Out of the Wilderness: Diaries, 1963-1967

Tony Benn Diaries #2

by Tony Benn

1963 saw Labour's emergence from its 'wilderness years' in Opposition, and the election of Harold Wilson following the unexpected death of Hugh Gaitskell. In the first Wilson government of 1964 Benn was made Postmaster General and became known as an innovator for his introduction of the Giro and arguing for a radical broadcasting policy. After Labour's landslide victory of 1966 he was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Technology, but Labour's honeymoon came to an abrupt end in 1967 with the introduction of devaluation, leading to disilliusionment with the Government.

Tony Benn's account on his relations with the industrialists, television and press chiefs, the Palace and the diplomatic world as well as trade unionists, civil servants, and his Cabinet colleagues, reveals the workings of our political and economic systems at the highest level.

Out of the Wilderness is a unique political record of the 1960s, told by a man who served in five Labour administrations and who today is one of the most experienced figures both in and out of the House of Commons.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Diary, Biography, Autobiography

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC, formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1951 until 2001, and was a Cabinet Minister under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1960s and 1970s. After his retirement from the House of Commons, he continued his activism and served as president of the Stop the War Coalition.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating; probably self-censored of course but full of detail nonetheless, and published around 20 years after the period they cover (so lots of the people were - some are now - still around). Most interesting: the hilarious saga of the Queen and the matter of her head on stamps; the technological innovations and forecasts (interesting to see what was thought possible and what actually happened later); the workings of the civil service, particularly in frustrating the wishes of the elected ministers; some of the comments about the personalities of the day. Tony Benn was a comparatively young minister as at the time the government was full of older men (nearly all men, one or two women only), and he was apparently very hard-working and energetic.