Tony Benn - Dan Bull

Rest in peace Tony Benn, one of the only men

To keep integrity through parliament, right to his lowly end

Held steadfast inside that phony den

So if you know a more honest MP, show me then

And I don’t give a damn how you feel on socialism

When it comes to his integrity there’s clearly no decision

Came from a privileged background just like our leaders did

Oxford PPE graduate, but kept it real and shit

So it’s only fair that we should note

That between Tony Blair and Tony Benn

Benn was a loner in the cronies' lair

New Labour alienated him, made him marginalised

Pulled hard on the ties, wouldn’t be part of the lies

Man, the way the political game has since changed

Cameron, Miliband and Clegg should look at him and feel ashamed

They’ll keep their arse in line, just to toe the party line

Part of a mindstate that’s hardly yours and hardly mine

When he became an MP 64 years ago

Who’d have thought he’d have over 60 more years to go

He was never ready to be a hereditary peer

Spearheaded a campaign to ditch the champagne for regular beer

He didn’t want to be a lord, didn’t want to be awarded

For things he never achieved, these should be ignored

What are we here for if not to assist

Our sisters and brothers cross the bridge across the distance from others

Blew through these damn walls like a human cannonball

His compassion was such that he refused to eat animals

Amnesty for striking miners unite in kindness

Fighting violence decry the loss of life in Palestine and Ireland

Writing diaries, spiking trident

If you like that kind of line up, grab a light and light your pipes up

He lost his title, but he kept on climbing

Lost government, but he kept on grinding

He lost the mines, but he kept on striking

He lost his seat, but he kept on riding

He lost his teeth, but he kept on biting

Lost mobility, but kept on writing

He lost his wife, but he kept on driving

Now he’s lost his life but we will keep on fighting

Rest in peace, Tony Benn

Your legacy lives on

I do not share the general view that market forces are the basis of political

liberty

Every time I see a person in a cardboard box in London, I say

«That person is a victim of market forces»

Every time I see a pensioner who can’t manage:

A victim of market forces

The sick, who are waiting for medical treatment that they could accelerate by

private insurance

They are the victims of market forces

If you can find money to kill people

You can find money to help people

Democracy is the most revolutionary thing in the world

Far more revolutionary than socialist ideas, anybody else’s idea

Because if you have power, you use it

When I was young, my dad said to me:

«The basis of political work is very simple

Always say what you mean, mean what you say

Do what you said you’d do if you have a chance

And don’t «And when I look back, I think that was good advice