A Fortunate Life

Paddy Ashdown’ s autobiography was hailed as one of the most readable and exciting political life stories ever written of all – precisely because it was so very much more. This is the autobiography of an old-fashioned Man of Action, an adventurer, to be compared more readily to Fitzroy Maclean than David Steel. Ashdown’ s years as MP for Yeovil and leader of the Liberal Democrats pale alongside his time as a Royal Marine Commando, in the Special Boat squadron, as a spy, on military service in Northern Ireland and Indonesia, and then subsequently – perhaps his finest and most heroic role, as the UN’ s High representative in war-torn Bosnia. As one reviewer remarked: “ This must be the first political memoir to offer advice on the best way to execute a jungle ambush and on how to treat an open wound using red ants.” Ashdown’ s appeal – which explains this books’ s hardback bestseller status – is that he transcends party political allegiances, and is seen as a genuinely honest and decent man unafraid to take on the hardest challenges.