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March 14, 2014

Former British MP, Antiwar Activist Tony Benn Dies at 88 
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And the former British Cabinet minister, longtime Parliament member and
antiwar activist Tony Benn has died at the age of 88. He was the
longest-serving member of Parliament in the history of Britain's Labour
Party, serving more than half a century. He left Parliament in 2001,
saying he planned to "spend more time on politics." I sat down with Tony
Benn in London in 2010, when, at the age of 85, he was serving as
president of the Stop the War Coalition. I asked him to talk about
former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Tony Benn: "Mr. Blair misled the House of Commons. He told them things
which were not true, under instructions from President George W. Bush,
and, as a result of that, persuaded the House of Commons to vote for the
war. One calculation is that over a million Iraqis have died as a result
of the conflict. And what was achieved by it? Nothing. So I think he
will have to live 'til the day he dies with the knowledge that he was
guilty of a war crime and the tragedies, human tragedies, that followed
from it."

British antiwar activist and veteran Parliament member Tony Benn. Benn's
family said he died peacefully at home in London early this morning,
surrounded by loved ones.

 

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