Veteran Benn still open to question on the key issues of politics

I think I managed little more than half-a-dozen questions in the 45 enthralling minutes I spent in his company, during which time he discussed everything from his early memories of Gandhi and Oswald Mosley, through to his time as a cabinet minister in the Wilson and Callaghan governments and the Labour Party’s subsequent implosion.

Benn famously left parliament to “spend more time on politics” and at a time when most people are slowing down – he turned 87 earlier this month – the former Chesterfield MP continues to engage in political discussion and this week brings his “in conversation” show to Huddersfield and Leeds.

“I think people are fed up with sound-bites, spin, sensation and scandal from politicians. What people really want is a chance to discuss issues that affect all our lives and to have that discussion in a sensible, uninterrupted and civilised manner,” he says.

A lot has happened in the 11 years since the veteran politician left the House of Commons, as he points out. “We’ve had 9/11, the Afghan war and the war in Iraq and we’ve had the Arab Spring and the question of world peace is now fundamentally important. We’ve also had the banking crisis where they gambled huge sums of money and left ordinary people to pay the price – essential services are being cut and people are seeing their pensions reduced.”

The British political landscape has also changed with Labour dumped out of office and replaced by a coalition government. “I remember my dad saying that in war coalitions are necessary, but in peacetime the victim is the more progressive of the two parties and that’s something the Liberals are discovering now. They are being driven along to a point where they seem to have been conscripted into the Conservative Party.”

He supports Ed Miliband even though the Labour leader has faced criticism over his failure to win over voters at a time when the Tories are struggling in the polls.

“I voted for Ed Miliband and I’ve known him for a long time. When he was 15 he came to my office and did some work experience and I’ve followed his progress ever since. He says what he means and means what he says and he’s doing the best he can.”

So what does he make of George Galloway’s recent success in Bradford? “I’ve known George for along time and he’s a talented speaker and I think he tapped into the disillusionment that many people feel about a system over which they have no control.”

He believes one of the greatest threats to democracy is cynicism. “It is important not to be cynical, you can be sceptical but if people don’t feel anything can be achieved then they don’t try.”

But at the same time he was impressed by the Occupy protesters he spoke to outside St Paul’s Cathedral last year and has faith in the future. “All politics is about moral questions whether it’s about war, social policy or whether we want people to live in poverty,” he says.

“I’ve been a student all my life, I’ve learned a lot and campaigned for what I believe in. I’m an optimist, because I think you have to be, and I believe that hope is a very powerful weapon.”

Tony Benn is appearing at the City Varieties, Leeds, tomorrow and Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, on May 2.