Author: Larry the Cat Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 0857207717 Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 171
Book Description
It was the brazen cheek of the huge rat running across the front of No 10 on a live TV news broadcast that galvanised the government into action. Meetings were held at the highest level and, barely a week later, on 15 February 2011, Larry the tabby cat arrived in Downing Street to make his mark as the new rodent bouncer in residence. A secret source quickly made contact and has been working closely with Larry ever since to get the full story - in diary form - of his first 100 days in the job. In a swift-moving narrative that pits Larry against the evil King Rat and his legion of cheese-eaters, our hero still finds time to spill the beans on what life with Sam and Dave is really like. With the economy in crisis and anarchy on the streets of London, Larry has to use all his smarts to outwit the enemy and earn his keep. Gaining privileged access to Sam Cam's iPad he uses Google Maps to surpass the rats' knowledge of the local area. With a Royal Wedding on the horizon and a revolving door of visiting dignitaries to contend with, Larry is able to take a wry look at the machinations of coalition power that lurk behind the big black door.
Author: Michael Brock Publisher: OUP Oxford ISBN: 0191009393 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 566
Book Description
Margot Asquith was the wife of Herbert Henry Asquith, the Liberal Prime Minister who led Britain into war in August 1914. Asquith's early war leadership drew praise from all quarters, but in December 1916 he was forced from office in a palace coup, and replaced by Lloyd George, whose career he had done so much to promote. Margot had both the literary gifts and the vantage point to create, in her diary of these years, a compelling record of her husband's fall from grace. An intellectual socialite with the airs, if not the lineage, of an aristocrat, Margot was both a spectator and a participant in the events she describes, and in public affairs could be an ally or an embarrassment - sometimes both. Her diary vividly evokes the wartime milieu as experienced in 10 Downing Street, and describes the great political battles that lay behind the warfare on the Western Front, in which Asquith would himself lose his eldest son. The writing teems with character sketches, including Lloyd George ('a natural adventurer who may make or mar himself any day'), Churchill ('Winston's vanity is septic'), and Kitchener ('a man brutal by nature and by pose'). Never previously published, this candid, witty, and worldly diary gives us a unique insider's view of the centre of power, and an introduction by Michael Brock, in addition to explanatory footnotes and appendices written with his wife Eleanor, provide the context and background information we need to appreciate them to the full.
Author: Anthony Seldon Publisher: Flammarion ISBN: 9782081330986 Category : Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
The walls of Number 10 have witnessed frantic diplomacy, tense cabinet meetings, the rise and fall of those at the dizzying heights of government, and decisions that have affected millions of people and every continent. And yet, for many people, the building remains a mystery. What really goes on behind that iconic black door? What does it look like? How have prime ministers shaped Downing Street, and how has it shaped them? This book will take readers through the famous door and into Downing Street. It will reveal the mystery and the majesty of 10 Downing Street. Spectacular photography of the building's interior will complement a text rich in detail. The book will chart the history of Number 10, looking at the personalities and the dramatic events that have shaped this building, from Robert Walpole during the eighteenth century to David Cameron in the twenty-first. Readers will discover how the building has evolved to meet modern needs. This book will be a wonderfully illustrated, comprehensive history and guide to Number 10 Downing Street. It is a must have for anybody interested in British history or politics.
Author: Margaret Thatcher Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN: 006202910X Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 754
Book Description
This first volume of Margaret Thatcher's memoirs encompasses the whole of her time as Prime Minister - the formation of her goals in the early 1980s, the Falklands, the General Election victories of 1983 and 1987 and, eventually, the circumstances of her fall from political power. She also gives frank accounts of her dealings with foreign statesmen and her own ministers.
Author: Bernard Donoughue Publisher: Random House ISBN: 1407020471 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 578
Book Description
The first volume of Bernard Donoughue's Downing Street Diary was described by Charles Moore in the Daily Telegraph as 'the best account of Harold Wlson's last days'; 'the sheer scale and detail are fascinating' wrote Peter Riddell in the Times Literary Supplement. This second volume covers the three years, 1976-79, when Donoughue was Senior Policy Advisor to James Callaghan. At first Callaghan quickly established dominance over his cabinet and restored calm after the plots and scandals of the later Wilson years. His incomes policy reduced inflation and, in the teeth of opposition from the left wing, he negotiated the notorious IMF loan at the expense of eliminating some of Labour's most cherished dreams. By 1978, Callaghan, a politician of great patriotism and decency, seemed to have succeeded in steering Britain into calmer waters. But then the storm broke. Trade union militants brushed aside their mediocre leaders and launched a ferocious attack on Callaghan's pay policy, driving up inflation and demonstrating the government's impotence. In the diaries we see the prime minister and the government paralysed as the 'Winter of Discontent' began to bite and politics took to the streets. As Labour drifted to inevitable defeat in the 1979 election we see Callaghan fighting honourably. From the smoke of battle there emerges a striking new leader: Margaret Thatcher. The diaries describe vividly both the decline and final collapse of 'old' Labour and how Mrs Thatcher took the opportunity to launch her crusade to dismantle trade union power and much of the British public sector. Besides James Callaghan the chief figures in this volume of Lord Donoughue's diaries are Roy Jenkins, Denis Healey, Tony Crosland, Michael Foot, Shirley Williams, David Owen and Tony Benn.
Author: Bernard Donoughue Publisher: ISBN: Category : Great Britain Languages : en Pages : 582
Book Description
Continuing his account of his time as a senior policy advisor at No. 10, Donoughue deals with the Callaghan era. He covers the IMF loan, the 'Winter of Discontent' and Labour's subsequent election defeat, and recalls Roy Jenkins, Denis Healey, Michael Foot and other prominent figures.
Author: Andrew Holt Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317075633 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 272
Book Description
The importance of the Prime Minister in British foreign policy decision-making has long been noted by historians. However, while much attention has been given to high-level contacts between leaders and to the roles played by the premiers themselves, much less is known about the people advising and influencing them. In providing day-to-day assistance to the Prime Minister, a Private Secretary could wield significant influence on policy outcomes. This book examines the activities of those who advised prime ministers from Winston Churchill (1951–55) to Margaret Thatcher during her first administration (1979–83). Each chapter considers British foreign policy and assesses the influence of the specific advisers. For each office holder, particular attention is paid to a number of key themes. Firstly, their relationship with the Prime Minister is considered. A strong personal relationship of trust and respect could lead to an official wielding much greater influence. This could be especially relevant when an adviser served under two different leaders, often from different political parties. It also helps to shed light on the conduct of foreign policy by each premier. Secondly, the attitudes towards the adviser from the Foreign Office are examined. The Foreign Office traditionally enjoyed great autonomy in the making of British foreign policy and was sensitive to encroachments by Downing Street. Finally, each chapter explores the role of the adviser in the key foreign policy events and discussions of the day. Covering a fascinating 30-year period in post-war British political history, this collection broadens our understanding of the subject, and underlines the different ways influence could be brought to bear on government policy.
Author: Brendan Evans Publisher: Manchester University Press ISBN: 9780719042911 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 308
Book Description
This history examines the Conservative Party's ability to dominate British politics. It takes as its key themes the party's relationship with mass democracy and its willingness to adapt, often at the cost of considerable internal conflict and ideological change.
Author: Larry the Cat
Author: Michael Brock
Author: Anthony Seldon
Author: Margaret Thatcher
Author: Bernard Donoughue
Author: Bernard Donoughue
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Author: Andrew Holt
Author: Brendan Evans
Author: Margot Asquith