The Blair Years: Extracts from the Alastair Campbell Diaries

I guess that the audiobook only contains a small fraction of the published book's 800 pages. That means it doesn't take that long to listen all the way through. There are quite a few large jumps in dates. Names of people aren't always explained - you need some background knowledge to realise who they all are. (Eg 'PM' = Peter Mandleson, 'CDS' = Chief of Defence Staff, 'Jonathan' = Jonathan Powell...). So you have to keep your wits about you.

But none of this detracts from the fascination of the many issues covered. I ended up with a feeling of a much better appreciation of many of the stories that have been in the press during the years Alastair Campbell worked alongside Tony Blair.

The narration is clear. In summary, it was a real pleasure to listen to it. I often had a wide smile on my face (eg listening to the encounters with Princess Diana) and sometimes a lump in my throat.

I was never much of a fan of Blair and Spin, but the diaries of the man behind a lot of the image are fascinating. Narrated by the downbeat and laconic Campell himself, all the best anecdotes are here, plus many that you might not have heard about. As an insight into how the country is run, this paints a human and surprising picture, exposing politics as how you might have feared it is as well as how you might have hoped it can be too. Very enjoyable, espescially Mandy's hissy fits, egotistical and thoroughly entertaining, I just wish it had been the unabridged version.

It's a great listen for your commute, however Alastair clearly holds back a lot when writing this, not much swearing unfortunately. Cherie Blair comes across as a bit of a wagon. If you like "The thick of it" you'll appreciate this.

Simply a brilliant listen. A real insight into the events that shaped all our lives.

They called him cold, sinister and a humourless control freak. Maybe he was but this biography delivered in flat measured northern tones unmasks the volatile cocktail of personalities that drove the new labour legacy. Campbells short diary notes emphasise his continuous doubts about his own abilities to control the main actors, deliver a concise new labour message and control his own self depressive character. More than just a diary of events or a write and tell expose this is a frank exposure of the darker moments that drove new labour throughout the nineties. Campbell is always fiercely loyal to Blair (TB) often at the expense of his own health and well-being. There is nothing new here. The events described in this book have been the carrion of the political journalists for a decade and it feels like what it is 'old news'. What this book describes perfectly is the emotional turmoil that raged behind the ruthlessly choreographed labour machine through some of the most momentous events of the Blair years.

A compelling read and even better delivered by Campbell himself in this audio format. For any armchair politician this is a must

The nature of a diary is that the context is not explained, and in the long term this will be this book's downfall. For this is fascinating stuff as long as you can recall what the story of the day was all about.

Surprising who came out well and who badly sometimes but the candour is refreshing and the author reads his tale well, with an urgency sometimes that really makes you feel you are seeing a story unfold.

A wise man once said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this book proves this. It tries to explain why each decision, good or bad, was the lesser of two evils, but of course it would, wouldn't it.
My main criticism however, is not a political one, but that the author reads the whole book in a bored monotone, and by the sound of it, in desperate need of a glass of water.

The book itself however, gave a fascinating, if naturally one sided insight into how the British government was run for a decade.

What a disappointment - rather than an interesting delve into the early days of Spin and the Blair government we're treated to a monotone moaning of a self centred man. Even the history making and emotional movements such as the death of Diana are turned into a glib egocentric bullet points.

Save your money/credit.

very reveling about tony and his goverment u need to read this or hear it