We love it when you buy the exclusive insider story of one of the most exciting moments in modern political history and the author, as well as producing his fascinating report of the birth of the coalition government, cares enough to add flavour to the already delicious menu of events.
David Laws, speaking last night on BBC Somerset, was asked by political reporter Ruth Bradley why he included so much detail, even down to times and locations of meetings, to which he replied that it adds to the "richness of the tapestry". Yes David! We’re literature people, and we love that. Ruth herself even seemed to agree, noting that the mood came across effectively.
22 Days in May is the unique account of the days that formed our current coalition government, including some quite startling revelations about the negotiations of the Liberal Democrats with the two lobbying parties. Bradley wasted no time in getting to these "juicy bits" (her words, not ours, although they look great on this blog and work with this extended metaphor about food).
When asked whether Labour took the talks seriously, the author said that "Gordon Brown was quite serious about seeing if he could stay in power... as was Lord Adonis". However, whilst the Conservatives were making "all sorts of concessions", not only were various select members of the Labour camp "difficult to deal with" but Laws says he felt there were "a number of comments meant to sabotage the negotiations". He even claims that Ed Balls directly stated "there are many Labour MPs who won’t like these ideas", planting the notion that the Party would not be behind any form of coalition in its entirety.
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Aside from these tasty morsels, Bradley also asked the author whether he was at some point planning to return to frontline politics, as David Cameron’s letter to him, which is included in the book, states that the PM hopes he will consider coming back:
‘I’m happy with the job I’m doing . . . in the meantime I will lobby strongly for the things I think the government should be doing [including] extra money for schools in the most disadvantaged circumstances.’
For the full three courses, you can buy David Laws’ 22 Days in May in paperback and e-book formats for £9.99 and £4.60, respectively.