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DC Confidential [Kindle Edition]

Christopher Meyer (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews) |
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Review

'it is delightfully undiplomatic - brimming with barbed comments, colourful anecdotes and amusing assesments of No 10's top talent.' (Aimee Shalan THE GUARDIAN )

'...absorbing account by Meyer of his tenure as ambassador to Washington during distinctly interesting times. His descriptions of the building of new Labour's relationship with the US administration, and the battles between the foreign office and No 10 are fascinating'. (SUNDAY TIMES, )

'the insights into buffoons who run amok in our name makes this a rude, iconoclastic delight.' (Martin Tierney THE HERALD )

Martin Tierney, THE HERALD

'the insights into buffoons who run amok in our name makes this a rude, iconoclastic delight.'
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Sir Christopher Meyer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Christopher Meyer has written a very likeable and accessible memoir - concise and snappily-written, and with a liberal sprinkling of wry humour. Not for him the 900 plus pages of so many dry, self-congratulatory examples of the political/diplomatic memoir genre. He has many interesting things to say about both political personalities (statesmen and civil servants) and governing institutions (The FCO, No. 10, etc).

Also, he does not pull his punches when it comes to offering judgements upon the actions and intentions of major political fugures, such as Blair, Straw, Prescott and many other leading New Labour ministers.

His reminiscences about earlier diplomatic postings in both the the US and Germany are informative and amusing in equal measure. In particular, he deftly conveys some of the flavour of both countries' political traditions and bureaucratic traits, and is illuminating on the social and political landscape of the USA west of the eastern seaboard.

The latter part of the book, dealing with pre-and post-9/11 is a riveting read, and provides a balanced overview of US and UK foreign-policy activities in this fraught period. Overall, then, a sharply-written, well-told account of a diplomatic life in both Germany and Washington D.C., packed with interesting anecdotes and comments - sometimes acerbic, sometimes affectionate - about the realities and rewards of overseas postings.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This memoir offers a fly-on-the-wall look at how the British ambassador to Washington experienced events leading to the Iraq war. It contains much of interest, ranging from a couple of sharply-written chapters exploring whether or not the war was inevitable after 9/11, to Meyer's mostly unflattering descriptions of leading politicians. But its main achievement is to be highly readable, making this an enjoyable way to learn something about British-US relations.

Drawbacks: the book feels a bit lightweight, and doesn't explore in depth many of the most interesting themes on which it touches – eg whether UK interests suffer from No.10 Downing Street trying to run foreign policy. Much of the stuff about the loveliness of his wife made me cringe, but might appeal to some readers.

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61 of 67 people found the following review helpful
By Budge Burgess TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Written at times in an almost tabloid style - albeit a polite, educated, gentlemanly tabloid style - the account is certainly not a stuffy, academic description of one small (but vital) corner of foreign policy. Christopher Meyer was British ambassador to Washington from 1997 to 2003, so had a unique perspective on the agreement between Bush and Blair which led up to the Iraq invasion. Collusion, delusion, or deceit?

Meyer witnessed the demise of the Clinton presidency; a veteran of the diplomatic corps, he'd also seen Thatcher's foreign policy in action. He points to the spinelessness of Blair's approach compared to the Iron Lady's. Although Meyer supported the invasion of Iraq, he is quite disparaging about New Labour's conduct. Britain has effectively become a US poodle.

Meyer's book has caused acute embarrassment in political and diplomatic circles, and will almost certainly lead to further censorship of civil service memoirs and leaks. It provides a vital perspective on the workings of the Labour Party and its failure to think through the invasion and occupation of Iraq. There are anecdotes and insights aplenty, and it is a book which has its fascinating and entertaining passages, but it's not one which will be to everyone's taste.

If you are interested in politics and foreign policy, then this is an engaging and informative read. Serialised in the 'Guardian', it may be absorbing in small doses, but it's not really a book you'd choose for bedtime reading. It's essential message is that Blair has settled into a cosy little relationship with the US, so much so that British foreign policy is taken for granted by the White House. Any expose which throws light on the way our politicians behave is to be valued, but this is probably a book which is better read as edited highlights, not one which will rivet your attention from cover to cover.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Waste of time
Going to be moving to Washington and thought this would offer some interesting insights but it turned out to be mostly self-indulgent and trivial.
Published 5 months ago by debhep
Flawed
Having very much enjoyed 'Getting our Way', I thought I'd read Meyer's earlier book. But it suffers from three things:
- Its style. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Josquine
Some humorous insights into the world of high level diplomacy
This book is tinged with a bit of pomposity and self regard but it nonetheless needs to be read at face value. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Neil Kernohan
More DC Curious than Confidential
An interesting but not explosive book which, having read it a few years after publication, has stood the test of time reasonably well. Read more
Published on 8 May 2010 by Maxwell Stone
An excellent and informative read
Christopher Meyer combines articulate and readable prose with a refreshing honesty about the powerful people he has mixed with.
Published on 26 Mar 2010 by C. Starr
Precious and privileged
I came to these Meyer Memoirs immediately after reading the Alistair Campbell Diaries of the Blair Years. Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2009 by Graham Hooker
The Careerist as Maverick
I have to say that this is one of the dullest books I have read in the past year, a view and fact which is well reflected in its used value on this site: one penny! Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2008 by Ian Millard
Not the definitive expose - Meyer could have given more
I am impressed with Christopher Meyer's bluntness on TV after leaving his diplomatic post for the Press Complaints Commission. Read more
Published on 30 May 2007 by Graham Brown
Bill Bryson joined the FCO
Don't let the cover deceive you, this is not a book especially concerned with telling a tale about the inner thoughts of the Blair government in the run up to the invasion of Iraq... Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2007 by Exmatelote
Not as interesting as it should have been.
Meyer spends so much time burbling on about his wife's battles to get access to her children (which is obviously very sad but not particularly relevant to a book about UK/US... Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2007 by Chancellor Valorum
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