Download or read book The Prime Ministers We Never Had written by Steve Richards and published by Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2021-09-02 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BOOK OF THE YEAR, The Times, Guardian and Prospect Was Harold Wilson a bigger figure than Denis Healey? Was John Major more 'prime ministerial' than Michael Heseltine? Would David Miliband have become prime minister if it were not for his brother Ed? Would Ed have become prime minister if it were not for David? How close did Jeremy Corbyn come to being prime minister? In this piercing and original study, journalist and commentator Steve Richards looks at eleven prime ministers we never had, examining what made each of these illustrious figures unique and why they failed to make the final leap to the very top. Combining astute insights into the demands of leadership with compelling historical analysis, this fascinating exploration of failure and success sheds new light on some of the most compelling characters in British public life.
Download or read book The Prime Ministers Who Never Were written by Francis Becket and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 'The Prime Ministers Who Never Were', Francis Beckett presents eight intriguingly imagined counterfactuals, assessing how things might have turned out under different circumstances.
Download or read book Prime Minister Boris written by Duncan Brack and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-06 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History resting on a hair's breadth ... a man dies rather than lives, an election is lost rather than won, one minister is appointed, another dismissed, a coalition is joined, or not. Enter a world of political counterfactuals, twenty-two examinations of things that never happened - but could have. In this book a collection of distinguished commentators, including journalists, academics, former MPs and special advisers, consider how things might have turned out differently throughout a century of political history - from Lloyd George and Keynes drowning at sea in 1916 right through to Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister in 2016. Scholarly analyses of possibilities and causalities take their place beside fictional accounts of alternate political histories - and all are guaranteed to entertain and make you think.
Download or read book The Prime Ministers written by Steve Richards and published by . This book was released on 2020-09 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A landmark history of the men and women who have defined the UK's role in the modern world - and what makes them special - by a seasoned political journalist.
Download or read book The Prime Ministers written by Iain Dale and published by Hodder & Stoughton. This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **Winner of the 2020 PARLIAMENTARY BOOK AWARDS for Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian** A Times Political Book of the Year 'An entertaining, thorough and informative canter through the characters and stories of prime ministers past.' - New Statesman 'A wealth of enjoyable insights into three centuries of Westminster politics... It is a most elegant hardback volume, with a gilded cover that looks a little like the famous front door of No. 10 itself; the ideal Christmas gift.' - Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman 'This is a timely study of UK Prime Ministers and Iain Dale has done the subject a great service with this measured and thoughtful labour of love which offers a fascinating set of insights into the history of Britain, politics, the role of Prime Minister, and elite and establishment power... a superb guide to the times we have lived through and are living in.' - Gerry Hassan, Scottish Review *** 'Many of my predecessors were giants, some had feet of clay, all possessed human foibles.' - From the foreword by Boris Johnson It has almost been 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole arguably became the first holder of the office of Prime Minister in 1721 - an office which today is under scrutiny like never before. The Prime Ministers, edited by leading political commentator Iain Dale, brings to life all 55 of Britain's 'First Among Equals' with an essay for each office holder, written by key figures in British politics. From the obscure 18th-century figures like the Earl of Shelburne to 20th-century titans like Churchill and Thatcher, this book provides a much-needed reminder about their motivations, failures and achievements.
Download or read book The Prime Ministers Who Never Were written by Francis Beckett and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2011-03-28 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each of these chapters in this book of political counterfactuals describes a premiership that never happened, but might easily have done had the chips fallen slightly differently. The contributors, each of them experts in political history, have asked themselves questions like: what shape would the welfare state and the cold war have taken if the Prime Minister had been Herbert Morrison instead of Clement Attlee? What would have been consequences for Northern Ireland had Norman Tebbit succeeded Margaret Thatcher? How would our present life be different without New Labour - a name we would never have heard if either Kinnock or Smith had become Prime Minister and not Tony Blair? Each of the chapters in this book describes events that really might have happened. And almost did.
Download or read book British Prime Ministers written by Robert J. Parker and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2011-03-15 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A handy and accessible guide to the colourful and not so colourful characters who have held Britain's top job.
Download or read book Prime Minister Priti written by Duncan Brack and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2021-07-27 with total page 461 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "She woke with a start. Could it really have happened, or was it just a cruel dream? One way to find out. She reached for the remote control ... 'You're watching GB News, the fair and balanced way to start your day,' intoned the voice of Andrew Neil, overlaid on a remix of 'Land of Hope and Glory'. And then it hit her, as she took in the newsreader's first headline. 'The new Prime Minister, Priti Patel, is about to announce her first Cabinet appointments...' The new Prime Minister... So it was real." What does it take to change history? Clement Attlee dying on the battlefield, perhaps? John Lennon surviving that bullet, or Theresa May finally (finally!) passing her Brexit deal? Or maybe the pivotal recent years of UK history turned on one man's decision to have just one more drink... This is the world of political counterfactuals. Here, twenty-three fictional accounts, written by experts in their fields, tell the tales of what might have been – and what might still come to pass. Captivating and illuminating, these stories are guaranteed to make you smile – or gasp in horror...
Download or read book RAB The Life of R A Butler written by Anthony Howard and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-02-07 with total page 583 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Austin Butler remains the great enigma of post-war British politics. Independent, indiscreet and never anything but irreverent, Butler commanded the respect of both sides of the Commons and would have been, on several occasions, the people's choice for premier. From his entry into politics in 1929 to his retirement from that arena in 1965, Butler's story is also that of British political life through almost four decades. Scarred by his association with the appeasers of Munich, he won the respect of the nation as the architect of the 1944 Education Act. From the viewpoint of these times of Tory wets and dries, Butler appears the victim of the age that divided gentlemen from players. In these pages, one of our most distinguished political journalists offers a revealing portrait of 'the best Prime Minister we never had'.
Download or read book John Major An Unsuccessful Prime Minister written by Kevin Hickson and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This year marks the twentieth anniversary of one of the most momentous general elections this country has ever seen. John Major's defeat in 1997 ended a record eighteen years of Tory government, prompting accusations of failure and ignominy. A controversial leader, Major oversaw numerous crises in international and domestic policy. Between 1990 and 1997, he presided over Britain's participations in the Gulf War, the start of the Northern Ireland peace process, the Maastricht Treaty negotiations and, famously, Black Wednesday and Britain's exit from the ERM. Towards the end, Major's government was split over Europe and ridden with allegations of sleaze. Widely criticised by the media and politicians from all parties, Major went on to be crushed by Tony Blair and New Labour in the 1997 general election. An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? is the first wide-ranging appraisal of John Major's government in nearly two decades. This book reconsiders the role of John Major as Prime Minister and the policy achievements of his government. Major's government faced many more constraints and left behind a more enduring legacy than his critics allowed at the time or since.
Download or read book My Years as Prime Minister written by Jean Chretien and published by Vintage Canada. This book was released on 2010-06-18 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My Years as Prime Minister is Jean Chrétien’s own story, told with insight and humour, of his ten years at 24 Sussex Drive as Canada’s twentieth prime minister. By the time he left office, Jean Chrétien had been in politics for forty years – and his experience is evident on every page of his important, engaging memoir. Chrétien loves to tell a good tale – and he does so here in the same honest, plain-spoken style of Straight from the Heart, his earlier bestselling account of his years as a Cabinet minister. He gives us a self-portrait of a working prime minister – the passionate Canadian renowned for finishing every speech with Vive le Canada! Chrétien knows how government works, and his political instincts are sharp. Through the decade 1993 to 2003 we watch as he wins three majority elections as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Finding the country in a dreadful state, dangerously in debt and bitterly divided, he describes how his government wiped out the deficit in just four years, helped to defeat the separatists in the cliffhanger Quebec referendum, passed the Clarity Act, and set out to fulfill the economic and social promises his party made in its famous Red Books. He reveals how and why he kept the country out of the war in Iraq – a defining moment for many Canadians; led Team Canada on whirlwind trade missions around the world; and participated in a host of major international summits. Along with his astute comments on politics and government, he gives candid portraits of a broad cast of characters. Over a beer, Tony Blair confides his hesitation about taking Britain into the Iraq War; in the corridors of the United Nations, Bill Clinton offers to speak to Quebecers on behalf of Canadian unity; while at home, Chrétien reveals the events leading up to the departure of his finance minister, Paul Martin. He recounts the dramatic night in which his quick-thinking wife, Aline, saved him from an assassination attempt at 24 Sussex Drive; and, with lively humour, he describes how he and Clinton successfully escaped from their own bodyguards – to the consternation of all. Even in the highest office in the land, Jean Chrétien never lost his connection with ordinary Canadians. He is as warm and funny in his recollections as in person, at once combative and cool-headed, a man full of vitality and charm. Above all, from start to finish, his love for his country and his passion to keep it united run clear and deep.
Download or read book The Prime Ministers written by Iain Dale and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It has almost been 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole arguably became the first holder of the office of Prime Minister in 1721 - an office which today is under scrutiny like never before. The Prime Ministers, edited by leading political commentator Iain Dale, brings to life all 55 of Britain's 'First Among Equals' with an essay for each office holder, written by key figures in British politics. From the obscure 18th-century figures like the Earl of Shelburne to 20th-century titans like Churchill and Thatcher, this book provides a much-needed reminder about their motivations, failures and achievements.
Download or read book Where Power Stops written by David Runciman and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2019-08-22 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Theresa May, and Donald Trump: each had different motivations, methods, and paths, but they all sought the highest office. And yet when they reached their goal, they often found that the power they had imagined was illusory. Their sweeping visions of reform faltered. They faced bureaucratic obstructions, but often the biggest obstruction was their own character. However, their personalities could help them as much as hurt them. Arguably the most successful of them, LBJ showed little indication that he supported what he is best known for - the Civil Rights Act - but his grit, resolve, and brute political skill saw him bend Congress to his will. David Runciman tackles the limitations of high office and how the personal histories of those who achieved the very pinnacles of power helped to define their successes and failures in office. These portraits show what characters are most effective in these offices. Could this be a blueprint for good and effective leadership in an age lacking good leaders?
Download or read book The World That Never Was written by Alex Butterworth and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thrilling history of the rise of anarchism, told through the stories of a number of prominent revolutionaries and the agents of the secret police who pursued them. In the late nineteenth century, nations the world over were mired in economic recession and beset by social unrest, their leaders increasingly threatened by acts of terrorism and assassination from anarchist extremists. In this riveting history of that tumultuous period, Alex Butterworth follows the rise of these revolutionaries from the failed Paris Commune of 1871 to the 1905 Russian Revolution and beyond. Through the interwoven stories of several key anarchists and the secret police who tracked and manipulated them, Butterworth explores how the anarchists were led to increasingly desperate acts of terrorism and murder. Rich in anecdote and with a fascinating array of supporting characters, The World That Never Was is a masterly exploration of the strange twists and turns of history, taking readers on a journey that spans five continents, from the capitals of Europe to a South Pacific penal colony to the heartland of America. It tells the story of a generation that saw its utopian dreams crumble into dangerous desperation and offers a revelatory portrait of an era with uncanny echoes of our own.
Download or read book The Prime Ministers written by Yehuda Avner and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yehuda Avner left England and arrived in Palestine in 1947, just weeks before the UN passed a resolution that led to the creation of the State of Israel. An active participant in the dramatic birth of the Jewish state, he went on to serve as Speechwriter and English-Language Secretary to Prime Ministers Levi Eshkol and Golda Meir, and Personal Advisor to Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin. From these vantage points, Avner came to know like no one else-- the inner workings of the Prime Minister's Office and four of its key officeholders. The Prime Ministers describes the personal characters of Israel's political leaders in intimate detail, re-enacts their responses to acute situations of war and terror, and unfolds their relationships with world leaders, including US Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat. Based on personal notes, transcripts and correspondence some of which have never before been brought to light The Prime Ministers offers close-up portraits of four remarkable leaders who secured the future of the Jewish state. Includes an index and more than 100 historic photographs and reproduced documents.
Download or read book Being Prime Minister written by J.D.M. Stewart and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2018-06-16 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Being Prime Minister sheds light on the lives of prime ministers as ordinary people, examining them through a variety of experiences most Canadians share.
Download or read book Clement Attlee written by Michael Jago and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of an 'accidental Prime Minister' and his post-war reforms.
