Just politics

Krish Kandiah taught me evangelism and apologetics at Vicar Factory and is great blogger and writer. One of his passions is that we should all be much more fully engaged in politics and not just when elections come around. He has written a book called Just politics that you might want to read over the next couple of weeks. He also offers Ten reasons Christians must Vote.

One way to cultivate an understanding of politics is to read more about it. Here are five of the books that got me interested and engaged with politics.

1. One of us: I did my university dissertation on Thatcherism (remember her!) This is a highly readable biography by the brilliant Guardian journalist Hugo Young. It gives an amazing insight into both the woman and her political philosophy.

2. The Alan Clarke Diaries : These are now infamous but Clarke wrote so well and his descriptions of his time working in the cabinet helped me understand what a complex and difficult task we give to politicians

3. All too human: This is a gripping account of the Clinton years that I found hard to put down. This is the West Wing before it became television.

4. Letters to my Grandchildren: Tony Benn is one of the greats of British politics and he is nothing if not consistent. These are a set of letters he wrote to his grandchildren and encapsulate the things he has given his life for and still believes.

5. The Long Walk to Freedom: This is quite simply a book everyone should read at least once in their lives.