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Beyond a Fringe

Tales from a Reformed Establishment Lackey

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Beyond a Fringe

By: Andrew Mitchell
Narrated by: Andrew Mitchell
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About this listen

Veering from the hilarious to the tragic, Andrew Mitchell's tales from the parliamentary jungle make for one of the most entertaining political memoirs in years.

From his prep school years, straight out of Evelyn Waugh, through the army to Cambridge, the City of London and the Palace of Westminster, Mitchell has passed through a series of British institutions at a time of furious social and political change – in the process becoming rather more cynical about the British Establishment. Here, he reflects on the perils and pleasures of loyalty, whether to a party, to individuals or to one's own principles.

He brilliantly lifts the lid on the dark arts of the government Whips' Office ('Whipping, like stripping, is best done in private') and reveals how he accidentally started Boris Johnson's political career and later naively backed him to be Prime Minister – an act which rebounded on him spectacularly.

Engagingly honest about his ups and downs in politics, Beyond a Fringe is crammed with hilarious political anecdotes and irresistible insider gossip from the heart of Westminster.

©2021 Mitchell, Andrew (P)2022 Biteback Publishing Politicians Politics & Activism Funny Witty

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Critic reviews

Winner of the Parliamentary Book Awards 2021 Best Biography, Memoir or Autobiography
All stars
Most relevant
As a contemporary of Andrew at Tudor House Rugby, I was intrigued to hear about this book and I was especially pleased that it was narrated by Andrew himself. Having vaguely followed the ups and downs his career and interested to hear the real story from Andrew, I felt it was worthwhile to listen to 'Beyond the Fringe'.
The narration was pleasantly average RP and reminded me of Rugby. His accent has changed little, given his time in the army, Banking and Government. I always felt Andrew was a straight up, 'say it as it is', individual and I have no doubt the story he tells is the whole story with only the lightest editing. The book is humorous at times and sufficiently self deprecating to leave one feeling on his side in most situations. As a very Pro Europe Centrist Conservative myself, I don't always agree with his politics, but his heart is usually in the right place. This is a worthwhile listen, giving you a real insight into the murky depths of government and shadow government. Please listen!

A Rugbeians View.

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This is a remarkable story, a political narrative told with honesty. Andrew Mitchell rightly celebrates his succeesses in a variety of contexts. But he is also willing to acknowledge when his contribution in things haven't gone so well. I sometimes found the chronology hard to follow, but this is a minor criticism. Read with good memories of Gedling days.

Honesty

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