View from the Foothills by Chris Mullin

[davidr]

I have just finished Chris Mullin's 'View from the Foothill' Chris writes about his time through the years of 2000-2005 when he was a back bench Member of Parliament and (very ) junior minister in Tony Blair's New Labour Government. I found it a fascinating book about how government does (or more often) doen't work in the UK. I wonder if anyone else has read it. I am interested to read other politcal diaries - I believe Alan Clarke's diaries from the Thatcher era are very entertaining and interesting but I wonder if they may be a bit dated now.

[Books do furnish a room]

I haven't read Mullin's book, but I have read Alan Clark's diaries and they are immensely entertaining. I don't think they are informtive about the process of government and with changes in technology and 24 hour news things are very different. The Alistair Campbell Diaries and Blair's recent book say much more about the nature of modern government. There are other great political diarists out there from all political persuasions; many of them would be out of date in terms of modern goverment. However the current political elite are mostly cardboard cut outs (in my opinion), mainly because the more interesting characters get slaughtered by the media (Churchill and Lloyd George would never have achieved high office these days).

[davidr]

I haven't read Mullin's book, but I have read Alan Clark's diaries and they are immensely entertaining. I don't think they are informtive about the process of government and with changes in technology and 24 hour news things are very different. The Alistair Campbell Diaries and Blair's recent book say much more about the nature of modern government. There are other great political diarists out there from all political persuasions; many of them would be out of date in terms of modern goverment. However the current political elite are mostly cardboard cut outs (in my opinion), mainly because the more interesting characters get slaughtered by the media (Churchill and Lloyd George would never have achieved high office these days).

Many thanks. Although I dislike the guy and much of his and his leader (ie Blair's) politics, I think I will try the Alistair Campbell's Diaries to get another view of the New labour government.

 

It will be interesting in a few years time to read an insider's view of the current coalition government.

Edited October 9, 2010 by davidr