Pretty good for the most part, although it does lose its way as it goes on (which might be explained in the afterword about how a book about politics in general became about politicians specifically, and that it went two years past deadline). Overall style is somehow both a bit too shallow and a bit too long-winded, and the authorial voice is a little too pleased with itself but then I guess that's what you'd expect from Paxman. ( )

The Political Animal

Jeremy Paxman has made a career out of applied querulousness. The greater his reputation for hectoring politicians, the more abrasive he became, in a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. That public persona should not, however, obscure the depth and clarity of his political understanding, and this book, published in 2002, shows his astuteness to great effect.

He starts by analysing the motives driving those who choose to commit themselves to the political life, and the numerous challenges that they have to address. There has always been a bedrock of cynicism underpinning public perceptions of politicians, and they are frequently seen as being self-aggrandising and ferociously ambitious. [It should be noted that this book was published a few years before the MPs’ expenses scandal that so significantly dented public confidence in MPs integrity.]

As Paxman points out, no-one enters politics with a desire to make things worse, but he also concedes that even the noblest of motives may rapidly wear thin after a politician has strained for several years with scant reward at the coalface of public service. A life in public service brings with it a level of scrutiny and expectation that has ballooned over recent years, at a rate that has accelerated exponentially with the growth of social media.

The role of the politician is far from clear in modern Britain. The position of Member of Parliament carries great kudos and benefit, but (in)famously has no binding job description. Each new incumbent is left largely to work out their own approach to the job, doing so as strenuously or otherwise as they choose. There is a lot of guidance and support available from within the institution of Parliament, but such rules as exist apply generally to conduct in public life, and do not set out any binding instructions about the day-to-day duties.

Paxman examines several individual MPs, of differing levels of prominence including lifelong backbenchers and others who have secured senior positions in the Cabinet. Regardless of their seniority, their experiences carry many similarities. It is clear that the role is extensive, and conscientious MPs fid their lives consumed by the various responsibilities, within and beyond Parliament. Nowadays nearly all of them (regardless of the size of their personal majorities) pay considerable heed to the demands of their constituency, although that has not always been the case. For much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, MPs tended to view their constituencies as unwelcome sources of irritation and inconvenience rather than as a body of people to serve or whose views they were there to represent.

He also offers an intriguing portrayal of the then newly elected MP for the constituency of Henley, whom he portrayed as a flaneur, seemingly trying out the political life almost as an experiment, depending upon a mix of buffoonery and bonhomie to see him through. While recognising a steely ambition behind that carapace, Paxman’s portrayal offers no hint of the soaring future that might await a certain Boris Johnson.

In my current job I have the privilege of attending Parliament frequently, whether sitting in the officials’ box to brief my ministers as they face the scrutiny of the House in the regular cycle of oral questions, or loitering in their wake as they meet external stakeholders. From the perspective that has offered me, I think that most of the observations that Jeremy Paxman makes are very fair and balanced. I would be interested to know to what extent he would change the book if he were to write it today. ( )

shelved at: (Z) : Reference

shelved at: (Z) : Reference

The best thing to appear on British politics since Yes Minister ( )