Recollections and tributes — the people, the rooms, and the moments Bruce could not write about until now.
An amusing rogue has died. Peter Snape was a West Bromwich MP for 27 years, a stalwart of the Whips' office who was never quite convicted of dirty tricks but often came close. Bruce Anderson remembers a sound patriot, a piece of doggerel at Roy Hattersley's expense, and one memorable telephone call.
The first in an occasional series. There has never been a more unquiet political grave. Bruce Anderson remembers writing speeches for Margaret Thatcher — exhausting and frustrating in equal measure — and the woman Charles Powell nicknamed 'La Bionda': beyond.
A noble life has ended: James Mackay, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, the railwayman's son who became Lord Chancellor. Bruce Anderson remembers a legal giant of gentle manner and sweet nature — and, above all, a man of deep and simple faith.