Tag: politics

Nothing Has Changed

February 24, 2018

My first book is an account of the extraordinary 2017 General Election as seen by me. It was an election like no other and I hope I’ve given some sense of the excitement, energy and sometimes downright bafflement involved in covering it. You can buy ‘Nothing Has Changed’ directly from the Parthian books website here. Here’s … More Nothing Has Changed

Andy Beckett, ‘Promised You a Miracle’

October 11, 2015

Far from another exercise in eighties nostalgia, this book is a fascinating closer examination of a couple of years that apparently changed Britain forever. It’s fair to say that Beckett is uncertain about the value of this change although he’s open-minded enough to acknowledge the many benefits it brought as well as recognising the human … More Andy Beckett, ‘Promised You a Miracle’

‘Honours for Sale: The Strange Story of Maundy Gregory’ by Gerald McMillan

August 16, 2014

It is a strange story and one that has been told elsewhere rather more fully than Gerald McMillan was able to in 1954 I think, but the book - stamped ‘Dowlais Library’ has been sitting on the windowsill in our Assembly office for as long as I’ve worked there and curiosity finally got the better of me. Maundy … More ‘Honours for Sale: The Strange Story of Maundy Gregory’ by Gerald McMillan

‘In It Together’ by Matthew D’Ancona

August 11, 2014

  If you have the slightest interest in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, this book is essential reading. It explains how the coalition came about (and how much secret preparation had been made in the run-up to the 2010 election despite public disavowals) and how it continued to exist despite some severe internal and external … More ‘In It Together’ by Matthew D’Ancona

Patrick Hannan, ‘Wales Off Message’

September 11, 2013

I recently re-read Patrick Hannan’s ‘Wales Off Message’. Published in 2000 the events and misadventures in Welsh politics it recounts are all familiar to me although he always managed to find a new angle from which to view those events or a undiscovered nugget of fascination, such as Rhodri Morgan’s unprecedented tidying of his sock … More Patrick Hannan, ‘Wales Off Message’

Groom of the Stool: Robert Shepherd, ‘Westminster: A Biography’

July 30, 2013

Robert Shepherd’s ‘Westminster: a Biography’ covers the whole lifespan of the marshy island which became the centre of power and government in Britain. For me, Westminster has become a workplace and I often forget the history behind the buildings which have shaped the form of government operating in Britain. As a result of this book, … More Groom of the Stool: Robert Shepherd, ‘Westminster: A Biography’