Diary of an MP's wife
Inside and Outside Power
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Diary of an MP's wife
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Narrated by:
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Leo Merton
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By:
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Sasha Swire
About this listen
Sunday Times Political Book of the Year
A Book of the Year pick in the New Statesman, Financial Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Mail on Sunday and The Times
Pick of 2020 by Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
What is it like to be a wife of a politician in modern-day Britain? Sasha Swire finally lifts the lid.
For more than twenty years she has kept a secret diary detailing the trials and tribulations of being a political plus-one, and gives us a ringside seat at the seismic political events of the last decade. A professional partner and loyal spouse, Swire has strong political opinions herself - sometimes more 'No, Minister' than 'Yes'. She detonates the stereotype of the dutiful wife.
From shenanigans in Budleigh Salterton to state banquets at Buckingham Palace, gun-toting terrorist busters in pizza restaurants to dinners in Downing Street sitting next to Boris Johnson, Devon hedges to partying with City hedgies, she observes the great and the not-so-great at the closest of quarters. The results are painfully revealing and often hilariously funny. Here are the friendships and the fall-outs, the general elections and the leadership contests, the scandals and the rivalries. Swire showed up, shored up and rarely shut up. She also wrote it all down.
Diary of an MP's Wife is a searingly honest, wildly indiscreet and often uproarious account of what life is like in the thick of it.
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A gossipy, amusing, opinionated account of what it's like to be married to an MP... Good fun and eye-opening." (The Times)
"Riotously candid." (Decca Aitkenhead, Sunday Times)
What listeners say about Diary of an MP's wife
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dennis Sommers
- 26-09-20
What’a all the fuss about?
Wha absolutely. Makes this book come to life is the utterly brilliant reading. It’s an emotionally honest account, from a more than competent writer of an important time in our lives, which, unfortunately runs the risk of getting buried under the turn of subsequent events rather too quickly. Not my politics or my class, but a well observed and good-humoured narrative with enough diversion from into matters of lasting value to lift it out of mere journalism.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L. V. Smith
- 19-05-21
Fabulous
Brilliantly read, brilliantly written. Hilarious, horrifying and enlightening. Loved every minute of this insider account.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 24-09-21
Nice surprise!
Pleasantly surprised at how listenable this was. Enjoyed Leo’s excellent vocal caricatures of Tory MPs.
The writing is of a decent quality throughout, although occasional lapses into the overly poetic detract rather than enhancing. Plenty of wit and originality - a finely tweaked aphorism here, a subtle barb there - and an underlying sense of people not taking themselves or their deeds too seriously, encapsulated in the almost elegiac final paragraphs.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- little rock
- 12-09-21
Does Sasha have any friends….
Diaries and autobiographies are not my preferred listen but this has certainly broken the mould. Absolutely loved it! She has confirmed my belief that there are very few Tories in the conserving party who are in power.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. A. J. Pushkarev
- 13-09-22
author's staggering lack of self awareness.
The book contains some interesting political snippets. Overall it is a damning narrative illustrating the priorities, experiences and attitudes held by the most awful people in power. it is a really uncomfortable listen. All the way through I just kept thinking how unhappy this woman is, which makes her company so difficult to enjoy.
re narration, do people really pronounce polling like that?
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mitty
- 09-11-20
Lots of Interesting Gossip!
Ok so it's nothing really shocking, but it did put a lot of context into the period after the referendum - Interesting to hear how strings were being pulled to sabotage negotiations - I enjoyed it, not heavy and very easy to dip in and out of - the lady reading it is excellent - often making me chuckle out loud!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Justine M
- 31-03-21
Hilarious!
This book is a fabulous window into the behind the scenes horse trading of politics but I didn’t expect it to be quite so funny. It is genuinely hilarious. Also loved the narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Joanne I.
- 07-05-21
A rollicking read...
But if anything is designed to put you off politics, it’s this book! Not a sympathetic character amongst the all star cast.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- r
- 07-10-20
Riverting
This is a great book that is both elating and depressing. Depressing because it really portrays how vacuous and thin skinned some politicians are but elating because Sasha writes with incredible humour and wit. Some people will dislike her political views but this is an honest and hilarious account of the Cameron years and after.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gurujay
- 12-01-21
Fascinating and brave
An inciteful well written tale. Brave because the author will have lost many friends by wounding the vanities of fragile egos.
Sadly, spoiled by the irritating voice of the reader. How could SS have permitted herself to be portrayed in this way?
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