Stephen Moss has a touching and respectful interview with Tony Benn in the Guardian today, which is well worth reading. The idea in the following piece is not original to Tony Benn (Schopenhauer got here first), but so what?, it's true and Benn has clearly lived by it:
We pause for more tobacco-tamping, and then suddenly he fills the silence with a brief but touching political aria. "How does progress occur? To begin with, if you come up with a radical idea it's ignored. Then if you go on, you're told it's unrealistic. Then if you go on after that, you're mad. Then if you go on saying it, you're dangerous. Then there's a pause and you can't find anyone at the top who doesn't claim to have been in favour of it in the first place." It strikes me that his belief in this process must have sustained him during the long periods in which he was mocked and marginalised.
I suspect Stephen Moss is right.
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Schopenhauer was known as the ‘philosopher of pessimism’-the neo-lib madness will have to bring us all down before there is change!
Despite all the good he does, I fear Mr. Benn’s continued use of tobacco products sets a bad example for our society, especially our youth.
I find that worrisome.
on the other hand how often do we see young people -esp. women- smoking a pipe?
what I find more worrying is the notion that everyone in public life is supposed to set an example to others. Far better that we accept that all humans are flawed and highlight the positive aspects of people’s life. In fact, to use Raymond Carver’s dictum, I would find it hard to trust any man who didn’t get drunk now and then. I’d sooner have humans in charge than robots.
The alternative is the blandness of Clegg, Cameron and Miliband, all of whom have never done anything controversial in their life.
Indeed, Roger, there was a time when a politician could look human, wair a creased sui and look like death warned up. No we have photogenic, air-brushed, creosoted look-alike zomboid characters whose nervous systems are linked to the perceived vox populi.