Thursday 22 March 2012

New Statesman online

The extract from my e-book Things Can Only Get Bitter, which appeared in the New Statesman last week, is now available online.

4 comments:

The Inane Rambler said...

Bought the print edition, and thought it was an excellent article! I'd heard that theory somewhere before, that virtually no one at the top of British politics or business was born between 1955 and 1964, but to see it graphically was striking...

Very well done all round!

Alwyn W. Turner said...

Thanks, Kieran.

In the News Statesman piece I list the senior Labour figures by decade of birth, but in the e-book, where I've got more room, I list all those born since 1905 who've served as prime minister, deputy prime minister/first sercretary of state, chancellor of the exchequer, foreign secretary or home secretary.

This is how the figures break down, in terms of dates of birth:

1905-14: 8
1915-24: 12
1925-34: 7
1935-44: 8
1945-54: 11
1955-64: 3
1965-74: 4 (and counting)

I'd add that those three from the missing generation aren't really quite the same calibre. Without wishing to be mean, I don't believe Jacqui Smith or Theresa May is likely to be remembered as a great home secretary, though who knows how William Hague will turn out.

By comparison, the lowest scoring previous decade (1925-34) included the slightly more memorable Margaret Thatcher, Nigel Lawson and Michael Heseltine.

The Inane Rambler said...

It doesn't get any better as the figures become more detailed...

And are you trying to suggest that Jacqui Smith *won't* go down in history as influential a minister as Michael Heseltine and Nigel Lawson?!

Alwyn W. Turner said...

Let's be charitable and say she's likely to be remembered as being in the same league as David Waddington.

Though if I were writing about the last decade, I'd be unable to resist mention of her husband's viewing habits.