The Best of Enemies

The tempestuous years of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. An insider's account of the rivalries and battles that eventually brought down the Conservative government. The Best of Enemies is the political diaries of Norman Fowler, one of the most significant politicians of the late twentieth century. Covering the entire Thatcher/Major era - from the former's election in 1979 to the latter's defeat in 1997 - during which time Fowler held prominent positions in the Cabinet. As Transport Secretary he was responsible for making seat belts compulsory and later, as Health Secretary, he worked to draw public attention to the dangers of Aids. He was Chairman of the party from 1992-94. His diaries observe both Prime Ministers, and their Cabinet colleagues, at close quarters and Fowler brings his training as a journalist to bear on them. The diaries are full of insights and anecdotes and they resonate powerfully with the situation facing the Conservative Party today, including industrial strife, waning authority and a Labour Party looking like a government in waiting. The entries raise other issues that remain unresolved. They range from the effect that a minister's private sexual conduct should have on their career to whether an entirely 'hands-off' approach to industrial strategy is in the national interest. Fowler's diaries provide a ringside seat to the struggles of their time. These are not the diaries of an ex-minister seeking to justify their own record. They are the story of how two Prime Ministers rose and fell and caused their party to split apart, told by someone who was there.

Norman Fowler began his career as a journalist on The Times and covered the 1967 war in the Middle East. He was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in 1970 and remained an MP for the next thirty-one years. He was a member of Margaret Thatcher's first Cabinet and from 1979-1981 was a reforming Transport Secretary. Fowler was also Health and Social Services Secretary for a record-breaking six years, during which time he fought a high-profile campaign to prevent Aids. From 1987-1990 he served as Employment Secretary and worked to reduce unemployment and improve training for jobseekers. In 1990, he resigned from the Cabinet to devote more time to his young family. After the fall of Thatcher, Fowler was recalled to front-line politics and appointed as Conservative Party Chairman by the new Prime Minister, John Major. It was a tumultuous period with Britain leaving the ERM and the Conservative parliamentary party divided over Europe. Later in his career, Norman Fowler was appointed to the House of Lords where he became a much-praised Lord Speaker. His two previous books, A Political Suicide and Aids: Don't Die of Prejudice, were both shortlisted for awards.