Although the title of this book is a deliberate reference to the Crossman Diaries, it is more reminiscent of Chris Mullin’s recent three volumes of diaries. Like Mullin, and unlike Crossman, Spicer never reached the cabinet, but – like Mullin – he served in numerous junior ministerial positions and was also a member of a …

Despite being an enormous enthusiast of Labour history, I was surprised by this pamphlet about the MP, Bessie Braddock (1899-1970). While its subtitle is her ‘Life and Work’, it is more an essay on her loves (husband Jack, Liverpool, boxing and entertainers) and hates (Stalin, the CP, Michael Foot and alcohol) with hardly a word …

A timely new book challenges the received wisdom in economics. It was the Queen who asked the big question in the aftermath of the financial crisis – why did nobody see it coming? Many of the world’s most distinguished economists took upthe challenge, with varying degrees of success. The basic answer was that they couldn’t …

A more disparate group of authors than found in Blue or Purple books, this collection seeks to throw out an eclectic range of ‘lessons learnt’ plus thoughts for the future from activists and parliamentarians. The book’s weaknesses are: firstly, that Europe, the economy and internationalism get hardly a mention despite the ex-Tory contributor’s urgings;  secondly, …