Tory Nation: How one party took over by Samuel Earle
'A witty, lucid investigation into one of the great political mysteries of our time: the enduring love felt by the British people for the party which regularly manages to persuade them, against all the evidence, that it has their best interests at heart' JONATHAN COE, author of Bournville
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The story of the most successful political party in the world, and a nation made in its image.
Since 2010, the Conservative Party has presided over countless corruption scandals, blundered its way through a pandemic and trapped Britain in a cycle of permanent dysfunction. This has coincided with four election wins in a row, each one with a larger share of the vote than the last. How?
The strange dissonance between the Conservatives' destructive record in government and their record of victory - which has seen them suffer only seven major defeats in the last 150 years - is one of the defining riddles of British politics. Tory Nation sets out to solve this puzzle. With dazzling clarity and insight, Samuel Earle explores the roots of the current crisis and the real reasons for the Conservatives' success, from their ruling class origins in the eighteenth century and their disproportionate influence on the British press to their stranglehold over national identity. He also sheds light on the Conservatives' historic appeal among the working classes and why the Labour Party so often disappoints.
Tory Nation describes the making of Britain through one party's astonishing staying power. It's only by reaching into our history, Earle argues, that we can understand how we got here - and how we can find a way out
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'A highly readable history' Observer
'Earle has set out clearly and eloquently why our democracy is incapable of solving our political problems' ROBERT VERKAIK, author of Posh Boys
'Eviscerating. Less a political book and more a mystery novel' i-D
'Rich, well-written and rewarding. Should be read and enjoyed by readers on the left, right and centre' DAVID EDGERTON, TLS
_________________________________________________________________________________
The story of the most successful political party in the world, and a nation made in its image.
Since 2010, the Conservative Party has presided over countless corruption scandals, blundered its way through a pandemic and trapped Britain in a cycle of permanent dysfunction. This has coincided with four election wins in a row, each one with a larger share of the vote than the last. How?
The strange dissonance between the Conservatives' destructive record in government and their record of victory - which has seen them suffer only seven major defeats in the last 150 years - is one of the defining riddles of British politics. Tory Nation sets out to solve this puzzle. With dazzling clarity and insight, Samuel Earle explores the roots of the current crisis and the real reasons for the Conservatives' success, from their ruling class origins in the eighteenth century and their disproportionate influence on the British press to their stranglehold over national identity. He also sheds light on the Conservatives' historic appeal among the working classes and why the Labour Party so often disappoints.
Tory Nation describes the making of Britain through one party's astonishing staying power. It's only by reaching into our history, Earle argues, that we can understand how we got here - and how we can find a way out
_________________________________________________________________________________
'A highly readable history' Observer
'Earle has set out clearly and eloquently why our democracy is incapable of solving our political problems' ROBERT VERKAIK, author of Posh Boys
'Eviscerating. Less a political book and more a mystery novel' i-D
'Rich, well-written and rewarding. Should be read and enjoyed by readers on the left, right and centre' DAVID EDGERTON, TLS