I recently finished reading Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart, a political tell-all for the former British MP, who, quite frankly, I had never heard of before reading this book.
I’m not one for memoirs, and even less keen on political ones. One day I will finish My Life by Bill Clinton and Meditations by Marcus Aureleuis, so it is surprising that I started with this one. Mr Stewart was an MP for ~6 years, ran for PM, but was ultimately unsuccessful to Boris Johnson, and lost his seat soon afterwards. His most successful portfolio while an MP was Prisons, which is an important, although largely forgotten, assignment.
I enjoyed the book, particularly the first two thirds, where we charts his life path from working in Afghanistan, to his decision to run for the Penrith and Borders seat, 350 miles from Westminster right next to Scotland. While there are moments of joy and inspiration, there are equally moments of sadness. As Mr Stewart explains; MPs are selected by their local branch not usually based on their qualities or services to the community, but their willingness to door knock constituents. The more doors you knock on, the more likely you will be “next in line”. Appalling.
For Rory, through a twist of fate he DID win nomination, and ultimately joined the Conservative Party on the backbenches. Throughout the book, he praises a handful of colleagues, but the juciest parts are where he digs in to those he dislikes or openly despises.
David Cameron gets his fair share of criticism, as does Liz Truss, but both of them skate through relatively unharmed. It is Boris Johnson, his colleague, rival, and ultimately leader, who gets the full brunt. From the get go, Rory considers Boris to be a charlatan, a buffoon, and most of all, a liar. History seems to be on his side.
These books aren’t history. It is clear that the author is trying to impress himself to the reader, and he goes into details about his unwavering commitment to his constituents and his nation. He probably did do a fair bit, but it does come across a bit strong.
Overall, I enjoyed it, and I would have voted for Mr Stewart. However, it was clear why he didn’t become Prime Minister in his ill-fated attempt to grab the throne when Theresa May stood down. He might have been the right man for the job – his heart was certainly in the right place – but luck, circumstance, and public mood just weren’t in his corner.
And you need luck to win.
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