the world has lost Tony Benn one of the great supporters of Glastonbury Festival

Glastonbury Festival 2014

Wednesday 25th to Sunday 29th June 2014
Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4AZ, England MAP
£210 (secured with a deposit) - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 177,500

Another legendary face of Glastonbury Festival will grace the fields no more with his presence. Tony Benn passed away this morning at home. The 88-year-old former Labour MP may have been dismissed by some as an intellectual posh boy, but for many he was a must see orator at the Festival each year, a radical who put fire in the bellies of those who heard him speak to go out into the world beyond the superfence and fight for socialist ideals, and a part of the true original spirit of the Festival.

Tony Benn, was also a great supporter of the Festival, speaking about the event in 2003, he said, "Glastonbury is a fantastic event. So many young people in a community which is self-governing and tolerant. It confirms my belief that despite everything, humanity really does want to get on with itself. Michael Eavis is a genius for making it happen."

He was an old school politician and annual attendee of the Festival, making regular speeches in Leftfield and the Greenfields. The one time man of the establishment as a cabinet minister grew to become a rebellious leftwing outsider, joining his fellow protesters on the streets and in the fields who spoke warmly of the ideals of socialism and the dangers of capitalism.

He was also a man of the people, happy to shake the hand of fellow Festival goers and spend time talking to them, he was also a regular speaker at other festivals like Dorset's Tolpuddle Festival, and GuilFest.

He campaigned and spoke at length covering much over the years at the Festival's from CND, and Stop The War to Respect, Blood For Oil, for public services, Trade Unions, the NHS, for socialism, democracy, liberty, and for people to engage in politics.

His legacy will be all those who heard the well spoken, erudite and personable figure and became involved and a supporter of the ideals of a fairer and more moral world. The Festival will greatly miss his presence this summer.

I personally feel very sad at his passing, and I knew it would be coming for a while now, he greatly inspired me, and I hope I've written enough to give you the reader an idea of how much he meant to so many of us.

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