Читать книгу The British Prime Minister in an Age of Upheaval - Mark Garnett - Страница 7

Writing a book is always a memorable experience, and not always in a positive way. An author, perhaps, can be forgiven for recalling the progress of a project from the initial proposal to the submission of a manuscript – and long-suffering publishers might wish that they could forget it. But if any book includes more than a brief reference to the production process it is usually a sure sign that the writer is suffering from an over-inflated ego.

On this occasion, however, a few words about the pre-history of the book seem to be justified. It originated in an invigorating conversation with Louise Knight, beginning with reflections on the political situation of the time and ending with a blurred outline of this book. It was September 2018, when the position of the Prime Minister, Theresa May, had already been the subject of considerable speculation for more than a year. In my innocence, I thought that it might be an appropriate occasion to take stock of developments in the prime ministerial role since 1979. More than once in the intervening months, I have wondered if the old curse should be adapted: to my (probably self-interested) mind, ‘May you try to write a book about the Prime Minister in interesting times’ seems far more menacing than the original version. Although the research began in 2018, the actual composition of the book has taken place during the ‘lockdown’ induced by the coronavirus pandemic.

In September 2018 Mrs May had already been the central figure in the most momentous events in British politics since 1945; and since her departure from office in the following summer almost every news bulletin seems to have featured developments which would have deserved inclusion in a study of the prime ministerial role in ‘normal’ times. Rather than demanding a reconsideration of the whole project, it seemed (to the author, at least) that these happenings, properly understood, confirmed the line of argument in my formal proposal for this book, which was written at a time when the British government felt able to disregard contingency planning for the onset of a viral pandemic. In order to remain true to the original plan (and to stay within the word-limit), developments since May’s resignation are outlined in the concluding chapter.

Louise and her colleague Inès Boxman at Polity have exercised considerable patience while I waited (in vain) for a respite from events which were all too likely to have a significant impact on the argument of this book. I am very grateful to both of them; to my colleagues and friends at Lancaster University (especially David Denver and Richard Johnson); to Dick Leonard, who has written with such erudition and eloquence on every one of Britain’s Prime Ministers; and to the students who subjected themselves in 2019–20 to my module on this subject. I am particularly sorry that I took so long to finish the book, preventing me from forcing those students to buy it.