Listen HERE and start from 13:15. Keep listening until 16:45. That doesn't sound to me like 'Tony Benn supports Ed Miliband', as reported by the New Statesman and blogged about in a number of places. A few clues:
"I have always supported John McDonnell."
"I think it's important that people should vote for those whose general approach they support, and the broader the range of discussion in the party the healthier the party will be."
"I support him (McDonnell) very strongly and the line he's taken on many issues."
George Eaton's little article at the Staggers certainly shows creativity of interpretation, but loses marks on the small matter of having any supporting evidence.
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Excuse me from listening to three hours of a radio show, I'll take your word for it! Nevertheless Benn's support for Ed Miliband's campaign has been widely reported with no complaints fro the man himself. Maybe he just wants to have a meaningful influence on the final result, ie. he knows that McDonnel is not going to get the nominations he needs and that David 'We must not go back to the dark days of the 1980s' Miliband would be a disastrous leader.
ReplyDeleteyou only need to listen to about 4 minutes of the radio show.. he started off talking about John McDonnell and it was only when the interviewer pressed him on which Miliband he preferred that he said Ed.
ReplyDeleteAnd Tony Benn probably doesn't read as much online stuff as some of us