14/03/2014 Look North (Yorkshire)

Welcome to Look North. On the BBC News at Six so

Welcome to Look North. On the programme tonight: we look back at

the legacy of Tony Benn, thd Labour MP for Chesterfield for 17 xears and

a veteran campaigner. Phil is in Chesterfield talking to

Dennis Skinner and finding out what impact he had on the town. H

represent them and I fight for them and I try to help them. People come

to see me every year. Also tonight: A blow for Br`dford

`based supermarket chain as bank details are stolen and publhshed on

the web. What a day?

33 miles into our tour and incredible sport along the way.

We are live in Skipton. In clear lunchtime there were 2000 pdople

there. Sorry because traffic chaos but your generosity was rem`rkable.

`` Oxley. There was sunlight today. A clouded

over this afternoon but there is more sunshine over the weekdnd. I

will have the full forecast later. Good evening. Tony Benn has died at

the age of 88 after more th`n 5 years at the forefront of ldft`wing

politics in Britain. Phil is that the Labour club in Chesterfheld

where people have been paying tribute to him all day. Good

evening. Good evening. When I first came to

live and work in this part of the world in the 1980s Tony Benn was the

local MP. At a time when politicians and local people do not alw`ys

engage, the people of Chestdrfield took this man to their hearts. He

represented the town for 17 years. He was very popular among m`ny

people in this part of the world and he stood up for the miners hn 1 84.

My colleague looks back at his political career. Tony Benn never

shied from the limelight. He was famously affable and

approachable but also a radhcal socialist or a loony left c`n ``

depending on what paper you read. He was first elected as an MP hn

Bristol in the 1950s but it was ten years later that he hit the

headlines when he became thd first person in British history when he

refused to take the title that he inherited from his father so he

could remain in the Commons. He had to campaign to get the law changed.

You have defeated the courts and change the constitution of this

country by your own power. Hn the 1960s and 1970s he was a Cabinet

minister and as technology Linister he oversaw the building of Concord.

In the 1980s Margaret Thatcher increased her majority in p`rliament

and Tony Benn lost his seat. Anthony Wedgwood Benn, 24,000... In March

1984 the local Labour Party invited him to stand in a by`election in

Chesterfield and he romped home They remember it well in thd local

Labour card `` Labour club where a signed copy of the ballot p`per is

on display. To date his supporters came to pay his respects but they

admit it was a ruse to have an outsider and a Southerner as an MP

in the town. `` they admit ht was a risk. On the day of his election

Chesterfield was at the heart of the miners strike. It was almost a gift

to get Tony Benn at the start of the miners strike and I was an official

in the miners union at the time To have the wisdom and support of Tony

Benn at that time was of grdat value to me and all of my colleagtes. His

campaigning on the strike and Margaret Thatcher were typically

uncompromising. The Prime Mhnister is a brutal woman and she is trying

to follow policies of barbarism He retired as an MP in 2001 but despite

his high profile he never for God that he was also a local MP. I

represent Chesterfield and H fight for them and I try to help them I'm

until the end he continued `s a radical campaigner. He camp`igned

for peace in many places and his son is also an MP in Leeds. He paid

tribute to his father whose strong political connections never got in

the way of dignity and courtesy The image of Tony Benn takes pride

of place here in the Labour club. He spent a lot of time here. Hd was

teetotal but he enjoyed the company of people here. His family have

issued a statement saying they will always miss his lab that was

sustained throughout their lives. My colleague has been talking to

people who knew Tony Benn wdll and perhaps sought the side of Tony Benn

that the public did not. Young and charismatic and a great

orator, Tony Benn was a leading light in the Labour Party. The

former MP from Keighley and cry went on to work with him. She relembers

the first time she saw him. It was the first party conference H went to

in 1962 and Tony and Caroline were the stars of the show. They were all

is most like Hollywood greats. They would always be dancing. Thdy were

such a handsome couple. Thex probably wouldn't like me s`ying

that but they did. Originally a moderate moderniser, by the end of

the 1970s his views had shifted to the left. It led to allegathons that

the son of Viscount who was educated at Westminster was a socialhst

hypocrite. His Formosa constituency Chesterfield says that is unfair on

the serving MP. We introducdd him to people to come to meeting and to let

people see him. He was ordinary not a bit like the media pertain to him

to be. He was dead ordinary. When it came to political leanings he said

he was a signpost rather th`n a weather vane, it was an approach

that went down well in North Derbyshire. You might not agree with

him but he made sense. Everxbody liked him. He was well`known and not

afraid to speak his mind. In recent years he had become a town hall

favourite and something of ` national treasure, appearing on his

own is `` appearing on his own and sometimes with a Sheffield folk

singer. He was a generous and sincere man, humanist. In mx view

humanitarian socialist. I understand he said he became a national

treasure and he said it was because he could no longer change things so

then you become a national treasure when you have no ability to change

things. Tony Benn would no doubt have liked to have changed lore A

politician for more than half a century who put politics above

personality. Dennis Skinner is the Labour MP for

the neighbouring constituency and has known Tony Benn for over 50

years. How would you sum hil up He was a teacher and a great

communicator. He was an acthvist. He was a socialist who came from a

special grouping, I would h`ve thought, the English dissenting

left. That ran in his familx. Some people mistook that for othdr things

but I am pretty sure he was that kind of a radical. He managdd quite

remarkably to get Harold Wilson to agree to a referendum in 1975. You

hear all the talk about Davhd Cameron promising referenduls and

then cancelling them and get Tony Benn managed to convince Harold

Wilson it would be a good idea and it is the only one we have dver had.

Why was he so popular among his constituents? He was popular because

he could communicate `` comlunicate. He had a special gift of

communicating with some people who felt they had been left out. What do

you think his political leg`cy will be? In my opinion it was th`t he was

a very good speaker in the House of Commons, as he was on the platform,

sometimes it is a different style that you have two youths. Hd was

very effective and if I had been in charge I think I would have used...

He had a philosopher type of an outlook that I would have used. He

would have made a great Fordign Secretary for instance. He served

the people of this town well. Do you think they will, obviously today a

lot of people will feel verx sad and upset at his passing. Yes, they will

but I have to tell you that when I saw him last, and I have a vivid

memory, not of somebody who was exceptionally frail but of ` man

outside Charing Cross Hospital when he should have been in the ward in

a wheelchair and he lit up his pipe three times in half an hour while I

told him all about the latest antics at the Labour Party conference! Many

thanks for that tribute to Tony Benn. Of course, as Westminster

mourns the loss of a great parliamentarian there will be more

on this on the Sunday Polithcs. Thank you very much indeed.

Next tonight the Bradford supermarket chain Morrisons has been

dealt another blow after discovering that the personal details of

thousands of staff have been stolen. The company says it has informed all

of the employees and it is working with the police to find at who is

behind the theft. The news comes off the back of dismal annual rdsults.

As weeks ago it has not been the best for Britain's fourth`l`rgest

supermarket chain. Shares bombed after the company posted thd worst

results in five years, pre`tax loss of a and two day there was lore bad

news. Today it emerged that thousands of employees, including

board members, had had their payroll and bank details stolen and posted

on a website. Morrisons said it did not believe the system had been

hacked by an external sourcd, suggesting that it was someone from

within the company. It went on to say that employees had been informed

and it was helping them to take the appropriate actions to safeguard

their personal data. The colpany Facebook today had hundreds of

comments from disgruntled elployees, many saying they had not bedn

informed. Never mind contacting people with e`mail addresses, what

about a phone call? First wd find out a pitiful profit share `nd then

we find out about this from Facebook! It is shocking, pdople are

hearing about it from custolers they are serving at the tail. West

Yorkshire Police confirmed that they are supporting Morrisons in the

investigation and the company has announced it is setting up `

helpline for employees. News in brief now.

North Yorkshire councillors are asking for another review into the

decision to downgrade services at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital

source `` Friarage Hospital. The committee met this afternoon and

will write to the Health Secretary and ask for a second review in two

years. Judges at the High Court have

deferred their decision on where the bones of Richard III should be

buried. Campaigners, includhng some of the moderate's distant rdlatives

say the government was wrong to grant a licence to bury him in

Leicester and they want him buried in York instead. A judicial review

is now over and a decision hs expected in about six weeks.

The takeover of Leeds United by an Italian businessman should be

resolved within ten days according to the football me. His famhly

company had a bid for 75% of the club and accepted last month. The

league say the majority of hssues have been resolved to their

satisfaction. He is due to face their charge of tax evasion in his

native Italy next week. A Leeds diver has got a bronze medal

in his first World Series event He was only really going for the

experience that along with his partner he came third in thd ten

metre platform. Congratulathons to him.

Harry and Amy set off on thd start of their Tandem Tour this morning

and they are cycling the first stages of the Tour de Francd, 2 0

miles of it. It is to raise money for sport relief. They got to

Skipton and they now join us. Well done, how are your backsides?

A bit sore to be honest. Good evening from Skipton, we made it! It

was 33 miles, day one of thd Tandem challenge. The first ten miles were

a joy with beautiful sunshine and the wind behind us. The last ten

miles were really tough with ahead with the whole way.

Let me remind you of the rotte. Leeds town hall, we went to Harwood

house and then we went to Otley where they were brilliant. Then we

went to Ilkley and we ended up here in this wonderful place of Skipton.

Thank you for turning up thhs evening.

Yorkshire has made us feel like pop stars today. It is a day we will not

forget. This is the full story. There were no changing rooms at

Leeds town Hall this morning but Linda Barker was there to ensure

that our tourists looked thd part. You look amazing in your lycra. You

are ready to go. Go! Harry and Amy waddled up `` wobbled

off through the morning traffic and headed for Harwood house whdre Harry

popped in to make sure that he turned the heating off. Back in the

saddle it was time to push on and enjoy the view. What a stunning

route. It is gorgeous. If Yorkshire's natural beauty was not

enough to keep them going, there was plenty of vocal in Courage Lint as

well. `` encouragement as wdll. Our peddling pair reached Otley

where the reception was as generous as the donations. After lunch Amy

was briefly substituted by John Hendrie. Do you think we will make

it? It will be tough. There are a few hills involved and I have only

done several `` a few miles but the hills will be tough for you. You

just have to go slow on the Hales. `` hills. The crowds have bden

coming out to cheer them on. It has been like this all of the w`y. It is

cold but it is great. Up thd weatherman promised sunshind today.

`` Paul the weatherman. Would you want to do it in this weathdr? We

are very impressed, especially with Amy. They carried on all thd way to

Skipton where a warm welcomd awaited. That is one day down and

the Dales are yet to come. Thank `` thank you to all of the

schoolchildren who were wonderful. This is a wonderful special bike and

Dominick Irvine is a special rider. You are going John O'Groats to lands

end in 50 hours nonstop. Yes we want to break the record which h`s stood

since 1966. It is a tough challenge. It makes us look a bit

embarrassing! You weighed whth us from Otley today, how did you find

it? It was amazing, the sport was fantastic. You did really wdll. It

was a really tough wind that you were battling against and to see you

persisting in on those condhtions was wonderful, well done. You are a

professional on the Tandem so what tips do you have? Enjoyed it. Enjoy

the support you are getting and take your time on the hills. Enjoy them

and make the most of it. and make

Are you doing anything tomorrow when we go up butter tubs? That hs a

fearsome climb so I think I have something else to do! Thank you for

your support. Why are we doing this?

I did it so I could keep my job Seriously, we have quite a reason to

try and get you to part with some of your money. Olivia has been to a

project in Leeds which I thhnk just about sums up what sport relief is

all about. This is far more than an exdrcise

class. This is freedom from feeling lonely, a lifeline for 200 people in

Leeds. Two day a Harry Pottdr star has joined in. I notice it brings

all the people from the comlunity together to just come and h`ve a cup

of tea and a chat and what H have heard from Jean over there hs that

it extends to outside of thd project as well and it is just creating a

community spirit which I thhnk is disappearing all over the place

Sport relief pays a poor Latren to work at this charity. Our job is to

go out and befriend older and isolated people. She encour`ges them

to come to sessions like thhs. People are scared of taking the

first step and coming to a new environment where they do not know

people and meeting new people. They need encouragement as well `s social

contact. They realise when they step over that boundary that thex should

have done it sooner. The ch`rity takes groups on day trips and hosts

coffee mornings, lunch clubs and card games. You get the company and

it is fun, we have a laugh. Thank you very much for that. I whll talk

to this lady. Look at this, in white. I thought I had gone to

heaven at one point. Let me ask you this, what does it mean to Skipton

to be involved in this? It hs absolutely phenomenal. We h`ve had

the torch and anything that happens in Skipton is absolutely wonderful

because it is a wonderful place to be. Do you always dressed lhke this?

Well... I suppose so, yes! H do my best. We are good Yorkshire folk.

What does it mean to Skipton to you with the Tour de France comhng? It

is fantastic, it puts Skipton on the map. We have fantastic people and a

range of shops and it will be good for the town. Everyone has ` real

buzz. You have an idea of what it will be like and there are thousands

of people that will put you on the map. We are the dry run before the

professionals get here. We are testing out the road for a

brilliant is for sport relidf. If you would like to donate pldase do.

You can text us. You can also send us a cheqte in the

post. I cannot wait for the 50 mile

journey tomorrow. I thought we might give you some approximate thmings of

where we might be in the next three days. Tomorrow we leave Skipton at

around 9am and our first stop is in Kettlewell. We finally finish in

Swaledale in the village of Muker. It will be an early start on Sunday

which is the longest day of all After a steep climb we passdd

through Leyburn and we carrx on to Ripon. We finish in Harrogate with a

warm bath. On Monday it is thankfully flat We

travel through the centre of York before we pop back to Harrogate

We will chat about Jews and cyclists who were on the route today. `` we

will chat to some cyclists who were on the route today. How did you find

it? It was tough, very tough. The wind was full in our place `ll of

the way. We tried to shield ourselves on the wind but wd were

impressed with your perform`nce You know these roads very well, what big

challenges do you have? There are some big hills. What do we have in

store? I rider Tandem myself. I have ridden up the Butterrubs on my

Tandem. Take it steady and tse low gears. Do not be afraid of walking

if you have two. You are in a secret gang when you rider Tandem. I feel

like we are part of team Tandem and it is quite nice. Tandem riding is

very good. People are very friendly towards Ewenny ride a Tandel, more

than on a single bite. We whll take your advice tomorrow. Thank you The

weather was not very kind this afternoon so we are keeping our

fingers crossed for a better forecast of this weekend. C`n you

deliver? Yes. The answer is yes. Tomorrow

morning it looks like a lot of cloud about but tomorrow afternoon there

will be sunshine and Sunday looks pleasant. In late week and there

will be rain around. Let us look at some lovely photos.

Keep your pictures coming in. There will be some sunshine to cole during

the weekend. We start off whth a lot of cloud tomorrow but it will

gradually brighten up through the course of the day. I am hopdful

there will be decent spells of sunshine. The high pressure is here

and we have some weak fronts passing over us in the next 12 hours. They

should move away and it will brighten up tomorrow afternoon. You

can see how thick the cloud was It really made a difference. It started

off sunny by late morning and that changed the feel of things. As we

head through the rest of thd evening, a lot of cloud abott and

write rain and drizzle for the hills. In the most part it will be a

dry night. Not as cold as l`st night and temperatures are only shx or

seven degrees. Problems with mist and fog and a lot of cloud cover.

There will be a lot of cloud about. The cloud will persist throtgh the

morning and there will be a spot or two of light rain and drizzle.

Gradually things will perk tp. Brightening into the afternoon with

some spells of sunshine. Temperatures will depend on how

quickly it brightens up. If we keep the cloud along time temper`tures

will be in the teens. If we get the bright spells of sunshine wd could

get up to 14 degrees. Let us take a look at tomorrow for the Tandem bike

ride through the Dales. It should brighten up on the course of the

afternoon. Back to Skipton. Thank you very much. Our highest

assent today was 1900 feet with a top speed of 33 miles an hotr, not

bad today. We have four mord days to go. We will leave you now whth the

York military wives quiet whth a special composition.

# I want to ride my bicycle. # I want to ride by bike. # I w`nt to

ride my bicycle. # I want to ride it where I like.