Overview

Against the Grain is a journey through the political career of Norman Baker, the independent-minded, and colourful, former Liberal Democrat MP, and a minister for state at the Home Office.For eighteen years, Baker was one of the most distinctive, outspoken and campaigning members of the House of Commons, famous for uncovering scandals and exposing conflicts of interest at the heart of Westminster.Norman Baker is all too aware of the absurdities of British political life. He writes also of a darker side, covering his investigations into the death of David Kelly, the ill-fated flight BA 149, and Baker's exposure of MPs' expenses. And he talks in depth about his successful campaign to force the resignation of Peter Mandelson.This compelling account lifts the lid on the workings of the coalition, particularly at the Department for Transport and the Home Office, and reveals much that will be relevant to the new Conservative government and of great interest to the general public.

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9781849549417

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Reviews

'Norman Baker at his best - contemptuous of power and secrecy, delightfully indiscreet, pleasingly insulting and often very funny. A maverick's guide to politics.' - Nick Davies, Guardian journalist; 'Quirky, single-minded and always true to himself, Norman Baker is a true original. Against the Grain is a one-man rebuke to the soulless politics of spin.' - Nick Clegg; 'This is a glorious book by a remarkable man. It should be read by everyone who cares about British public life. It tells the story of an extraordinary political journey as Norman Baker confronted the British establishment at its most corrupt. It tells how he forced the resignation of Peter Mandelson at the height of his power, how he brought to light the corruption of the MPs' expenses scandal and how he exposed the failures of the Hutton Inquiry into the death of David Kelly. This book is written very clearly and with a quiet good humour. It puts many other political autobiographies to shame.' This is a glorious book by a remarkable man. It should be read by everyone who cares about British public life. It tells the story of an extraordinary political journey as Norman Baker confronted the British establishment at its most corrupt. It tells how he forced the resignation of Peter Mandelson at the height of his power, how he brought to light the corruption of the MPs' expenses scandal and how he exposed the failures of the Hutton Inquiry into the death of David Kelly. This book is written very clearly and with a quiet good humour. It puts many other political autobiographies to shame. This is a glorious book by a remarkable man. It should be read by everyone who cares about British public life. It tells the story of an extraordinary political journey as Norman Baker confronted the British establishment at its most corrupt. It tells how he forced the resignation of Peter Mandelson at the height of his power, how he brought to light the corruption of the MPs' expenses scandal and how he exposed the failures of the Hutton Inquiry into the death of David Kelly. This book is written very clearly and with a quiet good humour. It puts many other political autobiographies to shame. - Peter Oborne

'Norman Baker at his best - contemptuous of power and secrecy, delightfully indiscreet, pleasingly insulting and often very funny. A maverick's guide to politics.' - Nick Davies, Guardian journalist

Author Information

Norman Baker was MP for Lewes from 1997 to 2015, and established a reputation as one of the most dogged and persistent of parliamentary interrogators the modern House of Commons has known. Following the 2010 general election, he was appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state for transport, then Minister of State for Crime Prevention at the Home Office. He is the author of the acclaimed The Strange Death of David Kelly (Methuen, 2007).

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