Dr Michael Temple is a senior lecturer in Politics and Journalism at Staffordshire University. His books include How Britain Works: From Ideology to Output Politics (Macmillan, 2000), an accessible and readable account of the recent changes in British government, which Simon Jenkins said raised questions that ‘deserve to ring alarm bells throughout British public administration and politics’. Dr Temple has published many articles on politics including Anthony Giddens, Tony Blair and the Third Way (2001). It was important, for the serving Prime Minister, to find someone who was neither a Blair apologist on the one hand, nor a Blair-hater on the other. That ruled out most journalists, commentators and political scientists. Dr Temple’s book on British government changes marks him out as someone who understands what they are about, can write about them accessibly, and examine them dispassionately.