In the Firing Line Book

In The Firing Line by Brian Mawhinney is a political memoir with a real difference: it's an honest account of one politician grappling with his faith during several ministerial posts and over 11 years at the centre of power. The book details Mawhinney's life and influences: raised as a devout Evangelical Christian in the Unionist area of Northern Ireland, he went to America where he met his wife and, after a PhD in radiation biology, he taught for several years in the United States and London before entering politics at the age of 39. His background marks him out as a unique politician: he is one of a very few Ulster men to hold high office in the United Kingdom and the highest serving Evangelical in government for more than 50 years. The book tells of the conflicts he faced with the political establishment and the Church and how his faith shaped the policy decisions he made--often backed up with quotes from the Bible. He reveals how he faced a furious reaction from people and politicians when he first joined the Northern Ireland Office and describes why the Conservatives suffered the worst electoral defeat for over 150 years, while he was at the helm as Party Chairman. He has a reputation as a political bruiser, but this book shows that he is a vulnerable man with deeply held convictions who very often finds himself in the firing line. --Carina TriminghamRead More