DAVID STEWART: Top political reads of 2024
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but can be stressful when there are last minute presents to be bought for loved ones.
Do not despair! I have reviewed below five of the top political reads of the year, all ready to be wrapped and left under the Christmas tree for the enjoyment of your discerning family politicophile.
Boris Johnson ‘Unleashed’ published by Harper Collins. Why on earth did you waste good money buying Boris Johnson’s new book, I hear you say! If I can name drop (just for a change!), Sun Tzu, the Chinese military general, once said “Know thy enemy and know yourself”. Unleashed covers Boris’s time as Prime Minister from 2019 to 2022, including Brexit and the Covid pandemic. Perhaps the most interesting chapters include references back to his time as London Mayor, before his tenure in Number 10. There were some interesting observations on the campaign to win the Olympics for London and his attempt to gain funding for the London electric bikes scheme. That apart, the book was a strange mish-mash of Sun headlines mixed with Latin phrases. It read like a very hurried write to meet a deadline, with poor sub-editing throughout. If you are searching for the real Boris, what made him so motivated to seek out high political office and his vision for the country, then this is not the book for you. Yes, it is amusing in places and full of interesting anecdotes, such as when he almost drowned when in holiday in Scotland because he was determined to set out to sea in an inflatable kayak to avoid Highland midgies. However, overall I was very disappointed with this over-hyped piece of work, which promised much and delivered little. A bit like Boris himself?
Best for: Uncritical Boris Johnson supporters who wish a festive laugh.
William Manchester and Paul Reid ‘The Last Lion’ published by Bantam. One of the most comprehensive and detailed accounts of the life of Winston Churchill from his early life, his time as Prime Minister during World War II up to his death in 1965. I found the final volume of three the most compelling – a vivid, detailed picture of the plight of Britain after the Dunkirk evacuation.
Best for: The Churchill enthusiast who has time and stamina to devour three volumes.
Alan Johnson ‘Harold Wilson’ published by Swift Press. Alan Johnson was a trade union leader who served in a variety of ministerial roles, including Home Secretary, under the Blair/Brown administrations. An excellent writer and speaker, I brought him up to Inverness in 2000 to speak to postal workers. This is a first class analysis and very readable biography of Harold Wilson, who retired as Prime Minister when he was 60, two years younger than the current Labour Prime Minister. Wilson won four general elections and avoided UK involvement in the Vietnam war by rejecting military overtures from American President Lyndon Johnson.
Best for: Labour supporters, as a guide on how to change Britain.
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Anushka Asthana ‘Taken as Red’ published by Harper Collins. Anushka Asthana is an experienced and talented journalist who is the deputy political editor of ITV news and co-presenter of Peston. She analyses Labour’s three defeats of 2015, 2017 and 2019 and asks the question of how in 2024 did Labour turn it all around to deliver one of the largest majorities in UK parliamentary history? A lively page turner which describes well Keir Starmer’s four year on the substitutes’ bench.
Best for: The general political reader who wants to understand more about the fault lines in both Labour and Tory campaigns since 2015.
Gavin Barwell ‘Chief of Staff’ published by Atlantic Books. Gavin Barwell was a Tory MP between 2010-2017 and was Downing Street chief of staff for Theresa May. He now sits in the House of Lords. An insider’s view of May’s time at Number 10, which describes her as a victim of Brexit and the extremists within the Tory Party. Barwell provides (understandably) a very sympathetic portrait of May’s time in office.
Best for:readers who enjoy ring-side seats!
Wishing all readers a happy Christmas and all the best for the new year.
