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The Rebel Who Lost His Cause: The Tragedy of John Beckett MP
 
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The Rebel Who Lost His Cause: The Tragedy of John Beckett MP (Hardcover)

by Francis Beckett (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Allison & Busby; First Edition First Impression edition (4 Aug 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1902809041
  • ISBN-13: 978-1902809045
  • Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.2 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 749,635 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #94 in  Books > Biography > Political > Britain > Labour & Socialism

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Product Description

Product Description

Written by his son, this is a detailed biography of the left wing Labour MP who in the 1930s became one of Britain's three best known fascists. His intelligence and wit, allied to strong viewpoints on contentious issues, marked John Beckett from the beginning a chequered paliamentary life.

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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, honest look at a father's life, 30 Oct 2001
By A Customer
This was one of the most honest books that I have ever read of a son's examination of a father whose life in many ways encompassed the troubled life of those involved in politics during the 20s, 30s, 40s.

John Beckett was one of the most gifted young MPs to be elected to parliament between the two wars. Closely associated with Clement Attlee he was to forego the ILP to join with Oswald Moseley in starting the British Blackshirts, and then parting from him was to move even further to the right. Imprisoned during the war he was to emerge from prison to a future which saw him often relying on help from others. It also saw him having to come to terms with a society that had changed.

What is fascinating with this book is the relationship between the author and his subject - his father. Francis Beckett who has established a much respected reputation as a trade unionist and as a gifted writer obviously hated and abhored his father's politics. His research into his father's life, parts of which were obviously hidden from his children produced evidence that his father's background was very much at variance with the beliefs that he adopted.

It is one of the best books of its type that I have ever read, and the author must be much commended for what he has achieved.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book about a man fallen into political disgrace, 31 Oct 2001
By A Customer
This is a fascinating book about a man who threw away a bright future as a Labour Party MP. Beckett was a rebel, who had been secretary to Clement Attlee. He left the party to join Oswald Mosley in setting up the British Fascists, and then after a series of rows about political differences moved further to the right alongside William Joyce. Imprisoned during the war he left prison to live a life far estranged from that he had previously enjoyed.
The most interesting aspect of this book is the excellent way in which its author Francis Beckett, the son of its subject has delved into his father's background. Its a no wholes barred look at his father by a son who has established a much respected reputation as a trade unionist and writer. Although his father's politics are obviously an anathma to the son; and he shows nothing but contempt for his father's anti-semitism it is also written with a great deal of sensitivity to the more personal and affectionate aspects of their relationship. The overwhelming impression is of a father driven by ghosts, many of them the result of the First World War who lost his way.
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