The Wind in Westminster has its roots in Kenneth Grahame's classic masterpiece. It is an engaging, and very funny satire on contemporary British politics and the wider state of the world at the beginning of the 21st century, in which the immortal Toad is returned to Parliament as a Conservative M.P. with the devoted - though liberally inclined - Mole at his side. Sinister international forces are at work, but Love triumphs over every obstacle of race, creed, class - and even species.

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This review is from: The Wind in Westminster: A Toad's Eye View of the Political Classes (Paperback)
For those of us of a certain age, the names Ratty, Mole, and Toad of Toad Hall conjure up a time in our lives when our biggest worries were whether we had enough pennies to scrape together to buy a Marathon bar, or what to do with the summer holidays, stretching endlessly before us into the distance.

But just as Marathon bars are now called Snickers and you probably counted yourself lucky if you managed two weeks in a leaky caravan in Lydd last August, The Wind in Westminster, James Richmond's evocative reimagining of the characters contained in Kenneth Grahame's wonderful tales of the Riverbank* reflect some of the changes worked in the world since the days of Mr Grahame.

Now Mr Toad (Conservative MP for Riverbank) wears a Paul Smith suit with a pink tie, a muesli-eating Badger studies law via the Open University, and Otter petitions against the dangers of hydro-electric turbines.

Following a landslide General Election victory, the Riverside branch of the Conservative Party send their newly elected Member of Parliament to Westminster to further the dubious aims of the rapacious Julian, spin doctor Eustace Squirrel and the decidedly dodgy Doug Mink, with his devious and secretive plans for Riverside. Only the idealistic Lib-Dem Mole, acting as his personal assistant (and unofficial conscience) can thwart Mink's plans to ruin their Riverside idyll. A move made doubly necessary since Toad doesn't know a GM crop from a CO2 emission.

Toad and Mole's quiet, countrified existence is abruptly juxtaposed with the hectic life of the high-flying contemporary Westminster politician; quite how Toad exchanges life at crumbling Toad Hall for a double-fronted Georgian town house on five floors in St James's Square may owe more to recent scandals regarding MP's expenses than the fortuitous discovery of buried treasure in the cellar of Toad's ancestral pile, which is just one of the topical references you'll find in this amusing book.

But regardless of your political biases Richmond's loving reimagining of Grahame's characters and their political choices in these difficult times will keep you entertained, however his obvious affection for the source material means that he remains true to and shows great respect for Grahame's original characters - so don't expect road-hogging, huntin-shootin-and-fishin' Toad to about-face and link arms with our Ursine PM or join Brian Hoare's encampment outside Westminster, while a reimagined Mole cycles side-by-side with a matey but dead-eyed David Cameron.

The Wind in Westminster is a witty and charming walk through our system of government via the medium of an innocent and bygone time, in a satire which by and large avoids the brutal character assassinations of our political leaders and their parties as seen on the news-stands. Yet its political commentary is still cogent, with echoes of Yes Minister and The New Statesman in its humorous conclusions regarding the choices we make regarding the people we elect and the implications these choices have for us all.

Whether you're a fan of Kenneth Grahame's much loved book, or just enjoy your political satire slightly less red in tooth and claw than that of the much imitated (but greatly missed Hunter S Thompson), you will find much to keep you engrossed and entertained. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Mr. Dennis A. O'sullivan "Bookworm" (London, England)

* That's The Wind in The Willows for the post JK Rowling generation.