`This is a lovely book; warm, humane, genuinely revelatory and, on occasions, a touch surreal'

?There is a passion in Benn?s writing and speaking that far transcends the miserable aspirations of most contemporary politicians? Paul Foot, Guardian

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.

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.

?Don?t miss this volume? Peter Lewis, Books of the Year, Daily Mail

?A delight and an inspiration. Fiercely intelligent, warm, humane and profoundly moving.? Clare Allan, Books of the Year, Independent

?This is a lovely book; warm, humane, genuinely revelatory and, on occasions, a touch surreal? He skewers Blair and new Labour with great precision.? Rod Liddle, Sunday Times

?Tthere is a new kind of freedom in his thoughts and in his writing. He may not have achieved the liberation of mankind, but perhaps he has achieved something almost as difficult: the liberation of himself.? Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

?There is something amusing on almost every page of these diaries.Tony Benn loves paradox, and looking at things from a different angle to the one you might expect.He tells us at the start that the old have a great deal to learn from the young, and a delightful air of unreality hangs over his writing.? Daily Telegraph

?If you thought there?d be less politics you?ve reckoned without his tireless campaigning against the Iraq War, his presidency of the Stop the War Coalition, his visit to Baghdad to interview Saddam Hussein and countless media appearances to air his anti-war views?Guardian

Tony Benn entered the Commons in 1950 and with Ted Heath held the record for post-war service as an MP. He has held four cabinet posts and has twice contended the leadership of the Labour Party, of which he has also been chairman. His many books include seven individual volumes of diaries: Years of Hope 1940?62, Out of the Wilderness 1963?67, Office Without Power 1968?72, Against the Tide 1973?76, Conflicts of Interest 1977?1980, The End of an Era 1980?1990, a single volume condensation, The Benn Diaries 1940?1990, and Free At Last! 1991?2001.

2008-08-24 Excellent- a compelling and unique perspective on the Blair/9-11 era.

Being the proverbial 'floating voter' I have a large and unbiased appetite when approaching the genre of 'Political diary'. Alan Clark's were deliciously frank and irreverent, John Major's autobiography (though not strictly a Diary) was noble yet suspiciously sanitized for me and the overblown Alistair Campbell opus last year frankly rather dull considering he was Britain's media Czar and spin-king. But Tony Benn is always excellent value for money. Coming from the old Coventry and Warwickshire automotive heartlands I recall an Uncle regaling me as a boy with stories of picking Mr Benn up at Coventry station and conducting a whistle-stop tour of various BL factories in the 1970s. He was hugely impressed with his concise ability to sum up the sheer morass of industrial rancour in the UK at the time. I had previously purchased the Benn tapes and was utterly engrossed in the nitty gritty 'content' and adversarial 'detail' of government. The face-to-face show downs with Wilson, Callaghan and Foot illustrate the 'profession' of the career politician better than any A Level guide to Government & Politics could. True, there are the usual 'hot-potatoes' that Tony embraces with the utopian - and almost naive- stance of an idealist. But perhaps we could do with one of two of idealists just now. The book has an epistolary feel to it with his observations, critiques and conclusions on everything from New Labour, Cameron (Blue Labour as he calls it), Bush, British celebrity culture and his day to day sketches and contemplations on life-sometimes hugely poignant and moving. I can't say that Tony has made me a card carrying Socialist, the dominant ideology of 'one-party' pragmatism we all now live under perhaps too strong for that but I certainly felt all the more richer and rewarded for the reading experience. I'd rank it in the same league as Alan Clark -though obviously for different reasons! Tony Benn remains among the very best political diarist's we have.