Emily Benn inherited her grandfather’s physiognomy.
She has come to fleeting attention by criticising Alex Salmond for saying that Tony would be “birling in his grave” at Hilary Benn’s warmongering.
During the Westminster elections, I received a text from the SNP asking members living in the centre of Edinburgh to nip down to the Mound for a photocall with Nicola Sturgeon. I looked out of the window at a cold Edinburgh morning, rain driving horizontally, and decided against it. Nadira remarked “If it was Alex Salmond you would have gone.” This is true. If it were Alex Salmond, I would have gone if it had entailed attempting to cross a river of molten lava.
It is therefore with consideration that I say that on this occasion I think that while Salmond was absolutely right that Tony Benn would fundamentally have disagreed with Hilary’s speech, the expression was perhaps over-colourful. I did not really get to know Tony until 2005 on, when the great chasm of Hilary’s support for the Iraq War already loomed between them, but Tony’s parental affection and pride were undimmed. There would be something really wrong with you for your opinion of your children to be conditional on their sharing your political opinions. So probably not birling.
But equally, I am quite sure Tony would not have felt Alex had anything to apologise for, and would have much admired Salmond’s own contribution on Syria.
UPDATE Several commenters have formed the impression that I object to the phrase “birling in the grave” as offensive. I do not, it is a perfectly ordinary phrase. My point is rather that there was no family split in the Benn family despite some radically different political opinions, and that seemed to me in fairness worth noting. I describe “birling in the grave” as over-colourful purely as a description of the Tony-Hilary relationship, not as an offensive phrase. Tony certainly is birling in his grave over the Syria vote.
If Corbyn had any balls he’d take the whip away from the 66 Red Tories, including Mr Benn the aspiring gauleiter. If he wants a real Labour party that’s what he’s got to do.
But Corbyn is too nice to do that, I suspect. He’s too entrenched in Parliamentary procedure to do what needs to be done.
Red Tories out.
Rubbish!! Are Scots now to curtail an age old saying “He/she will birl/spin/turn in their grave” when someone says/does something that that person would not agree with!! Are you saying I am over the top for saying it to my grown up daughter when she does something that I know her gran would be unhappy about!!! what is this that Scots have to stop using sayings we’ve said for years because our neighbours in the south are offended!! Bloody hell! Kneel to the south you lowly Scots!
Another thing I’d add! I was 40 years Labour till I switched to SNP, Tony Benn WOULD birl in his grave at the thought of his son standing up proudly and speaking up for bombing! I met the great man several times when he did talks at the Fringe!! Stop making Alex Salmond the bad guy when he is speaking the truth!!
Tony Benn helped shaft Scotland with his suppression of the McCrone report.
He also voted for the 40% vote pockle during the last referendum.
That he was no friend of Scotland is quite clear.
Despite that he would be birling faster than a Dentist’s drill at his offspring reading a speech which looked like something prepared by Mark Regev.
ElaineS is correct, to most folk i Know, this is a harmless Phrase Often used. I have used the Phrase myself to close friends..it’s a shrug and a Sheepish smile thing.
ElaineS,
I am sure Tony will be birling in his grave at the Syria vote, but not at the behaviour of his son.
The point I am gently making is that Tony already knew that Hilary was a Blairite, but it did not upset their family relations.
Nothing I wrote could be taken by any rational person as implying that Alex Salmond is a bad guy.
I also agree with ElaineS. Birling in a grave is indeed an acceptable Scottish phenomena.
BrianFujisan
Their is nothing wrong at all with the phrase, or the English equivalent turning in his grave. My point is purely a factual one that there was no family split, even though political opinions were radically different. It is I think an important point to make in fairness.
Sharing political opinions yes, I agree, albeit spinning after death from a ‘disturbance in the force’ from shock & awe, absolutely No!
I missed the Emphasis on that Craig… Tony Loved Hilary… I should know all about opposites with a boy of mine in the Military.. Still It’s to be admired that there was no family split.. In away you have taught me something on this… Keep up the Good work
Hilary Benn has more faces than Big Ben.
MerkinScot
You are quite right, Tony Benn’s attitudes to Scotland were alarmingly Britnat. He was also a pretty spikey and bruising character; his avuncular image could be misleading.
Hilary’s argument is that we should go to war to save people.
Tony’s argument was that in not going to war we were saving people.
And, their view of war is different.
Tony understood that war is a plundering racket.
Hilary seems to believes that it is a moral crusade.
One has a belief in humanity. The other in the machine.
Me dad voted Labour, me grandad voted Labour..
Oldham
Average wage 17k after 50 years of Labour. I think there’s a trend there.
Meanwhile 15 Labour councillors on 100k+ per year.
Craig
I still have a family super 8 film of Tony Benn speaking at Queens Park Bandstand when I was a wee boy, in the 60s.
My parents were big fans of his at that time.
Both of them would now be birlin’ at the thought that, 50 years later, Son of Benn would be urging the killing of more and more Arabs and that those who speak out against it are vilified as terrorist sympathisers.
“Craig
I still have a family super 8 film of Tony Benn speaking at Queens Park”
Oh do get over it. He achieved nothing except passing over a large portion of his wealth to his son tax-free.
Craig, sometimes I think you must be deliberately awkward ie why not just go to photo shoot and built bridges. Anyway just posting to say that Californian Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has put out an interesting statement on Syria, IS and Russia.
Anon1
Your lot have been dictating economic policy for the last 35 years. Don’t blame the conditions in deprived northern towns on their local MPs. They’re just trying to keep up with the fallout.
You want to be looking to the City of London to explain Britain’s economic woes.
Britain is basically in House Clearance mode now. Selling whatever to whomever.
That’s where your economic heroes have brought us.
Beggars and streethawkers.
Tony Benn: “My Mother was a Scot, my wife was an American, one son married a girl who was the daughter of an Indian and another married a Muslim.”
History will not, does not judge him harshly. Hilary Benn though, I think quite the opposite. Did he dare to be a Daniel? As his father was fond of saying. Or a Judas?
I think living in the shadow of his father is an impossibility, but without his father he would have amounted to less than the nothing he is now become; we’re all floundering trying to understand how, but not particularly perturbed or surprised by his duplicity.
I’m no fan of political dynasties, but Emily Benn and others are of course blameless and shouldn’t feel personally diminished, to say that someone would be birling/turning in their grave is a mark of respect, it’s a common enough and well understood though nonsensical saying which no doubt has equivalents too in other languages and cultures.
While Tony Benn turns in his grave, Hilary Benn digs his own.
Alas there is not I think any published ‘etymology for idioms’, it would be fascinating.
There’s an urge to photoshop a pipe onto Emily’s picture. A peace pipe.
Tony may be birling or turning but Hilary is definitely spinning – this speech, light on reasons, over-reliant on emotion, was carefully prepared with others of Blairite warmongering persuasion.
Emily has twice failed to get into Parliament. She has had to make do with becoming a Croydon councillor. ‘An investment banker with UBS’. Very NuLiebour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Benn
UBS Branches in ME and Africa
Bahrain
Egypt
Israel
Lebanon
Nigeria
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
United Arab Emirates
Quite so.
There is a long list of ‘controversies’ on the UBS Wiki page. Naughty little Swiss gnomes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UBS#Controversies
~~~
Her tweets support Uncle Hilary and the war mongering section of the Labour party.
Emily Benn @Emily_Benn Dec 2
Incredibly proud of @hilarybennmp tonight-Superb speech demonstrating so powerfully why we must fight and defeat fascism wherever we find it
Emily Benn @Emily_Benn · 15 hrs
I’m now travelling without twitter. All our thoughts are with the brave RAF servicemen and women who are serving our country
and some retweets from the Red Tories.
~~
Her father, the 3rd Viscount, did not inherit the urge to sit on the green benches.
Dr Stephen Benn
Director of Parliamentary Affairs
Institute of Biology.
~~
The former Labour minister left an estate worth £5m to his children, but official documents suggest he used legitimate tax planning strategies to reduce death duties.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/tax/11189430/Tony-Benns-inheritance-tax-dodge-how-it-works-and-how-you-can-use-it-too.html
It was ever thus.
It’s not an issue, it really isn’t worth wasting a few paragraphs on. Hillary voted for the Iraq way, the destruction of Libya and now the assault on Syria. He’s never apologised and that has had more serious consequences than Alex saying what everyone was thinking.
There’s no such thing as ISIS/Da’esh infrastructure though. It’s the Syrian state’s infrastructure and that of the private investors if any, in refineries, storage etc., it hurts Syria and the Syrian people in the long run far more than the short term annoyance of Da’esh and Turkish or Israeli profiteers. Little attention is being paid to Iraq, whose oil is also being stolen too, the US is not keen to interdict this traffic as Iraq would not grant legal amnesty to US and other ‘coalition’ nationals who committed notorious war crimes and atrocities there. What this nuisance attack by the UK government’s bombers has achieved is hard to discern as it is ephemeral, it seems this refinery had already been hit repeatedly by the US, and caught amidst localised ground fighting rendering it long out of operation, I suspect what and who were being bombed were oil and engineering workers of all nationalities, working for the Syrian government, salvaging what they could from the ruins. I expect we’ll be treated to a nice video of some stereotypical balaclaved louts burning an effigy of Cameron or a butcher’s apron, specially flown in, to get them message to the chloroformed masses down South that the air-strikes really made Da’esh mad at us, with lots of waving of guns, firing in the air and all the usual comedy routines, we know and love, from the the crew and cast of Da’esh in their Christmas special, with special guest star Scary Beardy Dude, in his best pyjamas.
I’m going right off the whole Benn clan completely now, fall back on my Fabian elitist bloodlines analysis of the other day:- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/12/war-porn/comment-page-1/#comment-566157
Born to rule? Not a chance, hop it!
I thought she was just an innocent young woman, an unwitting extra being drawn into yet another convoluted, tendentious punt to smear Alex Salmond and/or the SNP. Hell mend her.
Fwl,
“Sometimes I think you must be deliberately awkward”. Good spot!
After the speech the aftermath. The win at Oldham. Oh dear.
Son of Kinnock popped up recently care of the foxy Press report. The privileged £Millionaires.Why do they need to inflict their offspring on others. A purge to all their Houses.