Breaking the Code: Westminster Diaries

by Gyles Brandreth

A surprise win for the Conservatives as the voters decisively reject a Labour leader deemed 'not Prime Minister material'? A Tory Party ripped apart by European civil war? A country rebounding from one of the worst recessions in living memory?Check, check, check.One of the winners in an election victory nobody had predicted, back in 1992, Gyles Brandreth is no stranger to a poll-confounding, knife-edge Tory majority. Controversially, his gloriously indiscreet diaries revealed for the first time the secret world of the Government Whips' Office and its struggles to control a party riven by in-fighting over Europe.Now, as history looks set to repeat itself, comes the definitive edition of this widely acclaimed classic, featuring material originally excised for legal reasons, as well as additional diaries taking the story on another ten years.With candid descriptions of the key figures of the era, from the leading players to the ministers who fell from grace - and a bright young hopeful by the name of David Cameron - Breaking the Code paints an extraordinary portrait of Whitehall and Westminster in our time - warts and all.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Autobiography, Ebooks

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Full name: Gyles Daubeney Brandreth.
A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End. A prolific broadcaster (in programmes ranging from Just a Minute to Have I Got News for You), an acclaimed interviewer (principally for the Sunday Telegraph), a novelist, children’s author and biographer, his best-selling diary, Breaking the Code, was described as ‘By far the best political diary of recent years, far more perceptive and revealing than Alan Clark’s’ (The Times) and ‘Searingly honest, wildly indiscreet, and incredibly funny’ (Daily Mail). He is the author of two acclaimed royal biographies: Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage and Charles Camilla: Portrait of a Love Affair. In 2007/2008, John Murray in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US began publishing The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, his series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as the detective.

As a performer, Gyles Brandreth has been seen most recently in ZIPP! ONE HUNDRED MUSICALS FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE at the Duchess Theatre and on tour throughout the UK, and as Malvolio and the Sea Captain in TWELFTH NIGHT THE MUSICAL at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Gyles Brandreth is one of Britain’s busiest after-dinner speakers and award ceremony hosts. He has won awards himself, and been nominated for awards, as a public speaker, novelist, children’s writer, broadcaster (Sony), political diarist (Channel Four), journalist (British Press Awards), theatre producer (Olivier), and businessman (British Tourist Authority Come to Britain Trophy).

He is married to writer and publisher Michèle Brown, with whom he co-curated the exhibition of twentieth century children’s authors at the National Portrait Gallery and founded the award-winning Teddy Bear Museum now based at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon. He is a trustee of the British Forces Foundation, and a former chairman and now vice-president of the National Playing Fields Association.

Gyles Brandreth’s forebears include George R. Sims (the highest-paid journalist of his day, who wrote the ballad Christmas Day in the Workhouse) and Jeremiah Brandreth (the last man in England to be beheaded for treason). His great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Brandreth, promoted ‘Brandreth’s Pills’ (a medicine that cured everything!) and was a pioneer of modern advertising and a New York state senator. Today, Gyles Brandreth has family living in New York, Maryland, South Carolina and California. He has been London correspondent for “Up to the Minute” on CBS News and his books published in the United States include the New York Times best-seller, The Joy of Lex and, most recently, Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage.

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm writing this a long time after reading it, but I really enjoyed this. I can't stand Brandreth on the whole, but more than ten years later I still find myself mentioning this book in conversations relating to the workings of parliament etc. As he was an MP for just one term, it's really good for giving details of how it all works from the point of view of an outsider to the process (whilst in insider in social terms). I hate to say it, but I recommend this!

[Misty Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I read this!

While I have always liked Gyles Brandreth I had never taken him seriously as a politician - Panto appearances don't exactly encourage that! I had not realised, until seeing this book recommended in another book I read by way of research, that GB had been a member of the Whips' Office. That same recommendation took this book as 'the best' modern source for how the Whips' Office, and government in general, works.

I read the expanded 2015 edition (which continues the diaries into the 21C) and found it quite fascinating. It is written with great humour and self-awareness but GB is also a shrewd judge of other peoples' humanity, making what might otherwise sometimes be depressing reading much more acceptable, if not entertaining. The book is daunting, weighing in at over 500 pages, excluding the index, but the diary format means that it is possible to read as much or as little as you wish at any one sitting.

Some may find the Afterword and it's subject matter 'difficult' but, like the rest of the book, it is written in a balanced way with just the right amount of humour, something that others ought to consider...

[Studvet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4.5. A wonderfull teller of stories and seems a lovely, kind, witty, self-aware, empathetic man. Brilliant put-downs and observations but often self-deprecating humour which made you warm to him. Often in the thick of - or at at least at the edge of - some monumental historical events and he has met so many famous people. Seems great company and enjoys and appreciates life and people. Has a lot of friends and his wife a strong character in her own right. Half a point off as often confused by who was who as often just first names said so sometimes had to backtrack or use Wikipedia. That in itself was interesting following up on people.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing but a somewhat toothless account of the Major years.

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting from this, but I'm sure it wasn't this. I know the author mainly from his work on Just a Minute, where he's always come across as witty but a bit wet. These diaries show a completely different side to him.
Becoming an MP in Chester in the last General Election john Major won, these diaries take in the final years of the Major govt, with an added extra of bits and pieces following their downfall.
GB is a bit of an outsider, he's not a career politician, in fact when he's lost his seat, he's offered a safe seat elsewhere he turns it down. Politics was something he done, it wasn't his life. Given that, he realises that his readership is possibly the same, so there are plentiful footnotes, to explain who he's talking about, or giving a little further information.
The diary starts with him thinking about standing, then going through the election, to his becoming a backbencher, then fairly quickly rising up through the ranks, ending up as a whip within the treasury. For a new member, this is a fairly quick rise, but given the shambles within the party at the time, it is not too surprising that anyone with brains and loyalty was looked after by the party.
The most interesting part to me, strangely enough is not the working of the whips office, which has always been fairly well hidden, but the relationship GB has with several of the names of the time. He appears to have a reasonable relationship with Major, although his opinion of him appears to coincide with mine. A nice man who had no chance with the party the way it was, who just couldn't control them. Alongside Major there is Aitken, the Hamiltons, Ken Clarke, Seb Coe, Michael Heseltine and Portillo. He's never short of an opinion, and perhaps most openly he eviscerates Edwin Currie in an interview after her book had come out. Saying that he still finds time to see his showbiz friends, there's enough name dropping here to keep anyone happy.
A fair chunk of the book is given over to the internal working of the House of Commons, and quite rightly he lays into it in places as archaic, out of touch, and at times ridiculous. He does come up with some fairly sensible ideas on how to modernise it, however I doubt we'll ever see it happen.
This being the updated edition, it finishes off with a discussion about the MP whose seat he took over, Peter Morrison, who has been accused of being a paedophile. GB goes through the accusations, and admits we may never actually know the truth, although he doubts a cover up took place. Most movingly he writes about being molested as a boy himself while at boarding school.
All in this was fascinating read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a bit lost about with some of the political stuff as I didn't have much interest in politics at the time of Major's government. I couldn't believe (well actually I could!) believe the amount of indiscretions etc by MP's during this time! What a joke,no wonder they didn't hang on to power. Brandreth does not hold back with his opinions of people, which did make me chortle in places. The book also made me realise what a face Parliament is, hopefully some things have changed by now but I won't hold my breath!

[Malcolm Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of Gyles' Westminster Diaries I have read.

It is the usual mixture of fact & opinion covering his time in Parliament and beyond; he served as MP for Chester under John Major.

It is fascinating to hear stories from the inside, especially as he was a junior Whip!

I enjoyed it and as always his easy jokey style, which is his trademark, makes for good reading .

[Pam Strachan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book much more than I expected. I had no idea that Gyles Brandreth had been a parliamentary whip. Quite gripping.

[Derek Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many amusing stories and a nice, easy style. Afflicted by the general problem of diaries that a great deal of material is of more interest to the writer than the reader.

[Christine Rapley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this a lot, but it is rather long.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite diaries: great fun, explaining the reality of Politics. Love them.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a rich seam of reading out there for people who enjoy intrigue, scheming and double dealing as part of the plot. This is, of course, the political diary. I was drawn to this one by seeing the author on afternoon TV, where he completely takes over any show he’s on with his humour, quick wit, puns and wordplay all the way up and down the scale and, most famously, his dodgy knitwear. It is the account of his time in the John Major government from 1992 to 1997. Although the book covers a period so long ago, many of the people named and possibly in their view defamed are still in the public eye, just about. The author gives one or two reasons why he became an MP, but at the end I thought that his main aim was to have the experience knowing that it was something that very few will have, again similar to his jumpers. My second hand copy (50p well spent by the way) had pretty small typeface for the main text, so I gave up after a few pages trying to make out the miniscule notes at the bottom of many of them. Having read the book, I think that it owes a lot, or is owed a lot, by the writers of ‘Yes Minister’ as many of the situations sound familiar. The Tories have a leader that most of them like personally but didn’t ask for, or want in that post. It shows Major as being able to win any debate by his calm and sincere delivery of ever more unworkable policies, but incapable of controlling his MP’s who with very few exceptions, are, to a man or woman, badmouthing any decision or idea that he comes up with when they aren’t (males only) cheating on their wives, taking backhanders or being exposed as having young male ‘friends’ here there and everywhere. The author has many cutting and hilarious; to me anyway, opinions about most of these honourable members while still never actually damning them. He forms the view fairly quickly that there are games to be played and people to impress, or toady up to, for any kind of progression, which he achieves by becoming a whip. Once in this post, and having to deal with colleagues who seem determined to bring down the government either maliciously or carelessly, he frequently reminds the reader he is not making anything up. No spoilers when I let you know that Major didn’t get re-elected in 1997, neither did the author, but suffice to say that this is a book for anyone you know, perhaps even you, who says they find politics boring.

[Michael Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

My prejudices led me to seriously underestimate one of the wittiest and most humane diarists of our generation. Gyles Brandeth's book is an exceptionally honest record of the role of whips and the dying days of the major Government. Gloriously lacking in self-importance, Gyles dissects the workings of the Government even when it shows him in an unflattering light.

driven to stand as a MP in a marginal seat with a dodgy predecessor, his adventures in the Palace of varieties are a chronicle of now events drive politics with Gyles sometimes relieved that the disastrous record of his colleagues protects him from re-election for a further term of office. Candid about the inadequacies of MPs of all parties and open about the culture of sound-bites relegating some of Britain's most thoughtful politicians to the margins, Gyles's humanity makes this an enthralling read. His loyalty to friends whose virtues are deeply hidden is a redeeming feature of this book.

My cynicism about the latest edition is overcome by the final ten pages. In witty and concise prose, Gyles reveal his own experience of abuse at school and explores our attitude to young people with a moving sense of gravity and wisdom. This allows him to defend the reputation of the whips office with a depth of sincerity and principle that eludes many more serious commentators. Above all it shifts my view: now I see his ability to irritate as adding to the humanity that makes Gyles Brancdeth a prime candidate for a national treasure.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't want this wonderful read to finish. Fascinating diary of becoming an MP and Whip in John Major's government. On radio Gyles comes across as rather smug, but here reveals himself to be very human. Gyles is ambitious but appreciates the often ridiculous aspects of working in the House of Commons, discovering it to be a cross between public school and a gentleman's club with ludicrous traditions. Gyles is wonderfully indiscreet about his fellow men, and comes across as a likeable man with a compassionate but clear eye, alive to the humour to be found in climbing the greasy pole.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it a lot better as it went on and when he stopped going on about his social life and started talking about what a state the Tories were in leading up to the 1997 general election. The first hundred or so pages are a bit dull, though. Didn't particularly warm to him, either. Not that that should matter necessarily: I know Alan Clarke was a complete shit and I did enjoy his diaries when I read them a few years ago.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liberally sprinkled with amusing anecdotes this autobiography has raises serious questions about the workings of Westminster. GB does not take himself too seriously which is his saving grace. He acknowledges his failings and has a healthy sense of the absurd. A fun read which leaves you wondering why anyone would agree to be an MP.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great addition to the list of political diaries. It's well written and I believe an honest account of the going on in Westminster. As a result of reading this book I've become facinated with the process of diary keeping.

[Nick Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the best political diaries of recent years, as the dust jacket proclaims, that honour remains with Chris Mullin, but these are a close second. Brilliant, funny and honest, you don't get tired even though they run to over 500 pages.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of Diaries, and this set from 2000 were one of the best collections by an ex-MP, showbiz "personality" and sometime prat.

[Thomas Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful into some of the inner workings of Westminster. Gyles went up in my estimation with his obvious intelligence, his wife even more so.