‘Former Prime Ministers’ remarked William Gladstone ‘are like untethered rafts drifting around harbours – a menace to shipping.’ And as the good ship Sunak seeks to avoid the guns of Messers Johnson and Truss, at least the SS Theresa May is posing somewhat less risk to the government’s structural integrity. May has largely maintained a dignified silence during Sunak’s first six months in office but has today revealed an exciting new development. She’s writing a book on ‘The Abuse of Power’, which is due out in September. According to the press release:
As Prime Minister for three years and Home Secretary for six years, Theresa May confronted a series of issues in which the abuse of power led to devastating results… From the Hillsborough and Grenfell tragedies, to the Daniel Morgan case and parliamentary scandals, the powerful repeatedly chose to use their power not in the interests of the powerless but to serve themselves or to protect the organisation to which they belonged. The Abuse of Power is a searing exposé of injustice and an impassioned call to exercise power for the greater good. Drawing on examples from domestic and international affairs she was personally involved in at the highest level, including Stop and Search and the Salisbury Poisonings, the former prime minister argues for a radical rethink in how we approach our politics and public life.
Mr S wonders if examples of ‘the powerful’ using their ‘power not in the interests of the powerless’ will include May’s own trip to Saudi Arabia last year, a country she blocked ministers from visiting following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Perhaps it’s just her attempt to spoil Boris Johnson’s memoirs by getting her side out there first.
Talk about putting the stiletto in…
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