Memoirs

by Douglas Hurd

A political memoir by a man who has been at the heart of the British government for a generation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

640 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Douglas Hurd, Baron (born 1930), is an English Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995.

Born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, Hurd first entered parliament in February 1974, as MP for the Mid Oxfordshire constituency. His first government post was as Minister for Europe, and he served in several cabinet posts from 1984 onwards, including Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1984-85), Home Secretary (1985-89) and Foreign Secretary (1989-95). He stood unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party leadership in 1990 and retired from frontline politics during a cabinet re-shuffle in 1995.

In 1997, Hurd entered the House of Lords. Viewed as one of the Conservative Party's senior elder statesmen, he is a patron of the Tory Reform Group, and remains an active figure in public life. Hurd is a writer of political thrillers including The Image in the Water, and a collection of short stories in Ten Minutes to Turn the Devil.

Reviews

[chucklesthescot]

I'm gradually getting through a ton of political memoirs, starting at the moment with the Conservatives who were in the cabinet of Thatcher. Douglas Hurd was long seen as one of the steady pairs of hands in government and it was interesting to see his opinion on all of the major issues in the political scene during that time. He writes the book well and is obviously intelligent, with a good way of communicating the facts and opinions without it becoming boring. Another enjoyable read.

[Tim]

Hurd, one of the most distinguished politicians in the late twentieth century, held three cabinet posts including two of the big three Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

The son and grandson of Tory MPs, he attended Eton, Cambridge , worked in the diplomatic service and in Ted Heath's office during the time he became PM in 1970.

Hurd was himself elected to Parliament in 1974 and although we get an overview of the events of the time we never really know how he FEELS, the book lacks emotion - the events are retold as a series of events only.

This includes his relationship with his first wife when they divorce, the suicide of his brother, the IRA attack on the Brighton hotel, his unsuccessful attempt to become PM in 1990, etc.

Hurd retired from Government in 1995 and the section of the book does briefly show his emotion at the parting but swiftly moves on to his city career and his second wife's cancer. The story ends in 2003 but he is still alive at the time of writing in 2021 at the age of 91. I wonder if he has read Proust yet?

If you want a deep dive into the workings of the Government and the personalities in the Thatcher and Major governments then this probably is the wrong book.

Just an aside I actually met the author on two occasions, firstly when I interviewed him in his plush London office for my dissertation and secondly when he received an honorary degree at my degree ceremony. He was a thoroughly likable slightly upper class country gent.