Description
Book SynopsisFormer Prime Minister and the country’s longest-serving Chancellor, Gordon Brown has been a guiding force for Britain and the world over three decades. This is his candid, poignant and deeply relevant story.
In describing his upbringing in Scotland as the son of a minister, the near loss of his eyesight as a student and the death of his daughter within days of her birth, he shares the passionately-held principles that have shaped and driven him, reminding us that politics can and should be a calling to serve. Reflecting on the personal and ideological tensions within Labour and its successes and failures in power, he describes how to meet the challenge of pursuing a radical agenda within a credible party of government.
He explains how as Chancellor he equipped Britain for a globalised economy while swimming against the neoliberal tide and shows what more must be done to halt rising inequality. In his behind-the-scenes account of the financial crisis and his leading role in saving the world economy from collapse, he addresses the question of who was to blame for the crash and why its causes and consequences still beset us.
From the invasion of Iraq to the tragedy of Afghanistan, from the coalition negotiations of 2010 to the referendums on Scottish independence and Europe, Gordon Brown draws on his unique experiences to explain Britain’s current fractured condition. And by showing us what progressive politics has achieved in recent decades, he inspires us with a vision of what it might yet achieve today.
Riveting, expert and highly personal, this historic memoir is an invaluable insight into our times.
Trade ReviewMiles ahead of anyone you can name currently in office at Westminster. Brown thinks, and thinks profoundly. And by and large, over the last 30 years, what he has thought has turned out to be correct … thrilling … unexpectedly moving -- David Hare * Guardian *
A protagonist of Shakespearian stature … The chapters on the crash are fast, tense and riveting … Like our times, Brown’s life is complicated, contradictory, full of irritations, frustrations and even rage. But as this absorbing memoir makes clear, he is also a man who, in both his willingness and ability to tackle the most pressing questions of our age, towers over those who currently fill the political stage … He is one of the giants of our recent political history – and this book explains why -- Jonathan Freedland * Prospect *
A compelling story, well told … This is an important book that goes far to explain what made this enigmatic, solitary and intensely private man tick … an example of that rare species in Britain: the intellectual in politics … this book reminds us what a moderate politics of the left looks like and how much it can achieve -- Daniel Johnson * Sunday Times *
Very good at describing the process by which an idea for reform is germinated, then shaped into a policy before being executed … He writes very movingly about the death of baby Jennifer Jane … You feel great sympathy and admiration for his tenacity … one of the most formidable chancellors that Britain has ever seen -- Andrew Rawnsley * Observer *
In this fascinating book, Gordon Brown shares the experience and perspective of a lifetime spent in public service. Readers will come away with not just a deeper understanding of British and international politics but also the intellect and integrity of one of today’s great statesmen -- Kofi Annan
