Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182351 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 816 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
John Major's rise to the post of British prime minister is a puzzle of modern politics that his lengthy autobiography fails to resolve. It is clear, as we follow him from his modest origins in south London to his work as a local councillor and his remarkable ascent at Westminster under the eye of Margaret Thatcher, that he was driven by a determination to prove himself. But now that we are growing used to the messianic zeal that Tony Blair brings to the role of prime minister, it seems extraordinary that John Major should have achieved the position with such little evident vision or relish. Here is the man we thought we knew, decent, hard-working; at the mercy of events rather than their master.

So we find him bowed down by the misfortunes of an ungrateful world, rendered defensive by problems with the economy, by arguments over Europe, by the intractability of politicians in Northern Ireland, by attacks from within his own party.

With that same party busy airbrushing him from its history--despite his unlikely victory over Neil Kinnock in 1992--it's as well he has got his account into print, an unstuffy telling of a fascinating story that is free of the pomposity that affects so many of his political peers and which reveals a deep-seated belief in the value of basic decency. "I will not concede possession of the recent past to the mythographers of left or right who have every self-interest in retouching the history we made," he says.

But how sad to find him still so defensive and so bitter about the slights of others, still anxious to explain why speeches or gestures were misconstrued. "I was too conservative, too conventional. Too safe, too often. Too defensive. Too reactive," he says. But could he have been anything else? --Kim Fletcher

Synopsis
Major's early life was extraordinary; his rise through Parliament meteoric. Soon a favourite of Margaret Thatcher, he became Foreign Secretary and then Chancellor of the Exchequer. When Thatcher fell, he fought and won a shrewd campaign to succeed her. With the difficulties of the Gulf and Maastricht behind him, and the Poll Tax abolished, John Major went on to win a remarkable victory in the General Election of 1992, against the expectations of even his own friends. He brought down inflation and ushered in a solid economic recovery. He made some of the most decisive steps for a generation towards peace in Northern Ireland. Yet within months of the 1992 election, his government was in troubled waters. In this autobiography of his life and career, John Major is honest about what he won and what he lost, and about friends and foes within his own party as well as outside.

Customer Reviews

Great post war leader
John Major was often ridiculed for his humble origins by left wing middle class journalists. He starts his autobiography by exploring the past of his family and the richness of his father's live, an account fascinating on its own. John Major as a person appears relatively late in the book but the reader quickly gets an impression of the ambitious young man driven by values, a sense of duty towards his family and the community. One begins to understand Major's own brand of liberal conservatism which is focused on the dignity of the individual. It is a sort of conservatism that was born from experiencing poverty and an ineffective welfare state. From his origins in local politics Major takes the reader into his carreer as an MP and thus paints a fascinating picture of post war Britain and some of the people who forged it. Major's style is very witty and analytical at the same time which makes the book a pleasure to read. The wealth of detail on macro-economic interdependencies make the book required reading for anyone who wants to understand politics. It emerges that Major was one of the most important Post-war Prime Ministers for two reasons: he launched the intiative for peace in Northern Ireland at a very great political if not personal risk thus breaking with taboos and he created a solid basis for local finance which lead to a ressurection of many British towns. Excellent reading!

A Book to make you feel Nostalgic for honesty and integrity
Whatever the drawbacks of the book may be, and there are pleanty, it is a breath of fresh air.

Some will criticise it for the lack of full disclosure (by which they mean dirt) regarding Thatcher, Hague, Portillo and others. Yet, we should all applaud the man for having the integrity not to speak ill of those he was once an ally, servant, colleague of. This defines the difference between Major and Blair (as well as some of the aforementioned). It seems like a totally different world, yet it was only a short while ago.

You should read this book, if for no other reason, then to get a perspective of the modern day political cynicism, and how it does not have to be that way. We are all at fault for letting it become like this. This book can serve as a reminder of what we should expect and demand, rather than the spoon fed spin that today's politicians of all parties seek to weave, and the obliging media regurgitates without much consideration. The Blair theme music "Things can only get better", at least from the political perspective, could not have been more wrong!

Brilliant piece of writing
All my friends laughed at me when I bought this book. John Major may have been a figure of fun as a politician but as an author he is superb.

I have read several political biographies, including Wilson, Blair and Thatcher and this stands head-and-shoulders above the rest, thanks to its intimate style, humourous observations and insightfullness into both his own flaws and those of the political system.