This is My Truth

Aneurin Bevan is a revered figure in Welsh and British politics, celebrated for his role as the founder of one of the country’s most cherished institutions, the National Health Service. As a result, he is continuously invoked, quoted widely, and is praised for his principles. However, Bevan was not only a significant politician. He was also a prolific writer, contributing extensively to the socialist magazine Tribune from its founding in 1937 until his death in 1960. This is My Truth represents the first edited collection of these writings. Beginning with an introduction that charts his writing career and emphasises his legacy, the collection showcases Bevan’s analysis of class conflict, capitalism, democracy, the world and democratic socialism. This is My Truth provides readers with the opportunity to read Bevan in his own words and to reflect on a figure who remains a source of inspiration and controversy today.

‘Aneurin Bevan continues to be regarded as one of the political lodestars of the Labour movement, his actions in office often cited as the outstanding example of how socialist principles can be turned into practical action. We are less familiar with the development of his political thought and the experiences of the 1930s which refined the principles on which he drew. This book, reaching into hitherto inaccessible material, illuminates the background that led to the National Health Service and so much we continue to celebrate today.’
Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales

‘Bevan is a statesman of the past who is of central relevance to our present. The founding principle of his National Health Service – treatment based on medical need, not the ability to pay – is still improving the lives of millions more than seven decades after its creation. Expertly-edited by Nye Davies, this collection of articles from Tribune is useful not only for students of Bevan’s remarkable life, but for all those who seek to understand the course of post-war British politics.’
Nick Thomas-Symonds, MP for Torfaen, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade