Farewell Tony Benn

What an awful week for the labour movement. The shocking passing of Bob Crow and now our well-loved comrade, Tony Benn. Tony, in many ways, was the ideal-typical politician of yesteryear. Patient and polite, persistent and principled. He was the embodiment of a rare breed of MP, a man who entered Parliament out of conviction and after a 50 year career in the Commons left it "to spend more time on politics". As such he commanded respect from across the political spectrum and was one of the few political figures who was readily recognisable outside the Westminster bubble long after his retirement.

It's easy to speak in cliches when you write about the passing of - yes - a labour movement and Labour Party legend, so far be it for me to challenge that. Tony Benn enjoyed a long, full life fighting for working people, democracy and socialism. And by far the best way of honouring that memory is doing the same.