Powell & Foot

I have just starting wading through Simon Heffers weighty biography of Enoch Powell, something struck me almost instantly. Powell had a tendency to idolise his fellow man it began with Nietzsche and moved on to other characters later, some famous some just friends. This struck me as being rather similar to another old time politician Michael Foot, whose biography by Kenneth Morgan i read recently. Foot was another man who had a tendency to gravitate towards strong characters, including Powell himself. This same point was made by Harry over at Crooked Timber, who points out Foot's negative role within the Labour Party.

Both men were also highly intelligent but had blind spots and obsessions the size of Jupiter. Both were rather negative and both had absolute faith in their beliefs. Foot in the power of socialism and Powell on the importance of the 'nation'. My belief is that either would have been disastrous Prime Ministers but the fact they both came close shows how powerful the cult of their personalities was. Foot, whose politics I sympathise with, was foolish when it came to understanding politics he wanted to educate not to change the country because to do that you have to win. The same could perhaps be said of Powell, but as I have only just started his biography I will hold my judgement until I know a little more.

What I do know, however, is that Powells upbringing and personality made for a very strange young man.