I love books, especially of the political variety, and the Times Guide to the House of Commons is an essential reference book that any self-professed politico needs to purchase after every general election.
I have now bought my copy of the 2010 edition, which will sit on my bookshelf alongside well-thumbed copies going back to 1979, and I am delighted to report that it is as comprehensive as ever.
Basic biographical details for defeated candidates (dropped in 2005) have returned and the extended pieces at the front by Times columnists and others (including Paul Goodman of this parish) cover more ground than ever before. Tim noted yesterday the finding of the paper's Sam Coates about how much each vote cost the Conservative Party.
There are a selection of colour photographs from the campaign as well as bar charts alongside each constituency profile showing how the parties performed against each other - which are to scale, unlike those often seen on political leaflets...
But the most striking innovation is that the biographies of each MP begin with several sentences summarising their politics, personality and interests. In a way not dissimilar to the old Roth's Parliamentary Profiles, Greg Hurst and his colleagues at the Times have created soundbites for which some MPs I fear will never forgive them.
Here's just a taster of how some of the parliamentarians have been branded:
- Nigel Adams (Con) - "Professional Yorkshireman"
- Adrian Bailey (Lab) - "Dull, even by the standards of librarians"
- Ben Bradshaw (Lab) - "Deft lightweight"
- Andy Burnham (Lab) - "Trying unsuccessfully to shed lightweight image"
- Nadine Dorries (Con) - "Feisty, unpredictable, publicity-hungry, populist blogger"
- Richard Harrington (Con) - "Larger than life; a less fogey Nick Soames"
- John Mann (Lab) - "Rarely misses passing bandwagon"
- David Miliband (Lab) - "Erudite on policy, but questions exist over his people skills"
- Andy Slaughter (Lab) - "Manner reminiscent of an allotments committee chairman"
- Mike Wood (Lab) - "Unimpressive"
