In it together? Matthew d’Ancona’s book on the coalition is a huge letdown, says Peter Oborne

There are two ways of being a political journalist. One is to stay on the outside and try to avoid being compromised by too much contact with politicians. This approach comes at what many regard as an impossible cost. After all, the job of a journalist is to get stories and gain insight. Story-getting can only come through access, but this too creates a problem. The politicians who supply information, atmosphere, gossip and revelation tend to demand loyalty — and protection — in return.

There is no right answer. Matthew d’Ancona has always sought the status of an insider. His Sunday Telegraph column is valuable because it provides an accurate and informed account of the stresses at the heart of the government. At the start of In It Together he candidly tells the reader that he would still be attending ‘bridge evenings, group holidays and children’s play dates’ with the Prime Minister and his inner circle were the Conservatives not in power.