Unleashing Demons cover art

Unleashing Demons

The Inside Story of Brexit

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Unleashing Demons

By: Craig Oliver
Narrated by: Craig Oliver
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £17.94

Buy Now for £17.94

'Utterly fascinating...I suspect that every historian of the period will regard it as indispensable to appreciating this extraordinary phase in our history.' John Simpson

'The compelling insider's account of the man who was at the centre of the Downing Street web' Nick Robinson

'This is one of the most vivid, frank and exciting inside accounts to have been written for years.' Anthony Seldon

'A gripping fly-on-the-wall account of the frenzy in Downing Street during the EU campaign.' Robert Peston

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 2.

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.

Unleashing Demons is based on his extensive notes, detailing everything from the decision to call a referendum, to the subsequent civil war in the Conservative Party and the aftermath of the shocking result.

This is raw history at its very best, packed with enthralling detail and colourful anecdotes from behind the closed doors of the campaign that changed British history.

(P) 2016 Hodder & Stoughton©2016 Craig Oliver Political Science Politics & Government Thought-Provoking Liberalism Inspiring United Kingdom Socialism Taxation
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic reviews

Unleashing Demons...has the vividness and pace of a political thriller. Extraordinarily candid...
THE BOOK THAT WILL SET WESTMINSTER ABLAZE
Gripping reading
Craig Oliver's account of his time as David Cameron's Director of Communications in Downing Street during the EU referendum will almost certainly prove to be the most important document for understanding what happened and why it all ended as it did. Oliver has managed the difficult trick of being frank as well as loyal, and his words have a remarkable immediacy. I found his book utterly fascinating, and I suspect that every historian of the period will regard it as indispensable to appreciating this extraordinary phase in our history.
Part memoir, part diary, this is one of the most vivid, frank and exciting inside accounts to have been written for years. It points its forensic beam into the inner sanctums of power during one of the most crucial episodes in British history since the war. Stunning and highly readable. It will make uncomfortable reading for a few, but hugely enlightening and enjoyable reading for the many.
Wish you could have been a fly on the wall of Number 10 during the EU referendum campaign? No need. This is the compelling insider's account of the man who was at the centre of the Downing Street web as David Cameron took the decisions which led to Britain voting to leave the EU.
A gripping fly-on-the-wall account of the frenzy in Downing Street during the EU campaign.
This is contemporary history at its best...It has pace, insider info and a bit of chutzpah.'
All stars
Most relevant
EU. Thank God we are out despite the remainer views of people like Craig. I’m fluent in French and Spanish. I worked in France before they abandoned their currency. The EU is finished! Biased and myopic book.

Biased Remainer view of the EU

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really insightful view of what was going on behind the scenes during the referendum campaign. Shame this was not visible more during the campaign, perhaps the results would have been different.

Insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this book. It's astonishing how little responsibility Craig takes for what happened. What should have been an easy win turned into a disaster and a lot of it was Oliver's fault. It's hard not to agree with Cummings's description of Craig Oliver as 'clueless'. But it's a great yarn all the same, although I think Craig made a mistake narrating it himself. I prefer when professional actors do it unless the author is a bona fide celebrity whose voice you know well.

Great story about a very poor campaign

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
He political version of Barcelona complaining about being beaten by Wimbledon for not playing beautiful football. So remote from real people's lives!

Naive political bubble.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a fascinating inside view of the doomed campaign to remain in the European Union. Very interesting insights into the failure of Labour leadership, the dishonesty of much of the leave campaign, and the reality that there was very little the remain campaign could have done to avoid the ultimate outcome.

fascinating inside view

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews