1 Second Term by Simon WaltersA ripping yarn about a Labour Prime Minister trying to get a second term in office. I published this book at Politico's even though we didn't normally do fiction. Several of the fictional pieces then turned into reality. Strange but true. Buy it HERE.
2 Aachen Memorandum by Andrew RobertsA little noticed novel by historian Andrew Roberts. Centres around the implosion of the EU in 2045. Absolutely gripping. Now sadly out of print.
3 A Very British Coup by Chris MullinLeft wing firebrand Harry Perkins becomes PM but doesn't reckon on the opposition of the security services. Subsequently a brilliant Channel 4 drama. Buy it HERE.
4 House of Cards by Michael DobbsThe first of the trilogy, featuring the cunning chief whip Francis Urquhart and his memorable phrase, "you might say that, I couldn't possibly comment". Buy it HERE.
5 Line of Beauty - Alan HollinghurstSet in the latter Thatcher era it centres around the life of a coke snorting, gay sex addict who actually gets to meet Mrs T. Won the Booker Prize and is about to become a BBC2 drama. Buy it HERE.
6 Winston's War - Michael DobbsFirst of the tetrology of novels with Winston Churchill as the main character. Dobbs has started a new genre in historical fiction which works surprisingly well. Buy it HERE.
7 51st State - Peter PrestonFormer Guardian editor imagine how Britain might become a 51st State of the United States. Far fetched but somehow he makes it seem just that little bit feasible.
8 Black Book - Sara KeaysCecil Parkinson's former amour writes a salacious novel about the Black Book in which whips record the transgressions of their fellow MPs.
9 A Parliamentary Affair - Edwina CurrieEdwina's novels are highly readble and enjoyable, with a fair degree of bonking thrown in, it has to be said. This and its sequel, A Woman's Place are undoubtedly the best.
10 Palace of Enchantments - Douglas HurdHurd's best novels were written in the 1960s and 1970s and have all been recently re-released. This one features a junior Foreign office minister who is desperatre to become Foreign Secretary. Buy it HERE.
Do post your own favourites in the Comments section.
Bizarrely, I hated Primary Colours. I didn't even finish it. Good film though.
ReplyDeleteNo room for Primary Colors? Not Parliamnetary, I know, but an enjoyable romp nonetheless. Although I didn't think The Running Mate was quite as good.
ReplyDeleteIn the guilty pleasures section of political books why no Frederick Forsyth? Surely "The Fourth Protocol" could creep in? And if we're on political thrillers how about the American "Term Limits" by Vince Flynn (check it out on Amazon, a great beach read)? Come to think of it, I loved Archer's "First Among Equals" too...
ReplyDeleteI think you're wrong on Primary Colors but oh well... I recommend Christopher Brookmyre's Boiling a Frog - very angry about politics, politicians, the church but once you get past that very funny. A bit Scottish perhaps.
ReplyDeleteSurprised you didn't find space for Boris Johnson's 72 Virgins. Well worth a place in anybody's bookshelf
A Very British Coup would be a very clear No 1 for me. The Walters book is so closely based on real life as to scarcely justify the term "novel." I would classify it as a typically mischievous piece of journalism by the great man masquerading as fiction!
ReplyDeleteGoing back a bit, C.P. Snow's "Corridors of Power" is still a tremendous read - political and Whitehall intregue, plus a sex scandal thrown in.
ReplyDeleteThe only Douglas Hurd novel I've read was Scoth On The Rocks, which was about the rumblings of discontent in Scotland pre-devolution. I thought it was excellent, and might tuck into some more Hurd (to coin a phrase).
ReplyDeleteAnother novel I'd recmooend is Max Davidson's "Well Done, beef Wellington". It is about a political reporter and his casual relationship with the Establishment.