Paul Foot (1937–2004)

The first 2/3 of this slim book covers the historic involvement of England in Ireland, including the partition into North and South, which was entirely for economic reasons, with religious sectarianism used as the excuse, and grim reading it makes for an English person with a heavily edited and redacted version of history received from 70s/80s school and media.

The last 1/3 gives Foot's outline for British withdrawal from the north of Ireland. Post-Good Friday Agreement and with Brexit looming, it still seems reasonable. It also provided me some insight into the basis of the reciprocal arrangements between the Conservative Party and the DUP to prop up each other's beleaguered governments.

I thought this 1989 essay might have been left behind by the tide of subsequent events, but sadly, but also hopefully, it still seems relevant.… (més)

WARNING: This book will change your life.

That might sound like a rather grandiose claim, but it is equally difficult, as one who has read it, to believe that any sentient human being could be unaffected by this polemic. Paul Foot, as one would expect, write with an assuredness and conviction that needs no jingoism. He paints a history that joins the dots of politics that I already had, to create a testable historic background taking us up to the beginning of the 21st century.

'The Vote' is written in two sections, 'How It Was Won' and 'How It Was Undermined'. When I purchased it, I had thought that I had a fair knowledge of the first section and that, a swift skim would suffice to take me to the meat of the second instalment: WRONG! Foot, not only links the struggle for a universal suffrage, he adds bits that were missed from my political education. There were times, whilst reading this, that I was forced to break off and check the historical accuracy of his claims. Each time, I found that my understanding was incorrect and that his interpretation was backed up by history.

'How It Was Undermined' is also a hard read. It must have been tempting to cast a nebulous 'establishment' as the baddie and turn this part of the book into a personal harangue; telling the reader to 'do as I say' and all will be well. Foot avoids this and, again, sticks to facts. The outcome is that there is no silver bullet on offer. The struggle for true democracy must continue and, this book means that no serious protagonist now has any excuse to be caught by surprise at the tactics which will be used to keep the powerful in their ascendancy.

Needless to say, this book is a MUST read...… (més)