Product Description

It's amazing how often politicians' most public words come back to haunt them, and Mission Accomplished is a priceless treasure-trove of their verbal blunders, indiscretions, regrettable promises, about-turns, deceptions, lies ...and just plain stupidity. Ranging across the centuries and across the globe this salutary and hugely funny book comes bang up-to-date with all those immortal lines our leaders have made into classics. 'This is a great day for France.' - Richard Nixon in Paris for the funeral of President Pompidou, 1974. 'It's not a day for sound bites; really, we can leave those at home. But I feel the hand of history on our shoulder.' - Tony Blair, on the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, 1998. 'If Prime Minister Sharon had lived...he is dead, isn't he? No? It's an easy mistake to make.' - Kim Howells, Middle East Minister, 2007. This 'skunk' is unbelievably powerful. It's completely different to - I think I'll stop there. Conservative leader, David Cameron, 2007 'I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don't always agree with them.' - President George W. Bush, 2002

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40662 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
"'This is a great day for France.' - Richard Nixon in Paris for the funeral of President Pompidou, 1974. 'It's not a day for sound bites; really, we can leave those at home. But I feel the hand of history on our shoulder.' - Tony Blair, on the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, 1998. 'If Prime Minister Sharon had lived...he is dead, isn't he? No? It's an easy mistake to make.' - Kim Howells, Middle East Minister, 2007. 'I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don't always agree with them.' - President George W. Bush, 2002."

About the Author
Phil Mason graduated from the L.S.E. and works in the Civil Service, specialising in international development. His library of bizarre news stories was the basis for his book Would you believe it? which was followed by Nothing Good Will Ever Come of It, a compilation of misplaced predictions from parliamentarians.

Customer Reviews

This Mission Is Right On Target
Out of the mouths of babes, sucklings and politicians, the words come tumbling, like this classic: "There are only two types of chancellor: those who fail and those who get out just in time." In the heady days when New Labour was riding high, did Chancellor Brown imagine his after-dinner false modesty would come back to bite him years later when he finally accomplished his mission to become First Lord of the Treasury?

All the evidence is here to show that while we revel in their words being recycled, many authors might wish them unsaid. In 1785 Louis XVI showed dramatically misplaced confidence in his subjects: "The French people are incapable of regicide". He failed to benefit from the wisdom attributed (probably wrongly) to Thomas Jefferson: "When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." Ironically, Jefferson also proved a poor judge of his own mortality, through his incomplete but final sentence: "Thomas - Jefferson - still - surv... ".

This collection is meticulously presented, each gem being set in context, as so many books of quotations fail to do. And often the context is all. There is nothing intrinsically amusing about the words "How nice to see you all here". The source of our delight is in learning that this was Roy Jenkins addressing prisoners on a visit to a London jail. Note that the humour lies not just in knowing the location: the bloomer is that this distinguished Home Secretary is welcoming his criminals as if they were Fabian aunts free to choose which talk to attend that day. If another Home Secretary had made the remark - say Michael Howard - it would have hinted instead at a menacing sub-text: "behind bars where you belong".

For quite a few quotations the joy is in hearing the words said with the tone of voice of just that speaker. Once the context is given, these words are unmistakeably in Lyndon Johnson's patronising Texan drawl: "Son, they're ALL my helicopters" (when visiting a military base, to the officer who had directed him with the words, "That's you helicopter over there, sir").

The chefs who prepared this feast of words delight in putting contrasting flavours together. As a final taster, here is a pairing to relish. First, the triumphalist Iron Maiden welcoming the recapture of South Georgia and the beginning of the end for the Galtieri junta; and then Ted Heath tucking with icy revenge into Mrs Thatcher's own fall from power eight years later. The same words served both: "Rejoice! Rejoice!" Anyone who loves words and politicians - but takes neither on trust - would rejoice to have this splendid book.