Publisher's Synopsis
ôWhere there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.ö The words of Margaret Thatcher as she first entered No.10 Downing Street as Prime Minister in 1979 were a brilliant mission statement! They were, however, not her own words, but an extract from the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi. This illuminates the general truth that little of what politicians say is original: when one of them makes a good crack, its echo lasts for weeks and sometimes reverberates in the mind forever. They constantly stab at the ineffable, heaving and straining for mots that will leave the air signed with their honour. Once uttered, however, these memorable phrases often return to plague the inventors, as the pages of this book will affirm. With the aid of more than 150 photographs from the vast archives of Mirrorpix, we expose û by example of their own words û the rhetoric, spin, party political squabbling and verbal gaffes of more than 95 British politicians, revealing a fascinating insight into the minds of our elected representatives and other politically driven individuals.
