Tony Benn's Books

A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine

The Last Diaries

By: Tony Benn

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In this final volume of diaries, Tony Benn reflects on the compensations and the disadvantages of old age. With the support of a small circle of friends and his extended family, he continues his activities on behalf of social justice, peace and accountability in public life, to a background of political change and the international economic crisis. Following an illness in 2009 the diaries, kept for over sixty years, cease. Published here alongside these last diaries are Tony Benn’s highly personal insights into the challenges of old age and failing health, of widowhood,and of moving out of the family home after sixty years. Finally, we share in Tony Benn's hopes for the future based on his years of experience and his natural optimism.

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338

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Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

144649389X

ISBN 13

9781446493892

The Best of Benn

By: Tony Benn

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The Best of Benn

By: Tony Benn

Tony Benn was one of the twentieth century's most charismatic politicians. The Best of Benn showcases his powers of original thinking and communication over seven decades. From 'the baby of the house' to a retired widower, he was a consistently radical campaigning voice on issues such as the death penalty, the case against the European Union, opposition to war and support of workers' rights. This volume brings together Tony Benn's electrifying speeches, thoughtful journalism and passionate advocacy of often unconventional causes. 'Tony Benn belongs in the great tradition of English revolutionaries - a passionate radical destined to be loved in popular memory for his defence of democracy and freedom.' Guardian 'He had the facility to reach across generations and re-energise the debate about what should and should not constitute the common good.' Observer

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370

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473518016

ISBN 13

9781473518018

The Benn Diaries

The Definitive Collection

By: Tony Benn

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The Benn Diaries

The Definitive Collection

By: Tony Benn

Tony Benn was one of the twentieth century's most charismatic politicians. The Benn Diaries, kept for almost seventy years, are a uniquely authoritative, fascinating and readable record of the political life of our times. This single-volume edition is the selected highlights of the complete diaries from Tony's schooldays in the 1940s until he ceased keeping a record of his day-to-day thoughts in 2009. The narrative starts with Tony as a schoolboy and takes the reader through his experience as a trainee pilot during the war, his tentative first days as a backbencher in Atlee's post-war government, through his battle to remain in the Commons after the death of his father. From cabinet posts and leadership battles, through election highs ands lows to becoming a retired widower. Tony Benn was a consistently radical voice campaigning for the causes he was passionate about. This volume is the definitive legacy of the best political diarist of our times.

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Page Count

807

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473539382

ISBN 13

9781473539389

Common Sense

By: Andrew Hood,Tony Benn

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Common Sense

By: Andrew Hood,Tony Benn

Do we need a Monarchy? Or does it represent everything that is hidebound and stifling about Britain? The headlines tell the story: every British Institution is in crisis As a nation we have lost our way, What we have always been smugly told, is false. Our constitution is NOT the best in the world, nor is our legal system the fairest, nor is our society more open, nor are we freer than other nations. Things taken for granted are now being seriously questioned, as people realize how much of our political and economic life is outside our control. Ever since Tony Benn changed our constitution by renouncing his peerage, he has been developing the case he now outlines. His Commonwealth of Britain Bill (reproduced in the Text) is 'the first attempt to overthrow the monarchy since Cromwell' GUARDIAN. He argues for a radical overhaul of our political system, sweeping away privilege and unaccounted power and substituting for it a written constitution and democratic citizenship. Only by freeing ourselves from our historical shackles - including, but by no means only, the monarchy - can we be truly free.

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205

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Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1448165121

ISBN 13

9781448165124

Free Radical

By: Tony Benn

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Free Radical

By: Tony Benn

In 2001, Tony Benn, one of the most influential socialist politicians in Europe, retired from the British House of Commons after almost 50 years in politics, to 'devote more time to politics'. One of the ways in which he carried out his resolution was to write a series of weekly columns for the Morning Star, a British socialist daily newspaper. These columns reflect the breadth of Benn's political concerns, covering both domestic and international politics, and the best of them have been collected here. Benn writes with a controlled passion about the Labour party (old and new), the threats to democracy and the need for a viable protest movement, and the events and repercussions of September 11, 2001.

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Page Count

257

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1441165606

ISBN 13

9781441165602

The Benn Diaries

1940-1990

By: Tony Benn

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The Benn Diaries

1940-1990

By: Tony Benn

The Benn Diaries, embracing the years 1940-1990, are already established as a uniquely authoritative, fascinating and readable record of political life. The selected highlights that form this single-volume edition include the most notable events, arguments and personal reflections throughout Benn's long and remarkable career as a leading politician. The narrative starts with Benn as a schoolboy and takes the reader through his youthful wartime experiences as a trainee pilot, his nervous excitement as a new MP during Clement Atlee's premiership and the tribulations of Labour in the 1950s, when the Conservatives were in firm control. It ends with the Tories again in power, but on the eve of Margaret Thatcher's fall, while Tony Benn is on a mission to Baghdad before the impending Gulf War. Over the span of fifty years, the public and private turmoil in British and world politics is recorded as Benn himself moves from wartime service to become the baby of the House, Cabinet Minister, and finally the Commons' most senior Labour Member.

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Page Count

714

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446493733

ISBN 13

9781446493731

The Benn Diaries

1940-1990

By: Tony Benn

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The Benn Diaries

1940-1990

By: Tony Benn

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714

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Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446493733

ISBN 13

9781446493731

Parliament, People and Power

Agenda for a Free Society

By: Tony Benn

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Parliament, People and Power

Agenda for a Free Society

By: Tony Benn

An icon of the Left, and champion of democracy and social justice, Tony Benn entered the Commons in 1950 and with Ted Heath held the record for post-war service as an MP. Parliament, People and Power features a selection of his interviews with the New Left Review, as Benn sets out his radical agenda for society, and reflects on a life in politics.

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Page Count

158

Publisher

Verso Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1789606691

ISBN 13

9781789606690

Dare To Be A Daniel

Then and Now

By: Tony Benn

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Dare To Be A Daniel

Then and Now

By: Tony Benn

Born into a family with a strong, radical dissenting tradition in which enterprise and public service were combined, Tony Benn was taught to believe that the greatest sin in life was to waste time and money. Life in his Victorian-Edwardian family home in Westminster was characterised by austerity, the last vestiges of domestic service, the profound influence of his mother, a dedicated Christian and feminist, and his colourful and courageous father, elected as a Liberal MP in 1906 and later serving in Labour Cabinets under Ramsay MacDonald and Clem Atlee. Benn followed in his father's footsteps, becoming one of the most famous and respected figures in modern British politics. Dare to be a Daniel feelingly recalls Tony Benn's years as one of three brothers experiencing life in the nursery, the agonies of adolescence and of school, where boys were taught to 'keep their minds clean' and the shadow of fascism and the Second World War with its disruption and family loss. This moving memoir also describes his emergence from World War Two as a keen socialist about to embark upon marriage and an unknown political future. The book ends with some of Tony Benn's reflections on many of the most important and controversial issues of our time.

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309

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446439623

ISBN 13

9781446439623

Letters To My Grandchildren

By: Tony Benn

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Letters To My Grandchildren

By: Tony Benn

As a diarist I have chronicled the time through which I have lived in meticulous detail: but all that is history. What matters now is the future for those who will live through it. The past is the past but there may be lessons to be learned which could help the next generation to avoid mistakes their parents and grandparents made. Certainly at my age I have learned an enormous amount from the study of history - not so much from the political leaders of the time but from those who struggled for justice and explained the world in a way that shows the continuity of history and has inspired me to do my work. Normality for any individual is what the world is like on the day they are born. The normality of the young is wholly different from the normality of their grandparents. It is the disentangling of the real questions from the day to day business of politics that may make sense for those who take up the task as they will do. Every generation has to fight the same battles as their ancestors had to fight, again and again, for there is no final victory and no final defeat. Two flames have burned from the beginning of time - the flame of anger against injustice and the flame of hope. If this book serves its purpose it will fan both flames.

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178

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1409067033

ISBN 13

9781409067030

Office Without Power

Diaries 1968-72

By: Tony Benn

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Office Without Power

Diaries 1968-72

By: Tony Benn

The detail of these diaries, and their comprehensive candour, offer unprecedented insights into the personal behaviour of many senior Labour politicians... The most readable political diary of the period' Harold Lever, Spectator Tony Benn's second volume of diaries, which spans the years 1968-72, is a unique record of British politics as observed both from the heart of the Cabinet and the Labour Party. George Brown's spectacular resignation and Cecil King's plot to overthrow Wilson are just two of the events which dominate the opening chapter, and introduce the last years of Labour's increasingly demoralised government. And for the first time in a political diary, Labour's experience of Opposition after the unexpected and shattering defeat of 1970 is revealed. Here, too, are recorded the bitter arguments over the Common Market, in which Tony Benn emerged as the principal advocate of a referendum on Britain's entry - and which foreshadowed the Labour/SDP schism of 1981. The result is a fascinating and invaluable document of the times. 'A fascinating insider's account' Ben Pimlott, Standard

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Page Count

722

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446493741

ISBN 13

9781446493748

The Best of Benn

By: Tony Benn

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The Best of Benn

By: Tony Benn

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370

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Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473518016

ISBN 13

9781473518018

The End Of An Era

Diaries 1980-1990

By: Tony Benn

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The End Of An Era

Diaries 1980-1990

By: Tony Benn

Tony Benn's final instalment of diaries centres on a decade which saw the disintegration of Eastern Europe, an unprecedented assault on the labour movement at home, the fall of Margaret Thatcher and the tragic war in the Gulf. It is a period which marks the peak of Tony Benn's reputation as a brilliant parliamentarian. This final volume of diaries gives us insight into an era of extraordinary international and domestic political life making it one of the most important political writings of our time.

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743

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446493385

ISBN 13

9781446493380

Free At Last

Diaries 1991 - 2001

By: Tony Benn

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Free At Last

Diaries 1991 - 2001

By: Tony Benn

Tony Benn is the longest serving MP in the history of the Labour Party. He left Parliament in 2001, after more than half a century in the House of Commons, to devote more time to politics. This volume of his Diaries describes and comments, in a refreshing and honest way, upon the events of a momentous decade including two world wars, a change of government in Britain and the emergence of New Labour, of which he makes clear he is not a member. Tony Benn's account is a well documented, formidable and principled critique of the New Labour Project, full of drama, opinion, humour, anecdotes and sparkling pen-portraits of politicians on both sides of the political divide. But his narrative is also broader and more revealing about day-to-day political life, covering many aspects normally disregarded by historians and lobby correspondents, relating to his work in the constituency, including his advice surgeries. This volume also offers far more of an insight into Tony Benn's personal life, his thoughts about the future and his relationship with his family, especially his remarkable wife Caroline, whose illness and death overshadow these years. Tony Benn is a unique figure on the British political landscape: a true democrat, a passionate socialist and diarist without equal. With this volume, his published Diaries cover British politics for over sixty years. It is edited, as are all others, by Ruth Winstone.

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Page Count

770

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1407096710

ISBN 13

9781407096711

More Time for Politics

Diaries 2001-2007

By: Tony Benn

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More Time for Politics

Diaries 2001-2007

By: Tony Benn

When Tony Benn left Parliament after 51 years he quoted his wife Caroline's remark that now he would have 'more time for politics'. And so this has proved: in the first seven years of this century he has helped reinvigorate national debate through public meetings, mass campaigns and appearances in the media, passionately bringing moral and political issues to wide audiences. And throughout, as ever, he has been keeping his diaries. Commenting on the demise of the New Labour project from the re-election of Tony Blair in 2001 to the ultimate foreign policy disasters of Afghanistan and Iraq, he gives other prescient accounts of the government's by-passing of Cabinet, parliament and the party, of the 'war on terror', the debate about Islam, globalisation and the changes in British society. Although he is no longer in power or in parliament, Tony Benn remains a figure of enormous respect whose direct views, honestly expressed, have often awakened the national conscience. His latest Diaries, human and challenging in turn, are an enthralling read.

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386

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1409063208

ISBN 13

9781409063209

Free At Last

Diaries 1991 - 2001

By: Tony Benn

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Free At Last

Diaries 1991 - 2001

By: Tony Benn

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770

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Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1407096710

ISBN 13

9781407096711

Years Of Hope

Diaries, Letters and Papers 1940-1962

By: Tony Benn

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Years Of Hope

Diaries, Letters and Papers 1940-1962

By: Tony Benn

YEARS OF HOPE is a kind of 'prequel' to the published series of DIARIES, and will cover fully the peerage renunciation, as well as revealing his early career, touching on schooldays, RAF service during the war, early involvement with politics etc. As a young man he had dealings with Atlee, Bevan, Morrison, Gaitskill and all the major politicians of the post-war Labour Government. This book will be more personal than earlier volumes and will draw on letters and other documents as well as the DIARIES themselves. It will reveal the extraordinary consistency of Benn's political views, as well as showing how he came to acquire them.

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Page Count

377

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446493369

ISBN 13

9781446493366

Philosemitism, Antisemitism and 'the Jews'

Perspectives from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century

By: Tony Kushner

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Philosemitism, Antisemitism and 'the Jews'

Perspectives from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century

By: Tony Kushner

Philosemitism, Antisemitism and 'the Jews' both honours and carries on the work of The Rev. Dr. James Parkes (1896-1981), a pioneer in the many different fields involving the study of Jewish/non-Jewish relations. The collection is designed to examine both the specific and broader themes of Parkes' life work in relation to tolerance and intolerance. From antiquity to today, Jews have often been defined as 'aliens'; these essays consider the effects of such legislative and socio-cultural exclusion on the self-definition of the dominant society. Philosemitism, Antisemitism and 'the Jews' employs an interdisciplinary framework, bringing together the work of scholars from both sides of the Atlantic and Israel, who work in history, theology, political philosophy, legal theory and literary studies. Eminent historians and theorists of tolerance and intolerance, including Gavin Langmuir, David Theo Goldberg, Norman Solomon and Tony Kushner, are joined by younger scholars researching new developments in the field.

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Page Count

269

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351911449

ISBN 13

9781351911443

A Green History of the Welfare State

By: Tony Fitzpatrick

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A Green History of the Welfare State

By: Tony Fitzpatrick

Environmental problems – particularly climate change – have become increasingly important to governments and social researchers in recent decades. Debates about their implications for social policies and welfare reforms are now moving towards centre stage. What has been missing from such debates is an account of the history of the welfare state in relation to environmental issues and green ideas. A Green History of the Welfare State fills this gap. How have the environmental and social policy agendas developed? To what extent have welfare systems been informed by the principles of environmental ethics and politics? How effective has the welfare state been at addressing environmental problems? How might the history of social policies be reimagined? With its lively, chronological narrative, this book provides answers to these questions. Through overviews of key periods, politicians and reforms the book weaves together a range of subjects into a new kind of historical tapestry, including: social policy, economics, party politics, government action and legislation, and environmental issues. This book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of environmental policy and history, social and public policy, social history, sociology and politics.

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Page Count

283

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317669762

ISBN 13

9781317669760

Conflicts Of Interest

Diaries 1977-80

By: Tony Benn

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Conflicts Of Interest

Diaries 1977-80

By: Tony Benn

In this, the fourth volume of Tony Benn’s diaries, the Labour Government continues its fight for survival. Important developments are occurring both at home and internationally. In Britain, Benn as Secretary of State for Energy is directly involved with Windscale and decisions about nuclear power and oil policy. Abroad, the Government is concerned with Carter’s reappraisal of American foreign policy, the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and problems of EEC membership. In the Labour party itself, new forces of radicalism and reform are emerging, resulting in changes in Labour’s policies and the ultimate formation of the SDP. Labour’s unsuccessful economic policy and the widening rift with the labour movement lead to the Winter of Discontent and a near state of emergency. With Labour voters defecting, the scene is set for the Thatcher years.

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Page Count

704

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1448165113

ISBN 13

9781448165117

Language and Control

By: Roger Fowler,Bob Hodge,Gunther Kress,Tony Trew

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Language and Control

By: Roger Fowler,Bob Hodge,Gunther Kress,Tony Trew

Originally published in 1979. This book studies language variation as a part of social practice - how language expresses and helps regulate social relationships of all kinds. Different groups, classes, institutions and situations have their special modes of language and these varieties are not just stylistic reflections of social differences; speaking or writing in a certain manner entails articulating certain social meanings, however implicit. This book focuses on the repressive and falsifying side of linguistic practice but not without recognising the power of language to reveal and communicate. It analyses the language used in a variety of situations, including news reporting, interviews, rules and regulations, even such apparently innocuous language as the rhymes on greetings cards. It argues for a critical linguistics capable of exposing distortion and mystification in language, and introduces some basic tools for a do-it-yourself analysis of language, ideology and control.

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