marketing strategies has greatly impoverished political discourse. Intense partisanship leads to debates which, at times, border on the banal. Despite all its failing, when progress is registered, we must acknowledge the role played by this much-maligned political class.

It is unfortunate that politics has become so intrinsically tied to party politics and the pursuit of power. Some individuals on the fringes of political parties or outside the political establishment have worked tirelessly to raise the political debate or provide a challenging differing perspective.

One such individual was Anthony Wedgewood Benn, popularly known as Tony Benn. His death marks the passing of a passionate contrarian in the tradition of English radicalism. Throughout his long political career – spanning about 64 years – he metamorphosed from the quintessential establishment figure to left-wing activist.

He came from a well-established political family. His grandfather was a successful Progressive politician. His father, later raised to the peerage as Viscount Stansgate, served as Ramsay MacDonald’s Secretary of State for India.

Benn attended the prestigious Westminster School and later read for a degree in philosophy, politics and economics at New College, Oxford. He successfully contested a 1950 by-election on the Labour Party’s ticket.

When his father died, Benn inherited the peerage and was thus barred from the House of Commons. He successfully campaigned to renounce his peerage and was instrumental in bringing about the Peerage Act of 1963, which allowed individuals to disclaim their peerage and sit in the House of Commons.

His legacy highlights the important role of activists in politics

In 1966, Benn was appointed Minister of Technology in Harold Wilson’s first government. In 1974, he was appointed Secretary of State for Industry and, later, Secretary of State for Energy, serving in the Cabinets of both Wilson and James Callaghan.

It was during this period that his relationship with the Labour Party took an unexpected turn. Much to the chagrin of several senior Cabinet ministers, he campaigned for a referendum on Britain’s EEC membership and subsequently campaigned for its abrogation.

He contested two Labour Party leadership elections. The first election in 1976 was brought about by Wilson’s resignation. He lost that election to James Callaghan. In 1988, he challenged Neil Kinnock. This attempt was also unsuccessful.

Throughout this period he remained an unrelenting critic of the Labour Party leadership. He was distrustful of Labour’s shift to the right. He would later be one of the fiercest critics of Blair’s ‘New Labour’ model.

After retiring from Parliament in 2001, he spent his remaining years campaigning as president of the Stop the War coalition. He chronicled his life in politics through several diaries, which have been published along the years.

He was a paradoxical politician. He was the product of a privileged background but he spent the greater part of his career trying to rewrite this aspect of his upbringing and repositioning himself as the champion of the working class. His ministerial career is largely unremarkable and he never held a great office of State. Nonetheless, he is undoubtedly one of the most iconic political figures of the 20th century.

Benn always felt he belonged in the Labour Party. However, he was also one of its fiercest critics. He bemoaned the advent of ‘New Labour’ and hankered for a return to its old socialist roots.

He was wrong on many issues. There were instances where he demonstrated lack of political judgement and a naivety borne out of sheer idealism. His support for Sinn Fein and a united Ireland, his opposition to British intervention in the Falklands and his 2003 interview with Saddam Hussein would have sounded the death knell for most politicians.

Benn, surprisingly, remained popular with the public. While his standpoints on individual issues were often questionable, his principles were often sound. These principles can still challenge our understanding of political life.

He disliked absolute and unquestionable sources of power. Benn often suggested that elected and non-elected officials should be asked 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? How can we get rid of you?”

The answer to these five questions is a litmus test for democratic credentials.

He understood how fragile democracy can be and he believed that “every generation must struggle to win it and keep it; including you and me, here and now”. Democracy was necessary in order to ensure a healthy relationship between the rulers and the ruled.

The constituency was at the heart of his politics. It was through cultivating a personal relationship built on trust that one could serve the constituency better.

His legacy highlights the important role of activists in politics. His brief spells in office were unremarkable but his speeches and his militant activism for the causes he was passionate about made him stand out from the rest. His loyalty to principle endeared him to critics and supporters.

Benn challenges individuals to think about a number of issues which affect society: the importance of welfare, the centrality of democracy, the role of institutions and the checks and balances, which prevent undue abuse of power.

His death was mourned by individuals on the left and the right of the political spectrum. Whether one agreed or disagreed with him, he certainly provided much food for thought.

andre.deb@gmail.com

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