Abstract
It is a telling indication of how the pieces in the political kaleidoscope have been shaken this autumn that in the index of this A-Z there is no entry under “C” for “Corbyn”. Not Nicholas Jones’ fault, of course. He is a wise, worldly and wily reporter, but no-one apart from the Islington Gazette, the residents of Islington North and, presumably, Mrs Corbyn, has much of a record of what Jeremy was doing this May in the general election that provided both the launchpad for this book and his propulsion into leadership. What we do know is that both Jones and Corbyn were busy at what they both do best: Corbyn was proving that he is the well-regarded constituency member of (recent) legend by increasing his majority by five per cent (while the Labour Party under his ill-fated predecessor was losing out to the Conservatives) and Jones was there with his notebook, diligent as ever, noting it all down and fling under “E” for “Election Timing”.
Jones may not have been out on the stump as we both were so often in the past, wearied by weeks spent on “B” for the “Battle Buses”. Elections are utterly exhausting for journalists, as well as for the main players – oh, but they are fun. How else could I add the story of how Norman Mailer asked me for my room number to my recital of short quotes from Very Famous People? (Me: “Mr Lennon, I'm from the Evening News.” John Lennon, retreating into Apple Corps HQ: “Good Evening! News.” Me: “Mr Sinatra? Mr Sinatra?” Frank Sinatra, emerging from Annabel's: “Not now, later!”) And Mailer? He joined us for a day or two on Thatcher Tours in the 1983 election and his hotel room – of which he couldn't remember the number, for reasons I no longer recall and could only guess at – was next to mine in a modest establishment in, I think, Inverness.
But I'm stealing Jones’ thunder. This is his opportunity to tell his stories. And it's a thoughtful journey on which he takes us from “Advertising” to “Zelig” (the Woody Allen character who could adapt himself to any surroundings – and an excuse here to discuss politicians who switch parties). Jones has written analyses of previous elections, as well as several treatises on the sins of spin, but this is much more an overview of his life and times. Anticipating a close-run finish last May, he planned in advance for his fifth book, about his 14th election, to be a compendium of much that he had heard and learned over the years. He retired from the BBC in 2002, but the idea that he might have retired from a lifetime absorption in the practice of politics and its interface with our own trade is unimaginable.
Some political journalists do stop watching and wondering and working the moment the pension kicks in and they just don't actually have to do it any more; I know many, and Nick Jones’ own brother, George, late of the Daily Telegraph, is one of them. But not Nick. He has a tireless enthusiasm which he has continued to demonstrate and, what is more, he has an eye and an ear for what is going on: the decline of print, the importance of social media, the manipulation of the political press.
He is very careful to guard his own political neutrality and also displays an endearing nervousness about the dangers of overstepping the line between professionalism and personal involvement. In a chapter on Michael Portillo (he appears under “X” for “Xavier” which is one of his Christian names) Jones wrestles with the question of whether it is ever appropriate for a journalist to disclose the confidences of a private conversation or off-the-record guidance. He did keep secret information he had received from an adviser to Portillo, the late David Hart, which he now reveals here. In historical terms, it is an interesting footnote because it helps explain Portillo's ultimately unsuccessful political career and Jones felt that he was justified in the light of Hart's death.
Jones also reveals a further personal challenge he encountered as a result of his obliging nature. Although regarded as decidedly “unhelpful” by both the Labour Party and Conservative Party machines because of his criticisms of the way they attempt to use the news media, he discovered that members of the then emergent “U” for “UKIP” were, in contrast, open to help and advice. He remembered suggesting that the new party should monitor the coverage it received and, knowing Nigel Farage, was able also to confirm – when his advice was sought by a producer – that the party leader would be a highly competent panellist on Any Questions? He got his thanks the following year when he left the BBC: his phone rang at home with an invitation to become the UKIP press officer.
He said thanks, but no thanks, of course, citing the value of his political independence. And we can all give thanks for that: his lifetime dedication to principle has made him one of the finest journalists in his field.