The problem when you are asked to review a political biography is: do you review the book or the subject? I will try and do both.
Let me say at the outset that this is a good read. Or rather, it becomes a good read. The book is written chronologically and the first 40 pages or so on Ed Miliband’s early life are interesting context in terms of understanding character, but are a bit dull. Actually that is not fair: the early years stuff would have worked better if it featured a bit later in the book after you had been drawn in. Because what you really want is to get to the bits about Miliband in government; relationships with Gordon Brown, Ed Balls and David Miliband; and of course the leadership contest. And it is worth waiting for.
The prose is readable, pacey and seems well researched. There is lots of good insight into the tensions and drama at the top of the party in the run-up to and after the 2010 election. It feels like it has been written in a rush – which of course it has. But that is all to the good as it feels very current and relevant. Many of the events have been written about before but there are lots of new insights. I enjoyed it and did not want to put it down.
But at the heart of the book there is a flaw. Mehdi Hasan and James Macintyre cannot decide if theirs is a book written by journalists or Miliband sympathisers. At times the book is devastating for Miliband as he comes across as having little experience beyond the dysfunctional world of Brownite Labour politics. And then there appears to be a deliberate attempt to balance this with some helpful explanation of Miliband’s virtues, likability and enlightened approach to the post TB-GB world.
The truth is that there is something in here for everyone. Miliband supporters will point to examples of his decisiveness, clarity of political thinking and belief in moving on from New Labour. Opponents will point to his geekiness, fratricide and closeness to Brown. On balance this is a good read, but I suspect Miliband would prefer that it had not been written.
Peter Watt is former general secretary of the Labour party