by William Thornton » Wed Jan 15, 2014 6:26 am
Young Titan: The Making of Winston Churchill by Michael Shelden
I've read biographies of Churchill before but this book covers a very interesting period in his life, 1901-1915, when he was a rising star in the British Parliament up to his rapid and steep fall from political grace.
As a young man Churchill had fought in several British military campaigns including being captured in the Boer War and making an exciting escape. Elected to the British Parliament as a young man, he moved from being a noticeable backbencher to the front where he held several cabinet posts. It is interesting to note that long, long before he was called back as Prime Minister during World War II, he had gained wide experience as a soldier, a radical social reformer, a high official in the Colonial Office, secretary of the Home Office, and First Lord of the Admiralty.
The British parliamentary system is occasionally contrasted to ours. One need only contrast Churchill's knowledge, achievements, and experience prior to his being made PM with that of the inexperience and lack of accomplishment of our own popularly elected president.
I'm a bit of an anglophile in some ways. I love to watch Prime Minister's Questions on PBS, Sunday evenings at 9 here, where the PM, David Cameron, is grilled for about 30 minutes by opposition leaders and members. One can find sharp exchanges between Margaret Thatcher on YouTube in that forum. Fascinating.
My stray thoughts on SBC stuff may be found at my blog,