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A Walk-on Part: Diaries 1994 - 1999 by Chris Mullin (view source)
Revision as of 14:31, 16 October 2011
, 14:31, 16 October 2011no edit summary
New Labour's time in power has been dominated in the public consciousness by Iraq and all that followed and then by the financial meltdown of the later years. It's easy to forget the success of the introduction of the minimum wage, changes in the Lords or the part the UK played in Kosovo – and difficult to see how anything ever came about when you read about the tooing and froing before action or legislation. Mullin was a member of and subsequently Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee and perfectly placed to give a commentary on all that happened. There's fortunately only limited mention of the death of Princess Diana and far more about the deaths of the people who really mattered to him – his secretary, Jacky and Joan Maynard, the trade unionist and Labour politician.
The inside knowledge of what really goes on in politics is gold dust, but the book is lifted about above being a mere political memoir by the inclusion of snippets about Mullin's daughters. As the book opens Sarah is just five and Emma – The Tiny Tyrant – is yet to be born. Their (mis)understanding of what their father did for a living had me laughing out loud on occasions.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.