Review of Harold Wilson: The Winner

Nick Thomas-Symonds biography of Harold Wilson is perhaps the best study of one of the greatest Post-war Prime Ministers yet

I have a declared interest in this, Harold Wilson is one of my favourite politicians of his era and just about my favourite UK Prime Minister. I am proud of the fact that I once saw him whilst on holiday in the Scilly Isles when I was twelve, albeit from a distance.

To some he seems to some to be transparent, even opportunist, and to have not achieved much compared to the likes of Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher, but on Wilson’s watch we stayed out of the Vietnam War (In spite of huge pressure from the then US President, Lyndon Johnson), saw the creation of the Open University, and settled the question of Europe for almost a generation by a decisive result in a referendum.

Wilson also helped keep the Labour Party together and achieved something that hardly any political Party leader since the War has managed, to bring the Party they led into government after having been turfed out of office in the previous general election.