Call Me Dave: The Unauthorised Biography of David Cameron

by Michael Ashcroft, Isabel Oakeshott

After a decade as Conservative Party leader, David Cameron remains an enigma to those outside his tight-knit inner circle. This authoritative biography of Britain's youngest Prime Minister for nearly 200 years provides a fascinating insight into the man only those closest to him know. Based on hundreds of interviews, with everyone from Westminster insiders to intimate friends, this book reveals the real David Cameron.

What are his greatest strengths and his biggest weaknesses? How did he reach the top, first in the party and then as the leader of the UK's first coalition government since the Second World War, then winner of the most surprising election victory of recent times? How did he deal with everything from political triumph to personal tragedy? This unauthorised biography answers all these questions and more.

From Eton to Oxford, through gap-year adventures in Russia to his early days as a party apparatchik and his stint as a PR man, the book scrutinises Cameron's journey to the premiership and his record as the most powerful man in the land.

Unquestionably the most hotly anticipated political book of the year.

Genres: Politics, Biography, Nonfiction

568 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2015

About the author

Michael Anthony P. Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, KCMG, PC is an English–Belizean businessman and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and is the 95th richest person in the UK, as ranked by the Sunday Times Rich List 2017, with an estimated fortune of £1.35 billion.

Reviews

[Manny]

Celebrity Death Match Special: Call Me Dave versus 1984 and Animal Farm

From today's Independent:

At Prime Minister's Questions Labour MP Tulip Siddiq urged Mr Cameron to use anti-extremism legislation to block Mr Trump from entering the UK.

“In our country, we have legislation that stops people entering the country," she said. "Does the Prime Minister agree that the law should be applied equally to everyone, or should we be making exceptions for billionaire politicians?”

Mr Cameron responded by saying he too was "proud of representing a country which I think has some claim to say we are one of the most successful multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-faith countries in the world" but said he disagreed with her over banning Mr Trump.

"I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong and I think if he came to visit our country he'd unite us all against him," Mr Cameron said.

Of course, divisiveness unites us! Note also that all purveyors of hate-speech are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Winner: the pig's head

[Sean Gabb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am mentioned on pp.489 et seq of this. I am said to have “revealed” a “private correspondence” with Mr Cameron when he was trying to enter Parliament. I am not the kind of man who gets pompous and starts talking about lawyers. But I will say that Mr Ashcroft’s claim is false. I never reveal anything said to me in confidence. It may be one of my few redeeming features that whatever is said to me in private stays private.

I will put the record straight. Between 1999 and 2001, I ran the Candidlist campaign, which tried to classify every Conservative Member of Parliament and actual or prospective candidate according to his views on European Integration. This was perhaps the first successful use of the Internet in British politics. I helped end several political careers, and I helped several other people to get into Parliament. Whether, in retrospect, they deserved my help is a question I do not feel inclined here to discuss.

I was called last year by one of Mr Ashcroft’s ghostwriters. All I gave her was the correspondence with Mr Cameron from 2000 that I published at the time in full on The Candidlist website. Do a search for "Candidlist," and you will find it there still.

This aside, the reference to me is rather flattering. It achieves the impossible of making me sound like a serious player in this country’s politics.

[Kia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually really sad I've finished this book. It was so interesting to read about David's upbringing and personal life and made him seem a lot more relatable and human than when you simply see a man running the country.

What I loved about this book is that it wasn't filled with political jargon - unlike Margaret Thatchers autobiography. It was easy to just sit down and read rather than having to concentrate intently on every detail. I initially wanted to read this book to aid with knowledge on taking my politics a-level and I can honestly say it's helped a lot.

The only bad thing I could say about this book and why I didn't give it 5 stars is the fact it was too biased. Arguably you couldn't just publish a book slagging off the (past) Prime Minister, but I expected more scrutiny than praise on topics such as the conservatives policies on welfare, education and the NHS.

Overall, it was very enjoyable to read and is worth the time if you'd like to know more about David's upbringing, education and life at No. 10; it's made me want to read more about past Prime Ministers and I think after reading this book I'm going to start on Tony Blairs.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Borrowed this book and I'm glad I did because I could return it quickly.
After reading it for over half an hour I decided life was too short to persevere any longer.
Just was not my cup of tea I'm afraid.
Want to say I was not influenced in any way by the way I vote I just wanted to get a better insight into the man who was our Prime minister.
Lots of people loved this book and others where like me and didn't enjoy it either.
You will either love it or hate it and I guess it would be a boring world if we all loved the same things in life. It was just not for me.

[Sunil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the tabloid serialization of this book when it came out gave the impression this was damning – pigs heads and caviar. The book is actually surprisingly balanced. A lot of the time it is noted that what Cameron did in a certain situation was on balance reasonable. Cameron comes across as someone who is very privileged, confident and cliquey. He’s not into detail and doesn’t care passionately about any causes. He is very hard to pin down; he’s surprisingly clever and driven by work (does all his ministerial boxes between 5-7am) but also loves chillaxing on holiday. He is actually quite decent on the whole. It is slightly annoying that most of the book’s content has come from secret sources. This means you never really know if you can believe what this book is saying. The author will give the background to an event and then quote (often anonymous) people talking about it. This makes the book quite disjointed to read. I have given this such a high mark because I am a huge fan of political books more than this in and of itself being a good read.

[David Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book at over half price weeks after it was released - and I still feel cheated at the end of it. Grossly sensationalised while pretending to be serious analysis - they don't even have the courage of their convictions so raise smears while leaving it to the reader to make their mind up - at least unattributed crap about pigs seek to distract from the paucity of actual scholarship or evidence. Over half the book is taken up with Cameron getting to power - as neither author wishes to praise the PM, beyond the grudging conclusion that he may be a better pm than leader of the Tory party (there is a sense that they think that is the wrong order). The important sections - on how he managed to organise a coalition or win an unexpected election (even Lord ashcrofts election review is hardly edifying) - are skimmed over, in favour of lengthier chapters on gay marriage and other backbench Tory peeves. Shallow remains a benchmark that this volume can only aspire to.

[Sioned Raybould · Rating 2 out of 5]

In terms of this book being a 'good read' or interesting, I would give it five stars. However, the reliability of the sources are very much in question which consequently puts the reliability of the whole book in question. Regardless, I'm glad I read it. 2* for it being well written and interesting. -3* for the reliability.

[David Moftakhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eminently readable biography of a politician who never really stood for much and whose final gamble backfired in spectacular style.

[Kristi Priestley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a fascinating insight not just into the life of David Cameron, but also into the behind-closed-doors life of British politics! Would really recommend it!

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing that this was co-written by Michael Ashcroft who fell out with Cameron a few years ago I expected this book to be a hatchet job. It certainly isn't that. It gives a fairly balanced view of Cameron: his strengths and his weaknesses. It also gives more insight (for me at least) of some of the politics behind the major policy decisions of the coalition years, some of which really surprised me. The book didn't dispel my preconception that Cameron was a bit of a chancer, probably driven by his supreme self-confidence, and that in the end he took one chance too many. History of course will judge him by the long term consequences of that final gamble.
This is a very readable book, well researched with many, many detailed quotations from people who worked with or knew Cameron closely, many of them attributable but some not. It does make some speculations over various events in Cameron's career and allows the reader to decide but it doesn't big these up to be something they are not. If you read the revised version it contains an Appendix reproducing an analysis of Ashcroft's polling over the years of the coalition government which is fascinating.

[Myneck Myback, · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly biased. To put it plainly, it's putting lipstick on a pig... no stay back david not for you. If the voters get to call him Dave, my only question is what the farm animals get to call him? I'm sure he is far more aquainted with them than the voters, maybe they get to call him a sweet pet name? Shame he doesn't live in the barn with them.
So to sum up: leave those poor piggies alone
Oink Oink xx

[Wallace Runnymede · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not read it but I really appreciate what Lord Ashcroft did for the country!

[Heather Douglass · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my jam. Dense read, and kind of rough if not interested in British politics

[John Morton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative book

[Michael Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite its unverifiable and irrelevant comments, such as the infamous pig story,this is a very good book. Isobel Hardman writes well and unpicks the amant strands of one of Britain's most successful Prime Ministers. Fortunate with circumstances and his opponents' ability to chose some of the most inept and uninspiring political leaders in British history, the book shows hoe he acquired and used power until the hubris of the referendum. Michael Ashcroft's assessment of polling data is surprisingly balanced and interesting context,

[Bettie]

Furious: Samantha Cameron is said to be furious about an untrue claim about her private life and marriage to the Prime Minister set to be published on Monday in Lord Ashcroft's book Call Me Dave
Read More.

[Kei · Rating 4 out of 5]

A professionally written political entertainment. Strongly recommendable for those who are into the world / village / field of British politics in the recent years. Personally, the co-author's 'hot pursuit' was something to see :)

[Tanabrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante biografia del premier britannico, molte delle cose meno recenti non le sapevo o non le avevo notate.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, and I think it is more favourable towards Cameron than the media have implied

[Thomas Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came cross as a balanced review, the author highlights his good and bad sides. A bit less "private" references would even make it better. Anyway a good and interesting read.

[Jordan Eves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is essential to read if you have voted conservative during the time David has been the leader of The Conservative Party. I read the fully updated version.