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“The author successfully conveys the atmosphere of Whitehall
in those troubled years, and captures the flavour of the times with
uncanny accuracy.” Anthony Howard
“June Morris has carefully and correctly assessed Balogh’s
influence on British politics in general and the Labour Party and
Harold Wilson and his circle in particular. She has also examined
Balogh’s standing as an Oxford academic and his economic ideas,
many of which were in advance of their time, in particular his views
of developmental economics. Good use is made of her privileged access
to Lord Balogh’s private papers and diaries, deposited at Balliol
College, Oxford, which have not yet been made available to researchers.
The author’s unlocking of their wealth of information is most
exciting.” Dr M. D. Kandiah, Centre for Contemporary British
History, Institute of Historical Research, University of London
Thomas Balogh (1905–1985)
had a conspiratorial nature and deliberately kept to the shadows
so that his substantial
role in political life has been little known. His predictions were
usually right and he looked at economic and political issues from
unconventional angles, but he was an exasperating man who thrived
on controversy. He made many enemies and had numerous fallings-out,
especially with civil servants, and this affected the way his advice
was perceived.
This first and only biography covers his life and work: from
his youth in Budapest, to his coming to Britain in 1930 and being
taken up by Keynes; his advance to being a well known if highly
controversial political economist; his reputation as a brilliant
though eccentric don at Balliol College, Oxford; his burgeoning
interest in politics; and the time of his greatest influence
as economic advisor to his close friend Harold Wilson.
Balogh’s interests in North Sea Oil and Gas exploitation
and his criticism of governmental failure to exact higher revenue
from the oil companies is documented and the analysis is a counterbalance
to the official history. June Morris’s interpretation of
Balogh’s relationship with Harold Wilson and Marcia Williams
and, more particularly and perhaps more controversially, the
relationship between Wilson and Williams, does not match those
contained in the memoirs of Bernard Donoughue and Joe Haines.
And there are correctives to some of the myths surrounding Wilson’s
leadership of the Labour Party and his Prime Ministership.
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List of Contents to follow |
Publication Details
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ISBN: |
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9781845191535 h/b |
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Page Extent / Format: |
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272 pp. / 229 x 152 mm |
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Release Date: |
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March 2007 |
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Illustrated: |
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No |
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Hardback Price: |
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£39.50 / $67.50 |
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