The Hands of History : Parliamentary Sketches 1997-2007

''Simon Hoggart is the P. G. Wodehouse of Westminster.'' -- P. J. O''Rourke

Simon Hoggart''s fans know him as the wittiest of all the commentators on Parliament and its key figures, and for thousands of people his daily column in the "Guardian" is the kick-start they need in the morning. "The Hand of History" brings together his finest writing to create a portrait of the man at the centre of the last decade in British politics - and the rivals, enemies and friends around him. In it, you''ll find the high drama, the low farce, the soap opera and the situation comedy that happens at Westminster every day. Read about Blair the Maharishi, Prescott the enemy of the English language, Brown the bruiser, Michael Fabricant the wig-wearer, and the magnificent figure of Sir Peter Tapsell, whose words are not written up in Hansard but cast in bronze. And read about the security alert that led to the confiscation of the mint imperials. Altogether, "The Hand of History" is an unmissable account of Tony Blair''s weird, baffling, sometimes inexplicable, and almost always hilarious decade in power.