"'The best of enemies' is the political diaries of one of the most significant politicians of the late twentieth century. Covering the entire Thatcher/Major period - from the former's election in 1979 to the latter's defeat in 1997 - during which time Fowler held prominent positions in the Cabinet. As Transport Secretary he was responsible for making seat belts compulsory and later, as Health Secretary, he worked to draw attention to the dangers of Aids. He was Chairman of the party from 1992 to 1994. His diaries observe both Prime Ministers, and their Cabinet colleagues, at close quarters, and Fowler brings his training as a journalist to bear on them. The diaries are full of insights and anecdotes and they resonate powerfully with the situation facing the Conservative Party today, including industrial strife, waning authority and a Labour Party looking like a government in waiting. The entries raise other issues that remain unresolved. They range from the effect that a minister's private sexual conduct should have on their career to whether an entirely 'hands-off' approach to industrial strategy is in the national interest. Fowler's diaries provide a ringside seat to the struggles of their time. They are not the diaries of an ex-minister seeking to justify their own record. They are the story of how two Prime Ministers rose and fell and caused their party to split apart, told by someone who was there."-- Taken from dust jacket.