Top political historian visits BU

4 December 2008

Peter Hennessy signing book for James Tudor

A top political historian has revealed his views on ‘The Brown Style of Government’ at BU.

In a special lecture at BU, Peter Hennessey, The Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London gave a personal account of The Prime Minister’s leadership style and perspective on matters ranging from the Iraq War, Economic and Foreign Affairs and House of Lords reform.

Speaking to a captivated audience of BU staff and students, Professor Hennessy answered a range of questions including who would succeed Brown as leader of the Labour party and constitutional reform. He also revealed the existence of a secret dossier which contains plans for Gordon Brown’s choice of acting Prime Minister from ‘beyond the grave’ in the event of a nuclear attack.

James Tudor, from the Business School said: “Peter Hennessy gave a stimulating, informative and thoroughly entertaining overview of the Prime Ministerial style of Gordon Brown.

“His unequalled knowledge, based on over 30 years’ personal experience at the heart of UK politics, gave his audience a rare insight into the thinking (and sometimes lack of thinking) of current – and past – political figures of renown, from Atlee and Macmillan to members of the present Brown Government, frequently enhanced by wonderful anecdotes and hilarious impersonations of well-known Prime Minsters.”

Professor Peter Hennessy is a leading authority on post-war Britain and the office of the Prime Minister. He is a former reporter and columnist with The Times, The Independent and the New Statesman, as well as a presenter on ‘Analysis’ - BBC Radio 4’s long-running current affairs programme. He has been Professor of Contemporary History at Queen Mary since 1992 and was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 2003.

He has written several well known books over the past 20 years on political and social history. Two of his most popular, Never Again: Britain 1945-1951 (1992) and Having it so Good: Britain in the Fifties (2006) won the NCR Award for Non-Fiction and the George Orwell Book Prize.