Harold Wilson: The Winner

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This challenge to historical orthodoxy makes this book an important one for scholars of British political history and indeed a broader non-academic readership. Wilson] is the subject of a superb new biography by the distinguished historian and Labour frontbencher Nick Thomas-Symonds.

Green hardback(gilt lettering to the spine,two small nicks/tears inside the front cover) with Dj(a couple of nicks,creases and scratch on the Dj cover),both in VGC. Indeed, as the title makes plain, Harold Wilson : The Winnerseeks to do more than correct the record. As Robert Taylor puts it in his essay on Wilson and industrial relations, Wilson wanted to convince the trade unions to ‘shoulder responsibilities in restraining the material appetites of their own members for their own long term good’ (p. He held office as Prime Minister for longer than any other Labour leader, and longer than any other premier in peacetime apart from Mrs Thatcher.Photograph: PA Images/Alamy View image in fullscreen ‘One of the 20th century’s great personalities’: Harold Wilson in 1963. So often derided as a shameless opportunist, Wilson here shines through as a quick-witted, silver-tongued master strategist -- Patrick Maguire * THE TIMES 'Books of the Year' * In this riveting and very readable biography, Thomas-Symonds con firms that Wilson's governments created a kinder, fairer, and forward-thinking Britain. Wilson took his place in British history as the prime minister who deserted his friends and abandoned his principles.

Arguably any British PM would have struggled to deal with the problem – the Tories were split over the issue during the same period – but Wilson’s high-profile failure to do so contributed to the view that, by the end of 1968, he was little more than a liability. His grasp of economic policy was better than that of any other Prime Minister, and he enjoyed a high reputation among foreign leaders. as well as Clive James’ remark in The Observer (October 21, 1979), “He was *really* terrible,” and the observation in Halliwell’s Television Companion (1987 edition, p. As Thomas-Symonds argues, Britain under him became a more free, equal, tolerant and open society -- Leo McKinstry * DAILY EXPRESS * I would heartily recommend The Winner to anyone interested in postwar British politics.Analyzes the developing role of the Prime Minister's office from Walpole to the present day, and gives a unique insight into the shifts of political power within and beyond government, the workings of the Cabinet, and the office of Prime Minister. While Wilson was a socialist, he was also a centrist, and sought to balance the ‘left and right tendencies.

This copy signed by Harold Wilson on the title-page (no other marks or inscriptions) CONDITION: An extremely well preserved almost AS NEW very clean and tight unread copy (merest hint of tanning to leaves) in a very slightly edge-nicked but otherwise FINE complete Dust Jacket (looks fine in its removable transparent protector) ] . It happens that in 1992-1993 three long biographies appeared: two in 1992, first by Austen Morgan and then by Ben Pimlott, and then the official biography by Philip Ziegler in 1993.Bill to go through for tactical reasons; although he found homosexuality personally distasteful, he allowed the bill to reach the statue book on the grounds that he wanted the matter ‘resolved swiftly, lest it cause Labour problems near the next general election’ (p. Wilson’s 1964–70 governments were highly dependent on the United States in terms of keeping the British economy propped up – as we have seen, in 1964 the Americans put pressure on Wilson not to devalue the pound due to fears that as a consequence they would have to devalue the dollar (p.