Michael Foot: A Life

by Kenneth O. Morgan

Michael Foot has been a controversial and charismatic figure in British public life for more than sixty years. He rose as a crusading leftwing journalist in the late 1930s; his book The Guilty Men , on pre-war appeasers of Nazi Germany, is one of the great radical tracts of British history. He has long been the voice of libertarian socialism in parliament, has served as a government minister, and was Labour party leader between 1980 and 1983. His political friendships with the most prominent politicians of his time were passionate and profound, but he also had a remarkable and quite different career as a man of letters, with Dean Swift, Tom Paine, Byron, and Wordsworth amongst his heroes. Fully authorized yet fairly balanced, this is account does full justice to both the public and the private side of Michael Foot, as well as to his different roles as journalist, politician, and literati.

Genres: Politics, Biography, Nonfiction, History, British Literature

512 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2007

About the author

Kenneth O. Morgan, Research Professor, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Honorary Fellow, Queen's College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Hubert Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into one of Britain's most misunderstood politicians in modern times. Comparisons with Corbyn are grossly misplaced - Foot was a democratic socialist, patriotic libertarian and above all, a party man.

It just misses out on the 5 stars due to the condescension with which Morgan treats the Bennite movement in the 70s and 80s (which sufficiently detracts from Morgan's role as biographer), and the somewhat sparse treatment of the Foot leadership years (50 pages out of 450). Perhaps this reflects the priorities of Foot himself. The Labour leadership was thrust upon him, the self-conscious tragic hero uniquely placed to prevent an irreversible Healey/Benn split.

The book is less an exploration of Foot's times as perhaps one would expect; more an intensely personal treatment of Foot the man. As Foot wrote, 'No attempt is made at impartiality. Unbiased historians are as insufferable as the people who profess no politics.' - and Morgan succeeds in evoking a deep respect for Foot.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, detailed, fair-minded and insightful biography of one of the major figures of politics in the 2nd half of last century. He was like Jeremy Corbyn in being well to the left of the Labour party and, by temperament, a protester who ended up an ill-chosen and ill-suited party leader; unlike him in that Foot was a fiery intellectual steeped in political writing and history. A successful journalist and powerful public speaker, his triumph and tragedy was to be part of Jim Callaghan's government. Triumph because, as Employment Secretary, he dealt brilliantly with truculent Trade Unions and passed several important pieces of legislation; tragedy because this made him front-runner for the party leadership. The unions were truculent because traditional industries were in decline and threatened; the party was tearing itself apart (how nothing ever changes); and his leadership was doomed. Across the Despatch Box Mrs Thatcher was tearing up the old order, of which Foot was a part, ushering in the days of yuppiedom and loadsamoney.

Ah but how I long for someone of Foot's power, integrity and caustic, witty brilliance to be on the front bench again, laying into the follies of our government.

[David Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly researched, detailed and loving portrait of firebrand of the left but who ended up in the wrong job (party leader) and is viewed rather sadly today. But the book is very well written and reminded me why I liked him.

[Will James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant biography of the Labour Party's most knowledgable and romantic leading-lights. Perhaps the greatest moments in the book are those that recount Foot's earlier life - his family roots, as a journalist, as a leading Bevanite - rather than the events surrounding his disasterous leadership in the 1980s.

[Pinko Palest · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's well written in the main, but the author is not at all sympathetic to Foot's politics or point of view. Thus, most of the time he doesn't even begin to grasp what really going on (at least from Michael Foot's view) , while at times he can be rather disingenuous. Maybe it was a mistake giving such a right-wing figure the task of writing Foot's biography

[Rog Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but it took me weeks reading it off and on to finish it.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. A superbly written biography of an important person in recent British politics.

[Marcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evenhanded & well researched