Depending on one's point of view, Ferdinand Mount is either a political figure who writes novels or a novelist who has also put his wisdom to use in politics and political writing. One might also think of him as a gifted editor who finds time for...

Byline: Alexander Chancellor SOME time during the spring of 1982, I was visited by an elderly fellowwith a nicotinestained moustache whose job was to carry out security checks onprospective Government employees. The subject of this particular investigation was Ferdinand Mount, who...

BOOK OF THE WEEK Cold Cream: My Early Life and Other Mistakes by Ferdinand Mount ( Bloomsbury, [pounds ]20) ON THE face of it, Ferdy Mount has had a pretty distinguished career. He was head of Margaret Thatcher's Policy Unit at a...