Where Did I Go Right? cover art

Where Did I Go Right?

How the Left Lost Me

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Where Did I Go Right?

By: Geoff Norcott
Narrated by: Geoff Norcott
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About this listen

'Voting Conservative is like buying a James Blunt album: loads of people have done it, but weirdly you never meet them....'

Comedian Geoff Norcott should have been Labour through and through. He grew up on a council estate, both of his parents were disabled, and his dad was a Union man. So, how was it that he grew up to vote Tory?

In this courageously honest and provocative memoir, Geoff unpicks his working-class upbringing and his political journey from left to right. Raised by a fierce matriarch and a maverick father on a South London council estate where they filmed scenes for The Bill, Geoff spends his youth attempting to put out kitchen fires with aerosols and leaping in and out of industrial skips. But as he reaches adolescence, his political views begin to be influenced by major events including the early '90s recession, the credit crunch, and a chance encounter with Conservative PM John Major.

As an adult, Geoff begins to have the gnawing feeling that the values and traditions he grew up with no longer match Labour's. And, as Brexit appears, he feels even more like a double agent operating behind enemy lines.

Written with warmth, wit and often laugh-out-loud humour, Where Did I Go Right? is Geoff's attempt to understand why he ended up voting 'for the bad guys', and why blue-collared conservatism could be here to stay.

©2021 Geoff Norcott (P)2021 Octopus Publishing Group
Social Classes & Economic Disparity Sociology Funny Comedy Feel-Good Thought-Provoking Witty Celebrity

Critic reviews

"Few people walk the line of thought provoking and laugh out loud funny like Geoff Norcott." (Romesh Ranganathan)

"Where Did I Go Right? is sharp, considered, insightful, and helped me make sense of 'the other side'. And because Geoff Norcott is so funny, it unfortunately means I can't dismiss his views entirely. It's so important to have a friend you can disagree with but still admire and Geoff can be that friend to you!" (Katherine Ryan)

"I've always thought the benefit of having batsh*t parents is it increases the chance of you growing up funny. It's certainly worked for Geoff Norcott." (David Baddiel)

"Brave...and vividly evoked.... 'How the left lost me' is a phrase that should haunt Kier Starmer et al. Looking at the collapse of the 'red wall', at the last election, there do seem to be a lot of disgruntled Geoffs out there." (The Telegraph)

"While I stand firmly at the other end of the political spectrum, it provided fascinating and well-considered insights into how the half think and, as such, should be read by both Reds and Blues." (Love Reading UK)

All stars
Most relevant
Brutally honest, hilariously funny & able to bring a genuine lump to the throat. It will be hard for any non-Tory voter to read or listen to this book, but if you want to understand why Labour are not and will not be in power any time soon, give it a go.


Every Labour MP should read or listen to this book

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I enjoyed Geoff's performance, but was not convinced by his arguments. He equates 'the far left' to Labour throughout the book, which simple isn't the case. It is also full of where Labour went wrong, but mentions little of where the Tories went right.

Tories often talk about personal responsibility, rather than community and Geoff is not an exception. Geoff has had a difficult life and I am genuinely amazed at his perseverance, but it is also evident that he has had strong role models in the form of his loving parents. These opinions on using personal responsibility as a tool for fixing society, always come from those who have battled adversity and won, whereas those that fail (with perhaps unloving, unsupportive parents) being much more unlikely to get a book contact to explain their tale of failure. And so I find this, and many other political justifications, extremely personal and unconvincing.

Having said all this, it was funny and not in the least bit offensive. It embraces political ideas from both sides of the spectrum and is a refreshingly calm book from somebody who is unafraid to have a political conversation with people who don't agree with him.

Well performed but not convinving

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More people like this are needed to speak up in world. This book is insightful as much as it is entertaining - with some good laughs chucked in for good measure

Excellent by Geoff

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Really interesting to hear how Geoff’s political opinions have been shaped by his life experiences. Frequently funny and occasionally quite touching, an all round enjoyable read/listen.

Excellent

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enjoyed it, thought provoking & quite funny. maybe a bit too much politics? interesting to learn about his life & background

good

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