The Blair Years by Alistair Campbell

The Blair Years is the most compelling and revealing account of contemporary politics you will ever hear. Taken from Alistair Campbell's daily diaries, these audio extracts chart the rise of New Labour and the tumultuous years of Tony Blair's leadership, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in out national life.

Here are defining events of our time, from Labour's new dawn to the war on terror, from the death of Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland, from Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, through to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003. But above all, here is Tony Blair up close and personal, taking the decisions that affect the lives of millions, under relentless and frequently hostile pressure.

Feared and admired in equal measure, hated by some, Alistair Campbell was pivotal to the founding of New Labour and the sensational election victory of 1997. As Blair's press secretary, strategist and trusted confidant, Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the Prime Minister than anyone. His diaries take the listener right to the heart of government,

Unflinchingly told, THE BLARI YEARS covers the crises and scandals, the rows and resignation, the ups and downs of Britain's hothouse politics. There has never been so riveting a book about life at the very top, or a more human book about politics told by a man who saw it all.

Extracts from The Blair Years