- Paperback: 816 pages
- Publisher: Arrow (Aug 5 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0099514753
- ISBN-13: 978-0099514756
- Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 4.4 x 19.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 640 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #334,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
The Blair Years is the most compelling and revealing account of contemporary politics you will ever read. Taken from Alastair Campbell’s daily diaries, it charts the rise of New Labour and the tumultuous years of Tony Blair’s leadership, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in our national life.
Here are the defining events of our time, from Labour’s new dawn to the war on terror, from the death of Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland, from Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, through to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003, the year Campbell resigned his position at No 10. But above all here is Tony Blair up close and personal, taking the decisions that affected the lives of millions, under relentless and often hostile pressure.
Often described as the second most powerful figure in Britain, Alastair Campbell is no stranger to controversy. Feared and admired in equal measure, hated by some, he was pivotal to the founding of New Labour and the sensational election victory of 1997. As Blair’s press secretary, strategist and trusted confidant, Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the Prime Minister than anyone. His diaries – at times brutally frank, often funny, always compelling – take the reader right to the heart of government.
The Blair Years is a story of politics in the raw, of progress and setback, of reputations made and destroyed, under the relentless scrutiny of a 24-hour media. Unflinchingly told, it covers the crises and scandals, the rows and resignations, the ups and downs of Britain’s hothouse politics. But amid the big events are insights and observations that make this a remarkably human portrayal of some of the most powerful people in the world.
There has never been so riveting a book about life at the very top, nor a more human book about politics, told by a man who saw it all.
From the Hardcover edition.
Here are the defining events of our time, from Labour’s new dawn to the war on terror, from the death of Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland, from Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, through to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003, the year Campbell resigned his position at No 10. But above all here is Tony Blair up close and personal, taking the decisions that affected the lives of millions, under relentless and often hostile pressure.
Often described as the second most powerful figure in Britain, Alastair Campbell is no stranger to controversy. Feared and admired in equal measure, hated by some, he was pivotal to the founding of New Labour and the sensational election victory of 1997. As Blair’s press secretary, strategist and trusted confidant, Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the Prime Minister than anyone. His diaries – at times brutally frank, often funny, always compelling – take the reader right to the heart of government.
The Blair Years is a story of politics in the raw, of progress and setback, of reputations made and destroyed, under the relentless scrutiny of a 24-hour media. Unflinchingly told, it covers the crises and scandals, the rows and resignations, the ups and downs of Britain’s hothouse politics. But amid the big events are insights and observations that make this a remarkably human portrayal of some of the most powerful people in the world.
There has never been so riveting a book about life at the very top, nor a more human book about politics, told by a man who saw it all.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Alastair Campbell was born in Keighley, Yorkshire in 1957, the son of a vet. After graduating from Cambridge University in modern languages, his first chosen career was journalism, principally with the Mirror Group. When Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party, he asked Campbell to be his press secretary. He worked for Blair - first in that capacity, then as official spokesman and director of communications and strategy - from 1994 to 2003, since when he has been engaged mainly in writing, public speaking and working for Leukaemia Research, where he is chairman of fundraising. He has continued to act as an advisor to Mr Blair and the Labour Party, including during the 2005 election campaign. He lives in North London with his partner of 25 years, Fiona Millar. They have three children Rory, 19, Calum, 17 and Grace, 12. His interests include running, triathlon, bagpipes and Burnley Football Club.
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Hardcover edition.
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4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
4.0 out of 5 stars
AUDIO CD Review: Good content spoiled by dull narration, April 2 2012
By Magic Lemur - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Blair Years (Audio CD)
The first thing I'd tell anyone who wanted to listen to the audio version of this book (or indeed read it) is that it is very much for fans of politics. If the inner workings of New Labour and the art of the possible get your blood flowing a bit quicker, then this is an excellent book. On the other hand, if you'd rather change the subject when politics comes up in conversation, then this book is probably not for you.It is also worth making you aware that this is very much a fixers guide to politics, rather than the charismatic words of a front man (such as Blair or Clinton). To use a phrase from the film The Damned United: Blair was the shop front, and Campbell was more the goods at the back.
The audio book is a 5 CD abridged version of the 832 page full version and, although this can have limitations, it still seems to fit in all the essentials while giving sufficient detail on each to provide valuable insights on the inner workings of New Labour. As a politics geek myself, I found the content really interesting, especially when it came to how Campbell dealt with the stresses of the job and his conversations with Bill Clinton and George Bush (the latter of whom is, like Campbell, a teetotaller but, unlike Campbell, saw religion as the only way out).
Unfortunately the fascinating and well selected content is let down by Alastair Campbell's rather monotonous tone. Though his voice is bearable, it is annoying as Campbell seems to end all of his sentences on a glum downbeat note. Furthermore, every sentence seems to use more or less the same rhythm, which grates a little after 5 CD's and could have been improved by better use of tone (as in Blair's reading of 'A Journey') or the employment of a professional narrator.
So, before getting the audio book version (or reading the paperback), it is worth considering that this is very much the mechanics manual, as opposed to Top Gear. And if you want to just listen to the audio version, then you should be aware that it is no Shakespeare play.
But if you can live with both these things, then I'd encourage you to give this book a go as there are few other books that provide quite so much in-depth detail of what it was like to really be at the centre of power...
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