Tony Blair’s success in winning over the Labour faithful at their party conference in Bournemouth yesterday prompted me to go back to The Political Animal by Jeremy Paxman.

It was a Christmas gift from my son last year (okay, so I chose it) and is a good analysis of why someone might want to become a politician. Would you have got up on stage in front of hundreds of people, with millions more watching at home, knowing you could be completely humiliated? Read more ›››