The Prime Minister's Ironing Board and Other State Secrets: True Stories from the Government Archives

by Adam Macqueen

Stored in Whitehall's archives are everything from blood-chilling warnings of imminent nuclear attack to comical details of daily life in the corridors of power. Concerned notes from ministers on the subject of the Heir to the Throne's potential brainwashing by Welsh terrorists are shelved alongside worries about housemaids 'on the wobble' at Chequers.

Detailed and surprising plans for royal funerals sit beside reports on suspected spies in the showbiz world and bawdy poetry about the monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar. And Mary Whitehouse's complaints about the sex education syllabus nestle next to thank-you notes from prisoner 13260/62, also known as Nelson Mandela.

Adam Macqueen, author of the highly acclaimed bestseller Private The First 50 Years , has searched high and low to present us with some of the most unlikely revelations since the Official secrets act was inaugurated one hundred years ago. Not only about Mrs Thatcher's ironing board, but Ted Heath's car, Harold Macmillan's bedroom carpet, Imelda Marcos and her son Bong Bong's trip to Buckingham Palace and President Eisenhower's particular problem with Winston Churchill's trousers.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Humor

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2013

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Itty-bitty scraps of information. Sometimes meant to be funny but not for me. I'm sorry to say I found it boring.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was amazed at how trivial most of the information was and while that does reflect the stupidity? banality? of bureaucracies everywhere what the author ignores is what the archives don't reveal, like the details of Lloyd George's selling of honours or the details of who was responsible for the wrongly imprisonment of the Guilford and Maguire defendants, two of whom were brothers aged 13 and 16, or who over the years concealed documents and archives relating to Britain's nasty and very 'dirty' colonial war in Kenya.

Jokes about civil servants obsessing over the Prime Minister's Ironing Board or whether Prince Charles was a secret Welsh nationalist are fun but they distort the reality of what we aren't allowed to know. For example the relevant information on the horrendous perversion of justice in the Guildford four and Maguire seven cases has been locked away for 75 years. To protect whom? not the people whose lives were destroyed, but the government ministers and senior police officers responsible.

Once I start thinking about the things that are concealed, like the grotesque tampering with information to support Tony Blair's dragging the UK into the 'war on terror', I just get more and more annoyed withe fatuous nonsense in this book.

[Marie (UK) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of this book only goes to prove how boring most government secrets are. it is a dull and dreary read for the most part with one or two exceptions. Took an effort of will to complete

[bowiesbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was full of interesting stories and anecdotes about the past PM’s and confidential information however it wasn’t an easy read as it was completely information overload. For me personally it would have been more interesting and shocking to read more recent transactions (which logistically wouldn’t work) so be prepared for older information.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously diligently researched and well put together, with sardonic commentary littering some of the secrets the state tried to keep. Imagine the really big stuff they are still keeping hidden. Think it would be better suited to a regular column in Private Eye rather than a book form as it felt a bit repetitive at times in longer format

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5, well put together and shows nothing new under the sun in the way the civil service and politicians work. Interesting to see how much concern there was of public opinion and media handling one hundred years ago. Author is at Private Eye and definitely has that kind of feel to it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives an unusual view on some of the events of the twentieth century.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t my usual sort of read but I enjoyed it. It’s a collection of information from the government archives and is arranged in themed chapters. I especially enjoyed the ‘Cultural Differences’ chapter. I’d forgotten Mary Whitehouse. There are a great many lessons in diplomacy to be learnt from this book and a great many instances showing that those in power are no different from the rest of us. They too have illogical likes and dislikes and get bogged down in details. There were reminders of how different things were decades ago. I liked finding out that Sir John Wolfenden had a code for homosexuality and for prostitution to avoid embarrassing his secretaries, these two things were referred to as Huntley and Palmers. The next time I see a box of Huntley and Palmers biscuits I shall smile as I remember this. This book is probably best suited to those who enjoy history or who are over forty years of age because the secrets are not recent (and can’t be, because the recent secrets are still secret).

[Katherine Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas present. Enjoyed reading it on Christmas day, but suspect I won't pick it up to finish it. Its entertainingly written. The author has clearly gone through the archives in detail and has a good eye for the entertaining and which documents it is interesting to see the originals for. But its missing huge amounts of context and as a result can never be more than an amusing Christmas book. The first section on nuclear weapons is the best. There on it shows the author only brings exactly what he found in the archives to the book, and as the source material is partial it will only ever be a partial understanding. He doesn't understand how government works (or worked at the time). He doesn't understand how government files work. There is little in many places to help the reader understand what to make of the content beyond taking it at face value.

(And in case anyone else is thinking of buying me books like this as presents, I really am a novel reader first and foremost)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books you can pick up in a spare five minutes and be able to put it down without being stuck in the middle of the action, wondering how to get back to where you were. Bite-sized chunks of information liberated from Government archives give a fascinating insight into some of the more random aspects of running the country, as well as some more prevalent political events. An interesting read.

[Colin Luker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and documented. It shows just how much time and effort governments put into situations which really ought to be rejected as not worth the effort to deal with. So much for thinking that cabinet meeting are full of meaningful thoughts about major matters when really it how much was drunk at Chequers over a weekend. Interesting information about the Falklands. Good read.

[Richard Thomas]

Excellent. A well judged because not overdrawn description of the British Government's addiction to secrecy. It transcends satire.

[Matthew Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dipped in and out of it over last few months. Wonderful read and would welcome 2nd volume!