Veteran 'far-left' Labour politician Tony Benn 'seriously ill' in hospital

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...d-weekend.html

Veteran Labour politician Tony Benn, 88, 'seriously ill' in hospital after being admitted over the weekend

- The firebrand left-winger has spent his fourth night on an NHS ward
- He recently moved into sheltered accommodation close to London home
- Last year he said he did not fear death after suffering a stroke
- In 1990 he was given only three years to live after a leukaemia diagnosis
- Served in Labour governments as technology, industry and energy minister

Concerns: Veteran Labour politician Tony Benn, pictured last year, is seriously ill in hospital

Tony Benn was last night reported to be seriously ill in hospital.

The veteran left-winger spent his fourth night on an NHS ward after being admitted on Saturday.

The 88-year-old former politician, who first entered Parliament in November 1950, was taken into hospital after feeling unwell, and has remained there ever since.

A spokesman for the family said: ‘Tony Benn was taken into hospital on Saturday evening after feeling unwell. He is currently receiving treatment.’

Mr Benn recently moved into sheltered accommodation near his family house in Holland Park, London, where he had lived for decades.

Last year Mr Benn revealed he did not fear his demise after suffering a stroke, explaining that losing his beloved American wife Caroline to cancer 14 years ago had helped him cope.

He said: ‘I’m not frightened about death. I don’t know why, but I just feel at a certain moment your switch is switched off and that’s it. And you can’t do anything about it.’

His father, William Wedgwood Benn, was a Liberal MP, a Labour Minister and later made a peer.

On his death in 1960, Anthony Wedgwood Benn, as he was then, became the 2nd Viscount Stansgate. But he resigned his peerage to be able to remain an MP in the Commons.

He served in Labour governments as technology, industry and energy minister.

Later he campaigned against EU membership and was instrumental in the 1983 Labour manifesto which led to the party’s biggest defeat since the Second World War.

Mr Benn is also famous for his political diaries, the last volume of which, A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine, was released last year.

He finally stood down from Parliament in 2001 - joking that it was to ‘spend more time on politics - and in recent years has been president of the Stop the War campaign.

His son, Hilary, is Labour’s Shadow Communities Secretary.

Mr Benn was last admitted to hospital in September last year after complaining to his GP that he was feeling unwell.

In 1990 he was given only three years to live after a leukaemia diagnosis.

I disagree with Tony Benn on 99% of issues; he's a republican, wants to abolish the House of Lords, supports nationalised industry and is virtually a communist on every issue across the board. On the other hand, we agree 100% on the issue of the European Union[/URL] - and he's been the backbone of patriotic Old Labour that still opposes the project to this day - and we have some overlap on foreign policy.

Great interview here if anybody is interested of Benn criticising both the left and the right over the Lisbon Treaty/EU in general -

Despite being the complete opposite of him on 99% of the issues, I respect and admire the man greatly. Why? Because when Tony Benn says something, you know he believes in it absolutely 100%. He's not into spin and he's held the same principles all of his life despite taking much derison and flak for it from both the left and the right. In other words, he's the Enoch Powell (whom he was friends with despite huge differences between them) of the left. He's one of the few remaining politicians who commands any respect from me.

Get well soon sir.

Thoughts?