This biography of Tony Benn is enthusiastic and readable, yet curiously unsatisfying. Benn’s career is nothing if not precocious. MP at 25. Spin doctor to Labour’s leader in his early thirties. His campaign to renounce his peerage, recounted with panache here by Jad Adams, in itself guarantees political immortality. But the ‘great democrat’ could never convince sufficient voters to fulfil his aspirations for Labour’s leadership, despite changing Labour’s entire leadership election system to his own perceived advantage.
Adams observes that Benn’s life ‘resembles more a quest for martyrdom than a struggle for power’, but passes no judgement on the flaming inferno into which Benn’s campaign for martyrdom transformed the Labour party in the early 1980s. Indeed, for Adams, Labour’s travails seem unconnected to Benn’s actions. Too often, and this is the book’s greatest weakness, Adams uses Benn’s own reminiscences and post-hoc justification as his primary evidence.
For Adams, Benn ‘is loyal to principles in politics, not people’, and it is this that alienates so many colleagues. He relates what Benn himself considers to have been ‘mistakes’, such as his parliamentary speech criticising compensation to victims of Japanese wartime prison camps on grounds of past ‘cruelties inflicted on the British similar to the ones inflicted on our men by the Japanese’. Yet the occasions when Benn ignores principle for the sake of political convenience are neglected. The 1975 referendum saw a massive popular vote in favour of EEC membership, but Benn is soon found defying the ‘people’s verdict’, advocating withdrawal without a vote. Little light is shed on how he arrived at this position.
Adams characterises the 1980-81 debate on Labour’s internal democracy as between the status quo and ‘democrats’ such as Benn who advocated greater power for trade union block votes. In doing so he ignores those proposing genuine internal Labour democracy on the basis of one member, one vote and Benn’s opposition to it. The references show that Adams has read Labour’s conference reports, making this all the more surprising. Just as remarkably, Adams accepts at face value Benn’s assertion that John Smith’s introduction of OMOV elements was ‘an attempt to break the link between the party and the trade union movement’.
Adams’ cursory treatment of Benn’s role in the 1983 election debacle continues in the same vein. Defeat is everyone else’s fault but Benn’s, even for Benn himself in Bristol. Whenever blame is apportioned, like Macavity, Benn is curiously absent.
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Greg Rosen is author of Old Labour to New
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Tony Benn learned his political education (and Im sure he would say this himself) through making the link of what he saw around him and being a part of the many political struggles of the day.That involved him being part of the struggles by showing solidarity with workers involved in Industrial action in the 1960s&70s, (right up to the present) such as the clydeside shipbuilders, and grass roots community involvement like promoting co-ops. Also with the international struggles of the time,such as South Africa,Latin America,the anti colonial movements such as independance for India, Africa, and yes more closer to home ,Ireland. (when manyLabour MPs of the day distanced themselfs)
He knew then,(as he does now) that the real struggle for Socialism is linking the Political with the Industial and International. Nothing is stronger than those three forces linked together.
In Tony Benns book Arguments For socialism, he captures the real driving force of the history of the Labour movement,(I can almost qoute it line for line) that of people often against impossible odds to themselfs and almost always unknown,and of no benifit to themselfs, coming together and in the process encouraging others to do so, they encourage others in turn to take up the cause to join forces generation after generation of popular movements for change, that of Socialism………………..Tony Benn believed that only real Democracy can be acheived if it is Democracy from movements that come from below >>>
……… That inspiration is something that the labour party needs Right NOW, if we are going to dismantle this coalition Government before it dismantles our Welfare State, NHS and Public Services. We should be supporting community action against the cuts, standing shoulder to shoulder with council workers in Shropshire and Southampton who are being told if they do not sign new contracts with a cut in wages their contracts are terminated,we should be supporting teachers and Civil Servant unions if they take further action, Suporting electricians who are unionising themselfs against 8 large construction multi national companies who are breaking away from the JIB agrement to De-skill their Trade and down grading their wages……. and while we are at it challange the Corporate Tax havans with billions such as PFI contract inflated profits offshored,…..I could go on,but I would sooner get organised and as Benn said encourage others to organise themselfs in turn……
Tony Benn is a genuine Progressive ,an inspiration to many, Im proud to call myself a Bennite
Mick Gilgunn
Islington North CLP Trade Union Liaison officer
(Personal capacity)