Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant

by Barbara Hosking

From the tragic massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, to signing the Treaty of Rome when Britain entered the Common Market, Barbara Hosking was there. This is the story of a Cornish scholarship girl with no contacts who ended up in the corridors of power. It is also the very personal story of her struggle with her sexuality as a bewildered teenager, and as a young woman in the 1950s, a time when being gay could mean social ostracism. Born during the General Strike in 1926, Barbara Hosking worked her way through London's typing pools in the 1950s to executive posts in the Labour Party, then to No. 10 as a press officer to Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. Between working on a copper mine in the African bush, pioneering British breakfast television and negotiating the complexities of government, hers has been a life of breadth and bravery. Looking back at the age of ninety-one, this is Barbara Hosking's unheard-of account of the innermost workings of politics and the media amid the turbulence of twentieth-century Britain.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, LGBT, Politics, Biography

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2017

About the author

Barbara Hosking is a retired British broadcaster and civil servant.

Reviews

[Julian Tooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I was very impressed by the speech that Barbara did at the Stonewall Conference in London. At her best, she has a warm, self-deprecating and humane authorial voice. At its worst the book can feel like a self-indulgent account of events which, although not humdrum, are not particularly fascinating either. It’s hard to be too critical of the book though because the writer is so likeable.

[Adam Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made an 11 hour flight a more bearable. Barbara has an unbelievably interesting life but her gift is writing about it in a casual, straightforward and no showy way. From humble beginnings pre-WWII in Cornwall, she exudes that independent spirits you so often find down there. From moving to London as a gay women in a very different time, frequenting bars and clubs with prostitutes and gangsters that often wound up in trouble or dead, Barbara navigating her way through a fascinating communications scene, first witting about film and cinema. One constant is Barbara’s ability to work hard and get stuck in and this drive earns her a place working at transport house, then Labour Party HQ. Whilst navigating this world with style and class, always stopping to notice and appreciate the bustling culture scene of London, she comes close to entering the house as an MP after a stint in local government, even getting as far as being selected as a candidate by the local Labour Party. But she had a different path set out for her, a career as a civil servant. She dances from department to department slowing increasing in seniority and discussed many of the same problems we see today. She becomes personal friends with Harold Wilson and ted heath after stints working at number 10 but winds up chief information officer at the department of the environment. Then after an illustrious career she moves to the IBA with a healthy corporate salary. A first member of the UK’s version to the international women’s conference (IWC). Finally writing this memoir well into her 90’s, her birthday celebrations have been visited by not one but two prime ministers and oozes class with modesty that the British are world renowned for. Highly recommend this fascinating read!

[Sophie Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a book club and it’s not one I’d usually pick up. Being a civil servant myself, and working in communications much like Barbara did, I had a personal interest in her experiences. I enjoyed that she never forced herself into a certain career path, and that she remained flexible and open to any opportunities as and when they came about. She also taught me a great lesson in the book about the value of networking with people! I enjoyed the book but I did feel it could’ve benefited from some more personal elements e.g. more about what it was like being closeted for so long etc.

[Karen Keane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book I would normally read, I read it as part of a book challenge and this one was the book on a topic I would not normally read. It really surprised me, it’s a book about politics and journalism, wrote by a very interesting, indeed pioneering woman, who is now in her 90’s. Spanning from 1927 to the present time, Barbara Hosking tells her story as a gay woman working in a male dominated world and work force, it was really interesting and well worth reading.

[Sukru Haskan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having met Barbara for few hours during the 150th year celebration of Political Committee at Reform Club, I found herself and this book fascinating and a guide to British history in the 20th and 21st century! It only took me less than a day to read the whole book as the events flows through so smoothly.

[John Hobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. she was a great guest on BBC radio 3 Private Passions. I enjoyed the accounts of her working with Wilson and Heath. I'd have liked more from the heart rather than a CV and the prose didn't leap off the page. A remarkable woman none the less and I'm glad that the book is generally well received.

[eòlach-cèille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bits and pieces of days gone by. A regular memoir. If you have no idea who Barbara Hosking was (which I didn't) and if you are not a historian of British civil service or the British society of the 20th century, you can spend a night or two busying your mind with this fly-by over decades if you have nothing else to read. But if you do have something else to read, prioritise that.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting woman and life - lots of adventures

[Bee Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

largely interesting (excluding the nuances about public broadcasting) autoobiography from a 90+ year old, British, civil servant who spent time in Labour govt. and 10 Downing street

[Katie Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous! A must read for public sector press officers or anyone interested in UK politics

[Paul Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read - an amazing career

[Kate Goodenough · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional woman, and a well written memoir

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible memoir which should arguably be read by everyone who is involved in politics. So much to be learnt in a genuinely lovely read

[Darla Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good as a combination adventure, culture and history story. The heroine has worn many "hats".

[Jo O'Riordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on it, it was rather slow.