Tony Benn's Diaries: Free at Last

I've never done a book review on here before, so I shall do this one briefly to keep the waffle to a minimum.

I have just finished reading the second volume of Tony Benn's diaries, covering 1992 to 2001. The diary covers a fascinating decade in British politics, from the surprise of the 1992 election through 1997 and beyond into Benn's last parliament. The book made me laugh, cry and think a lot about the Labour party and  what Blair actually did from 1994.

One realises by reading Benn's book that he does appear to be very wrong about an awful lot. He asserts constantly that Neil Kinnock ruined the Labour party, and even suggests that Kinnock was set out to proactivley do so. These things of course must be considered in the context of who Benn is, he would probably argue that his Labour party has been destroyed, starting with Kinnock.

Benn also suffers from the curse of being terribly nice about everyone. Tory MPs are shown to be jolly good blokes, Ali G (who made a complete fool of Benn) is defended and he will compare Blair to Stalin in one entry and then recount a jovial chat with the PM on the terrace the next. He is remarkable nice about John Major, of whom he is clearly a fan, and even Alan Clarke is very well treated. Perhaps I'm over critical, Benn wrote these diaries in real time, if you like, so they are not dirtied by any hindsight or score settling, and he probably is just very nice, if clearly a bit wet.

I would however have liked to see more about his politics, why he feels that the Labour movement needs to move back to the left, and even some sort of realisation that Britain is a very different place than it was in the 1950s (he mourns a great deal for the past). Reading around Benn also reveals much he doesn't write about. He had a private education (I never knew that), and was not from what one would consider traditional working class stock.

Still, despite all this, the diaries are a fascinating look at the Labour Party and Britain during a decade of change. Benn is a fringe figure during this time, but what Politics there is, combined with his soft and heart warming discussion of his family, make it worthwhile.

Comments

[Tom Papworth]

I am surprised that you were not aware that Anthony Neil Wedgewood Benn, Second Viscount Stansate, had a somewhat privilaged background.

I have an image of me holding his diary, shaking my head as I read the title and saying to myself " Free at last. Free at last. Dear God Almighty! Free at last"

[Tim]

Tony Benn had his own hard-line views that he stuck to. He helped move Labour to the left between 1979-81 culminating in his near miss at defeating Denis Healey for Labour Deputy leader. After Labour were slaughterd in 1983 on hard-left policies, most of the party moved but Benn and other left-wingers kept to their positions.

On unilateral nuclear disarmament, punitive taxation, giving trade unions back their former powers, renationalisation of industry etc etc. He thought they were right but they were deeply unpopular and Kinnock ditched them because he realised Labour would lose massively with such policies.

Benn was removed from the Commons in the early 1960s when he inherited his fathers peerage. Their then ran a long saga with Benn trying to renounce his peerage. It led to a change in the law and a rash of Tory peers reouncing peerages to get into the commons and try to be tory PM i.e Hailsham and Douglas Home

[Tim]

Tony Benn had his own hard-line views that he stuck to. He helped move Labour to the left between 1979-81 culminating in his near miss at defeating Denis Healey for Labour Deputy leader. After Labour were slaughterd in 1983 on hard-left policies, most of the party moved but Benn and other left-wingers kept to their positions.

On unilateral nuclear disarmament, punitive taxation, giving trade unions back their former powers, renationalisation of industry etc etc. He thought they were right but they were deeply unpopular and Kinnock ditched them because he realised Labour would lose massively with such policies.

Benn was removed from the Commons in the early 1960s when he inherited his fathers peerage. Their then ran a long saga with Benn trying to renounce his peerage. It led to a change in the law and a rash of Tory peers reouncing peerages to get into the commons and try to be tory PM i.e Hailsham and Douglas Home

[chriseames]

Out of all the Ali G interviews, the only person who came out of it with credit WAS tony benn. It was clear that the interview was designed to coax some classic bennite socialist rhetoric out, and it did!