I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
'Oates takes you on an extraordinary journey from teenage rebellion, through the fight for African rights, to the top ranks of the British government. It’s all the more extraordinary because the story is true – his is a life lesson that serendipity and courage can change things for good.' — Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor
Aged fifteen and armed with a credit card stolen from his father, Jonny Oates ran away from home and boarded a plane to Addis Ababa. His plan? To save the Ethiopian people from the devastating 1985 famine. Discovering that the level of demand for unskilled fifteen-year-old English boys was not huge, he learned the hard lesson that sometimes you can't just change the world by pure force of will.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden traces Oates's adventure as it led him to Zimbabwe where, aged eighteen, he was made deputy head of a rural secondary school — which had yet to be built. It follows him in South Africa during the final year of Mandela's presidency, where he worked with Zulu leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, as South Africa sought to shape a future from its bitterly divided past. The story culminates in the roller-coaster-ride of Britain's first post-war coalition government where, as Nick Clegg's Chief of Staff, he had a unique view of events that shaped the future of the country and learned important lessons about the difference between power and duty.
'Unusually for a political figure, Jonny Oates has written about love: how it tormented him and how it healed him. Few in political life are as candid about the underpinning of what drives them. A gripping tale of escape and rescue, this is the story of the making of a liberal soul.' — Gary Gibbon, political editor, Channel 4 News
'I Never Promised You a Rose Garden charts the unusual emotional and political journey of Jonny Oates. By turns tender, moving and funny, it is an unflinchingly candid story of teenage rebellion, of love and – above all – of heartfelt compassion. If anyone doubts that there is still a place in politics for exceptional, decent people, this is a book for you.' — Nick Clegg, UK Deputy Prime Minister 2010–15
Jonny Oates is a former deputy director of communications in 10 Downing Street and was chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg during the coalition government. Inspired by Band Aid and Live Aid, he ran away from home to Ethiopia in 1985 hoping to help victims of the Ethiopian famine. He subsequently worked as a teacher in Zimbabwe and as a political adviser in South Africa’s first post-apartheid parliament. Jonny has twenty-five years’ experience in senior communications and advisory roles in the private and public sector both at home and abroad. He is currently a Member of the House of Lords and continues to advise individuals, companies and charities on communications. He lives in south-west London.
