Hello I'm Krestey Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1989,

and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My castaway this week is a politician whose liberal background and right to a title has not prevented him from becoming one of this country's most eloquent socialists.

As a young MP he renounced his peerage and went on to become a member of every

Labour government of the 60s and 70s. In the years of opposition which have

followed he has allied himself to the left of his party and ruffled the feathers of its

leaders by mocking their opinions and vying with them for office. At the age of

63 he continues to be an active backbencher without power perhaps but still with

influence an influence which his critics say only contributes to labor's

failure to be elected again. He is of course Tony Ben. Mr Ben you are both loathed and

loved with probably few people falling in between the two. How does that affect you

never quite knowing what sentiment you're going to

bump into next well I'm not aware you see of being loathed except by people with

power certainly going round and the street and shopping and on my bike in

Chesterfield and on the bus and the train people are tremendously warm.

You're never abused. I think somebody once waved an umbrella and said rubbish at me

which is the most violent word used in

political controversy among the populace. Would you admit like any politician or

any performer to having a weakness for adoring audiences?

No, but I mean if you open the newspapers for years and find your view attacked and distorted and misrepresented.

And then you go to meetings and people respond.

...