Strap in, this is going to be quite a ride!
31 October 2023. “Amongst today’s HR joys is the report from Emma that a departmental SpAd (Special Adviser) went to an orgy over the weekend and ended up taking a crap on another person’s head. To make matters worse, in a separate incident a House employee went to a party dressed as Jimmy Savile and ended up having sex with a blow-up doll. Just another day at the office, I suppose.”
Well, it’s just another day at the office if you happen to be Chief Whip of His Majesty’s government.
Simon Hart was Member of Parliament for Camarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 2010 to 2024, and served in Boris Johnson’s cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales, and later was Rishi Sunak’s Chief Whip, during “one of the most tumultuous eras in modern-day Britain.”
“How do you win an 81 seat majority in December 2019, yet burn through three different PMs, concluding with a thorough beating at the hands of an unproven Labour alternative less than five years later?” Simon had a front row seat and kept a diary. He offers fascinating insights into the mechanics of running the government, while also entertaining us immoderately. He is ably assisted in this latter enterprise by the likes of Nadine Dorries who “is of course crazy”, Neil Parish, a decent man who introduced the nation to the concept of tractor porn, and the sublimely deluded Liz Truss.
Simon Hart – MacMillan – £25
Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
