Diary of an MP's Wife: Inside and Outside Power: 'riotously candid' Sunday Times
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- Create Date：2021-06-27 00:51:10
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sasha Swire
- ISBN：0349144400
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Summary
What is it like to be a wife of a politician in modern-day Britain？ Sasha Swire finally lifts the lid。
For more than twenty years she has kept a secret diary detailing the trials and tribulations of being a political plus-one， and gives us a ringside seat at the seismic political events of the last decade。 A professional partner and loyal spouse， Swire has strong political opinions herself – sometimes more ‘No， Minister’ than ‘Yes’。 She detonates the stereotype of the dutiful wife。
From shenanigans in Budleigh Salterton to state banquets at Buckingham Palace， gun-toting terrorist busters in pizza restaurants to dinners in Downing Street sitting next to Boris Johnson， Devon hedges to partying with City hedgies， she observes the great and the not-so-great at the closest of quarters。 The results are painfully revealing and often hilariously funny。 Here are the friendships and the fall-outs， the general elections and the leadership contests， the scandals and the rivalries。 Swire showed up， shored up and rarely shut up。 She also wrote it all down。
Diary of an MP’s Wife is a searingly honest， wildly indiscreet and often uproarious account of what life is like in the thick of it。
For more than twenty years she has kept a secret diary detailing the trials and tribulations of being a political plus-one， and gives us a ringside seat at the seismic political events of the last decade。 A professional partner and loyal spouse， Swire has strong political opinions herself – sometimes more ‘No， Minister’ than ‘Yes’。 She detonates the stereotype of the dutiful wife。
From shenanigans in Budleigh Salterton to state banquets at Buckingham Palace， gun-toting terrorist busters in pizza restaurants to dinners in Downing Street sitting next to Boris Johnson， Devon hedges to partying with City hedgies， she observes the great and the not-so-great at the closest of quarters。 The results are painfully revealing and often hilariously funny。 Here are the friendships and the fall-outs， the general elections and the leadership contests， the scandals and the rivalries。 Swire showed up， shored up and rarely shut up。 She also wrote it all down。
Diary of an MP’s Wife is a searingly honest， wildly indiscreet and often uproarious account of what life is like in the thick of it。
Reviews
Amicus （David Barnett）
，
Fascinating book！
Rookie
，
I’m a remainer， pro-EU and inclined to vote Lib Dem。 So it must be that the book was really， really funny for me to have enjoyed it as much as I did。 But not the end。 That did not seem wholly authentic。PS。 And please tell me that the line about Suella Braverman being clever was intentionally the funniest line in the book
Helen
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This is very enjoyable。 There are some very funny anecdotes and lots of gossip， especially amusing accounts of events involving royalty （no surprises there）。 I wouldn't say it exactly lifts the lid on anything we don't already know about the political scene， but it does confirm some of it。 Some of these people are simply ghastly， spoiled and greedy and selfish， playing games which have such a serious impact on other people's lives while being largely cushioned from the effect they have。 Sasha Sw This is very enjoyable。 There are some very funny anecdotes and lots of gossip， especially amusing accounts of events involving royalty （no surprises there）。 I wouldn't say it exactly lifts the lid on anything we don't already know about the political scene， but it does confirm some of it。 Some of these people are simply ghastly， spoiled and greedy and selfish， playing games which have such a serious impact on other people's lives while being largely cushioned from the effect they have。 Sasha Swire is not a straightforward "typical" Tory， though - there are conflicts of opinion， some astute predictions， and there is self-awareness which is sorely wanting in some others。 She has been criticised elsewhere for the phrase "the Jewish lobby infiltrating parliament" but in context it's clear that this is referring to a pro-Israeli faction， not the same thing but a tricky one which trips many up （more usually on the left） and would have benefited from being rephrased。 She is so so accurate in her succinct summary of gatherings of the party faithful （the elderly membership， that is， not the ones close to the action） - not that I know her husband's former constituency but it sounds very much like others。 She is inconsistent in some things - believes countries should be able to determine their own future， is sympathetic to the Catalans， but horrified at the idea of the Scots doing so。 Her views on Brexit include jeering at predictions that Kent will have lorry parks built all over it - time has already rather proved them right。 The diary is particularly interesting on the mess and fallout from the 2016 referendum， the failure to plan anything （while playing the aforementioned games）， the extraordinary period of Theresa May's premiership and the beginning of Boris Johnson's。 COVID has changed the picture somewhat since then （how do all these wealthy people cope when unable to pop off to Ibiza or Greece to party all weekend or visit their spare houses？） I do so hope that there is someone still on the inside keeping a similar diary on the current shenanigans in the corridors of power。 。。。more
Jerry Green
，
A wildly enjoyable book about some of the most odious people in Britain。 It’s no wonder we are in such a mess with COVID and Brexit when politics is a game played by the rich and privileged whilst they worry about how they are going to make serious money when they move on。
Judith Bowen
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