Few things became Alan Clark less than retirement. “My mind races,” the Thatcher-era Tory junior minister raged into his diaries. “I am hungry for news and gossip, resentful at John Major … how could they? Although, of course, the cruelty of politics is its attraction.”
If only he’d hung on for the arrival of podcasts. Today, Clark would be a cert to host his own politics one, sweeping the crumbs from Westminster tablecloths into a regular 50 minutes of audio content: reminiscence, gossip and crisp, chilled cruelty – Who’s down? Who’s out? – all generously sponsored by a manufacturer of probiotic yoghurt.
