A Fortunate Life: the Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown PDF Book

A FORTUNATE LIFE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF PADDY ASHDOWN PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

The man revealed here is that rarity - a politician not terribly interested in power - which makes this book very likable and rather frustrating. Article bookmarked Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile Don't show me this message again. The "shameless inactivity of my country" in the face of the "beasts of intolerance and bigotry" still rankles, as does his own failure, early on, to read the likes of Radovan Karadic: "I still believed, naively, that it must be possible to see great evil in a man's face. I bought this book just after he passed away before Christmas , in a desire to know more about him. Those seeking Machiavellian insights should look elsewhere. But what was clear, even then, is that whether Blair was or was not sincere in seeming to agree to this deal, the other two in Labour's Big Three of formed a formidable defensive line. Cancel Post. Politics books Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown reviews. Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues. Average rating 4. Apr 27, Tim rated it it was amazing Shelves: biography , britain , politics. Details if other :. Want an ad-free experience? No other British political leader of the postwar generation has led a life as varied, adventurous, and dramatic as Paddy Ashdown. UK Politics. David Pearce rated it it was amazing Mar 29, Kevin Partner rated it really liked it Nov 10, Money Deals. Friday April 24 , 1. Tech culture. Please try again, the name must be unique. The instructor, one of our Sergeants and a mountain of a man, came into the lecture room in which we were all seated, walked up to the front and put both his arms on the lectern. Dec 28, Debby Hallett rated it liked it. It is clear that his four-year stint in the Balkans actually doing something meant far more to him than leading the Libs. He is still angry about how the West abandoned Bosnia to its fate — ethnic cleansing — 15 years ago. Rugby union. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. In , Ashdown started a relationship with Tricia Howard, his secretary. Oonagh rated it really liked it Nov 27, It is his appraisal of the situation in Afghanistan in December whi I can recommend this book to my overseas friends, as well as British, because we all could do with politicians with a background like his. I've always admired Paddy Ashdown and it was great to read about his life. Lib Dems. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please try again, the name must be unique Only letters and numbers accepted. US Edition. And we would move and introduce ourselves to the charities community.. Miguel Delaney. Accessibility Links Skip to content. After two volumes of Diaries, 10 years near the top of politics, and the events that saw the "hurtful" nickname "Pantsdown" conferred on him by a gifted Sun sub-editor, most of the bullet holes are fairly familiar. Tiger was somehow still carrying the hope to be among them one day.. I was more surprised to read the very private information that "money has been one of the most contentious issues in our marriage and the cause of most of our rows". Enter Email Confirm Email. Personally, I could have done without quite so many pet anecdotes, and without the account of his first sexual encounter, which is told in disturbing detail. Ashdown writes of politics: "If you make a mistake you usually pay the price very quickly. A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown Writer

Return to Book Page. It's a well-written and entertaining book, and I think even those with much less interest than I have in Northern Ireland childhoods, British liberal politics, or Bosnia will enjoy it. He did two particularly interesting things as Liberal leader, one trivial, one not. Vote Are you sure you want to submit this vote? His book is a lasting tribute to what he achieved. Oonagh rated it really liked it Nov 27, Cancel Post. Following service as a Royal Marine Commando officer of a Special Boat Service unit in the Far East, Paddy Ashdown served as a diplomat in the Foreign Officer before, in due course, being elected as the Member of Parliament for Yeovil, serving in that capacity from to Independent Premium app. What the book actually offers is a terrific guide to battlecraft, from how to deter jungle leeches to the importance of homebrew in wooing Lib Dem activists. There is also a great deal of practical wisdom of negotiations at the highest level of elected Government. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Want to Read saving…. Log in using your social network account. Ashdown was a savvy media worker and innovative promoter. Please try again, the name must be unique. Enter your email address Continue Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Refresh and try again. Shappi Khorsandi. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Not too many MPs in any parliament brought the experience Ashdown did: fighting insurgents in the jungles of Borneo, running peacekeeping missions in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, smuggling himself into Sarajevo during its siege to bring word to the international community of the humanitarian disaster unfolding there and along the way mastering seven languages. Report Comment Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? All this progress, though Ashdown does not say it, was wilfully squandered by the indolence of his somnolent successor. Matthew Norman. I found his book to be honest and funny, though in parts quite sad. Enter Email Confirm Email. Miguel Delaney. Throughout he has shown compassion, leadership and a drive to understand and change people's live for the better. Janet Street-Porter. With such brilliant raw material to pull from, the book itself has an easy time enchanting and moving the reader. Ashdown is generous to his wife, Jane, who is often mentioned as bearing the burdens of his "fortunate life". It is his appraisal of the situation in Afghanistan in December which is very interesting and probably still a valid document. Jul 11, Philip Carman rated it it was amazing. Aug 09, Stephen Coleman added it. I know him Mr. A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown Reviews

But he takes barely four pages to cover how the Liberal Democrats under his early leadership went from being virtually bankrupt and facing extinction to by-election revival, leaving the reader little wiser as to how it happened. John Rentoul. Why, even, have an affair with his secretary? Most popular. A lesson in how to be a good person, not just a good politician. Community Reviews. Paddy Ashdown. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who likes a really great read of human achievement. In fact it took only two, and he won in despite limited local resources and spells of unemployment. He wrote that, […]. Mark Pack , 15 March permalink. I think this part of the book is particularly instructive for anyone wanting to take up a career in representative politics; it's tough for all political parties but particularly for smaller ones. In , Ashdown started a relationship with Tricia Howard, his secretary. By contrast, he devotes many pages to explaining how he taught himself to make election leaflets, even buying an elderly printing machine nicknamed Clarissa, while stalking his Yeovil seat. Mostly, though, Ashdown's candour is engaging, and he is honest about his failings vanity, poor team player, and being "excessively Irish", according to one school report. There seems plenty of fight in him yet. He argues that he lived like a "17th-century merchant adventurer", blown wherever the winds of fate took him, devoid of a plan. I've always admired Paddy Ashdown and it was great to read about his life. Liam Stokes rated it it was amazing Mar 01, Lockdown Guide. The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. Apr 27, Tim rated it it was amazing Shelves: biography , britain , politics. Welcome back. Christopher McArdle rated it really liked it Sep 18, I was more surprised to read the very private information that "money has been one of the most contentious issues in our marriage and the cause of most of our rows".

A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown Read Online

Paddy Ashdown's autobiography has been hailed as one of the most readable and exciting political life stories ever written - precisely because it was so very much more. Tom Peck. Books by Paddy Ashdown. And this mix of swashbuckling insouciance and cheery pragmatism seems to have set the tone for her son's subsequent, rather extraordinary, life. He is not like Blair; he can bear a grudge. Follow comments Enter your email to follow new comments on this article. Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? How did his early life, which appears from brief, scattergun reminiscences to have been both wildly exciting and sometimes tragic, affect him? But his peers are still undecided to be overcritical or not to the 3rd veil and the girl is stubborn not to let the toy away. Christopher McArdle rated it really liked it Sep 18, Submit vote Cancel. UK Edition. Details if other :. While deadly serious when discussing his family, his country, his party, and the Bosnian people, Ashdown also has a refreshing gift for self-deprecating wit and has wealth of anecdotes. Mary Dejevsky. Published July 1st by Aurum Press first published April 21st Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. It's a well-written and entertaining book, and I think even those with much less interest than I have in Northern Ireland childhoods, British liberal politics, or Bosnia will enjoy it. The pace of Paddy's writing makes it read almost like a Boys Own adventure story. Mostly, though, Ashdown's candour is engaging, and he is honest about his failings vanity, poor team player, and being "excessively Irish", according to one school report. Matthew Norman. While much of this will be familiar to readers of the diaries but those volumes hardly flew off the shelves , there will be plenty of people out there coming fresh to the life and times of the only Mandarin-speaking trained killer to rise to prominence in British politics. What made him a Liberal? The year-old Ashdown is depicted as "setting out to battle with the world"; as a party leader he is scrapping over the political "open ground"; and all his life the SAS motto "Who Dares Wins" has been a "statement of wisdom". He wrote two books for Aurum: A Brilliant Little Operation, which tells the story of the Cockleshell heroes of World War Two, and his autobiography, A Fortunate Life has been hailed as one of the most readable and exciting political life stories ever written.

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