What I Read in Feb

Most of the month was taken up with this whopper and I have to admit I was glad when it was done. February is a short month, but filled mostly with this book, and a couple of other delights.

I wanted to find out how this reserved and private man managed to assemble and lead the most radical government in British history. Clement Attlee grew up wealthy, privileged, and well-educated. He should have been a natural Conservative. His family lived in comfort, sure of their place in the world. They had one other important characteristic and this is what shaped Citizen Clem. They believed that those who had, should support those who had not. The whole family lived lives of quiet service to others. Clement moved to Stepney to live among the people he helped – some of the very poorest in Britain. He served in WWI, was injured several times. and the time he spent with ordinary men helped refine his political ideas.

He was a quiet man. He read and wrote poetry. He was a hard worker and it was easy to underestimate him. Churchill certainly did in the General Election of 1945 which Labour won resoundingly.

One of the things I found most fascinating about this book is the way politics seemed to be a very real part of people’s lives at that point in history. People bought hundreds of thousands of copies of the political writings of the day; manifestos, publications like the Beveridge Report. The author puts much of the credit for the Labour victory with the servicemen still abroad who wanted to return to a better life – and who remembered, perhaps, what happened to improve the lives of those returning in 1918 – nothing.

The massive book was very enjoyable to read. Full of wry humour and scholarship but also with a strong sense of the person. A famous autobiography was being dissected in public at the time I was reading. In a world of frost-bitten genitals it is refreshing to be taken back to a time when the privates were private and the source material is long, erudite letters and properly minuted meetings. I didn’t find out as much as I wanted about the creation of the NHS. Perhaps because (news to me) Attlee didn’t get on well with the architect of the scheme, Aneurin Bevan. I discovered much more. Attlee worked tirelessly for the very poorest in Britain, but he never lost sight of the bigger picture. The UN, and the slow melting of the British Empire and the growth of the Commonwealth owe much to Attlee’s ideas, ideals and vision. When he was asked what he’d most be remembered for, he replied “India.”

I ended the book feeling I understood Attlee much better and also the era and in particular the drive and world-view of a particular group of people. In Attlee’s first Cabinet there were more ex-miners than Old Etonians. The quiet man enabled a quiet revolution that gave us the safety net of state support and healthcare free at the point of delivery. Let’s hear from one of his oldest friends, and reflect how far we’ve fallen:

“…he is a tiger for work. Incessant work. Labour from early morning to late at night. There are men more clever but none more selflessly devoted to his task. There are men more eloquent, but none who command more complete confidence in his integrity.” (Jack Lawson)

Inspired by January’s entry from Emma Smith I ordered this one from the library. The title comes from Stephen King’s description of books and if you share his view you’ll really enjoy this. Chapters on separate topics mean you can jump about through it and explore your own relationship with books. Smith ranges wide and she’s passionate about books, sharing your (and my) affection, irritation, fear, and nostalgia. From the first European printing to book-burning and books as objects of worship, Smith challenges what you thought you knew and uncovers what you’ve hardly thought. Very readable.

I ended the month with a lovely warm bath of nostalgia. This is beautifully written, factual yet bowling along like a thriller. You know the characters, or rather the actors who played the characters, but you’ll be surprised by much of the history. The book starts where the show started, with the writers. It is important to remember how much of what we love on television is just the tip of an iceberg of effort, rejection, and disappointment. It takes talent, yes, but a big dose of luck is needed to turn strivers into household names. The writer is honest about the way modern audiences view this blast from the past, but she’s able to acknowledge how important television was, when it was all we had in our homes. Those moments talking to friends and colleagues about the new show were beautifully captured. The feeling of knowing there was something on that night – so different from nowadays when all the choice can sometimes feel like a huge pile of nothing. A charming book.