Rip Dennis.....

[ToraToraTora]

Never agreed with most of his politics but he had something to respect.
Loved his "what a silly billy" line!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34434378

[mikey4444]

TTT...have you been asleep for the last couple of days !

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1448062.html

[anotheoldgit]

Yes a true hero in every sense of the word, having served in the Army, joining operations in North Africa, Sicily and Italy during World War Two.

Perhaps every politician should be forced to serve a time in the Armed Forces, perhaps they would then not be too keen to send others out to risk their lives fighting their political squabbles?

[ToraToraTora]

just noticed it in news mikey!

[agchristie]

AOG /// Perhaps every politician should be forced to serve a time in the Armed Forces,///

Interesting idea but the closest most will come to handling ammunition is to make a list of bullet points to outdo the opposition...

[weecalf]

Did Annie diamond once interview him ?

[jourdain2]

It's a good idea though (make MPs serve a time in the forces, that is). These people are in charge of directing the country, so perhaps they should learn what defending the country entails.

[Lynn_M]

Never mind, Mike Yarwood is still with us

[trt]

## Never mind, Mike Yarwood is still with us ##

I thought he had died?

[tonyav]

Loved his nick name for Maggie.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/indepth/denis-healey-obituary/ar-AAf4CbQ?li=AAaeUIW

[Baldric]

May have 'Died' on stage, but... .. .

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/874465/index.html

[tonyav]

Mike Yarwood is still alive according to Wiki.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Yarwood

[SeaJayPea]

Just to set the record straight - "Silly billy" wasn't something Denis Healey ever said. It was Mike Yarwood's line.

[Sir Alec]

I've just searched you tube for an old clip I've never forgotten. I don't know what show it was on, but it was clips of famous people of the time all singing a line from, 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' and Denis Healey had the line, 'Oh! Bring us some figgy pudding'. Brilliant!

[sandyRoe]

He was of that generation of senior politicians, Jim Callaghan and Ted Heath were others, who did see service in wartime. Hopefully that hard school has become a thing of the past.

[andy-hughes]

AOG - //Perhaps every politician should be forced to serve a time in the Armed Forces, perhaps they would then not be too keen to send others out to risk their lives fighting their political squabbles? //

That chimes exactly with the views of Martin Bell.

I saw him deliver a lecture on a cruise ship holiday, and he mentioned the difference between Margaret Thatcher's cabinet and the Falklands War, and Blair's cabinet and Iraq.

As MB pointed out, everyone in Mrs Thatcher's cabinet, with the exception of her good self, had seen active wartime service, or served in the armed forces. As a result of knowing personally what war is actually like, they were far less gung ho about military intervention that Mr Blair's cabinet, for whom conflict is an abstract concept, and the notion of sending soldiers to fight and die had no resonance for them at all.

[Bazile]

//I saw him deliver a lecture on a cruise ship holiday, and he mentioned the difference between Margaret Thatcher's cabinet and the Falklands War, and Blair's cabinet and Iraq. //

What , you actually went to a lecture ,while on holiday ?

[andy-hughes]

Bazile - //What , you actually went to a lecture ,while on holiday ? //

Yes, we go to them regularly.

The cruise liners usually have one or two speakers a week, and sometimes they may do two talks, it depends who it is and what they have to talk about.

Martin Bell was superb, as soon as he mentioned the Tories, about twenty people got up and walked out! They must know his views - why attend if you are going to be offended by what he is likely to say?

Last year was Linda La Plante who appeared to be 'on something' for her first talk, but the second one was better.

We had a guy talking about Nelson's navy one year, he was great.

If they have books out, they usually have reduced price copies, and they speaker will sign your copy for you.

It's all included in the price of the cruise.

[andy-hughes]

I know Dennis Healey never said 'silly billy, but he could be patronising at times.

I remember him once talking about the economy, and saying that it was like steering a car - sometimes you had to steer to the right or the road, and sometimes the left, and sometimes down the middle.

I remember shouting at the TV - "I'm over eighteen, I have a vote, I am a grown up, I know what the economy is!!! Just tell me what you are going to do, I'll understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[agchristie]

The last I heard there were around 50-60 current MP's who had a military background.

Somebody mentioned Andrew Mitchell to me and I nearly replied 'on yer bike'!