Description
About the Author
Jonny Oates was born in 1969 and educated at Marlborough College. He was the director of communications for the Liberal Democrats for the 2010 general election and chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg through the coalition government of 2010-15. Inspired by Michael Buerk's world-famous broadcast from the Ethiopian famine, he ran away from home to Addis Ababa in 1985, hoping to help victims of the Ethiopian famine - an endeavour that, unsurprisingly, proved unsuccessful. He subsequently worked as a teacher in a rural school in Zimbabwe and as a political adviser in South Africa's first post-apartheid parliament. He has been a member of the House of Lords since October 2015, where he focuses on climate change, international development and mental health.
Reviews
"Unusually for a political figure, Jonny Oates has written about love: how it tormented him and how it healed him. Few in political life are as candid about the underpinning of what drives them. A gripping tale of escape and rescue, this is the story of the making of a liberal soul." - Gary Gibbon, political editor, Channel 4 News "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden charts the unusual emotional and political journey of Jonny Oates. By turns tender, moving and funny, it is an unflinchingly candid story of teenage rebellion, of love and - above all - of heartfelt compassion. If anyone doubts that there is still a place in politics for exceptional, decent people, this is a book for you." - Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister 2010-15 "Oates takes you on an extraordinary journey from teenage rebellion, through the fight for African rights, to the top ranks of the British government. It's all the more extraordinary because the story is true - his is a life lesson that serendipity and courage can change things for good." - Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor
Book Information
ISBN 9781785905728
Author Jonny Oates
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Biteback Publishing
Publisher Biteback Publishing