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Liberal Lion: Jo Grimond: A Political Life
His numerous writings and his ten-year leadership of the Liberal party established him as one of the most influential figures in its history. Peter Barberis has produced a unique critical biography of this enigmatic figure based upon a careful examination of speeches, writings and archive material.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2005
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November 9, 2013
Though I found the subject matter engaging enough, I suspect this was due to an esoteric interest in Jo Grimond, the UK Liberal leader of the 50s who was responsible for the party's intelectual if not electoral revival.
The book hugs a very chronological line that comes close to feeling a little 'blow by blow' as an account rather than give a deep sense of what Grimond believed and what motivated him as a liberal. I found myself comparing it, probably unfairly, to the memoir of Vince Cable which I'd recently read. The latter, I guess by account of the reflective opportunity offered in a autobiography, was much more helpful in understanding the political development of the subject.
This is my biggest gripe with the book - it doesn't really get into a deep analysis of Grimond's political development. When it does talk about his political offerings (he was a prolific writer, particularly when it came to op-eds), not much detail is given; nor are extracts any more than a couple of lines. It would have been great to see some more engagement with Grimond's work, and in particular how he balanced the competing loyalties a liberal faces to liberty and equality.
This ultimately makes the book more suited to the audience of diehard admirer or budding historian. For those interested in liberal politics, I'd encourage you to first seek out the longer, but more enjoyable, 'Peace, Reform & Liberation' - a great history of liberal politics edited by Mark Egan and Duncan Brack.
The book hugs a very chronological line that comes close to feeling a little 'blow by blow' as an account rather than give a deep sense of what Grimond believed and what motivated him as a liberal. I found myself comparing it, probably unfairly, to the memoir of Vince Cable which I'd recently read. The latter, I guess by account of the reflective opportunity offered in a autobiography, was much more helpful in understanding the political development of the subject.
This is my biggest gripe with the book - it doesn't really get into a deep analysis of Grimond's political development. When it does talk about his political offerings (he was a prolific writer, particularly when it came to op-eds), not much detail is given; nor are extracts any more than a couple of lines. It would have been great to see some more engagement with Grimond's work, and in particular how he balanced the competing loyalties a liberal faces to liberty and equality.
This ultimately makes the book more suited to the audience of diehard admirer or budding historian. For those interested in liberal politics, I'd encourage you to first seek out the longer, but more enjoyable, 'Peace, Reform & Liberation' - a great history of liberal politics edited by Mark Egan and Duncan Brack.
Displaying 1 of 1 review