Listen free for 30 days
-
All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 32 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Politics & Activism
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £29.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem
- By: Tim Shipman
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 29 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the best-selling author of All Out War, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2017. The unmissable account of politics covering Theresa May's time as PM through to the end of the election campaign. Stuffed to the brim with revelation and explanation of political debates and arguments and a superb follow-up to All Out War.
-
-
Brilliant and insightful
- By Chris Tech on 23-01-18
-
Left Out
- The Inside Story of Labour Under Corbyn
- By: Gabriel Pogrund, Patrick Maguire
- Narrated by: Matthew Spencer
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the peak of Jeremy Corbyn's popularity and the shock hung parliament of 2017 to Labour's humbling in 2019 and the election of Keir Starmer, Left Out draws on unrivalled access throughout the party and to both leaders' inner circles to provide a blistering narrative exposé of the Labour Party during one of the most tumultuous and significant episodes in its history. It reveals a party riven by factionalism and at war over ideology, then incapacitated by crisis and indecision.
-
-
Very good although too charitable to Corbyn.
- By Emily Senior on 16-09-20
-
Three Years In Hell
- By: Fintan O'Toole
- Narrated by: Patrick Moy
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Three Years in Hell is a mordantly funny and perceptive account of three years in our troubled islands, leading up to the aftermath of Brexit (or not, as it may prove). It includes scathing portraits of the leading characters, including Johnson, and of the strange twists and turns that British politics has taken and the effects on our friends and neighbours.
-
-
Three years of hell .
- By Mr. R. Taylor on 18-04-20
-
Unleashing Demons
- The Inside Story of Brexit
- By: Craig Oliver
- Narrated by: Craig Oliver
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As David Cameron's director of politics and communications, Craig Oliver was in the room at every key moment during the EU referendum - the biggest political event in the UK since World War II. Craig Oliver worked with all the players, including David Cameron, George Osbourne, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Theresa May and Peter Mandelson.
-
-
A self-serving therapeutic memoir that disappoints
- By Kieran on 21-12-16
-
Chief of Staff
- By: Gavin Barwell
- Narrated by: Gavin Barwell
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a more sedate affair, since 2016, British politics has witnessed a barrage of crises, resignations and general elections. As Brexit became logjammed, Theresa May's premiership was the most turbulent of all. In her darkest hour, following the disastrous 2017 election, she turned to Gavin Barwell to restore her battered authority. He would become her chief of staff for the next two years - a period punctuated by strained negotiations, domestic tragedy and intense political drama.
-
-
I wanted to enjoy this - but ended up frustrated!
- By Nick G on 10-11-21
-
Revenge
- Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors
- By: Tom Bower
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding, watched and celebrated around the world, was the beginning of a new era for the Windsors. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family's fate seems persistently threatened.
-
-
Better than most fiction
- By 451 on 21-07-22
-
Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem
- By: Tim Shipman
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 29 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the best-selling author of All Out War, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2017. The unmissable account of politics covering Theresa May's time as PM through to the end of the election campaign. Stuffed to the brim with revelation and explanation of political debates and arguments and a superb follow-up to All Out War.
-
-
Brilliant and insightful
- By Chris Tech on 23-01-18
-
Left Out
- The Inside Story of Labour Under Corbyn
- By: Gabriel Pogrund, Patrick Maguire
- Narrated by: Matthew Spencer
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the peak of Jeremy Corbyn's popularity and the shock hung parliament of 2017 to Labour's humbling in 2019 and the election of Keir Starmer, Left Out draws on unrivalled access throughout the party and to both leaders' inner circles to provide a blistering narrative exposé of the Labour Party during one of the most tumultuous and significant episodes in its history. It reveals a party riven by factionalism and at war over ideology, then incapacitated by crisis and indecision.
-
-
Very good although too charitable to Corbyn.
- By Emily Senior on 16-09-20
-
Three Years In Hell
- By: Fintan O'Toole
- Narrated by: Patrick Moy
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Three Years in Hell is a mordantly funny and perceptive account of three years in our troubled islands, leading up to the aftermath of Brexit (or not, as it may prove). It includes scathing portraits of the leading characters, including Johnson, and of the strange twists and turns that British politics has taken and the effects on our friends and neighbours.
-
-
Three years of hell .
- By Mr. R. Taylor on 18-04-20
-
Unleashing Demons
- The Inside Story of Brexit
- By: Craig Oliver
- Narrated by: Craig Oliver
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As David Cameron's director of politics and communications, Craig Oliver was in the room at every key moment during the EU referendum - the biggest political event in the UK since World War II. Craig Oliver worked with all the players, including David Cameron, George Osbourne, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Theresa May and Peter Mandelson.
-
-
A self-serving therapeutic memoir that disappoints
- By Kieran on 21-12-16
-
Chief of Staff
- By: Gavin Barwell
- Narrated by: Gavin Barwell
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a more sedate affair, since 2016, British politics has witnessed a barrage of crises, resignations and general elections. As Brexit became logjammed, Theresa May's premiership was the most turbulent of all. In her darkest hour, following the disastrous 2017 election, she turned to Gavin Barwell to restore her battered authority. He would become her chief of staff for the next two years - a period punctuated by strained negotiations, domestic tragedy and intense political drama.
-
-
I wanted to enjoy this - but ended up frustrated!
- By Nick G on 10-11-21
-
Revenge
- Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors
- By: Tom Bower
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding, watched and celebrated around the world, was the beginning of a new era for the Windsors. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family's fate seems persistently threatened.
-
-
Better than most fiction
- By 451 on 21-07-22
-
Inside Story: Politics, Intrigue and Treachery from Thatcher to Brexit
- By: Philip Webster
- Narrated by: Philip Webster
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From one of the greatest political journalists of recent times, an insider's account of four decades of covering the British political scene, packed with tales of the biggest political happenings of the last half century. Philip Webster covered politics for The Times newspaper for 43 years, including 18 years as its political editor.
-
-
Fascinating insight, after the event, of so much in politics over the last 40 years.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-12-16
-
One Party After Another
- The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage
- By: Michael Crick
- Narrated by: Richard Attlee
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nigel Farage is arguably one of the most influential British politicians of the 21st century. His campaign to take the UK out of the EU began as a minority and extreme point of view, but in June 2016 it became the official policy of the nation after a divisive referendum. In Michael Crick's brilliant new biography, One Party After Another, we find out how he did it despite never once managing to get elected to Parliament.
-
-
A very - perhaps too - fair assessment
- By David O'Leary on 19-02-22
-
The Killing Season Uncut
- By: Sarah Ferguson, Patricia Drum
- Narrated by: Sarah Ferguson
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Australians came to the ABC's The Killing Season in droves, their fascination with the Rudd-Gillard struggle as unfinished as the saga itself. Rudd and Gillard dominate the drama as they strain to claim the narrative of Labor's years in power. The journey to screen for each of their interviews is telling in itself. Kevin Rudd gives his painful account of the period and recalls in vivid detail the events of losing the prime ministership. Julia Gillard is frank and unsparing of her colleagues.
-
Protest and Power
- The Battle for the Labour Party
- By: David Kogan
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Labour has shifted from the New Left, to New Labour, to Corbynista Labour. Now, it may see power again with a most unlikely group of activists from the 1970s becoming the fourth generation to win power since 1945. Only Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson and Tony Blair have won power from a sitting Conservative government. Of the 10 general elections since 1979, Labour has won three, all under Blair. This record of failure, if applied to any other walk of life, would raise the fundamental question of why continue to fight a losing battle?
-
-
Sorry That It Ended To Soon.
- By Farniboy on 05-03-21
-
The Third Man
- Life at the Heart of New Labour
- By: Peter Mandelson
- Narrated by: Peter Mandelson
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Mandelson is one of the most influential politicians of modern times. The Third Man is his story – of a life played out in the backroom and then on the frontline of the Labour Party during its unprecedented three terms in government.
Much of the book is devoted to the defining political relationships of Peter Mandelson’s life – with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Charting what he terms the ‘soap-opera’ years of the Labour government, his book is certain to ruffle many feathers.
-
-
review
- By Anonymous User on 04-08-10
-
Cameron at 10: The Inside Story 2010 - 2015
- By: Anthony Seldon, Peter Snowdon
- Narrated by: Dugald Bruce Lockhart
- Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years in the making, Cameron at 10 is the gripping inside story of the Cameron premiership, based on over 300 in-depth interviews with senior figures in 10 Downing Street, including the Prime Minister himself. As dusk descended on 11 May 2010, David Cameron entered 10 Downing Street as the youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812. He stood at the head of the first Coalition government in 65 years, with the country in dire economic straits following a deep financial crisis.
-
-
Fascinating and fast paced
- By Kindle Customer on 10-04-16
-
Surrender Is Not an Option
- Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad
- By: John Bolton
- Narrated by: John Bolton
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A veteran of three Republican administrations and a nominee for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, John Bolton reveals how the U.S. can lead the way to a more realistic global security arrangement for the 21st century and identifies the next generation of threats to America.
-
Revival
- The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House
- By: Richard Wolffe
- Narrated by: Richard Wolffe
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Revival, by best-selling author Richard Wolffe, is based on exclusive and extensive interviews with President Obama and his inner circle inside the West Wing. It is an intimate and revealing portrait of the Obama White House at work in a critical period for the country and for the president.
-
Broken Heartlands
- A Journey Through Labour's Lost England
- By: Sebastian Payne
- Narrated by: Sebastian Payne
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The red wall formed the foundation of Labour's vote in the Midlands and the North of England, but these places backed Brexit and then dramatically turned Conservative for the first time in living memory at the 2019 election, redrawing the electoral map in the process. Originally from the North East himself, Payne set out to uncover the story of the red wall and issues that turned the seats blue.
-
-
Unbearable
- By Arkhidamos on 24-10-21
-
For the Record
- By: David Cameron
- Narrated by: David Cameron
- Length: 30 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union in 2016 has been one of the most controversial political events of modern times. For the first time, the man who called that vote talks about the decision and its origins, as well as giving a candid account of his time at the top of British politics. David Cameron was Conservative Party leader during the largest financial crash in living memory. The Arab Spring and the Eurozone crisis both started during his first year as prime minister.
-
-
A surprisingly good listen
- By Amazon Customer on 16-01-20
-
Peacerunner
- The True Story of How an Ex-Congressman Helped End the Centuries of War in Ireland
- By: Penn Rhodeen
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the true story of an unknown American politician who played a critical role in ending centuries of conflict in Northern Ireland. Without the president's permission, and breaking every conventional rule about how to deal with terrorists, former congressman Bruce Morrison helped end a conflict that most observers thought would continue indefinitely.
-
The Blair Years
- Extracts from the Alastair Campbell Diaries
- By: Alastair Campbell
- Narrated by: Alastair Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book Award, 2007.
Longlisted for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2007.
The Blair Years is the most compelling and revealing account of contemporary politics you will ever hear. Taken from Alastair Campbell's daily diaries, these audio extracts chart the rise of New Labour and the tumultuous years of Tony Blair's leadership, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in our national life.
-
-
Rivetting
- By David on 13-07-07
Summary
Politics was turned upside down during 2016. This book by Sunday Times political editor Tim Shipman is the first to tell the full story of how and why Britain voted to leave the European Union and how the vote shattered the political status quo.
Based on unrivalled access to all the key politicians and their advisors - including Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, George Osborne, Nigel Farage and Dominic Cummings, the mastermind of Vote Leave - Shipman has written a political history that reads like a thriller and offers a gripping day-by-day account of what really happened behind the scenes in Downing Street, both Leave campaigns, the Labour Party, Ukip and Britain Stronger in Europe.
Shipman gives his listeners a ringside seat on how decisions were made, mistakes justified and betrayals perpetrated. Filled with stories, anecdotes and juicy leaks, the audiobook does not seek to address the rights and wrongs of Brexit but to explore how and why David Cameron chose to take the biggest political gamble of his life and explain why he lost.
This is a story of calculation, attempted coups, individuals torn between principles and loyalty. All the events are here - from David Cameron's pledge to hold a referendum through to the campaign itself, his resignation as prime minister, the betrayals and rivalries that occurred during the race to find his successor and the arrival of Theresa May in Downing Street as Britain's second female prime minister.
All Out War is an audiobook about leaders and their closest aides, the decisions they make and how and why they make them as well as how they feel when they turn out to be wrong. It is about men who make decisions that are intellectually consistent and - by their own measure - morally sound that are simultaneously disastrous for themselves and those closest to them. It is about how doing what you know has worked before doesn't always work again. Most of all it is about asking the question: how far are you prepared to go to win?
Critic reviews
"Tim Shipman is brilliantly qualified to write the inside story of the referendum, with his unrivalled access to all the players." (John Rentoul)
"Britain underwent a political revolution last summer. Tim Shipman, one of the most brilliant, best informed and well-connected journalists in Westminster, has written a superlative book which does full justice to a momentous time in a national history." (Peter Osborne)
More from the same
What listeners say about All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr SA Lambe
- 02-03-17
Magnificent blow by blow account
This remarkable - and very long - book reads like distant history, It is hard to believe that (at time of writing) the referendum was only 8 months ago, but this superb account manages to humanize most of the key participants - particularly Cameron, Osborne, Gove and Johnson, while bringing to the fore many of the support players, particularly Dominic Cummings. Johnson comes across as a pretty sympathetic figure, Nigel Farage, on the other hand, doesn't.
Tim Shipman's book manages impartiality by only expressing opinions through the mouths of the participants he interviews. Sometimes these are named - like Farage or Arron Banks - more often they are " a source close to Gove" (for example). He only expresses opinions himself to drill down into situations where accounts differ - amazing considering he was writing just weeks after these events took place.
There does seem to be a little bias - though it is buried deep, and may simply be down to contrasting natures of the two campaigns. The characters in both main Leave campaigns, for instance, come across as much more colourful than those in the worthy but duller Remain camp, but that may just be because they probably were. The otherwise-admirable multitude of options that pervade the book seem to go missing when considering the somewhat lackluster Labour Campaign and Corbyn's remarkable effect at galvanizing new party members is dismissed, suggesting (without comment) that they are mainly leftist nutters.
So, if you want a quick and/or biased (one way or the other) account, then look elsewhere. If you want a riveting, beautifully written (and read) day by day historical account of what happened to who and when, then you will enjoy this. Shipman does examine the reasons that Leave won - and offers plenty of often contradictory opinions from his sources - but never reaches a definitive conclusion. After all, he'd have to interview tens of millions of people to do that, and that's probably a bit much, even for him!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr. Chris B Nicholls
- 06-11-18
Fabulous and frightening insight.
The people have spoken, the bastards - but politicians seem even bigger bastards. This was a great but frightening tale of stupidity, naivety, deceit, indecision, opportunism, condescension, cowardice and incompetence shown to a staggering degree by the political elite of
all shades. The same people who lecture us about governing for all, understanding the concerns of us ordinary citizens, who ask us to tighten our belts and pull together, who tell us they genuinely care about preserving and improving the NHS, about supporting effective mental health for all, funding our schools and libraries and looking after and actually caring for our old people - but year after year fail to deliver because in their narrow line of vision, self interest is a much higher priority than the national interest. However you voted, there are no heroes here. We are certainly governed by "Here today, gone tomorrow" politicians but it seems that most want to extract as much as they can for themselves today so they can enjoy a very comfortable tomorrow.
My Dad, like thousands of other men and women spent years of hardship and being shot at during WW2 to defend the concept of democracy. The suffragettes suffered abuse and prison to get the vote for women but despite this I increasingly feel disenfranchised. I no longer feel that voting for any party makes the slightest difference to the self serving political classes we now endure. Tim Shipman's book was excellent but it leaves you feeling even more despondent and impotent than before. I remember seeing the slogan " Dont vote, it only encourages them" as a joke but I now feel even more strongly that the joke is on me. We still have a parliamentary democracy in this country but the connection between the people and the government appears to be hanging by a thread and even that is being stretched by the self seeking career politicians, special advisers and assorted hangers on that this book exposes.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr Simon W D Borland
- 23-01-17
Great political inside information. Well done
really enjoyed this. I will definitely listen to it a second time. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a detailed inside analysis of all the political campaigns leading up to the referendum. And the backstabbing after!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- linus beaven
- 05-01-18
Gripping, very well researched and brilliantly wri
Would you listen to All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class again? Why?
Most definitely, I found it to be a riveting insight into the complexities of a national campaign
Who was your favorite character and why?
Dominic Cummings, he has the Bull Dog intensity for the fight and the never say never attitude that probably tipped the balance, I just wish he was on the other side
Which character – as performed by Rupert Farley – was your favourite?
To be honest, I actually found the whole thing of trying to be a character and attempting accents and impressions to be quite annoying and unnecessary and the main reason I decided to write this review
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I effectively did, apart from 8 hours sleep half way through, I listened to it in one sitting, even taking it to the kitchen, toilet and pub with me
Any additional comments?
For anyone interested in UK National politics, this book is an essential listen/read and I am looking forward to starting the next book, Fall Out, as soon as possible
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Judy Corstjens
- 01-05-17
Blow by Blow account
I didn't realise until I had downloaded it that this book is 32 hours long. I was actually looking for a rollicking journalist's inside summary of the to's and fro's, but this really was more detail than a normal person needs to know about the Brexit campaign. It is interesting to review the arguments now, with the benefit of hindsight, and Tim Shipman does a pretty good job of staying objective (he doesn't seems to take sides much). It is interesting (maybe depressing) to see how much marketing and comms have taken over from actual political debate.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- EJ
- 31-12-16
Absolutely riveting!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would definitely recommend this book (which I listened to as an audiobook) to anyone interested in how the referendum came to be won and lost. Rupert Farley's narration adds to the sense of atmosphere and he does a good job of getting the 'tone' of the key players.
It is a fascinating 'fly-on-the-wall' account of the mixture of focused ruthlessness and sheer ineptitude that ran through both sides' campaigns and all the political parties.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul O'Connor
- 06-11-18
All the Tories are so nice !!!
I really enjoyed the book; for politics nerds it's like crack cocaine....
But the author leans severely towards the Conservative party and portrays the Tory politicians as people of integrity and compassion. Not even a hint of the characteristics that gave them the nickname The Nasty Party.
Once you price in the author's obvious bias, then drive on and enjoy!
My only complaint is the narrator, who does a fine job, reads way too slowly. I had to listen at 115%.
BTW I now understand why a second referendum is extremely unlikely. The vote was called to end a 30 year civil war in the Conservative Party. If a second referendum votes Remain, that civil war will become permanent and could only end with a full split.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 06-01-17
a must read covers the lot
great book makes Craig Oliver a lightweight. extremely well narrated. My best book for a long time.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- anon
- 11-05-19
Beyond parody
Great book, gives the context behind the headlines and hugely partisan debates. Depicts the human side of the players well, while not shying away from the hubris and regicidal impulses. I’ve only given it 4 stars, and the end of the party is better. Do listen to that one, it’s a gripping car crash from start to finish!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Clare
- 11-12-17
Fascinating account of the Referendum and its party political consequences.
Amazingly, this book manages to be utterly fascinating and a compelling read. It is well structured, with a huge amount of detail but without ever getting mired down in all the nitty gritty; and it is written in a style that is easy to read. Farley pitches the narration perfectly.
As well as the policy questions and choices of the politicians, the story of the campaigns and their managers and strategists are tremendously interesting. For example, the somewhat enigmatic character, Dom Cummings, and his response to the Leave campaign being called out over the £350 million figure is something to make one think hard about what this sort of tactic means for debate in a democratic country. The chapter on the Labour Party's role in the campaign was another highlight. The characters leap off the page, and the account is more revealing than that in Craig Oliver's book.
Shipman has spoken to so many of the insiders, and serves up their views and insights as just that ..... views not facts. He has taken a very emotive topic, and tried hard to be balanced and fair. I think he has achieved this overall.
Finally, though not a fan of David Cameron, I was impressed with the text of the speech he never got to give; the one he would have delivered had the result of the referendum been for remaining in the EU.
If you want a warts and all account of this historic referendum, I would highly recommend this book. If you want to understand why the result was what it was, then this is not a bad starting point. It will certainly get you thinking for yourself. And, if you are interested in an analysis of why one campaign won over the other, this will also fascinate you. And, you might also want to look at Craig Oliver's book for how it felt for the Tory Remain campaigners when they didn't have the expected backing in the press. Oh, and for his comments on the BBC...
Five stars! Terrific!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 21-04-20
one for the ages
It is rare that so soon after any overtly political event a detailed reconstruction of it becomes available .
This book covers Brexit from the point of view of the elite of British society. It does not hide that fact.
What it does hide, from my prospective anyway, is a detailed description of how and why it happened to a foreign reader.
I have been interested in UK politics for a long time so determine for yourself if you agree.
The book was well written and narrated. My only suggestion to a totally new reader would be to use a website you respect to look up basic UK political terms. This book does a good job of that but to enjoy it fully I would take my suggestion. Thirty-two hours seems like a long time to read but I found it extremely captivating and well worth the credit I used. I couldn't recommend this book more for anyone interested in politics at any level.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Christian R. Unger
- 22-11-18
blow by blow, word by word
Unless you know 10% of the names this won't mean offer much. And, probably, knowing that many is more confusing. This is literally a blow by blow account of what happened and what was said. There is a lot of depth here, but unlike titles on historic events who truly matters is far from settled.
This leads to the contrapoint, what happens is very confusing. It feels distinctly like being in the weeds, so as a non-British person I don't think this title is for me ... yet. If I knew all the players, maybe after another book, maybe. But even then, I rarely like blow by blow.
1 person found this helpful