Tim Renton knows all about whips. He used to be one. Indeed, he served as Margaret Thatcher's chief whip in the year before her downfall. This is a book of two parts. The first part of the book is a memoir of Renton's period as ChiefWhip, where he reveals new information about the fall of Margaret Thatcher and his role in it. He has some explosive revelations which will cause the history of the period to be rewritten. The second part of the book examines the history of parliamentary whipping - a fascinating study of the origins of the term and the characters who have held the office over the centuries. His unique style brings the subject to life and his exposure of the dark arts of whipping and the truth behind the whips' little black book is revealed for the first time. Never before has a former whip been so open about what whips actually do, and his former parliamentary colleagues won't thank him for it.