The Prime Minister: The Job and Its Holders Since 1945

The history of the office, and in particular Hennessy's prescriptions for the future are probably the most dry and inaccessible of the sections of the book; I found them a fairly hard slog, even being a self-confessed Politics geek who usually loves that sort of thing. Also, a (slightly obvious.) warning; a generally high level of familiarity with post-war British politics is expected throughout - in these two senses, the book is rather more academic than it is immediately accessible to the lay reader.


A invaluable resource   November 5, 2002
Alistair Duncan (UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book is an amazing piece of work. My only regret is that it only covers prime ministers since the war as I would have preferred it to cover many prior to 1945.

The first part deals with the actual role of the prime minister and his/her powers rather than dwelling on any one holder of the office. I never appreciated exactly how many pies a prime minister has his/her fingers in until I had read the book.

The second part of the book deals with individual prime ministers since 1945 and varied in how ineteresting it was. This was down primarily to the individual prime minister and not the author's prose which is first class throughout.

Any student of politics should own a copy.


If you like history, or current affairs - an absolute must!   September 25, 2001
J. C. Okonkwo (London, England)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

In general, this is a well constructed, and arresting analysis of the office of the PM, and its holders. The reason why it "hits fifth gear" is based on the level of personal contact with the incumbents, and the depth of reasoning; this raises the book from genuinely interesting to absolutely compelling.
When read thoroughly, the central fact is absolutely shocking: Britain never really came to terms with its post-war status. Whilst measures where taken, the economy/city/markets repeatedly forced action on a reluctant government, which comprised a set of people living in a state of perpetual denial. Collectively, the judgement on the office holders is therefore harsh - they were led by events, they did not lead - this is the central fact, even it is not spelled out explicitly. There are a couple of great stories, of which I mention the funniest: "Mrs Thatcher was both self-aware and quite unrepentant about these traits. One one occassion she opened a ministerial meeting by banging the celebrated bag on the table declaring 'Well, I haven't much time today, only enough to explode and have my way'."
Buy it - you will not regret it!


A must buy for anybody interested in heavy weight Politics   May 4, 2001
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book is a fascinating, well-written and immensely detailed insight into the office of prime minister in the U.K. The author paints superb behind the scenes pictures and focuses on major issues in recent history. It is well researched, with former senior politicians and Whitehall mandarins providing Mr Hennessy with the authentic details from source. I found this book both an eye opener and thought provoking, a must buy for anybody interested in heavy weight British Politics.