The Most Dangerous Man in Britain? - by Tony Benn (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Once called the "most dangerous man in Britain," Tony Benn, Labour MP for over fifty years, was the most distinguished British socialist politician of his era. This centenary anthology of Tony Benn's speeches, writings and interviews is a timely reminder of his political potency and the urgency of his agenda across a wide set of issues: the consequences of empire, the need to embrace industrial change, reform of the state machine and the management of politics"--

Book Synopsis

TONY BENN: FIREBRAND? NATIONAL TREASURE? A SOCIALIST FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

This centenary anthology of Tony Benn's speeches, writings and interviews is a timely reminder of his political potency and the urgency of his agenda across a wide set of issues: the consequences of empire, the need to embrace industrial change, reform of the state machine and the management of politics.

Called the 'most dangerous man in Britain' by the Daily Mail, Tony Benn, Labour MP for over fifty years, was the most distinguished socialist politician of his era. Holding several significant cabinet posts in the 1960s and '70s, he competed for the Labour Party deputy leadership in 1981 and party leadership in 1988. Throughout his career he put forward a series of arguments on constitutional reform, the economy and foreign affairs - popular and influential policy positions which became known as 'Bennism' and set the template for the democratic socialism of the 2010s. A charismatic orator, a life-long campaigner for peace, and a charming disruptor of the mainstream consensus, Benn reached national treasure status in his retirement, his firebrand politics too often overlooked.

The introduction to this collection, written by his daughter, the writer Melissa Benn, offers a more personal portrait of the man, showing how his politics informed all parts of his life. The book also includes a previously unpublished interview with Tony Benn conducted towards the end of his life.

Review Quotes

"One of the most mesmerising and divisive figures in the mainstream of postwar British politics. An establishment insider who became a rebellious leftwing outsider, a cabinet minister turned street protester and reviled prophet of capitalism's demise, he nonetheless managed in old age to become something of a national treasure"
--Michael White, Guardian

"An irreplaceable giant of the labour movement and a courageous fighter for socialism and peace"
--Owen Jones, author of This Land

"He achieved the sort of popular acclaim most politicians can only dream of - simply by sticking to his principles"
--Mark Steel, comedian

"A true political warrior who fought for what he believed - right up to the very end"
--John Major, former UK prime minister

"Eye-opening"
--The Journalist

About the Author

Tony Benn (1925 - 2014) was a radical statesman, British Labour Party politician and political activist. He later served as President of the Stop the War Coalition from 2001 to 2014.

Melissa Benn is a journalist, novelist and campaigner. She has written for the Guardian, the New Statesman, Cosmopolitan and the London Review of Books, among many others. Her writing on education includes Life Lessons.