Should you read this book?

If you like The Thick of It then this could be for you (no deliberate humour though). This is Cameron's press officer's account of the Remain campaign. Amazingly all the mistakes were made by other people, not him at all. Lots of attacks on the BBC for putting false balance above establishing facts, and obviously the rest of the media too. Interesting hearing about crafting messages and keeping people on message. And a demolition of Michael Gove which I enjoyed. Then again I am a teacher.

Maybe read it. Lots of ideas and interesting takes on the world. Quite a lot of plot, which said ideas are kind of dumped into. It's a future world where consumption is encouraged with no angst or inkling of the enviromental consequences. So I suppose, in the age of patio heaters and throw away coffee cups, he got that right. Children are conditioned into accepting their social class and their world by the repetition of phrases and some aversion training. Tick again. There's a very interesting idea that women have been conditioned to accept the unnatural. They hate the idea of monogamy and of motherhood. That's an interesting assumption about the natural state of women. The book's not about that though, that's an aside. It's about two men really. One of them is definitely a sympathetic character because he speaks in a lot of Shakespeare quotes, despite being a savage. The real savage are the civilised ones who don't know any Shakespeare. Hmmm. It's

Democratically yes. How it all works from a lobby correspondent's viewpoint, the Yang of the Ying and Yang of government. (Politicians and media, just in case I haven't been clear). He starts with May and Brexit, his astonishment at her culling of Cameron's cabinet, and the repercussions she will undoubtedly face. Then he swings back to the start of his career - running to phone boxes to dictate copy in at the last moment. A lot of his triumphs are minutiae. Who is the first media organisation to find out the date of the next Election? A huge triumph for whoever gets it. And the biggest triumph of all...the exclusive on John Major's affair with Edwina Currie. Years after he was PM. Salacious interest at best, yet the discovery and the fact checking documented here with breathless anticipation. But apart from that, the way that politicians use the lobby to leak and spoil,  and to brief against their colleagues and the rules of confidentially, the codes of att

It's interesting enough. Can't get over how she drifted into comedy...seems like it's be much harder today, much more of a beaten path. Her cancer treatment and her coping with it is worth a listen.

For hard-line political autobiography enthusiasts. I read the first half but then he went into politics and it was all this early years stuff I don't care about any more. He grew up in a council flat and it really makes you think all politicians should know what he does about life without money. A million miles from the Bullingdon club - respect.

I don't whole heartedly recommend this. There's nothing wrong with it and bits are interesting. There, I said it. He went bald at 6 - no reason was ever discovered. The 'hilarious' abuse he's had about it ever since is remarkable and makes you just despair. It's quite interesting how he kind of got into showbiz and maybe the most interesting thing about the book is his resolute refusal to entertain any form of concept. Lists of liked and disliked foods, cheeky chappy bits...and nothing.