Tony Benn who died yesterday was a Labour MP in the UK for many years, before that he was a hereditary peer who insisted on relinquishing his peerage so he could stay in the House of Commons. For people who want to know what an actual Socialist looks like, this was the genuine article.
He never achieved significant power but by his consistency and unrelenting advocacy for the less well-off, he achieved much by the power of the spotlight he brought to bear on injustice and in the Thatcher era, he was perhaps the greatest voice setting out the compassionate alternative.
He kept a diary for most of his active life in politics which is fascinating and his passing marks the end of an era for a lot of folks on the left in the UK