Postscript description
Once,
political whips swore by a code of omerta...
'The
theory was that you never discussed what went on in the whips' office until
your dying day, as though you worked at Bletchley Park.'
...
But not any more.
Though
decades of silence have fostered intrigue, mythology and suspicion about their
activities, the whips' office has long played a crucial role in Westminster, greasing
the parliamentary machine and keeping rebellious MPs in check. But while whips
appear all-knowing and ever-present, are they still all-powerful?
The
Usual Channels pulls
back the curtain on one of Westminster's most notorious elements and explores whether
whips still have the upper hand.
Charting
eccentric traditions and colourful characters, this authoritative guide is not
only an insight into the workings of a crucial institution; it is also a
masterclass in the past fifty years of British political history.
Read full publisher description political whips swore by a code of omerta...
'The
theory was that you never discussed what went on in the whips' office until
your dying day, as though you worked at Bletchley Park.'
...
But not any more.
Though
decades of silence have fostered intrigue, mythology and suspicion about their
activities, the whips' office has long played a crucial role in Westminster, greasing
the parliamentary machine and keeping rebellious MPs in check. But while whips
appear all-knowing and ever-present, are they still all-powerful?
The
Usual Channels pulls
back the curtain on one of Westminster's most notorious elements and explores whether
whips still have the upper hand.
Charting
eccentric traditions and colourful characters, this authoritative guide is not
only an insight into the workings of a crucial institution; it is also a
masterclass in the past fifty years of British political history.
