Word: benn
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Labor's N.E.C. is dominated by leftists; their guiding light is proletarian aristocrat Tony Benn, an M.P. who aspires to succeed Callaghan as party leader. The internecine squabbling has led to fear that the party could split into two irreconcilable segments: a centrist group of Social Democrats, some of whom favor an alliance with the Liberal Party, and an openly leftist party that would tolerate the Red Moles and other extreme Marxists. A poll by the London Times showed that 54% of Britons favor a new centrist party in the political lineup. The N.E.C.'s high-handedness...
...favorite is former Chancellor of the Exchequer Denis Healey, who bravely defended Callaghan in Brighton as the party's "greatest asset." But if the leftists succeed next year in gaining control of the selection process-as they nearly did last week -the front runner will be Tony Benn...
...year-old aristocrat, who disclaimed his title in 1963 (and later shortened his name from Anthony Wedgwood Benn), he was weaned on politics. At Oxford, where he received an M.A. in history, Benn was president of the select Oxford Union and a masterly debater. He won the first of his twelve elections to Parliament from Bristol South-East in 1950 and served in several Labor Cabinets...
...Benn's politics veered toward the radical left about ten years ago, when he embraced a Fabian socialism tinged with Marxism. Once coy about his ambition to become party leader, he recently declared that he "would like very much to be elected to that office...
...best lines had received. Speaking in a sibilant, upper-class accent, his cricketer-pink cheeks crinkling with earnestness, the former viscount called for bold economic and social reforms and vowed to wage "a tremendous battle" against "decaying capitalism." One hint of policies to come under a future Benn government: a conference vote in favor of renationalizing -without compensation-the industries that the Thatcher government is partially selling off to the private sector...