The Benn Diaries: 1940-1990 (119 page)

Read The Benn Diaries: 1940-1990 Online

Authors: Tony Benn

17. ‘Mrs Thatcher was reported as saying that two more terms of office would exterminate socialism . . . She’ll have a job to outdo Kinnock.’ November 1986.
18. ‘Like many rows with Jim, it blew up and blew over and blew out. He couldn’t have been nicer.’
19. ‘At Cabinet . . . Michael and I were arguing that we should peg top salaries for both civil servants and nationalised industry chiefs.’
20. Snookered in Chesterfield, 1983.
21. Office politics – TB’s basement in 1985.
22. ‘The streets were packed for Reagan’s visit. He began the day by riding round Windsor Great Park in a coach and four with Nancy . . . a movie star acting the part of a King.’
23. ‘People were singing and waving their arms and kissing and hugging. Someone had draped on Nelson’s Column a banner with the words Nelson Mandela’s Column.’ 11 February 1990.
24. ‘Neil Kinnock yaps like a little dog at Thatcher’s heels and she kicks him aside.’
25. TB with radical, no gimmicks singer and song writer, Billy Bragg.
26. ‘Gorbachev is going flat out to endear himself to the establishment in the West, and I suppose he’s gaining a worldwide reputation which he can use for domestic purposes in the Soviet Union.’
27. Last of the Summer Books. With Claire Rayner and Bill Owen on a literary tour.
Principal Persons

Political and Official

Biographical notes describe individuals according to their status at the start of the book i.e. Winston Churchill, not Sir Winston Churchill, etc

ACLAND, Sir Richard. Founder of Common Wealth Party 1942. Liberal MP (Barnstaple), 1933–45; Labour MP (Gravesend), 1951–5.

ALLAUN, Frank. Chairman of the Labour Party, 1978/9, and Labour MP for Salford East, 1955–83. Vice-President of CND and President of Labour Action for Peace.

ARMSTRONG, William (1915–80). Head of the Home Civil Service, and Permanent Secretary of the Civil Service Department, 1968–74. Joint Permanent Secretary of the Treasury, 1962–8. Created a life peer in 1975.

ASHTON, Joe. PPS to Tony Benn, 1975–6. Labour MP for Bassetlaw since 1968.

ATTLEE Clement (1883–1967). Clement Attlee, Leader of the Labour Party, 1935–55; and Prime Minister, 1945–51. MP for Limehouse, subsequently West Walthamstow, 1922–55. Created an earl in 1955.

BALOGH, Thomas (1905–85). Oxford economist of Hungarian birth. Minister of State at the Department of Energy, 1974–5; and Deputy Chairman, British National Oil Company, 1976–8. Close adviser to Harold Wilson in the 1950s and early 1960s, and Economic Adviser to the Cabinet, 1964–8. Created a life peer in 1968.

BANKS, Tony. Assistant General Secretary, Association of Broadcasting and Allied Staffs, 1976–83; and Head of Research, Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, 1968–75. Last Chairman of Greater London Council, 1985–6. Labour MP for Newham North West since 1983.

BARNETT, Joel. Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 1974–9. Labour MP for Heywood and Royton, 1964–83. Created a life peer in 1983.

BASNETT, David (1924–89). General Secretary of General and Municipal Workers’ Union 1973–86. Chairman, TUC General Council, 1977–8,
and of Trade Unionists for a Labour Victory, 1979–85. Created a life peer in 1987.

BEVAN, Aneurin (Nye) (1897–1960). Labour MP for Ebbw Vale. Minister of Health 1945–51; Minister of Labour and National Service, 1951. Married to Jennie Lee.

BEVIN, Ernest (Ernie) (1881–1951). General Secretary, TGWU, 1921–40. Labour MP for Central Wandsworth, subsequently for Woolwich East. Minister of Labour and National Service, 1940–5. Foreign Secretary, 1945–51.

BIFFEN, John. Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 1979–81; Secretary of State for Trade, 1981–2; and Lord President of the Council, 1982–3. Leader of the House of Commons, 1982–7. Conservative MP for Oswestry, subsequently Shropshire North, since 1961.

BLACKETT, Patrick (1897–1972). Chief Scientific Adviser at the Ministry of Technology. Pre-eminent nuclear scientist. President of the Royal Society, 1965–70. Created a life peer in 1969.

BONDI, Hermann. Chief Scientific Adviser to Ministry of Defence, 1971–7. Chief Scientist, Department of Energy, 1977–80.

BONHAM CARTER, Violet (1887–1969). Leading Liberal, President of the Liberal Party, 1945–7. Daughter of Liberal Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith; mother-in-law of Liberal Leader, Jo Grimond. Created a life peer in 1964, as Lady Asquith.

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