Tony Benn to give Salter Lecture
Tony Benn is announced as a speaker at Yearly Meeting Gathering
Veteran left-wing politician Tony Benn has agreed to speak on socialism to British Quakers during Yearly Meeting Gathering (YMG) in Canterbury next month. He will give the Salter Lecture, an annual event of the Quaker Socialist Society (QSS), on 2 August.
YMG will include Yearly Meeting, at which British Friends make formal decisions, along with talks, workshops and other events. It will run from 30 July to 6 August.
Ian Flintoff of QSS told the Friend that he is both a ‘personal friend’ and ‘strong admirer’ of Tony Benn.
‘Tony’s given his whole life to the Left,’ he said, ‘Without actually being a Quaker, Tony Benn is one of the most naturally Quaker-kind of people who I’ve ever known’.
In recent years, the Salter Lecture has been given by Roy Hattersley, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, and Richard Wilkinson, author of The Spirit Level. The QSS say that they aim to bring together all who share the principles of Quakers and socialism, without being affiliated to any political party.
Tony Benn last year told the Friend that he has ‘great confidence in Quakers’ and regards Friends House as a ‘centre for political discussion’.
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