Labour Takes Power

With the strong possibility of Labour forming our next government, it is fascinating to consider the last time the party stood on the verge of power, back in 1997. At that time, future Europe Minister Denis MacShane had a ringside seat that he would occupy for the next decade or so, living through Cool Britannia, the Good Friday Agreement, Peter Mandelsons multiple resignations, Princess Dianas death and Tony Blairs seeming invincibility. New Labour may be remembered as an unstoppable force, but MacShanes diaries reveal that while, outwardly, all seemed to be going well, the personal rivalries, slights and petty jealousies between the partys big beasts meant that it was never far from disaster. MacShane was a regular in Downing Street from the moment of Labours election victory, and his candid, intimate diaries show figures such as Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, Peter Mandelson, Clare Short and Alastair Campbell in a light in which theyve never been seen before, detailing the personalities as much as the politics of Labours most successful stint in government.