Free Radical: New Century Essays

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

246 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2003

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

[Drew Pyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't rate Tony Benn highly enough and is even better live. This book is all about celebrating the freedom of leaving parliament to do real politics. His critique of New Labour is spot on when you look back at the project now. Also recommend his diaries.

[Sivananthi T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided to re-read this. Full of quotable quotes, written with a clarity and incisiveness missing in so may writers today :)

[Vermillion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although these articles and essays were written by Tony Benn 20 years ago, they are still thoroughly relevant, and in many instances, prophetic. I wish he was still around to speak truth to power; even after he retired he was still heavily involved in campaigning for social justice, the environment and the peace movement. His ability to speak and write with clarity and power stayed with him to the end of his days.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of essays from over 20 years ago written by Tony Benn after he had finished as a MP, its quite depressing to see that the issues he wrote about are still prevalent today, wars in the middle east ,dodgy MPs etc. What Benn would have made of people like Braverman and Johnson is anyone's guess