Product Description

While Lance Price was Alasdair Campbell's deputy in the Downing Street Press Office at the end of the 1990s and then Director of Communications at the Labour Party, he kept an informal journal of his experiences. Published in full for the first time, these controversial diaries offer a rare and unfiltered perspective of Tony Blair as Prime Minister and the kind of government he runs. We see ministers, from Blair down, behaving as human beings - ambitious, vain, obsessed with image and petty rivalries - but also industrious, determined to succeed and all too aware of the price of failure. This is New Labour at the height of its power, with a huge majority and a feeble opposition, a government elected with high expectations and yet beset by self-inflicted wounds. "The Spin Doctor's Diary" reveals in detail for the first time the overwhelming obsession with spin; the scandals and resignations; the bitter rows - not just between Blair and Gordon Brown, but also over who should be Mayor of London, the Euro, devolution, public spending and much more besides. Lance Price describes what he did and what he saw with refreshing wit and candour. This is politics stripped bare - not always a pretty sight, but an unforgettable one.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #275681 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Review
"* 'These are gripping diaries, acutely well-observed and written in fine prose. They provide the first insider diary account of Blair's Number 10. They will be as fascinating to readers today as they will to future historians.' - Anthony Seldon * 'An enjoyable romp through the ministries of delicate egos and dangerous arrogance.' - The Sunday Times * 'This book will be a useful tool for future biographers and analysts to pinpoint the chronology of key decisions.' - Observer * 'Quite brilliant... These diaries have performed a public service of great importance.' - Peter Oborne, Evening Standard * 'Surprisingly amusing for a chap who worked in a government not known for its sense of humour.' - Marina Hyde, Guardian * 'The most explosive political diaries since Alan Clarke.' - Mail on Sunday * 'It's a wonderfully guileless book and irrestible if you enjoy the New Labour sitcom.' - Catherine Bennet, Guardian * 'Price's diary should be compulsory reading for anyone who wants to understand the chaotic arrogance of the New Labour years... this is an extraordinarily revealing document.' - Simon Edge, Daily Express"

Mail on Sunday
'The most explosive political diaries since Alan Clarke.'

Peter Oborne, Evening Standard
'Price’s quite brilliant diaries . . . have performed a public service of great importance.'

Customer Reviews

Recent history told first hand
Lance Price's account of Tony Blair's first term is a fascinating insight into how government - and more specifically a New Labour government - operates. Price was a spin doctor from 1998 until the landslide re-election of Blair's government in 2001. His diaries give an intimate account of how those in power seek to manipulate the media. He is often attempting to "manage" a crisis by putting the best possible spin on a situation - John Prescott punching a member of the public is a notable example. Events are concisely and compellingly told and don't suffer from the lack of narrative some published diaries are afflicted with. The relationship between Gordon Brown and Blair (and their opposing supporters) is also illustrated vividly. A must for anyone interested in British politics, Price's book is both an important account of history and a gripping read.

Fascinating and imformative but lacks salacious edge
Lance Price was Alistair Campbell’s assistant between the years of 1998 and 2000 right up to the time New Labour were re-elected for the first time. Quite a lot of the time he was effectively running the country. Whether this is worrying depends firstly on how you judge Price a former employee of the B.B.C. and Labour sympathiser , but probably more importantly on how you judge the New Labour hierarchy as a whole. Personally I rather wish he was still there as I think they are a bunch of deceitful s***s who have betrayed the Labour Party’s legacy , even if he was an integral cog in the Governments spin machine at a time when they were spinning faster than a Shane Warne googly.
It Is written in diary form and is a revealing glimpse into the machinations and thought processes behind the Government at the time. It does not make for a very edifying read if you want to believe in the integrity and candour of the people at the top. That’s hardly a surprise though is it? Quite how duplicitous and downright mendacious some of these people are/were may surprise any reader. The sheer amount of time and synapse bending put into manipulating the media and achieving the story they want is quite extraordinary and raises the rather simplistic conundrum that if they spent less time arsing about with the minutiae of presentation and strategy then they might have actually achieved some real political progress. For instance Campbell spent a lot of the time trying to come up with “Names” for the various Honours lists. Kate Moss was one of his suggestions would you believe? …..For services to the pharmaceutical industry I presume.
The fact that many in higher Government cannot bear to breathe the same air is hardly revelatory either but its still quite shocking to know Alistair Campbell thought Mo Mowlam was “Out of her depth” as Secretary for Northern Ireland. Campbell and Mandleson come across as skulking Machiavellian characters which are probably entirely accurate though I liked the fact that Campbell became shorter tempered at the end of the week when he was tired. Prescott is viewed as being politically astute which is a bit of a jolt and quite co-operative and helpful. Blimey! Blair doesn’t receive the kicking I rather hoped he would but his reliance on advisors is disquieting and occasionally Price lets it slip that Tone wasn’t quite as in control of his emotions as he would like us to believe. Price likes Cherie but then no one’s perfect.
It’s an informative and highly fascinating read but it does become bogged down with the finer points of politics and policy too often which I know was Prices job but it makes some sections quite hard work. The book also lacks wit and is disappointingly devoid of the sort of scurrilous gossip that can really turn a book of this nature into a fizzling entertaining read. (Guiltily I think Piers Morgans “The Insider” is the most pleasurable and riveting book in diary form)
Still I suppose given Prices former profession his devotion to his former employers still lingers and he still can’t resist throwing distracting gauze over the finer racier details and slightly obfuscating the real story. A spin doctor no longer then, but he still I feel can’t quite stop himself from give the narrative a bit of a tweak from time to time.

Inner workings of the Labour government
Detailed insight into the inner workings of the Labour government between 1998 and 2001. This is an important book for what it tells us about the gestation and presentation of those policies which affect our day-to-day lives and it clearly benefits from being written by someone whose life is all about communication. The detail of what actually goes on in the offices where the policies and initiatives are devised and their presentation is decided upon brings the political process much closer to the layman reader.

There are occasional snipes and bitchy comments where Price seems to be determined to live down to the stereotype of the [...] man, but all in all the approach is very measured, lending both authority and credibility to what is being said.