Chance Witness

Download or read book Chance Witness written by Matthew Parris and published by . This book was released on 2013-07-25 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A modern Conservative long before? The Conservative party became modern . . . Chastised by Margaret Thatcher for jumping into the Thames to save a dog, Matthew Parris was never destined for high office. In fact his life choices suggest he was an outsider even when he was in: he turned down MI6 because he was gay - only to become a Tory MP. Yet his years on the backbenches and as a parliamentary sketch writer and columnist have placed him in a unique position - part participant, part bystander - to witness Westminster and all its foibles. In this expanded new edition Parris reflects on a decade which has seen tremendous changes in his personal life (the death of his father; a civil partnership) and in the public life about which he still writes: the fall of Labour, the financial crisis and the current turmoil in a Tory party which still retains his loyalty but which exasperates him beyond measure. Winner of the Channel 4/Politico's Political Book of the Year Award 'Made me laugh out loud. A book full of wisdom.' Simon Hoggart, Guardian 'Brilliant, deliciously entertaining.' Observer 'Of interest to students and lovers of politics. Parris is a skilful entertainer, who informs as well as amuses.' Literary Review 'Whimsy, polemic, irony, humour. A scintillating read.' Boris Johnson, Sunday Telegraph