Patrick Wright's memoir opens on a diplomaticcrisis. A growing number of countries are threatening to boycott theCommonwealth Games in protest of the British government's handling of SouthAfrican apartheid. And the problems only get worse.

Patrick Wright was one of the pre-eminent diplomatsof his day, putting him at the forefront of some of the late twentiethcentury's most important global events. His six years at the FCO

found him dealing with the backlash from theFalklands War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, strained relations with theEU, the First Gulf War and, perhaps most challenging of all, the 'fire andglares' of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Lord Wright's account is not only an essentialdocumentation of a significant historical period, but witty and entertainingthroughout. He revels in gossip, despairsat the mischievous press 'painting lurid pictures of Britain versus theRest', recalls numerous amusing scenarios and is rather brutal in hisassessment of various high- profile political figures.

A captivating account of the inner dynamics of theThatcher Cabinet, all played out in front of a tumultuous global backdrop.