The Politician’s Child: Growing Up in the Public Eye of Modern Britain, c. 1970–2000s

Elizabeth T Hurren

doi:10.1177/0363199019873362

Abstract

“The Politician’s Child” investigates childhoods lived in the public eye of modern British politics, c. 1970s–2000s. It engages with diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, and newspaper interviews in which former politicians revealed private aspects of their children’s lives in return for a publishing advance on leaving public office. The educational, social, and medical problems that political parents create for their offspring have often been neglected in histories of the family and political life. These are essential to study since they reveal a complex matrix of social and political worlds, which contrast with the public histories of the family that politicians pen.

Highlights

Politics and the media have always been a part of our children’s lives. When they were very young, Yvette was increasingly asked to appear on GMTV or BBC Breakfast
In a way, politics and the media have always been a part of our children’s lives
In 2016, Paddy Ashdown, former Liberal Democrat leader, spoke about the impact of his time in frontline British politics and the damage it could have done to family-life

Summary

Introduction

Politics and the media have always been a part of our children’s lives. When they were very young, Yvette was increasingly asked to appear on GMTV or BBC Breakfast. 1970 – 2000s Introduction: In 2016, Ed Balls, former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in the Labour Government under Prime Minister Tony Blair, reflected in his political memoir on the surreal experiences and challenges of bringing up children in the public eye.

Results

Conclusion