I first met Benny Pollack almost three decades ago when I briefly taught politics at Liverpool University and took over some of his teaching load. He was friendly and supportive, and I learned much from him.
The first time we met I asked him whether Benny was short for Benjamin. He told me no because he had been named after the great clarinettist Benny Goodman – and that as his dad was a huge jazz fan he could just as easily have been called Artie.
