Politics On the Edge: A Memoir From Within
Rory Stewart
A searing insider's account of ten extraordinary years in Parliament from Rory Stewart, former Cabinet minister and co-presenter of breakout hit podcast The Rest Is Politics'An instant classic' MARINA HYDE'At last a politician who can write' SEBASTIAN FAULKS'Candid, angry, funny, and self-revelatory' JONATHAN DIMBLEBY'Exceptional' RAFAEL BEHRThe Times pick for *The Biggest Books of the Autumn*Over the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister - before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise. Tackling ministerial briefs on flood response and prison violence, engaging with conflict and poverty abroad as a foreign minister, and Brexit as a Cabinet minister, Stewart learned first-hand how profoundly hollow our democracy and government had become. Cronyism, ignorance and sheer incompetence ran rampant. more
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published Vintage Digital
4.38
Rating
4791
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501
Reviews
Rory Stewart
22 books 412 followers
Rory Stewart was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Malaysia. He served briefly as an officer in the British Army (the Black Watch), studied history and philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford and then joined the British Diplomatic Service. He worked in the British Embassy in Indonesia and then, in the wake of the Kosovo campaign, as the British Representative in Montenegro. In 2000 he took two years off and began walking from Turkey to Bangladesh. He covered 6000 miles on foot alone across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal -- a journey described in The Places in Between.In 2003, he became the coalition Deputy Governor of Maysan and Dhi Qar -- two provinces in the Marsh Arab region of Southern Iraq. He has written for a range of publications including the New York Times Magazine, the London Review of Books, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times and Granta. In 2004, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire and became a Fellow of the Carr Centre at Harvard University. In 2006 he moved to Kabul, where he established the Turquoise Mountain Foundation.
In 2010 he was elected as a Conservative member of the British Parliament. In 2014 was elected chair of the Defence Select Committee. He served under David Cameron as Minister for the Environment from 2015 to 2016. He served as a minister throughout Theresa May’s government as Minister of State for International Development, Minister of State for Africa and Minister of State for Prisons. He ultimately joined the Cabinet and National Security Council as Secretary of State for International Development. After May announced she would be stepping down, Stewart stood as a candidate to be Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 2019 leadership contest. His campaign was defined by his unorthodox use of social media and opposition to a no-deal Brexit. He stated at the beginning of his campaign that he would not serve under Boris Johnson and when Johnson became prime minister, in July 2019, Stewart resigned from the cabinet.
On 3 October 2019 Stewart announced he had resigned from the Conservative Party and that he would stand down as an MP at the next general election. He initially put himself up to be an independent candidate in the 2021 London mayoral election but withdrew on 6 May 2020 on the grounds of the election being postponed due to COVID-19, saying he could not maintain the campaign so long against the big budgets of the Labour and Conservative campaigns. In September 2020 he became a fellow at Yale University, teaching politics and international relations.
Community reviews
I’m not usually one who enjoys spending their time reading political memoirs (for the same reasons that I’m not usually one who enjoys spending their time in the company of wankers). However, I’ve made an exception — just this once — for my ramble-loving boi Rory: The oddball messiah of the centrist tribe (as he was supremely described by The Times in its review of this book). It’s hard to talk about a book like this without talking too tiresomely about your own politics (which must inevitably come under scrutiny if you’re to write a full review), so I’ll instead simply say that I think Rory has given us a very good book: Politics on the Edge is sharply and poetically written. In fact, it is sometimes a smidge overwritten. But, despite this quibble, I nonetheless found myself drawing a stylistic comparison between Rory and George Orwell. more
I suppose Rory Steward first clearly appeared on my radar when he stood as one of many candidates for Tory leadership (and therefore Prime Minister) following Theresa May’s resignation in 2019. I recall it being claimed that he’d been a ‘spook’, working for the British Intelligence Service, MI6, for several years after completing his degree at Oxford. It made him sound interesting and whenever I’d heard him talk he did seem to have some engaging things to say. He definitely came across as somebody a little different from the normal boring MP’s that turn up on British television, churning out their party’s policy by rote. The spy element to his past is unverified, what is known is that he’d spent time as a diplomat, a charity worker and a Harvard professor before becoming a Member of Parliament. more
I like Rory but oh my god the ego here - a good half of this book presents him basically as King Arthur fighting his way through a Kafka novel. Still, the descriptions of the ancient, labyrinthine British state are great, as are those of the people in politics surrounding him (love the Kerry/Gore roman statues line particularly). more
This is a slightly unusual political memoir, in that the author is neither trying to show off (or polish) their record (fairly limited in Stewart’s case, as he was bounced between departments without much time to make an impact) nor preparing for a comeback. There are no major revelations, and if you listen to The Rest is Politics you’ll probably have heard most of the anecdotes already. But it is an entertaining and, at times, depressing book about life as a frustrated backbencher and junior minister trying and (mostly) failing to make a big difference, whilst watching charlatans and less principled colleagues move ahead. Another unusual aspect is that Stewart often declines to mention names, thus suggesting a veneer of discretion, but gives you enough hints that anyone with access to a search engine or Wikipedia could probably work out who he is referring to. This faux anonymity is a bit annoying, as it doesn’t seem to achieve anything, and anyone who Stewart despises gets named repeatedly (primarily Boris Johnson). more
SoberingRory Stewart comes across as a Thoroughly Good Bloke, you know, has a work ethic, is doing his best, and actually entered politics with the idea of changing things for the better, whatever that might mean, obviously, opinions will differ there, what's better for t'other people. But fair enough. Let’s grant him that, that he's in it to try to do things better than his predecessors. And you'd think that there's room for some improvement when predecessors, for example in the Justice department, decided that privatising the probation service would be a terrific idea, yeah. We'll give contracts to private sector companies and charities who promise, on their honour, to be innovative. more
This political memoir is sui generis. Even the title betrays the contradictions of the work: Stewart is at once "on the edge" and "within". Rory Stewart has always made a virtue of his vulnerable transparency. He once asked a Financial Times profiler "do you think I should be prime minister. ", and, while he is often consciously self-mythologising, he never recites false myth. more
Insightful, depressing, fascinating and genuinely educational - god do I resent Boris Johnson. . more
I don’t often read the memoirs of politicians. One thinks of those invariably huge and unbelievably tedious books written by former prime ministers which are little more than extended essays in self-justification. Every ex-PM gets one, but who reads them. Rory Stewart isn’t a former prime minister, though not for want of trying. His book is certainly not short on self-justification but is also reflective, passionate and unusually frank. more
Excellent book but thoroughly demoralising. Hard to see how anything will change. I’ll try the Alastair Campbell one next to see if that cheers…. more
Probably the best political memoir I have read in a long time. Reflective, kind, insightful. Loved the parts when Rory realises the reality of power in modern state and politics and an absolute highlight is this part when he is the most junior minister at the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) :“How do you feel, about the other parts of the job,’ John persisted, ‘now that you have real power. It’s a drug, isn’t it, power. I bet you’re glad now you didn’t give up on being an MP. more
4. 5 stars. This is a really good memoir. Rory’s writing style is undeniably very captivating - mixing funny anecdotes with real political insight and knowledge. The overall theme of this book is really depressing though, showing just how impossible the Westminster system is to work with while remaining a moral person. more
Rory Stewart is, like most of us, a political outsider. The majority of his career was spent working in international development projects throughout the Middle East. Only later in life did he turn his hand at politics. His 'memoir from within' covers his 10 years serving as an MP and brings you shockingly close to the UK political system. In his time as an MP and Minister, Stewart travels across the world serving the UK government. more
Audible. A brilliant political autobiography, full of humour and very self aware but also real anger at the total failure of our political systems. Read by Rory, he has an effective and distinctive style and I liked his impressions of some of the main characters. . more
Great read, honest and self critical. Would almost say I enjoyed it if it wasn't for the absolute despair by the end. more
Не бях много сигурна, че е добра идея да чета книга, която е толкова популярна, тъй като обикновено се оказва голяма грешка, но този път бях неочаквано и приятно изненадана. Рори Стюарт е добър писател и озвучител. Определено слушането е начинът да прочетеш тази книга. Преди тази книга си нямах и понятие кой е той и да бъда искрена макар физиономията му да ми е позната, все още не мога да се сетя от къде ми е познат и въобще ако е бил толкова активен в политическия живот на страната, защо си нямах и понятие за него, при все, че гледам редовно британските новини. Това вероятно ще си остане мистерия. more
While there are many areas where I don't align politically with Rory Stewart, (like the whole being a Tory thing), there are also several things I agree with him on. During the Brexit chaos I greatly admired him for his integrity and for managing to be indefatigably idealistic without being unrealistic. I still think he was the best choice for PM after Theresa May resigned and that the UK wouldn't be in half the muck it's currently in if he'd been selected rather than Boris Johnson. In this memoir we follow Rory Stewart on his journey into politics and out again, and my main takeaways are these:- The TV show Yes, Minister might as well have been a documentary, it's so spot on about the way things work. It's quite terrifying. more
The dysfunction within large institutions is a common occurrence, and each institution is dysfunctional in its own way. However, their ability to reflect on this dysfunction and implement changes is a measure of that institution. Stewart, ruthlessly and systematically, demonstrates the dysfunction within the UK Government. He shows that despite its recognition of the need for change, the government faces challenges in implementing these changes,Two challenges stand out: the profound influence of platforms like Twitter and Facebook that lead audited individuals to extreme behaviours, and the civil service's consistent reluctance to embrace change. It seems that Stewart's underlying discontent stems from his deep-seated faith in the system, a conviction that it possesses a grandeur and poetry perhaps beyond its reality. more
Excellent book. Really well written, easy to read and gave some great insights into how our government works and his views of politicians like Cameron and Johnson. more
Listened to this as an audiobook for when I’m in the lab. A pretty damning review of the state of today’s politics. (Slightly embarrassing confession: I got v emotional when listening to Rory thank his wife in the acknowledgments just now lol). more
This is a very thoughtful memoir of an individual whose passion and resilience was repeatedly tested beyond what he could have imagined by the political establishment he was inspired by prior to entering a career in politics. It’s a testament to how incredibly important it is to have a loving, supportive and honest network around you. more
I don’t tend to read political books but was given this as a gift. Just read it cover to cover inside 48 hours. Absolutely exceptional. Damn Rory Stewart for not beating Boris. more
I’ve never usually been a fan of slogging through political memoirs, particularly those from Tories that only held a seat for less than a decade, but after being a longtime listener of his podcast with Labour’s Alistair Campbell I was tempted to give this a go, and I’m glad I did. Stewart’s book is a Kafkaesque portrait of a self-styled ‘moderate’ through the maze of bureaucracy that is British governmental process. Effusively readable, I imagine ‘Politics on the Edge’ would be a great entry-level holistic education on the intricacies of our Parliament that have been buried in centuries-old traditions, hierarchies and colloquial euphemisms. I even found myself surprised at some of the more obscure political ‘catch 22’s here. The vast entertainment value of the book lies in the fact that Stewart doesn’t idle away countless pages rambling incredulously about his frustrations, but rather lets his candid account speak for itself with impeccable comedic timing, often closing chapters on the most ridiculous of soundbites from senior ministers that he doesn’t hesitate to name, a sort of gallows humour for a decaying society in a populist age. more
This is one of the most revealing and readable political books I have read for many years. Well written (as expected from the erudite Stewart) it really gets beneath the skin of the way this country is run. It is not an easy read as it highlights our increasing irrelevance in the modern world allied to a refusal of any politicians or civil servants to accept this diminishing It exposes the art of self-interest and hypocrisy of the Conservative party and their willingness to get behind Boris Johnson, even though the considerable majority of those who backed him were aware if his immense character flaws and duplicity at the time. These are the people who were happy to ride on his coat tails simply because he offered electoral victory as well as whatever they wanted to hear at the time. The resistance to change of the incredibly convoluted structure of the civil service is made even more impossible by the constant changing of ministers, who often have only a few months in any particular role when it would probably take them several years to get up to speed and so to do it properly Stuart is honest enough to admit his own failings but what comes through is the feeling he is a very decent man, trying to change a thoroughly corrupt and unfit for purpose political structure. more
Having both been a fan of the author’s since viewing his Afghanistan documentaries while living in the UK and possessing no clear or innate understanding of politics, this will necessarily be a rather uninformed view of Politics On The Edge ( or the more prosaically and less nuanced title in the U. S. “How Not To Be A Politician”). Politics always seemed to me like some monolithic, Mammon-oriented Rube Goldberg Machine whose main function is to serve itself while using up resources and churning out illusions as well as mostly avoiding any positive outcome based on reality. Stewart’s recent work, I think is an eloquent document of support with regard to this view. more
This started off very interesting and was particularly revealing on David Cameron and I was hoping for similar insights into Theresa May and Boris Johnson which never really came, although there are certainly some clear warnings about Liz Truss in the part about Rory’s stint as a junior minister working for her when she was Environment Secretary. The part at the end was good on the leadership contest but in between it was less interesting and had too much detail on policy on prisons etc. The book started off by saying that it was originally much longer and that there had been a lot cut out during editing - not sure that the best parts made it through that final edit. I still find Rory Stewart one of my favourite politicians and would go to listen to him speak and read more of his writing but this book is also pretty depressing about how our political system works now especially for politicians with principles. Rory comes across as utterly defeated by the end of it but I hope that he has the opportunity in future to continue to work to make our failed system work better. more
A fascinating memoir of Rory's time as an MP, written in his oddly lyrical style. I laughed, I cried, it was quite the experience. It's compelling, informative and incredibly depressing. Loved the dramatis personae and glossary at the back too, I appreciated the reminder of how our bizarre system works. It was a strange experience to read this - I was both super engrossed and dreading reaching the end. more
I enjoyed this insight into the Tory party, the machinery of British government and playing the game as a politician. My main gripe is that it felt biased towards Stewart but this is often the case with autobiographies. The tidbits about other politicians sometimes felt a little forced. (3. 5 rounded down) . more
Really enjoyed reading this memoir, which highlights the absurdity of the British system at times and shows how principled and qualified figures are often crowded out of the field. Stewart’s story is an interesting one, and it is told in this book in a witty and erudite way—an interesting alternative timeline exists, no doubt, whereby Johnson did not become PM in 2019 and the country would look very different. Very interesting and enjoyable account from a minor celebrity, which I highly recommend. . more
If I didn’t already think that Rory Stewart was a legend from listening to the Rest is Politics podcast this book would definitely have won me over. A quote from one of his colleagues describes him best, he has ‘a rare and attractive seriousness of purpose which has not elided into clipping self-regard’. The book tells the story of his career in British politics, brace yourself to cringe as he interacts with colleagues such as Liz Truss, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Although I could never bring myself to vote conservative, you cannot fail to admire Rory’s determination, morality, work ethic and original ideas. With the swill of politicians we have at the moment, particularly in the Conservative party, it makes me wish he would come back and help to sort out the broken system. more