PODCAST – Lessons from football for political campaigning
With the a new edition of 101 Ways To Win An Election out, I chatted with co-author Ed Maxfield for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. … Read the full post »
Books
Here you can read all my reviews of books, and assorted matters – such as why I love printed books. They’re so much better than e-books.
Master of the Senate: available in a brilliant audio version
It’s hardly breaking or surprising news to say that Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate, a volume of biography covering Lyndon Johnson’s time as Majority Leader of the US Senate, is as brilliant and enjoyable as it is long. But… … Read the full post »
The books I read in 2020
No prizes for guessing what topic I’ve been researching this year for a future book… … Read the full post »
Quite simply, the best book title. Ever.
The book, which I discovered courtesy of my growing niche book collection, is appositely dedicated to “All poultry judges and exhibitors in the interests of the poultry fancy”. … Read the full post »
Wasp: Eric Frank Russell’s tale of one terrorist against a planet
The title of Eric Frank Russell’s science-fiction novel Wasp comes from the idea that one wasp in a speeding car can annoy the driver to the extent of causing a crash and hence damage out of all proportion to the wasp’s size and strength. … Read the full post »
The neglected problem with Sasha Swire’s diaries
The diaries of Sasha Swire, wife of former Conservative MP Hugo Swire, have attracted a lot of attention and several lengthy book reviews. But… … Read the full post »
Which political book has most changed or challenged your views?
Which book has most challenged your previous political views, putting them under heavy strain or even changing them? … Read the full post »
The Lib Dem peer who stole his Dad’s credit card and flew to Africa
Former Liberal Democrat election agent Jonny Oates has a unique record in being a winning general election agent in different constituencies. But… … Read the full post »
The value of pointless KPIs
I have a new graph I look at each day. Everything is wrong about it. Yet I still look at it every day. … Read the full post »
Not quite George Smiley at his best: A Legacy of Spies by John Le Carré
A Legacy of Spies by John Le Carré reminds me of the work of three other authors. First, Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, Raising Steam. … Read the full post »