The Ashdown Diaries: 1988-1997 v. 1 Cassette

Alec Guinness, David Attenborough, Quentin Crisp, John Simpson--many fascinating autobiographies have been read by their authors, but the ex-leader of the Lib Dems has produced a dog. Yet the facts of his story are interesting. He inherited a divided and bankrupt party which agreed--after marathon debates--to assume a new and forgettable name; he attempted to end the confusion about what they stood for, without success; he laid secret plans with Tony Blair to form a coalition designed to send the Tories to perdition; he repeatedly visited the Balkans to try to repair the damage left by meddling and fainthearted Western governments. His tale ends in 1997 with Blair pulling out of the secret compact, and with himself standing down as party leader. Part Two is promised soon.

The trouble with these diaries--and with his reading, which, alas, suits them perfectly--is that they are trudgingly, achingly dull. The blurb describes him as "charismatic", but of that quality these cassettes give no sign. Very occasionally he produces a nice turn of phrase--as when he speaks of the Tories "murdering Caesar" in ditching Mrs T--but for the most part his account has as much colour as a police report. He may have invaded Blair's inner circle, but we get no sense of what that must have been like, no whiff of personalities. He is either hopelessly unobservant, or else too mealy-mouthed to reveal what he sees; he seems devoid of the humanity which could illuminate the more tragic figures (John Major for one) with whom he consorts. OK, he's worked like a Trojan in the Balkans; OK, he can speak Chinese; OK, he only sleeps three hours a night--but, being no Thatcher, he clearly longs for his rightful eight. No mention, by the way, of his notorious affair. Several times he speaks of going to bed "dog-tired". Perhaps he should now curl up in his basket. --Betty Tadman