The Searchers: Five Rebels, Their Dream of a Different Britain, and Their Many E

Description: The Searchers by Andy Beckett The untold story of British politics in modern times, through the triumphs and disasters of its five most radical figuresIn the great revolutionary year of 1968, Tony Benn was a respectable Labour minister in his forties, and he was restless. While new social movements were shaking up Britain and much of the world, Westminster politics seemed stuck. It was time, he decided, for a different approach.Over the next half century, the radicalized Benn helped forge a new left in Britain. He was joined by four other politicians, who would become comrades, collaborators and rivals- Ken Livingstone, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn.For Andy Beckett, the story of these admired and loathed political explorers - both their sudden breakthroughs and long stretches in the wilderness - is the untold story of British politics in modern times. As he reveals, their project to create a radically more equal, liberal and democratic Britain has been much more influential than electoral history might suggest, and can be seen from the shape of our city life to the causes of our culture wars.For their many detractors, this influence was and remains dangerous- a form of extremism that must be stamped out. But as these five searchers believed, in politics there is no total victory - nor total defeat. FORMAT Hardcover CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist. He has also written for the Economist, The New York Times magazine, the London Review of Books and the Independent on Sunday. His previous books are Promised You A Miracle, When the Lights Went Out and Pinochet in Piccadilly. Review An absorbing history of Labours radical left -- Jason Cowley * The Guardian *A breath of fresh air: a vivid eye for detail meets narrative pacing that seems effortless... As a character study, and as an evocation of Britain in the last century, it would be worth reading even if you had no particular interest in the subject matter...a masterclass in teasing out complex stories of simultaneous failure and success -- Morgan Jones * LabourList *At times, [Becketts] evocation of the 1980s is so vivid that one can almost hear Joy Divisions Love Will Tear Us Apart playing in the background as one turns the pages * Literary Review *Vividly detailed and often gripping -- Joe Moran * The Guardian *A sympathetic and absorbing political history * New Statesman *This is a premier account… a group biography of how five heretics… came out of the politics of the 1970s to upend the politics of the 2010s… Beckett is funny on the own goals and gaffes of a wide spectrum of the British media during years that they did not understand… There is no shortage of bleak lessons for the Left whilst reading The Searchers, but some causes for hope -- Fergal Kinney * Tribune *Andy Becketts compelling history of the five politicians who made that movement in Britain… Beckett tells a good human story about five politicians he rightly identifies as more easily mythologised than understood, and more often than not derided and excluded by their colleagues… Neither left nor right are honest enough often enough about these people, and mores the pity: understanding what they have achieved requires the sort of untypical, bracing honesty that Beckett applies so artfully here, having spent plenty of time listening and speaking to these politicians — as too few of his journalistic colleagues have… The Searchers should be studied closely by anyone with a stake in British politics -- Patrick Maguire * The Times *An important, largely brilliant book. In focusing on the left, rather than the Jeremy Corbyn phenomenon, Beckett helps us to see more clearly the strengths and weaknesses of what the movement did at a time when it mattered most. By looking at the groundwork done over a much longer period, he also reminds us that these great historical processes are neither created by heroic individuals nor betrayed by evil traitors -- Mike Phipps * LabourHub *Andy Beckett has done a brilliant job in producing an insightful and well-researched book * Andrew Fisher *PRAISE FOR PROMISED YOU A MIRACLE: Lively, provoking, bracingly anti-nostalgic -- Hilary MantelAn anthology of an age . . . A book that offers so much pleasure and insight. -- Ian Jack * Guardian *Intelligent, entertaining, readable, convincing and timely. It is history well told and properly done. -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times * Details ISBN0241394228 Author Andy Beckett Publisher Penguin Books Ltd Year 2024 ISBN-13 9780241394229 Format Hardcover Publication Date 2024-05-02 Imprint Allen Lane Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom Audience General UK Release Date 2024-05-02 Subtitle Five Rebels, Their Dream of a Different Britain, and Their Many Enemies ISBN-10 0241394228 NZ Release Date 2024-08-05 AU Release Date 2024-08-05 Pages 560 DEWEY 320.941 Alternative 9780141990552 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:161169403;

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