1:30pm Friday 2nd January 2009
AN insider’s view of the corridors of power will be shared with Swindon audiences in February.
That is when former Conservative MP and one-time minister Michael Portillo comes to town.
The high-profile ex-cabinet minister will give a speech and answer questions at Swindon Arts Centre, Devizes Road, on February 3.
He will share with audiences his experiences of a life never far from controversy with anecdotes about some of the biggest names in British politics, including Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Nigel Lawson.
The second half of the show will be in the form of a question and answer session in which audience members will have the chance to grill him on his life and opinions.
Michael rose to fame in the Thatcher years, holding posts that included the local government portfolio, where he was a strong advocate for the introduction of the poll tax.
His prominence continued under John Major, during whose reign he held the post of defence secretary.
His surprise defeat in the 1997 General Election came to be seen as a symbol of the waning power of the Conservative Party during the Blair years.
He returned to Parliament from 1999 to 2005, during which time he took on the role of shadow chancellor and unsuccessfully stood for leadership of the Conservative Party.
Since leaving politics, he has devoted himself to writing and broadcasting.
He writes for the Sunday Times and is a regular on both BBC1’s This Week programme and Radio 4’s Moral Maze.
He also has made documentaries on subjects as diverse as Richard Wagner and the death penalty and in 2008 he was the chairman of judges for the Man Booker prize.
The event starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £12.50.
For more information or to buy tickets call the box office on 01793 614837 or go to www.swindon.gov.uk/ artscentre.
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