Attlee's Great Contemporaries: The Politics of Character

This is a collection of Clement Attlee's writings - brought together by Frank Field MP - that comment on political leadership today. In 1946, Clement Attlee came to power as Labour Prime Minister with a huge landslide majority. Under his leadership some of the greatest reforms were initiated, not least the founding of the National Health Service.

Attlee had a firm vision of a more just and equitable society, which the nation wanted. This firm vision is something that Frank Field believes is now absent from politics - the recent fiasco of the 10p tax reform is just one example.In retirement Clement Attlee wrote a masterly series of profiles of his great contemporaries, many published at the time in The Observer.

They are of extraordinary historical interest and command an audience in their own right. But to Field they epitomize the intellect and humanity of a hero of 20th Century politics, a man with qualities so profoundly lacking among current political leaders. The book thus has a real purpose. New Labour has lost the plot and lacks a coherent vision for the well being of modern men and women.

In a brilliant and controversial introduction, Frank Field argues his case convincingly. There is an afterword by Professor Peter Hennessy that goes on to show the importance of Attlee in full historical perspective.