I liked Tony Benn. There, I've said it. Anyone who felt indignant when I wrote sympathetically about the death of Bob Crow earlier this week should perhaps move on to less controversial postings, of which Salut! offers plenty.
Benn, who has died at 88 having looked at death's door in all recent public appearances, embraced a political philosophy that was not everyone's cup of his beloved tea.
But far from being a dangerous wrecker, as his most bitter critics would have it (some will be coming forward now with the same dubious tributes that were offered to Crow), he was a man who consistently displayed honest principle, passionately held belief and respect for his country's democratic traditions.
He was, of course, a target for vitriol and demonisation throughout his political career. I have no problem with people who disagreed, profoundly, with what he stood for and the causes he championed. Benn was probably to my own left in his outlook and there was much we disagreed on. But I have a great many problems with those who seek to mock, belittle or misrepresent his contribution to public life.
I met him or found myself at the same events - he as a politician, me the reporter - on a few occasions and spoke to him by telephone from time to time. He was almost always a model of courtesy and decency.
I say almost always. There was one occasion when he was embroiled in some controversy following the Labour Party's annual conference and I heard he was attending a constituency evening in Bristol, where I then lived. I went along, somehow talked my way past door staff and made my way upstairs.
Wary of the wicked Tory press, Benn at first said he would not talk to me and did not wish me to stay. I noticed a local TV camera crew and pointed out that this was a little selective. "No, I intend to talk directly to the people," he replied.
Caroline, his sparky American wife, robustly challenged my assertion that whatever its perceived sins, The Daily Telegraph was generally fair and balanced, at least by comparison with other newspapers with a Conservative editorial line, in its coverage of the Left. We agreed to differ. Seconds later, her husband relented and not only allowed me to stay to hear his interview to camera but gave me a minute or two to put my own questions to him.
Subsequent dealings were conducted on cordial lines. He shared my interest in traditional music, more so in protest songs, and formed a partnership with Roy Bailey, a left-wing singer who commands great respect on the British folk scene. Bailey sang the songs, interspersed with Benn's readings from his own book on political dissidents, The Writing On the Wall. The double act was a resounding success.
Later, I would introduce him to the work of Linda Thompson, a magnificent folk-rock singer once married to the acclaimed singer, guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson. At her request, I sent him a copy of her album, Fashionably Late, signed by her "from a fan". He responded in similarly affectionate terms.
But a recording in which Benn was involved is the single item by which I shall always remember him. It brought together his great eloquence, his concern for ordinary people and the beauty of a colliery brass band.
Writing at Salut! Live after moving to Abu Dhabi, I lapsed into nostalgia:
I felt the need for a reminder of how wonderful a language English can be. If I had brought the album with me to the Middle East, I might have put on the Tony Benn speech to Parliament about the destruction of the coalmining industry, a model of elegant rhetoric made all the more stirring by the addition of music from the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.
I have it only on tape and I believe I gave it years ago to a friend who describes himself as a small Yorkshire town's "richest Communist". I doubt only the choice of noun. In any event, he loved it and has yet to return it.
Others will say more about Benn's life and times, and say it better. A few usual suspects will be wheeled out to say what a charlatan he was. If Tony Benn was a charlatan, give me charlatans ...
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