A brilliant new release for you this week. In this charming and poignant memoir, the 13th Earl Ferrers – ‘a farmer who got caught up in the slipstream of politics’ – reflects on a life very well lived. Alongside contemplative musings on politics, religion, relationships and the meaning of life are humorous anecdotes – on his aristocratic upbringing at Staunton Harold in the 1930s, high jinks at Winchester and Cambridge, national service in the jungle of Malaya and his time as minister in every Conservative Government from Macmillan to Major.
Drawing on nearly sixty years of public service, Whatever Next? recounts captivating tales of the ups and downs of Westminster life – including choice nuggets of original correspondence, cartoons and poems – from a peer with a real twinkle in his eye.
‘A fascinating commentary, not only on seventeen years of Tory power, seen through the eyes of a man admired and respected on both sides of the House, but on so much more too, because it reminds us of a period in our history when public service was the norm, and not the exception.’ – Jeffrey Archer
‘Robin Ferrers was a unique House of Lords minister, held in the highest affection throughout the House. His book reflects these qualities and is as instructive as it is amusing.’ – The Marquess of Salisbury