Over the Christmas break, I was delighted to receive 'A Kind of Blue' by Ken Clarke, former Conservative Cabinet member whom served in many high profile rules. Political memoirs recently became my favourite type of book genre, because of the information and experience about what running the country is really like. I was therefore excited to delve into this book straight away, beginning my read on Christmas Day itself. (I managed to finish the 400+ page book just over a week later!) Though I didn't identify as any sort of Conservative, and would disagree with what Ken did, that didn't stop my enthusiasm for reading about someone who has had a brilliant, exciting political career and is a likeable person. What I read was a vivid, detailed, reflective account of a busy life spent in a wide variety of posts working very hard.
Reading the introduction, it was fascinating to discover nearly all the memoirs were recorded spontaneously on a dictaphone in the evening without many notes, as Ken didn't keep a diary. The ability to remember and recall such a breadth of knowledge, ranging from his early life and university adventures to arriving in Parliament and serving in a number of Cabinets, over a period of 70 years, is astonishing, showing the amount of thought and dedication Ken had towards each venture. In a way, I'm pleased the memoir has been written many years after the height of his political career in the 1980's and 90's, as a chance for greater reflection and evaluation on events is allowed, instead of writing raw, instant opinions. Ken does this well throughout the memoir, writing what he believed was achieved in each role, and how this could have been improved. Of course, all his work can be improved by the current Conservative Government. Whether they choose to is another matter. The sections on his early life are short, but still detailed enough to allow the reader to see his start in life. Hard work was clear from the start, aiming to be the best in class and rapidly progress to the best school. It was unusual Ken's father was named Ken, and that Ken named his son Ken, but, nevertheless, an interesting family tradition to hear about. I was curious about Ken's time at Cambridge University, as I live in that area and wanted to read what Cambridge is like, from a student's perspective. His rise to becoming President of the Cambridge Union, a marvellous debating chamber I've been lucky enough to visit, was engaging. I admired his stauch opposition to no-platforming, which still exists today, inviting fascist leader Oswald Mosley to speak, defeating his shameful political views with logic. From the memoir, it was clear Ken wanted to enter Parliament and make a difference, standing for election aged 24, immediately after university, becoming an MP aged 29 in 1970. Ken makes something as small as being a junior whip, or shadow trade spokesperson sound so thrilling, as if it's such an honour and delight to do. I'm sure anything that allows you to decide the direction of the country within the world and make as best a difference to people's lives as possible is extremely rewarding, along with work as a constituency MP. From health to education and the economy, Ken will be able to look back and say he contributed to the current state of these services. Not many can say this. It is clear that Ken is a very principled politican with a clear set of views he defends, often at odds with his party. When the Tories were extremely anti-EU, (as they appear now, somewhat) the memoir defines how Ken stuck to the pro-European position, however unpopular that was and however many times that cost Ken the Conservative leadership. The vision of centre based politics, though reducing party political differences, stops the electorate from having parties with clear, definied, different political views at elections, so I cannot support this. Given the current state of affairs, I feel Ken is a voice of sense and hope in an otherwise confused, destabilised Tory party. Nearly every person that Ken works with throughout his political career is positively praised for the strong qualities they possessed in the respective roles. The memoir gives a sense of hope that people can get along together, working hard for the greater good, without backstabbing or unnecessary name calling. To even be civil with one another is such an important part of work, but Ken goes further than this, trying his best to get along really well with everyone. You may think this would be impossible, but somehow this is achieved. Even those Ken disgarees with are praised for what they believe in and try to reach a compromise, often over European policy. Though work isn't about who you like or dislike, having to work together whatever, I believe liking the people you work with produces much higher standards of work and general job satisfaction. There seemed a constant theme of anger towards the trade unions whom were opposed to Clarke as their Secretary of State. Whether it was the Teacher's Union or the BMA, there was a hint of blaming the unions for everything; as if they were the only roadblock to progress in his reforms. I'm sure factcheck.com would reveal many other factors: in terms of cost, realistic time pressures and maybe internal party opposition that may have contributed to the delay of reform. Trade unions must always maintain the right to strike - whether the public thinks it is right is another matter. This is just a minor criticism in what is otherwise a positive book. I enjoy learning about Ken's hobbies and past times; most notably his love of bird watching and F1 racing. It appears many in politics are obsessed with politics alone, so reading about something else a politican gets up to is worthwhile. I'm sure outside hobbies was how many politicans kept their sanity, with the long working hours and increased media pressures. Ken's hobbies bring him down to Earth, making him seem like a relatable human being rather than someone in a grey suit at Westminster. Opinion polls have shown he is very popular with the public, though I find his support for large tobacco is disappointing and regressive, publicly defended in the memoir. I utterly agree with Ken's concern that politics has turned into pleasing the media and newspapers, due to 24 hour news, basing policy off opinion polls and politicans being scripted by spin doctors to win votes instead of staying true to beliefs. This is worrying indeed. Overall, 'A Kind of Blue' is a well written book that flows at good length, and while detailed in content, doesn't go into minor or dull microdetails. It was a pleasure to read from start to finish - I felt genuinely sad finishing the last page. Whatever you think of his politics, it's clear that Ken Clarke has been a dominant 'Big Beast' in British politics. This wonderful memoir utterly supports this.
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