A copy of this came included with my ticket to hear Teresa May speak at the Ilkley Literature Festival, so unusually for me it’s a book that wasn’t recommended via a review or a friend. Therefore I had few expectations before picking it up, and now I’ve finished it I’m still a little unsure what I think.
May was and still is a serious politician who really does seem to believe in wielding the responsibilities of a senior role in the government with the thoughtfulness and care they demand. The book isn’t the usual memoir, but instead covers various examples of abuses of power, largely focussed on those in which she was directly involved as an MP, then Home Secretary and finally as Prime Minister.
Her writing style is somewhat dry, which isn’t a great surprise, but I did find myself compelled to turn the page. I feel her choice to avoid this being a memoir, and instead aim to write a book that could make a difference is admirable but perhaps she tipped the scale too far – there are relatively few insights into the behind the scenes detail she was involved in, and a similar dearth of her personal thoughts and emotions at key moments in history. Much of the content could have been written by a third party observer using media reports, public documents, and Wikipedia.
And there are times when the solutions she espouses and urges others to take up clash with her own actions in office. For example, she talks about the need for political parties and leaders to:
… give rather more thought to who would make good ministers… Ministers need to put in the time and effort to get to know their briefs… It’s not about them, it’s about what they deliver for the public.
This from the Prime Minister who selected Boris Johnson to be Foreign Secretary, and Liz Truss as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
