Political shenanigans

Michael Dobbs’ political thriller House of Cards was written about a fictional Conservative government which replaced Margaret Thatcher’s time in office in the 1980s. The assumption is that the Prime Minister Henry Collingridge leads his party to a slender majority and finds his premiership under threat from his own colleagues. The story is told mainly from two points of view, that of a political journalist Matty Soren and the Chief Whip Francis Urquart.

I remember that there was a TV adaptation of this starring Ian Richardson which was very highly regarded. I didn’t watch it at the time but I do remember the frequently used phrase, which has now become part of everyday vocabulary, “You may say that but I couldn’t possibly comment” which is used to great effect in the novel.

This is a political thriller about the machinations and weaknesses of those in the vicinity of power. It centres on Urquart who resents having been sidelined by the Prime Minister and decides to make a move for power himself. The story follows Collingridge’s forced resignation and an internal leadership race to find his successor. The ending of the book is shocking but highly appropriate.

I adored this book. It is topical, despite how long ago it was written, and you can see current events echoed in the story. The only thing I didn’t find easy to believe was the reason that Collingridge resigns – our current politicians have done far worse and still hang on. The author is great at evoking class differences as part of the story and how any weakness is used to benefit others.

I listened to this on audio, narrated by Samuel West who does a brilliant job and really added to the enjoyment for me. He managed to make all the characters different and believable, and his patrician accent and attitude for Urquart was spot on.