Just Finished Reading: Darkest Hour – How Churchill Brought Us Back from the Brink by Anthony McCarten (FP: 2017) [265pp] 

It is arguably the most important political transition in modern UK history – from Neville Chamberlain to Winston Churchill in May 1940. But how exactly did it happen and, more importantly, why Churchill? Like many people I was hugely impressed by Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Winston in the 2017 movie also written and co-produced by this author. Apart from humanising an iconic figure it also showed the sometimes-fraught events that led to Churchill becoming Prime Minister (as well as the newly created role of Minister of Defence) at just the moment he was needed. 

Even before the Germans advanced into the Low Countries on their way to France it was clear that Chamberlain’s appeasement policy had failed. With the crisis only deepening it wasn’t long before the Labour opposition was calling for his resignation. But who would replace him? The two options – neither of which seemed good at the time – were Lord Halifax or Winston Churchill, with Halifax being championed by the incumbent Conservative party and Churchill insisted on by Labour. Both men had their problems: Halifax stated time and again that he didn’t want the job of PM but would only serve if there was no good alternative. The other issue is that he was a Lord – so couldn’t sit in the House of Commons, which would be quite an impediment going forward! Churchill, meanwhile, was loathed and mistrusted by many. He had changed parties (twice!) before and was seen as fundamentally unreliable. He was seen as a maverick (true) and as a hot head (also true). But he had opposed the Appeasement policy from the outset and had consistently pointed out the dangers of Germany’s growing power and ambition. Over the space of several weeks both factions manoeuvred to get ‘their man’ into position with Churchill, as we know, getting the job in the nick of time. 

This was an interesting read. The author looked at those eventful days through the lens of 3 iconic speeches Churchill gave – to Parliament in two cases and to the public with one more – showing how they came to be, and the techniques Winston used (including trying out various phrasing on people to see what reaction they had to them). That was a nice touch. The other thing he focused on was the number of meetings – both before and after Churchill became PM – and how they shaped the arguments for and against each man taking up the top job. I did have some criticism here when the author speculated on what exactly was said BEFORE the minute taker arrived. I did think this was a step too far to be honest and soured my opinion of the book a bit (although only a bit). One important thing to remember is that the minutes of a meeting never fully reflect what was said during it. I’ve been in FAR too many meetings and had taken minutes in a few to understand that. The minutes are not, and are not intended to be, a verbatim report of what was said. If that was the case, they’d be far less coherent than they actually are! Minutes reflect what was meant to be said. The chair often directs the minute taker NOT to record something that is not wanted in the record. Once the minutes are taken and they typed up, they’re circulated around the participants and amended, before being re-typed and re-circulated for final approval. Only once they have been approved – in effect twice – are they finally released to a larger audience and become an official record. So, minutes might very well reflect what was said (in a general way) but they are ultimately designed for public consumption (and History) rather than a real-time account and this is why, by and large, tape records are not allowed in meetings – they record EXACTLY what happened! 

But anyway, I’m not completely convinced that Halifax had much of a chance of being PM (even if the King did indeed prefer him to Winston) or that Churchill was *such* an outsider that parliament would’ve turned him down – especially with such an existential crisis upon us. From what I know (more to come on THAT subject), the political drama in the movie was ramped up more than a little. Chamberlain clearly had to go – not least because he was dying of cancer as well as being WAY out of his depth as a wartime Prime Minister. Halifax *might* have been suitable if no one else was available. Luckily, for so many people, Churchill not only was available but seemed to be MADE for the role. It was a long time coming but he was the right person in the right role at exactly the right time. How different things could’ve been without him. Recommended (with a few caveats) and much more to come on this pivotal moment. Oh, and if you haven’t seen the movie... Do so. It’s EXCELLENT. 

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