Product Description

With Alastair Campbell's career as the Prime Minster's press spokesman coming to a close amid the huge controversy of the Hutton Inquiry, the debate over Weapons of Mass Destruction and the waging of the war in Iraq, this biography has been completely revised and rewritten with a substantial section of new material to bring the story of Alastair Campbell right up to date as of the end of 2003. This book is about one of the most powerful unelected figures in British politics, whose combative approach to his job in 2003 has precipitated the most serious row in years between the government and the BBC, occasioned the extraordinary spectacle of an incandescent Campbell walking into Channel 4 News to deliver a live diatribe to Jon Snow, and who, if his many critics are to be believed, was involved, unprecedentedly, at the highest level in the presentation of the intelligence dossier on Weapons of Mass Destruction that made the government's case for war. This portrait of Tony Blair's right-hand man who has himself become the media story, is written by one of Britain's best political journalists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146721 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 378 pages

Customer Reviews

An anti-hero of our time
This meticulously detailed but fast-paced book explains how Alastair Campell, ostensibly the Prime Minister's Press Secretary, was allowed to create his own job to accommodate his volatile and driven personality. Secondary legislation (Orders in Council) were implemented to enable Downing Street staff to be both Special Advisers and Civil Servants (and so to give orders to the hitherto impartial executive). The immediate result was a "purge" of the Government Information Service and the crowning fiasco was Campbell's (and Jonathan Powell's) part in coordinating the Iraq intelligence dossiers.

Campbell reached the heights from inauspicious beginnings. At Cambridge, he did little else other than play football for his College and drink himself blind in the "Late Night Bar" before, when he could manage to scrape himself off the floor, sallying forth into the night "to beat up an upper class twit". After a spell drifting around on the Continent, playing the bagpipes and exercising the ferret, he won a prestigious traineeship on the Mirror, eventually becoming political editor in his early thirties.

Oborne and Walters develop the thesis that from early in his career, Campbell's vocation was to act as Grand Vizier to someone who enjoyed extensive power. Robert Maxwell provided one dry-run for this ambition, Neil Kinnock another. Apparently Campbell developed a suspicion and antipathy towards the Parliamentary lobby as a result of their vicious treatment of Kinnock in the late 80s.

The second Mandelson resignation, "Cheriegate" and the vendetta against the BBC cumulatively made his position untenable - not least for asking for the PM's backing against his own wife - and suggest that the psychological demons once led to a (manic depressive?) breakdown have not been laid to rest.

It is difficult to know how his career will develop now. None of the (friendly) Murdoch papers have offered him a column and his roadshow he has bewildered audiences with boring asseverations of loyalty to Burnley FC and foam-flecked phillipics against the Daily Mail. He may be a vindictive bully (and auctioning a signed copy of the Hutton report didn't leave the sweetest taste in the mouth) but Campbell also emerges as supremely talented as well as loyal to a fault. I for one hope that he finds something fulfilling to do with the rest of his life.

To conclude, his unofficial biographers have blended constitutional exposition, psychological dissection and the drama of decision-making in the Downing Street nerve-centre with consummate expertise and I recommend their book to anyone.

An absorbing insight into the power behind the Blair throne
Peter Oborne is a political correspondent who manages to step beyond the daily "splits" and "backing down" verbiage that passes for political journalism. His analysis of Campbell's character-change (after a drink-induced breakdown) is fascinating. And his analysis of his subject's power is useful:a combination of a "Napoleonic" centralising of power by Balir; the sidelining of Parliament and representative institutions; and the importance of the "media-class". It's a good read. I recommend it heartily.

A canny look into New Labour's heart
Oborne goes straight to the heart of the New Labour machine.

The media dominates Blair's administration - arguably keen media management got him elected in the first place.

Oborne is insightful but not dull - truly revealing the mind of our new masters.

The best political book I have read for ages.