'A fine political memoir, at once pugnacious and wise' - Harry Reid, The Herald. 'I recently read Tam Dalyell's memoirs, The Importance of Being Awkward. What a magnificent pain-in-the-neck that man could be! Wrong? Often? Brilliantly vindicated years later? Ditto. Stubborn and conceited? Sometimes. Unpopular with successive governments? You bet. Re-elected 12 times despite all that? Yes.' Michael White, The Guardian. When veteran Labour MP Tam Dalyell retired as Father of the House in 2005, the Commons lost not only one of its most colourful and outspoken politicians, but also one of its most deeply principled members. In a parliamentary career that spanned 43 years and the administrations of eight Prime Ministers (from Macmillan to Blair), Dalyell was never a stranger to controversy. His vehemently independent and firmly-held views might have denied him a career on the front bench, but have ensured that his name has seldom been out of the headlines. An outspoken critic of both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, he famously harried the former over the sinking of the Belgrano during the Falklands conflict, and argued fiercely against the Gulf War of 1990 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He also spoke out against military action in Kosovo, and has been a leading figure in the attempt to uncover the truth about the Lockerbie bombing. In this memoir, based on personal papers as well as official documents - many of them only recently declassified - he looks back over a lifetime of dedicated service as MP for West Lothian and Linlithgow and talks of his family connections to the area: the Dalyells have lived at the historic House of the Binns, near Linlithgow, for almost 400 years. Insightful, witty and urbane, this is a fascinating book which offers a unique perspective on many of the key moments in Britain's political life over the last fifty years.
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'utterly engrossing memoir...Tam Dalyell is a titan of thrawnness, and I hope he makes a nuisance of himself for many years more.' --The Herald
'The Importance of Being Awkward is the extraordinary memoirs of who else? the Old Etonian serial rebel, Tam Dalyell. String-pulling, name-dropping, opinionated in every line, an innocence bolstered by immense self-confidence, this is a maddening book, but also a riveting read, detailing Dalyell's many campaigns, often lonely, often lasting for decades, sometimes triumphantly vindicated years later. Scottish devolution, which he vigorously opposed: right or wrong? Kosovo, Iraq, the Falklands, Afghanistan, Libya, he opposed those interventions too. An admirable career.' --The Guardian
'A story of principle and persistence from a politician whose like we shall surely not see again, at least in the ranks of any of the mainstream parties.' --Journal of the Law Society of Scotland
'Charting the campaigns that have shaped his by turns heroic and cussed years in Westminster,' --The Herald
'A story of principle and persistence from a politician whose like we shall surely not see again, at least in the ranks of any of the mainstream parties.' --Journal of the Law Society of Scotland
'The Importance of Being Awkward is the extraordinary memoirs of who else? the Old Etonian serial rebel, Tam Dalyell. String-pulling, name-dropping, opinionated in every line, an innocence bolstered by immense self-confidence, this is a maddening book, but also a riveting read, detailing Dalyell's many campaigns, often lonely, often lasting for decades, sometimes triumphantly vindicated years later. Scottish devolution, which he vigorously opposed: right or wrong? Kosovo, Iraq, the Falklands, Afghanistan, Libya, he opposed those interventions too. An admirable career.' --The Guardian
'A story of principle and persistence from a politician whose like we shall surely not see again, at least in the ranks of any of the mainstream parties.' --Journal of the Law Society of Scotland
'Charting the campaigns that have shaped his by turns heroic and cussed years in Westminster,' --The Herald
'A story of principle and persistence from a politician whose like we shall surely not see again, at least in the ranks of any of the mainstream parties.' --Journal of the Law Society of Scotland
About the Author
Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch of The Binns, 11th Baronet - better known as Tam Dalyell - was born in Edinburgh in 1932 and inherited the Baronetcy of the Binns via his mother in 1972. Educated at the Edinburgh Academy and Eton College, he did his National Service with the Royal Scots Greys from 1950 to 1952 as an ordinary trooper having failed his officer training. He studied History and Economics at King's College, Cambridge, where he was Chairman of the Conservative Association. Following teacher training at Moray House College in Edinburgh, Tam taught at a non-selective school and a ship school. He joined the Labour Party in 1956 after the Suez Crisis and became an MP in 1962, defeating William Wolfe of the Scottish National Party. Tam was an MP in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow. He became Father of the House after the 2001 General Election, when Sir Edward Heath retired, and was a Member of the European Parliament from 1975 to 1979 and a member of the Labour National Executive from 1986 to 1987 for the Campaign group. In 2003 Tam was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By hotspur
Format:Hardcover
Tam Dalyell's autobiography is imbued with the author's self satisfaction and his lack of modesty. He implies that he was always right, and that the causes he took up were the correct ones. But the reader should put aside any irritation that the author may arouse. This is a readable and enjoyable book, full of insights into the politics and recent history of Britain and Scotland.
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By J Whitgift
Format:Hardcover
I had high hopes for Sir Tam Dalyell's Bt. autobiography. Renowned as one of the late-20th Centuries great parliamentarians (like Tony Benn or Edward Heath), my hope was that Sir Tam's reflections on his life story would off some insight into both the man and his life both in and outside Parliament. However, what we have is a text in desperate need of both a good proof-reader and editor.
The first part of the book, looking at Sir Tam's antecedents as Baronets and residents of the House of the Binns (his ancestral seat) is both self-indulgent and uninformative, mainly because Sir Tams writes as though he were authoring a `who's who' guide. Too many times we are treated to sentences which run along the lines of `Sir X, who was my tutor/ doctor/ cook and who would later become distinguished Professor/ House Master/ Surgeon to the Monarch etc.' (Many of these descriptions are up to a paragraph long, meaning that the book becomes more of a biographical dictionary than an memoir and loses much of the sense of the narrative). It would be fair to say that not many people will have had the opportunity in their lives to have met so many august personages and with his constant name dropping (like confetti at a wedding) it gets rather tiresome after a while.
At other times we are expected to have a working knowledge of the Scottish nobility, e.g. we are informed that Mr X is one of the Caithness X's, as though this is famous family, known to all. This style may be Sir Tam's own, he was after all brought up as a member of the Scots nobility in pre-war Scotland, however, a good editor would have been able to iron out these stylistic problems, as well as cutting back on the name-dropping/ mini-biographies, as mentioned above.
Another problem with Sir Tam's book is the tone of his writing - there is far too much descriptive memoir, but little or no reflection or regret. Sadly this means that Sir Tam comes across as being self-satisfied rather than as someone who is reflecting on a life well lived. For such an evidently intelligent man, this is quite a let-down and for a book whose retail price is £25, unforgiveable. Whereas Sir Tam may have been a great Parliamentarians of our age, he will not be remembered as a great writer of autobiography, as say Tony Benn or Stephen Fry have been and I fear his book will rapidly be relegated to the remainder book shops/ second-hand book shops of Westminster.
The first part of the book, looking at Sir Tam's antecedents as Baronets and residents of the House of the Binns (his ancestral seat) is both self-indulgent and uninformative, mainly because Sir Tams writes as though he were authoring a `who's who' guide. Too many times we are treated to sentences which run along the lines of `Sir X, who was my tutor/ doctor/ cook and who would later become distinguished Professor/ House Master/ Surgeon to the Monarch etc.' (Many of these descriptions are up to a paragraph long, meaning that the book becomes more of a biographical dictionary than an memoir and loses much of the sense of the narrative). It would be fair to say that not many people will have had the opportunity in their lives to have met so many august personages and with his constant name dropping (like confetti at a wedding) it gets rather tiresome after a while.
At other times we are expected to have a working knowledge of the Scottish nobility, e.g. we are informed that Mr X is one of the Caithness X's, as though this is famous family, known to all. This style may be Sir Tam's own, he was after all brought up as a member of the Scots nobility in pre-war Scotland, however, a good editor would have been able to iron out these stylistic problems, as well as cutting back on the name-dropping/ mini-biographies, as mentioned above.
Another problem with Sir Tam's book is the tone of his writing - there is far too much descriptive memoir, but little or no reflection or regret. Sadly this means that Sir Tam comes across as being self-satisfied rather than as someone who is reflecting on a life well lived. For such an evidently intelligent man, this is quite a let-down and for a book whose retail price is £25, unforgiveable. Whereas Sir Tam may have been a great Parliamentarians of our age, he will not be remembered as a great writer of autobiography, as say Tony Benn or Stephen Fry have been and I fear his book will rapidly be relegated to the remainder book shops/ second-hand book shops of Westminster.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By catlover
Format:Hardcover
Tam Dalyell obviously has a very retentive memory and the ability to describe parliamentary activities in the most fascinating way. He provides a detailed insight into how a backbencher can prove more effective than a minister in government and his book is both informative and entertaining.
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