tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post6507061130513052086..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Book Review: Cherie Blair's AutobiographyIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-28622038414700773972008-10-16T18:26:00.000+01:002008-10-16T18:26:00.000+01:00Wow! You Brits are pretty cut-throat. Don't get ...Wow! You Brits are pretty cut-throat. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy slamming our retarded president, Mr. Bush, here in America, but privately we enjoy such intentionally public audacity as in Mrs. Blair's book. It seems Brit prudery is alive and well... thank God! With the world coming to pieces at least there is something of substance we can cling to, eh?Pattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07025833389614876072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-51046763299744363622008-06-30T10:51:00.000+01:002008-06-30T10:51:00.000+01:00Anonymous said..."consider ordering it from their ...<B>Anonymous said...</B><BR/><BR/>"consider ordering it from their local public library, many of which are under threat of closure from underfunding and underuse by a generation uneducated during the Labour years."<BR/><BR/>But the libraries are packed with foreigners using IT resources happily paid for by the enriched English nation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-27660184768028068422008-06-30T10:46:00.000+01:002008-06-30T10:46:00.000+01:00anonymous said..."I am still debating whether the ...anonymous said...<BR/><BR/>"I am still debating whether the personal vendetta which continues, is because of her class, gender or jealousy. Perhaps all three?"<BR/><BR/>Nah, she's just vile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-7856073669253392952008-06-30T01:09:00.000+01:002008-06-30T01:09:00.000+01:00newmania is such a bore said... Absolutely nothing...newmania is such a bore said... <BR/><BR/>Absolutely nothing worth noting. Grow up nisb, newmania's a good bloke though slightly shattered at present as he's just become the father of beautiful twin babies, so stop harassing him,there's a good little chap..or girl.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-45473892999064295262008-06-29T19:11:00.000+01:002008-06-29T19:11:00.000+01:00Quick anecdote about Cherie....A friend asked her ...Quick anecdote about Cherie....<BR/><BR/>A friend asked her before Tony won in '97 "Will you still work after Tony becomes PM?" She replied "Of course I will - We couldn't possibly survive on £180,000 a year....." I wonder if that is in the book?<BR/><BR/>Reminds me a bit of Barbara Amiel's comment when Concorde was about to be decommissioned. Someone asked her at a party whether Conrad and her would miss being able to fly across the Atlantic on Concorde.<BR/>"No, we won't miss it - We NEVER travel by public transport"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-22017053057102319422008-06-29T17:56:00.000+01:002008-06-29T17:56:00.000+01:00Yes and not so long ago you were being a tad sympa...Yes and not so long ago you were being a tad sympathetic towards The Smurf.<BR/><BR/>Is this the new caring Conservatism?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-89195727454550154222008-06-29T17:10:00.000+01:002008-06-29T17:10:00.000+01:00Her real saving grace is her opinion of Brown. She...Her real saving grace is her opinion of Brown. She ghot that right on day 1. <BR/><BR/>Pity her husband didn't listen to her...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-32385441811742710272008-06-29T16:51:00.000+01:002008-06-29T16:51:00.000+01:00Cherie says......Thank you for your kind words Iai...Cherie says......<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your kind words Iain Dale.<BR/><BR/>As a working mother I had a job fitting in time to spend on writting my book.<BR/>JK Rowling helped me with some of the bigger words but the ideas are all my own work.<BR/>Well, mine and that chap who recorded our sessions and took my diaries and emails and press cuttings for perusal.<BR/><BR/>But when you are juggling a lot of balls [ I am also a juggler at children's parties, as well as the worlds greatest barrister / charity organiser and number 2 superwoman of the world]<BR/>it can be hard to actually put down your own feelings.<BR/><BR/>This is such a decent and thoughtful review,<BR/>unlike that Daily Mail one, and after that wonderful Tassimo we got Paul for his birthday.<BR/><BR/>Naturally I held back some things for my next books:<BR/><BR/>"Superwoman 2"<BR/><BR/>"Making the most from your properties."<BR/><BR/>"Human Rights and soft furnishings; how I passed vital legislation while hemming my Laura Ashley curtains."<BR/><BR/>and "Cherie and Carol" a sort of chauffered Thelma and Louise where they go off to a spa and then get top jobs at the UN.<BR/>Its still in the early draft.<BR/> It will be out once I've published "Gordon Brown, the most talentless person in government".<BR/>This is the real book that I wrote but Tony wouldn't let me publish. But he says 'it won't really make much difference now. And we need the money"<BR/><BR/>Again thank you so much.You are a Darling.<BR/><BR/>Oh and look in Private Eye. My books done 15,000 copies already. "Fatty Prezza" and "touch-up" Levy have only got 1000, so there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-21805619470922742882008-06-29T15:47:00.000+01:002008-06-29T15:47:00.000+01:00Joyce @ 2.40pm - a good idea although the library ...Joyce @ 2.40pm - a good idea although the library would also probably wait until it had been remainderedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-60872043940352807902008-06-29T15:27:00.000+01:002008-06-29T15:27:00.000+01:00Iain you seem quite sniffy about the "canard" of c...Iain you seem quite sniffy about the "canard" of commissions from your link to this book. The issues surrounding disclosure are hotly debated amongst the pro bloggers in the States where it is a serious issue. As a respected blogger, I'd have hoped you might have had a more considered view on this than just shouting down anyone that raises the valid issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-68200809220559398802008-06-29T15:20:00.000+01:002008-06-29T15:20:00.000+01:00I refuse to give the grasping Blairs any more mone...I refuse to give the grasping Blairs any more money than they've already filched from the taxpayer. And I refuse to popularise this woman's lies. Blair should be in the dock for war crimes, not collecting royalties from us via his wife.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-52866660241036924272008-06-29T14:40:00.000+01:002008-06-29T14:40:00.000+01:00Those who would like to read the book but who, in ...Those who would like to read the book but who, in these tough economic times, can't afford to buy it or who don't want to contribute to La Blair's bank balance, might consider ordering it from their local public library, many of which are under threat of closure from underfunding and underuse by a generation uneducated during the Labour years.<BR/><BR/>JoyceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-467053016172213322008-06-29T14:17:00.000+01:002008-06-29T14:17:00.000+01:00Unsold copies to be used to heat the homes of the ...Unsold copies to be used to heat the homes of the elderly.Roger Thornhillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01153744692290896812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-23882850676955422192008-06-29T13:44:00.000+01:002008-06-29T13:44:00.000+01:00Might consider buying it when it gets remaindered....Might consider buying it when it gets remaindered.<BR/><BR/>Word verification wjipy - just how my stomach might feel!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-35747406027497946612008-06-29T13:25:00.000+01:002008-06-29T13:25:00.000+01:00Thank you for your review of the book. I know tha...Thank you for your review of the book. I know that I can always rely on your honesty Iain a quality I admire whether I agree or not with your view. I too have read the book (read Lord Levy's first) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have not as yet bought John Prescotts but will do as I read every political book published! Like you, I enjoyed the writing style (apparently she wrote it herself) and the amount of information imparted. Her earlier life was particularly interesting as it mirrored my own. <BR/><BR/>Her determination to succeed shone through as well as doing so by her own efforts. Her acknowledgement that she sometimes speaks out of turn was apparent when she challenged her head of chambers on a legal issue. The audacity - a junior and a woman taking on the QC! Magnificent! Now if she had gone to Roedean she would have had the skills to address the counter legal opinion in a then acceptable manner. Her difficulties in coping with being put in her place (keep out of the way) by her husband's aides sounded awful! Her quite reasonable attempts to thwart them were disastrous. What the book also indicated to me is that the top of our government is not geared for any partner of a premier who has a career nor one who holds political and professional views. The support was not there for Mrs B unlike in other countries were partners have their own offices. <BR/><BR/>I felt the book reflected too her need to provide security for her husband and children and having to put her own career on hold. Do we expect a lot of a PM's partner - attend numerous functions, dress to the hilt etc etc. This interrupts careers. We do not pay them a salary or provide allowances for dress either! Politicians come and go and Mrs B realised that. She stated her responsibility for the family budget. She has been criticised for complaining about the then Chancellor blocking a pay award. Is she any different to us? She had a huge mortgage and three children and her earnings were about to be reduced because of her role as the PMs wife. We all live up to our income - she is no different. Those who seek to denigrate her apply a different set of standards!<BR/><BR/>A human being like us all - that is what I am left with. A warm and kind one who tried to do her best and like all human beings got it wrong occasionally. Also the fact that a woman from humble circumstances succeeded in her life through her own effort has brought derisory comment rather than welcomed as a model to all that regardless of background we can all succeed. I am still debating whether the personal vendetta which continues, is because of her class, gender or jealousy. Perhaps all three?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-45125281747937085992008-06-29T12:36:00.000+01:002008-06-29T12:36:00.000+01:00Adam McNestrie said... "Please don't buy this book...Adam McNestrie said... <BR/>"Please don't buy this book.<BR/><BR/>Instead you should read my blog on wordpress.com - it's frankly a lot better:<BR/>http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/"<BR/><BR/>What a sad individual you are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-33269426335560124632008-06-29T12:07:00.000+01:002008-06-29T12:07:00.000+01:00Still, I did enjoy the craven apology which Cherie...Still, I did enjoy the craven apology which Cherie Blair extracted from the News of the World today! What a bunch of idiots their political staff must be to let her take the paper to the cleaners...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-47042453154026047812008-06-29T09:28:00.000+01:002008-06-29T09:28:00.000+01:00Now, I haven't been to all the trouble that Iain h...Now, I haven't been to all the trouble that Iain has. I'm guessing that he read the whole book or enough of it to be able to make out that he did; I just flicked through a few pages in Borders. Still, though, having done so I am incredulous that anyone could want to read this book. It seems to be the most banal sort of autobiography, an inventory of things that happened to the person in question written in the most insipid, child-like prose - prose so bad that I cannot believe it was written by a prominent barrister.<BR/><BR/>Please don't buy this book.<BR/><BR/>Instead you should read my blog on wordpress.com - it's frankly a lot better:<BR/>http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-44361218312756028232008-06-29T09:27:00.000+01:002008-06-29T09:27:00.000+01:00Nope, still don't want to read the book. The bits...Nope, still don't want to read the book. The bits I saw serialised here and there were too off-putting and caused me to think for the first time that it was the Prime Minister's wife - not the Prime Minister - who committed the UK to the illegal invasion of another sovereign country that was no threat at all to the West.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-63800493121426266062008-06-29T08:54:00.000+01:002008-06-29T08:54:00.000+01:00" She attracts adoration and loathing in equal mea...<I>" She attracts adoration and loathing in equal measure. "</I><BR/><BR/>No, the loathing definitely outweighs the adoration.Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02263275229285861236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-16888432288606461732008-06-29T08:44:00.000+01:002008-06-29T08:44:00.000+01:00Who is that on the front cover of her book?Who is that on the front cover of her book?Johnny Norfolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900659617233793880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-73335469054240787252008-06-29T07:30:00.000+01:002008-06-29T07:30:00.000+01:00you have a stronger stomach than I! The Blunkett t...you have a stronger stomach than I! The Blunkett tome put me off I've read some rubbish but he set the bar so I refuse to give that vile harpy some of my money unless she turns up with a gun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-79795675531546863232008-06-29T02:47:00.000+01:002008-06-29T02:47:00.000+01:00My brother in law went to dinner at Downing St, an...My brother in law went to dinner at Downing St, and was hosted by Cherie. He's a historian at a Scottish University. He found her charming.<BR/><BR/>Her 'revelations' could be a cover-up for the really interesting stories about the Blairs which have yet to come out.<BR/><BR/>It'll be worth reading - to compare to Campbell's version of events. It's another 'hold your nose' essential read.Tapestryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17267094484651413428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-76015525172212274212008-06-29T02:33:00.000+01:002008-06-29T02:33:00.000+01:00Iain - congratulations on your open-mindedness and...Iain - congratulations on your open-mindedness and honest critique. Pity about some of your readers, particularly those who seem to <B>know</B> this woman - with her years of giving to charity - better than she knows herself!?<BR/><BR/>They know <B>nothing</B> other than what they read in such articles as thrown together by Oborne's ilk.<BR/><BR/>One can write a good critique of anything with the aforementioned type of mind. All arts criticism need not be bad!<BR/><BR/>I have only just bought the book - £10 at Tesco's btw! Although I am a big fan of her husband - there are more of us than you think - I had been rather put off by the paper extracts. The personal stuff would likely have had the other half and me in the courts, if either of us had written it!<BR/><BR/>But at a first glance, I think I will enjoy the book. Cherie is as self-deprecating as Tony can be. That's an attractive trait, you know.<BR/><BR/>More of us should try it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-72433716493177357012008-06-29T02:21:00.000+01:002008-06-29T02:21:00.000+01:00giving us too uch information in the book about he...<I>giving us too <B>uch</B> information in the book about her sexual proclivity</I><BR/><BR/>Was this a typo, a Freudian slip or intentional?<BR/><BR/>Reading about her conceiving and her contraception devices is, indeed, too much info and very, very uuuch!Alwyn ap Huwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06194724336424525283noreply@blogger.com