The Searchers cover art

The Searchers

Five Rebels, Their Dream of a Different Britain, and Their Many Enemies

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The Searchers

By: Andy Beckett
Narrated by: Alexi Armitage
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In the great revolutionary year of 1968, Tony Benn was a respectable Labour minister in his forties, and he was restless. While new social movements were shaking up Britain and much of the world, Westminster politics seemed stuck. It was time, he decided, for a different approach.

Over the next half century, the radicalized Benn helped forge a new left in Britain. He was joined by four other politicians, who would become comrades, collaborators and rivals: Ken Livingstone, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn.

For Andy Beckett, the story of these admired and loathed political explorers - both their sudden breakthroughs and long stretches in the wilderness - is the untold story of British politics in modern times. As he reveals, their project to create a radically more equal, liberal and democratic Britain has been much more influential than electoral history might suggest, and can be seen from the shape of our city life to the causes of our culture wars.

For their many detractors, this influence was and remains dangerous: a form of extremism that must be stamped out. But as these five searchers believed, in politics there is no total victory - nor total defeat.

©2024 Andy Beckett (P)2024 Penguin Audio Europe Great Britain Political Science Politics & Government Liberalism Socialism

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All stars
Most relevant  
Lifelong Labour, but this helped me decide I’m not voting for Starmer’s mob. Might go Green Party

Excellent read. Made me furious LOL

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There is nothing to dislike - this is an excellent listen. Inspirational people who have created a platform for younger voters to force the elites into changing the blatantly undemocratic systems by which we appoint those who govern.

Brilliant

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Brilliant collective biography of a set of important British left wing figures. The author is clearly sympathetic to their project but us unafraid of criticising their personal short comings. Look elsewhere if you were hoping for a hatchet job of Corbyn

Brilliant Biography

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A really good listen. The perspective of the author is sympathetic but not uncritical -- probably the best perspective from which to write such a book. I initially felt the book would fall uncomfortably between history and biography, neither providing an adequate historical narrative nor providing more than a thin biographical sketch of the five 'rebels'. Having listened I think it does indeed fall into that neither-nor area, but I found that much less bothersome than I thought I might. As a centre-left person who has sometimes found the five 'rebels' exasperating, depressing, disappointing and/or pathetic, I enjoyed spending time with them much more than I might have expected.

The narrator is very easy to listen to. I find Penguin audiobooks are often poorly edited. This is better than many, but there are weird errors that the audio editor should've picked up and removed. The political 68ers should not be referred to as 'the 69ers'. 'Nous' in the context of the book is an English word which rhymes with 'house', not a Greek word pronounced 'noose'. 'Antisemitic' should not rhyme with 'hermetic'. And the union NUPE was always referred to as 'new-pea', not 'noop'.

Informative and enjoyable

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I bought this thinking it was a balanced analysis of the far left. It was reasonably credible until the final chapters on Corbyn’s leadership. Then, it became as notable for what it left out, as the reverence with which the author writes of Corbyn. If you believe that Corbyn was brought down by a anti-socialist cabal, then this is the book for you. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a more nuanced analysis of the benefits and limitations of socialism and it’s key protagonists, then you may end up grinding your teeth at the pseudo-religious fervour of the latter chapters.

Corbinista

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