Items related to Chance Witness (CD): An Outsider's Life in Politics

Chance Witness (CD): An Outsider's Life in Politics

 
9780141804736: Chance Witness (CD): An Outsider's Life in Politics
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Though best known now as a political humorist, Matthew Parris's route from the African bush where he started life, to his perch in the Commons Press Gallery, has been anything but direct. Now peering down at the third prime minister and fourth leader of the opposition he has lampooned for The Times, Parris reflects on an extraordinary life. Often from the sidelines but sometimes from the scrum, Parris has enjoyed observer status at some of the bigger events in recent history. But there is another story, about family, friends, expeditions to the ends of the earth - and being gay. Matthew Parris has done a lot and seen a lot. He writes about it for the first time as a personal story.

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Review:
In Chance Witness: An Outsider's Life in Politics, Matthew Parris gives us a brilliantly diverting autobiography combined with a comprehensive and merciless picture of the politicians he has dealt with, both in his own time as an MP and subsequently as writer for some of our most august newspapers.

He is not only the most astute of political commentators, he is one of the most completely entertaining. Matthew Parris made little impression in his career as a Tory candidate (for which, as a sardonically witty and iconoclastic gay man, he was perhaps not best suited), but in his subsequent career as one of the shrewdest observers of the political scene, he has few equals.

The book's jacket gives some idea of the unbuttoned tone here: while John Mortimer "thank(s) God for Matthew Parris", Alan Clark is quoted as describing him as an "absolute sh**". And it's Parris' fearlessness (combined with that scalpel-honed wit) that makes this hefty volume the kind of book that (despite its length) will be consumed avidly. Parris was close to the centre of power (Margaret Thatcher no less) but always remained an outsider. Of course, his spell in Mrs Thatcher's office is by far the most entertaining part of the book, his dealings with the Iron Lady being no less than catastrophic. But while delivering devastating pen-portraits of that lady, he is equally exuberant in his pictures of such luminaries as Peter Mandelson (whom he famously "outed"), Tony Blair and Michael Portillo. This is eccentric, highly personal writing, but the combination of mordant humour and fierce intelligence is absolutely irresistible. After reading it, the reader may wonder how Parris lasted for five minutes as part of Margaret Thatcher's humourless government. --Barry Forshaw

Synopsis:
A frank autobiography by "The Times" columnist and ex-politican Matthew Parris. His childhood was spent on a variety of different countries as his engineer father moved jobs: Rhodesia, Cyprus, the Middle East and Jamaica. After Cambridge and Yale, he joined the Conservative central office at roughly the same time (aged 26) he discovered he was gay. He worked for Michael Dobbs, Chris Patten and Mrs Thatcher (who famously fired him), before entering parliament himself. Part participant, part bystander, Matthew Parris describes what it was like to be so close to the centre and remain an outsider.

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  • PublisherPenguin
  • Publication date2003
  • ISBN 10 0141804734
  • ISBN 13 9780141804736
  • BindingAudio CD
  • Number of pages4
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Matthew, Parris
Published by Penguin (2003)
ISBN 10: 0141804734 ISBN 13: 9780141804736
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