David Miliband

This book contains, amongst others, input from Gordon Brown and is edited by David Miliband: the previous and, most likely, the next leader of the Labour Party. Although it was written 17 years ago, I hoped that it might give me an insight into the thinking that made labour an electable party once more and the direction in which DB might take it.

The first chapter took an absolute age to read. The book is written, not in English, but in politic speak. After thirty, or so, pages of toil, one's brain gets into an automatic translation mode. It is then that one realises that one's time would be better spent watching the grass grow. The book is filled with trite aphorisms. It is partly the bl***ing obvious and partly chains based upon questionable starting points. I suspect that whilst GB was involved in groups coming up with this, that Tony Blair neatly side-stepped and got on with the real issue of winning and then retaining power.

The one interesting thing to come from reading this is the ease with which the big ideas of yesterday are so simply replaced with the ideas of today. We now have a Conservative government, once more, and they too are shedding skin faster than a snake in a handbag factory.… (mais)