David Waddington, Baron Waddington, was a Conservative MP from 1968 to 1990, before becoming a life peer. For over twenty years he was a government Chief Whip, then served in the Cabinet as Home Secretary from 1989 to 1990 and Leader of the House of Lords from 1990 to 1992. A junior minister under Margaret Thatcher, he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Employment, Minister of State at the Home Office and Chief Whip from 1987 until his elevation to Cabinet level, becoming Home Secretary in 1989. In 1990 he was created a life peer as Baron Waddington, of Read in the County of Lancashire. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords until 1992. He served as Governor of Bermuda 1992 - 1997. This book contains the fascinating reflections of a man who spent his career at the heart of power.
David Waddington Memoirs
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David Waddington, Baron Waddington of Read, is a Conservative peer and is chair of the European Reform Group.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Pack
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
A Conservative Chief Whip, Margaret Thatcher's last Home Secretary, Leader of the House of Lords and Governor of Bermuda; David Waddington's political career was a successful one that should make for a fascinating set of memoirs.
It was certainly a political career from another age as illustrated by the book starting with a reference to a colleague who had managed to write a whole volume of autobiography and forgotten to mention their wife. It is also a career very much from the right of the political spectrum, (nearly) finishing with attacks on equal rights for gay people.
The best part of David Waddington's book are the frequent funny stories from his life. The weakest part is that the book is rarely more than that - a great set of after dinner speech anecdotes and little more. That makes it more fun than educational and also means the brevity with which issues are introduced requires the reader to have a fair degree of prior knowledge of the events through which he lived.
Even moments of great drama and tension, such as the ousting of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister, get rather perfunctory treatment, serving as briefly mentioned backdrops to the latest anecdote.
Often that means I was left wishing he had talked more about events or the lessons he drew from them, such as how a right wing, pro-capital punishment Home Secretary was also someone so keen on diverting people from jail, firmly believing that jail didn't work. A heavier, more serious book would have much of interest to say on that topic. Instead, we get a few brief references. Even quirks such as his grandfather having been election agent to the controversial, colourful and bizarre Liberal MP Jabez Spencer Balfour (the subject of an excellent book in his own right - Jabez: The Rise and Fall of a Victorian Scoundrel) get little attention.
Despite that, of perhaps because of that, the book has a very more-ish quality, luring you on to reading just a few more pages to enjoy just a few more stories. In other words, good for a bit of light entertainment, but don't expect to learn much about issues or politics from the book.
It was certainly a political career from another age as illustrated by the book starting with a reference to a colleague who had managed to write a whole volume of autobiography and forgotten to mention their wife. It is also a career very much from the right of the political spectrum, (nearly) finishing with attacks on equal rights for gay people.
The best part of David Waddington's book are the frequent funny stories from his life. The weakest part is that the book is rarely more than that - a great set of after dinner speech anecdotes and little more. That makes it more fun than educational and also means the brevity with which issues are introduced requires the reader to have a fair degree of prior knowledge of the events through which he lived.
Even moments of great drama and tension, such as the ousting of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister, get rather perfunctory treatment, serving as briefly mentioned backdrops to the latest anecdote.
Often that means I was left wishing he had talked more about events or the lessons he drew from them, such as how a right wing, pro-capital punishment Home Secretary was also someone so keen on diverting people from jail, firmly believing that jail didn't work. A heavier, more serious book would have much of interest to say on that topic. Instead, we get a few brief references. Even quirks such as his grandfather having been election agent to the controversial, colourful and bizarre Liberal MP Jabez Spencer Balfour (the subject of an excellent book in his own right - Jabez: The Rise and Fall of a Victorian Scoundrel) get little attention.
Despite that, of perhaps because of that, the book has a very more-ish quality, luring you on to reading just a few more pages to enjoy just a few more stories. In other words, good for a bit of light entertainment, but don't expect to learn much about issues or politics from the book.
By P. G. Smith
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Written in a style that brings everything to life, but how government governs still remains a mystery even to this day.
By persephone
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A wonderful selection of memories and anecdotes from a distinguished politician with a great sense of humour and an adventurous spirit. It makes very entertaining and yet informative reading.
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