Austin Mitchell is a political
maverick. For thirty-eight years he was a fly in the parliamentary ointment, a
recurring itch on the body politic.
A maverick may annoy the whips,
threaten party discipline and challenge the solemnities of Parliament. Troublemakers
they may well be, but the Commons would certainly be a duller place without
them.
However Mitchell's dissidence
wasn't all bitterness without volume control. Rattling the cage, swimming against
the tide, pursuing honourable causes and, of course, fighting for his
constituency, Grimsby, proved a rewarding career in itself. Confessions
of a Political Maverick succeeds in uncovering the realities behind the
pretentious parliamentary facade of tradition and the stuffy complacency of
Britain's failing political class.
Dissenting from the peculiar and
highly particular conformity of career politicians dedicated to climbing the greasy
pole can be a lonely role, but it can also be fun. It certainly was for Austin Mitchell.
maverick. For thirty-eight years he was a fly in the parliamentary ointment, a
recurring itch on the body politic.
A maverick may annoy the whips,
threaten party discipline and challenge the solemnities of Parliament. Troublemakers
they may well be, but the Commons would certainly be a duller place without
them.
However Mitchell's dissidence
wasn't all bitterness without volume control. Rattling the cage, swimming against
the tide, pursuing honourable causes and, of course, fighting for his
constituency, Grimsby, proved a rewarding career in itself. Confessions
of a Political Maverick succeeds in uncovering the realities behind the
pretentious parliamentary facade of tradition and the stuffy complacency of
Britain's failing political class.
Dissenting from the peculiar and
highly particular conformity of career politicians dedicated to climbing the greasy
pole can be a lonely role, but it can also be fun. It certainly was for Austin Mitchell.
Share This Book: