95 Review Jones Leonard a History of British Prime Ministers

not above cutting corners and indulg- ing in sharp practice, from time to time’ Reviews (p. 476). And due attention is paid here to Gladstone’s absorbing passion for rescuing fallen women, a near obses- All prime ministers competently surveyed sive proclivity which continued into his advanced old age. in a single tome Leonard’s assessment of Herbert Dick Leonard, A History of British Prime Ministers (Omnibus Edition): Asquith is admirably fair-minded and balanced, underlining his undoubted Walpole to Cameron (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) ‘mixed legacy’ to posterity. On the one Review by Dr J. Graham Jones hand, he deserves to be remembered ‘as a pioneer, whose achievements have rever- berated down the years, paving the way his omnibus edition of Dick of the ‘greasy pole’ of British political for the welfare state legislation of the Leonard’s British Premiers tril- life. He balances their merits and demer- Attlee government in 1945–51, as well as Togy, surveys the lives and careers its, looks at their successes and failures Blair’s constitutional reforms (especially of all the fifty-three prime ministers during their terms of office, and enquires concerning the House of Lords) in 1997’. between Sir Robert Walpole (1721–42) how long their impact will possibly last. But he is also described, with exemplary and David Cameron (2010–16), bringing Alongside the official story, interesting fairness, as ‘the last of the nineteenth- to life the political achievements and also snippets of information are recounted century Liberals’, and one who must bear the personal idiosyncrasies of Britain’s on the private and personal lives of the ‘some responsibility for the eclipse of rulers over nearly three centuries. PMs. Although he was briefly a Labour the once mighty Liberal Party’. As the Dick Leonard is well known as a pro- MP himself, Dick Leonard displays author, wholly reasonably points out, ‘It lific political journalist and sometime no obvious partisanship when dealing is arguable, though far from certain, that Labour MP. He has published more with recent premiers. Blair is described it would have been replaced, in any event, than twenty volumes, some of these in as ‘a fallen idol’, Brown as an uncertain by the nascent Labour Party’ (p. 548). joint authorship. Journal readers may and paranoid premier, and Cameron as Dick Leonard is clearly an avid fan well recall his enthralling joint biogra- ‘Blair in a minor key’. Journal readers will of David Lloyd George. Although fully phy, The Great Rivalry: Gladstone & Dis- undoubtedly savour the scholarly, sub- aware of ‘the Goat’s’ weaknesses and raeli, a Dual Biography (I. B. Tauris, 2013), stantial essays on Palmerston, Gladstone, excesses, he marks him out as ‘probably reviewed by the present writer in the Asquith and Lloyd George. the most gifted of all the prime ministers Journal of Liberal History (85). And this lat- It is indeed instructive to compare the of the twentieth century, and he had per- est offering, aptly termed an ‘Omnibus Grand Old Man, Gladstone, who was haps a greater influence on people’s lives Edition’, is a composite amalgam of three almost 59 years of age when he formed than any other politician’. In support of previous sequential volumes written his first ministry in 1868 (out of four this, the author refers to his introduction by Leonard, namely Eighteenth-Century which ended in 1894 when he was aged of old age pensions, national insurance British Premiers, Nineteenth-Century Brit- 85), and David Lloyd George who was and other welfare benefits, ‘curbing’ the ish Premiers, and A Century of Premiers. In still aged only 59 and still at the height of excessive powers of the Upper House, addition, the chapters on the last three his political powers, when he was ejected and his role in securing victory in the prime ministers – Tony Blair, Gordon from 10 Downing Street in the autumn First World War (p. 567). Brown and David Cameron – have been of 1922, destined to spend the rest of his substantially revised and updated for this days, more than twenty-two long years, new edition. generally unrewardingly in the political The fifty-two men and (at the time wilderness. of writing – July 2016) one woman who Especially useful are the short bib- have held the office of prime minister of liographies of the most useful works the United Kingdom are all given a sin- appended to each article, and the source gle chapter in this marvellously authori- of some, but by no means all, of the tative and highly readable manual, direct quotations are helpfully noted in clearly the result of wide, thoughtful the main text. This is the kind of book immersion in so many scholarly volumes which it is exceptionally useful to have and reference works. All the entries are to hand and it will certainly stimu- informative, well composed and pithily late and expedite further reading and succinct. The less well-known premiers research on these figures. are not at all neglected by comparison The author is also to be applauded for with the leading figures. It deserves to be his knack of summing up the careers of used widely alongside the entries on the each successive prime minister in a few prime ministers in the Oxford Dictionary words or sentences. W. E. Gladstone, we of National Biography. are told, was ‘more than any other Brit- In each successive chapter, the author ish leader, strongly and publicly moti- probes the various circumstances which vated by his Christian beliefs which were propelled each prime minister to the top undoubtedly sincere, though he was Journal of Liberal History 95 Summer 2017 35 Reviews A fascinating ‘Appendix’ (pp. 852–59) achieved a great deal at both of course. John Smith have colluded in rather is a notably engrossing read, providing The infamous Lloyd George Politi- underhand fashion with George W. statistics on the age of each prime minis- cal Fund is described as ‘a private fund Bush to take the country into the Iraqi ter on first attaining the office, the dates entirely controlled by himself’ (p. 565), War and lived to pay the price? Scarcely of each successive ministry, detailed to but its control was, at least nominally, believable. the exact day, and the total time which in fact vested in a group of trustees or Although the reviewer might well each spent in the prime ministerial office. scrutineers. cavil at the total lack of illustrative mate- Details of spouses and offspring are also The chapter on Stanley Baldwin, too, rial in the book, it is an engrossing read, included in this section. contains some overstatements. Bald- and the general standard of accuracy is Sir Robert Walpole’s record of 20 win did not singlehandedly ‘destroy very high indeed throughout. At £20 years and 314 days in prime ministerial one coalition government under Lloyd for a paperback edition, it is also very office still, wholly predictably, stands, George’ in 1922 (p. 592), although he did reasonably priced for a tome running and is indeed highly likely to do so. contribute to its downfall at the Carlton to 881 pages which must have tested the Of the twentieth-century premiers, Club meeting. And it seems a gross exag- skill of the bookbinders to its limits. The Andrew Bonar Law (209 days in 1922–23) geration to claim that, had Baldwin not hardback edition, published in 2014, had and Sir Alec Douglas Home (362 days insisted on pursuing his annual vacation a price tag of £140 and included photo- in 1963–64) were the only two premiers at Aix-les-Bains in the high summer of graphs of the premiers. Leonard’s survey to serve in office for less than a year in 1931, then the idea of forming a national generally lacks an analytical dimension, the top job. Lady Thatcher’s extremely government would ‘probably’ ‘have been but it provides the best general account lengthy 11 years and 209 days in office (‘I nipped in the bud’ (pp. 592–93). And we have of the fifty-two men and one want to go on and on and on’, she once Baldwin’s key role in bringing about the woman who have held the office of said!) was the lengthiest prime ministe- enforced abdication of King Edward VII prime minister. As such, it is a consider- rial term of office since Lord Liverpool in December 1936 is certainly under- able achievement, which should appeal (14 years, 305 days) in 1812–27, before the played at the end of the chapter (p. 594). to a wide readership. It will serve its passage of the First Reform Act in 1832. Again, Dick Leonard is rather harsh purpose well for a long while, although Lord Liverpool was aged just 42 years on the deceased Labour Party leader a new Tory prime minister is being and 1 day when he first took up office, John Smith – ‘He lacked Blair’s cha- selected as I write these very words. but Tony Blair and David Cameron were risma, and would not have gone nearly only a little older. By far the youngest of so far in reforming the Labour Party. … Dr J. Graham Jones was formerly Senior the lot, of course was William Pitt the Had he survived, the Tories might well Archivist and Head of the Welsh Political Younger, aged just 24 years, 205 days, in have done rather better’ in the general Archive at the National Library of Wales, 1783. It would have been interesting and election of May 1997 (p. 793). But would Aberystwyth. helpful if the author had added the age of each PM at the time of his death.

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