Not Quite the Diplomat describes what has been happening in Britain, Europe and the world since 1997 from the perspective of one at the heart of international events. In examining how we got to where we are, he writes frankly about many of the major players and what happened behind closed doors; his sketches of world leaders - including Chirac, Putin, Kohl and Blair ('a man who has convictions to which he holds strongly - while he holds them') and of key moments done with the brush of a master portraitist. In arguing about where we should be, he writes with the directness of a man freed at last from the bonds of diplomatic restraint.
No recent book by a politician of any political persuasion has been so engaging, so outspoken - and often so funny. If Chris Patten is no longer the diplomat, it is the readers of this book who are the beneficiaries.
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