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Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
 Mr Nasty PM April 2, 2010
T. Reece (Bexhill on Sea UK)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
Fabulous book of fact that soon became the most horrendous horror story I've read. Opens the door to frightening scenes of gross incompetence, total distortion of the truth, greed, avarice, bullying, theft,cowardice,arrogance beyond belief and a total disregard for this country's electorate.
All the things you think may be happening but dismiss as fantasy are all here. How the public have been fooled ! We are all aware that there are things we don't need to know but after this you would not want to. From Blair the actor to charisma-bypass Brown the hidden sides of politics are stripped bare to expose the rotten core within.
Should be made compulsory reading for all voters in the UK
The end of our illusions about democracy? May 10, 2010
Alan Walton (England)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As a distinguished journalist Andrew Rawnsley opens up Labour for us from the time they took office in 97. Writing for the Labour-sympathising Guardian group his account rings all the more true in revealing just how much parties become virtual dictatorships when big manipulative characters like Blair and Brown are able to use their cabinets as little more than supporting cast in enacting what they believe is "the right course". This is no more evident than in the farcical way in which we were committed to war effectively by unminuted conversations in private between President Bush and (would-be president) Blair so brilliantly exposed in Mr Rawnsley's book. A huge volume but thoroughly entertaining and informative throughout.
Excellent March 10, 2010
Mr Lambert Strether
30 out of 34 found this review helpful
Far from failing to "recognise the role of ideas in New Labour", a key element of Mr Rawnsley's thesis is that New Labour was principally a project for winning power, and that its failure adequately to think through what it wanted to do when it attained power is a major cause of its underachievement.
This is a well-written, balanced and authoritative account that skilfully weaves analysis into its narrative of events. Highly recommended.
Inside The Court of New Labour May 23, 2010
J A C Corbett (Blackheath, London, UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Andrew Rawnsley's great doorstep of a book is the inside story from the court of New Labour. Gossipy, exhaustive and, at times, exhausting, it unveils the mask of the last two Labour governments.
Much has been made about the revelations about Gordon Brown's temper, serialised in the Observer, but really these are just a footnote in its 680page narrative. Rawnsley is fair in his assessment of both Prime Ministers, praising where praise was deserved (for example, Brown's handling of the global economic crisis; Blair's success in Northern Ireland) but withering about their failures.
He is a good writer, and although the book is somewhat overlong it retains its momentum nicely.
Perhaps the central thesis of the book is how New Labour were brilliantly prepared to win power, but unable to utilise effectively. Chaos frequently reared its head, particularly at Downing Street under Brown, and endless initiatives and laws were issued without being properly thought through.
Of course, the central problem that undermined the New Labour project was the Blair-Brown rivalry, and Rawnsley expertly details the conflict.
`History,' Rawnsley writes, `might be kinder to Gordon Brown than the me contemporary media and electorate.' That might be true of his Prime Ministership, but his central failing, which crucially undermined Tony Blair, was a chancellorship which as much as anything seemed to be defined by unstinting antipathy towards his next door neighbour.
In short he put the kibosh on any number of Blair's initiatives, while Blair - never a man to thrive in confrontation - was unusually supine when faced by Brown's latest tantrum.
Theirs is the most compelling political partnership of our times, but there is a whole cast of New Labour heroes and villains - the apoplectic Alistair Campbell, the thuggish Damien McBride, the Machiavellian Peter Mandleson, and many others besides - who make this a gripping story. No matter what you might think of their politics this is a compelling read.
Meticulous, Authoritative, Balanced and Unlikely to be Bettered July 21, 2010
MR S J TAYLOR
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
For anyone with any interest in the history of New Labour between 2001 and 2010, be they friend or foe, Andrew Rawnsley's magisterial tome is a feast. Easily worth six stars if such ratings could be given, this work is a masterclass both in its chosen subject and in the proper writing of contemporary history. The glory of the book is two-fold. The first is the depth and range of the sources. Rawnsley has clearly talked to just about everyone that mattered. The result is a narrative that is rich in anecdote, overwhelmingly credible, and puts the reader right at the centre of the action. While undoubtedly this makes for a long read, it also makes for a great read. The text is fast-paced, immediate, and gripping throughout. The second is the writer eschews simple polemic and simplistic judgments, presenting a rounded portrait of the key actors and episodes. At once sympathetic and critical, considered and immediate, it will resonate both for both supporters and opponents of "the Project". This is a work that will not date but will be read and re-read by students of the era for years to come. The only criticism is that naturally the book tails off somewhat from the summer of 2009 as publishing deadlines loomed. One can only hope subsequent editions will add further chapters to cover the final denouement in the period up to and including the 2010 election and the formation of the current Coalition.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
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