BOOK FESTIVAL

MI5 AND Chinese takeaways, Peter Mandelson, the Scottish Parliament, aunt Emily's funeral, bizarre e-mails from Labour HQ, Iraq, Iran, Bush, Blair, Syria, Norman Tebbit, and a lesbian archbishop of Canterbury . . . say what you like about Tony Benn (and many a Labour Party leader has, through clenched teeth) but he gives an audience their money's worth.

Richard Holloway introduced the longest-serving Labour MP of all time as "a living national treasure". If that made Benn sound like the Queen Mother of the left, the Terry Wogan of the antiTrident movement, the audience were not about to argue the point. Benn was among friends here. Even those who might have disagreed with some of his views - and judging by the unusually high number of suits in the audience, that was a possibility - knew they were in the presence of that increasingly endangered beast, the conviction politician. To borrow the title of his book, Benn has spent a lifetime daring to be a Daniel, daring to stand alone, daring to have a purpose firm, and daring to make it known. In Scotland, that still buys a man respect.

Much of what he had to say about the Middle East, Iraq, Tony Blair and the decline of British democracy had a familiar, even wellworn, ring. But his opinions were delivered with wit and the wisdom only five decades in parliament can buy. On form, the man has the timing of a stand-up comedian - except in his case the killer lines and the punchlines are delivered from the sittingdown position, his hands flapping like a pair of demented magpies, pulling in ideas from all around, jabbing logic into the air where there frequently seems to be none.

On the meaning of terror, he asked: "Why is it terrorism when you blow up a train or a bus in London on 7/7, but not terrorism when you kill a thousand Lebanese?" On the Home Office: "John Reid said it wasn't fit for purpose, but that might apply to the Home Secretary too." Not even his own passing was beyond a joke: "All I hope is when I go to hell there's an energy crisis."

He did not dwell much on Scottish politics, although he did draw attention to the fact that the parliament building, though expensive, was a snip compared to the Dome and Trident, and he knew which he preferred having around.

He was so in command towards the end that it was he, rather than Richard Holloway, who drew the session to a close. But the valiant Holloway staged a late coup d'etat, reminding the audience that they'd had "wisdom, humour and love", and inviting them to show their appreciation. Once again, there were no objections from the f loor.

The Book Festival is as much about making new acquaintances as cementing old friendships. This was the first visit to Charlotte Square Gardens by Moazzam Begg, the British Muslim who was locked up for three years in Guantanamo Bay, much of it in solitary, without charge.

Begg has written movingly about his experience, and his struggle to resume a normal existence with his family in Birmingham. In the Benn session, one hour was just about right; with Begg it was far too short. His book and his life, not least his decisions to go to Afghanistan and Bosnia in the first place, beg so many questions, and by the end we were only a little nearer to the answers.

Perhaps some of us were expecting too much from a first meeting. As Begg himself said jokingly at one point: "I haven't got all the answers to how to save the world." One thing did emerge, however: we will not be seeing him standing for parliament anytime soon. "Politics seems to me something that I haven't got too much faith in at present. I feel more comfortable among ordinary people, marching in the streets, " he said.

From one rebel, Benn, with a myriad of causes, to one still searching for a permanent home.

Watch the Tony Benn and Moazzam Begg interviews exclusively online at www. theherald. co. uk/edfest from noon today.

PICK OF THE DAY John Banville, RBS Main Theatre, 11.30am At last year's Book Festival he shared the stage with Eugene McCabe. Today, following his triumphant win of the ManBooker prize with his superb novel The Sea, he takes the platform alone.