Cash for quotations: The memoirs of Peter Mandelson and Tony Blair

Abstract

The memoirs of leading politicians vary in quality and historical veracity. As such they are rightly treated with caution by students of politics. However, this does not mean that they should be treated with indifference: a close reading of such volumes can yield useful insights into ideology and institutions as well as specific individuals. The autobiographies of Lord Mandelson and Tony Blair are not exceptions to this rule, whatever the motivations which lay behind their production. On balance, the Blair book is more informative about the workings of contemporary British government, but Mandelson's The Third Man is the more satisfying and revealing account of the New Labour project.