Political Memoirs and New Labour: Interpretations of Power and the ‘Club Rules’

Abstract

This article uses the Westminster Model to construct a framework for interpreting the nature of power relations presented in British political memoirs, one that emphasises the role of ‘historical impact’. It then argues that the model's ethos has a culture of honourable secrecy and club regulation which conditions the memoirs of politicians and civil servants in contrasting ways. The article examines the current batch of New Labour memoirs and observes that, despite attempts at reform, a culture of club regulation persists. This is evidenced in a detailed case study of David Blunkett's diaries. The article concludes by suggesting that if the legitimising mythology of the Westminster Model is to be sustained by Britain's political elite, then it will require a more robust form of regulation.