The Abuse of Power

The Abuse of Power
AuthorTheresa May
PublisherHeadline
Publication date
14 September 2023
Pages352
ISBN978-1035409884

The Abuse of Power: Confronting Injustice in Public Life is a book by former British Prime minister, Theresa May published in 2023. The book explores how power is abused by public institutions and those who run them.[1] It explores the police response to the Hillsborough disaster, Windrush scandal, the Grenfell Tower fire, the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, the British Post Office scandal, [1] and the use of stop and search powers by the police.[2]

Critical reception

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Andrew Rawnsley reviewing in The Guardian commented that the prose was plain but punchy.[1] Róisín Lanigan writing in the Irish Independent criticizes May's writing and says that May has a lack of self-awareness.[3]

Rawnsley comments that May's description of the Windrush scandal deflects from her responsibility as a Home Secretary.[1]

Rawnsley says that the inclusion of a chapter on Brexit and the assertion that her opponents were abusing power was bizarre and "repulsive" given the other examples included in the book.[1] Tom Peck, writing in The Independent, comments that many of the claimed abuses of power related to Brexit would be viewed as entirely legitimate tactics by others.[4]

Writing for Literary Review, Tim Bale said: "According to the veteran political journalist Andrew Marr, political memoirs serve three purposes: 'to settle scores, to nudge the dial of the historical verdict, and above all to win a publisher’s advance that is unlikely to be earned out'. May, whatever she might claim, is clearly attempting to do the first and the second of these – in neither case very successfully".[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Rawnsley, Andrew (2023-09-03). "The Abuse of Power: Confronting Injustice in Public Life by Theresa May review – blind to her own failings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  2. ^ Nelson, Fraser (2023-08-30). "'Abuse of power'? Theresa May is the expert". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  3. ^ "How the boring Theresa May saved the day (in her own mind)". Independent.ie. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  4. ^ "The Abuse of Power? Theresa May's new book is an abuse of reality! | Tom Peck". The Independent. 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  5. ^ "Tim Bale - From Wheatfields to Windrush". Literary Review. 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
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