Morgan McSweeny

Short on actual Starmer personality traits rather than the workings of inner cabinet & management style

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A fascinating book and very well read

A great insight into the background of the Starmer government and a significant contrast to the previous biography. Balanced, ambitious and well researched- highly recommended to anyone interested in current British politics.

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Stunning victory and change of a party and Shambles in power as expected

Excellent insights to recent vents played out live, well worth a read with left out

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Absolutely fascinating

Really interesting details throughout the book about those now running our country. I fully recommend.

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Fascinating insights.

Answers, amongst other things about why, some would say unforgably, the No 10's first 100 days were so disorganised.

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Brilliant exposé of Labour politics!

A must read for anyone that wants to know how Corbyn was ousted from the Labour Party and how Starmer was groomed for leadership. It reveals the awful vipers nest that consumes Labour politics and why it pursues ideology rather than promoting simply what is best for the country. It reveals why Starmer couldn’t run a bath let alone govern a country, but manages to do so because of his ruthless amoral attitude to wanting to be and then being Labour leader. Everyone should read this to understand why Labour should never be allowed near the levers of power - and why British politics needs to find a credible alternative to the current Labour government. And the book shows that Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s Chief of Staff after Sue Gray was removed, is brilliant - and ruthless - as an organiser and someone who gets a job done. If only the Conservatives had an equivalent…

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1 person found this helpful

Fantastically written & performed.

If you're a politics nerd & particularly if you're a Labour fan - this is a must read/listen. forensically following Starmer's leadership through its highs and lows.

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Fascinating, but deeply depressing

The 2 authors have already written a book on Jeremy Corbyn's time as Labour leader (Left Out) which was even handed, meticulously researched and brilliantly told. This new volume covering Kier Starmer's (at the time of writing) ongoing time as leader is just as good, but far more depressing.

Whatever your view on Jeremy Corbyn it was clear what he was and what he was not, and what he believed in. This is just not the case with Starmer, there are are many references to his not liking politics, handing strategy over to others etc, and through no fault of the authors i feel i know him just as much at the end of the book as at the start - not at all.

Morgan McSweeney is arguably more of a central character than Starmer is in this book (which in itself tells a story) and similar to his boss comes across as someone focussed on winning for wining's sake, rather than having great strategies for what to do with the power.

Sue Gray does NOT come out of this well, and to be honest the frantic desire from Starmer to hire her is never really explained. She clearly felt that she was up against the "boy's club" she felt surrounded Starmer, but didn't appear to have done much to help herself either, the book ends with her having been summarily dismissed after virtually the whole of Starmer's staff and indeed the Civil Service turned against her.

The book goes into extensive detail of the closeness of Lord Ali's relationship with Starmer, but does not muck rake and suggest innuendo; it appears the relationship was just as inappropriate as has been portrayed.

The only quibble i have with this book in terms of even-handedness is the downplaying of the appointment of Gray to Starmer's Chief of Staff straight after her investigation into Johnson's lockdown parties (and when she MUST have been speaking with Starmer's team when the investigation was still ongoing); there is a bit on the outcry from "the right" but nowhere near enough on how shocking and blatant this was.

There is also constant reference of "the Irishman" when referencing McSweeney which comes across as some sort of secret code or pet name they have for him, it didn't read well. Similarly the Guido Fawkes site is described as "right wing muck-raking" at least 3 times, which is both slightly biased but worse shows a lack of imagination.

Matthew Spencer as he did with the Corbyn book reads it beautifully.

If you're interested in Politics or how a political party can seize power from worse than rock bottom in one electoral cycle (massively helped by the buffoonish antics of the incumbent PM and a worldwide pandemic) then add this to your collection.

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good story first time listening to any political book

really enjoyed the behind the scenes look at these kind of things. seems like this guy really got access behind the scenes

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WhatsApp Messages in Book Form

Focus on endless dull minutiae of messages and conversations left very little scope for any analysis of the obvious questions surrounding the Starmer project. Did Starmer and advisers genuinely not see a political downside in dishonestly posing as a Leftist to be elected leader, before ditching his whole platform and turning fire on the Left? There must have been some discussion about ethics or a potential political price for such Johnsonesque dishonesty but this wasn’t covered at all. The total absence of vision or policy pre election was barely mentioned (despite McSweeney initially saying that inventing some political platform was the final component of his 3 part plan), nor precisely why supporting Israel committing war crimes and potentially genocide was considered “Realpolitik” and “grown up politics”. This book definitely not for people looking for thoughtful political analysis.

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