The Importance of Being Awkward

A unique opportunity to hear Tam Dalyell on his first visit to London since he retired in 2005

On his first visit to London since 2005 when he retired as Father of the House of Commons, the heir to the House of the Binns, benefactor of the National Trust for Scotland, Labour MP for 43 years under eight Prime Minsters, originator of the West Lothian question, talks about family, Scotland and being a

dissenter.

In 1944, as an eleven year old schoolboy, Tam Dalyell signed the deed of transfer of his historic family seat, the House of the Binns, to the National Trust for Scotland, making it the first country house to be handed over to the Trust. Thus began a relationship with the Trust which has stretched nearly seventy

years. Tam and his wife, Kathleen, who manages the house on behalf of the Trust, continue to live at the Binns today.

Young Tam Dalyell showed a high-mindedness which marked him out in his ensuing political career. After Eton, National Service with the Royal Scot Greys,

founded by his ancestor General Tam Dalyell, and Cambridge, he became a teacher before being elected to Parliament in 1962 as the Labour candidate for

West Lothian. His next 43 years ensured - given his vehemently independent views - that his name was rarely out of the headlines.

A critic of both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, he famously harried the former during the Falklands War and argued fiercely with the latter over the Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq. He was also the originator of “The West Lothian Question', which still informs the debate on Scottish devolution and

independence today.

Don't miss hearing Tam in person on his first visit to London since 2005 in conversation with the National Trust for Scotland Trustee, James Knox. In an age

of powerful government, Dalyell is a magnificent antidote.

Reviews for his memoir ‘The Importance of Being Awkward’:

‘utterly engrossing...Tam Dalyell is a titan of thrawnness, and I hope he makes a

nuisance of himself for many years more.'The Herald

‘...a magnificent pain in the neck.'The Guardian

Speaker(s):	Sir Tam Dalyell | talks
Date and Time:	3 October 2012 at 7:30 pm
Duration:	1 hour
Venue:	Royal Geographical Society 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR 020 7501 3000 http://www.rgs.org Show map
Organised by:	The National Trust for Scotland See other talks organised by The National Trust for Scotland...
Tickets:	£25
Available from:	osmart@nts.org.uk

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