Meghnad Desai

Dead On Time Meghnad Desai

The Right Honourable Harry White is charismatic, politically savvy, and has a way with the ladies. There is only one thing he cannot work up any enthusiasm for, and that's football. But prime ministers don't always have a choice when it comes to the expectations of their electorate, so Harry White cannot but accept the invitation to attend the biggest match of them all: the Old Firm game between the Rangers and the Celtics, traditional Scottish rivals. The day at 10 Downing Street begins like any other, every minute packed with discussion, argument, strategic movements of people and policies, and the odd flirtation. There is a call from the American president, a hurried lunch with a media mogul obsessed with tax returns, a clever deflection of potential trouble within the party, before the prime minister and his entourage are finally ready for the game that is to be the last item on their agenda. Ready too, are the two men who have waited many years for this moment... An unexpected first novel by the well-known economist and political commentator, "Dead on Time" is a delightful mix of action, humour and real politik. The events taking shape at 10 Downing Street and in the parallel corridors of power in England, America and the Middle East capture the tensions and constant realignments that characterize global politics today.