I have read Andrew Rawnsley's accounts of the Blair and Brown Labour administration that governed Britain from 1997 until 2010 in the wrong order. Having lived through the period, however, and having worked in Whitehall throughout most of that period, I don't think that reading the second volume first spoiled the story as I was already pretty confident that I knew the outcome!

I had, however, already forgotten a lot of the details. Reading this book, I was reminded of the utter weakness and lack of organisation of the Conservative Party following Blair's landslide electoral victory in 1997, that it was unable to offer any constructive challenge at the end of the first term in 2001.

There were some considerable achievements for New Labour during that first term, but Rawnsley's account reveals the relentless internecine struggles within the Cabinet. Right from the election victory in May 1997, Blair and Brown were at loggerheads, with the latter resolving to go his own way, and put his stamp on the Cabinet. Rawnsley clearly favours Blair over Brown, though he is not reluctant to criticise the former, too.

Rawnsley offers some startling revelations about the utter lack of empathy between Harriet Harman, Secretary of State for Social Security, and her 'junior' minister, Frank Field (who had been led by Blair to believe that he would be given the Cabinet level post), both of whom repeatedly went running to Downing Street to complain about the actions of the other. Of course, Frank Field (now Sir Frank) had always been a bit of a maverick, frequently at odds with the official party line, but that very individuality perhaps always precluded him from a Cabinet position. He did, after all, show himself willing to work with the Coalition after 2010 in the interests of pursuing a policy that he considered right, regardless of partisan party labels.

An even more divisive figure was Peter (now Lord) Mandelson. Seen by many as the architect of New Labour and the eminence grise responsible for making Labour electable once more, he had initially been a close confidant of Gordon Brown. That all changed, however, and as Blair became party leader, Mandelson moved ever more closely into his camp. As a consequence, by the time Labour came into government, Brown and Mandelson were incapable of exchanging a civil word.

Mandelson's contribution to that first Labour Government term will now probably best be recalled for having to resign from the Cabinet … twice. Having pledged to wash away the tainted memory of eighteen years and four electoral terms of Conservative Government, which had come to be associated with sleaze in the public perception, the New labour administration seemed to lurch from one scandal to another. Having already resigned over a questionable and previously undisclosed loan from fellow Cabinet member Geoffrey Robinson, Mandelson was lucky to be allowed back into the Cabinet (as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) without the ratification of a renewed electoral mandate. It seems particularly bizarre, therefore, that he should be sufficiently reckless to allow himself to be brought down again through the injudicious endorsement of applications for British passports by the immensely rich Hinduja brothers.
Rawnsley writes in a lucid and entertaining style, and has clearly had access to conversations and documentation from many (perhaps most) of the principal protagonists. I would be interested to read Rawnsley's take on the subsequent internal travails of the Coalition government. ( )

28 Mar 2010 - passed to me by Bridget

This was a very interesting book, but the subtitle had misled me rather, as I was looking forward to finding out how they came up with the concept of New Labour, the background of the main protagonists' rise to power etc, and really it was a blow by blow account going from election night 1997 till just after the 2001 re-election. Still, the level of detail he managed to obtain was amazing and it was very interesting - useful to see figures such as the Millibands and Ed Balls rising up through the ranks at this stage and what exactly happened to Mandelson. I still think there's more to come out after the 30 years rule and I was basically left wanting to read more - I'm certainly going to read the Blair autobiog at some stage and also the newer Chris Mullin diaries.

Think I'll be bookcrossing this one... ( )

http://nicodemist.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/servants-of-the-people/ ( )