Description

‘Rarely is such an important book this funny. And rarely is such a funny book this important’ – RICHARD OSMAN

‘The second funniest book I have read about being a Labour supporter from Blair to Brexit’ – JOHN O’FARRELL

‘Matt Forde is brilliant at finding the comedy which often accompanies political life. This book made me laugh out loud – and wince in recognition’ – TONY BLAIR

‘This book is smarter and funnier than Donald Trump. Matt Forde was so bad at politics that I’d have considered working for him’ – ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI

‘That Matt Forde is able to make the current political shit-show funny shows his genius. You’ll be laughing too hard to notice, but this is a very clever book’ – RUTH DAVIDSON

‘Definitely one of the books I will claim to have read this year’ – JACK DEE

‘Absolutely brilliant. I didn’t want the book to end but I’m glad Fordy’s political career did. And I mean that as both a compliment and not a compliment’ – RUSSELL HOWARD

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Part memoir, part behind-the-scenes insider view, Politically Homeless is both a fascinating and funny book for anyone who feels annoyed by the current state of politics. Which should be around 65 million people in the UK alone.

Matt Forde has been obsessed with politics ever since he was 9 years old. Raised by a single mum on benefits in inner city Nottingham, he joined the Socialist Workers Party as soon as he could, foisted issues of Marxism Today on innocent bystanders and attended his first political party conference. From then on, despite some career suicide moments such as chatting to the Prime Minister at Number 10 while badly drunk, Matt’s whole future looked wedded to the Labour Party as he started working for MPs in dingy back rooms in Nottinghamshire.

But then Labour started to fall apart, and so did Matt’s sense of purpose. With the rise of Corbyn, Brexit and Trump, his love for politics that had been so profound began to quickly crumble.

Exploring themes such as tribalism, the curse of complacency and why some politicians refuse to speak normally, Politically Homeless is a hugely entertaining book of (often hilarious) personal stories and thought-provoking insights into this complicated world. And despite everything, Matt’s passion is still there. Through hosting his award-winning weekly podcast, ‘The Political Party’ (over 5 million downloads) involving interviews with some of politics’ most powerful and notorious figures including Tony Blair, Nicola Sturgeon, Sadiq Khan, Michael Heseltine, Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg and performing critically acclaimed stand-up comedy shows, Matt has been able to keep enough faith that politics will get better. Maybe.

Publisher Review

Rarely is such an important book this funny. And rarely is such a funny book this important * Richard Osman * Funny, fierce and genuinely moving * J. K. Rowling * The second funniest book I have read about being a Labour supporter from Blair to Brexit * John O'Farrell * Matt Forde is brilliant at finding the comedy which often accompanies political life. This book made me laugh out loud - and wince in recognition. * Tony Blair * This book is smarter and funnier than Donald Trump. Matt Forde was so bad at politics that I'd have considered working for him * Anthony Scaramucci * That Matt Forde is able to make the current political shit-show funny shows his genius. You'll be laughing too hard to notice, but this is a very clever book * Ruth Davidson * It would be impressive for anyone to bring such surgical precision to either comedy or political analysis. Forde's ability to bring it to both - in spades - is truly remarkable. A sparkling jewel of a book * James O'Brien * Definitely one of the books I will claim to have read this year * Jack Dee * This is the funniest book I've read in ages, but then I do read very serious books * Jess Phillips * Absolutely brilliant. I didn't want the book to end but I'm glad Fordy's political career did. And I mean that as both a compliment and not a compliment * Russell Howard * Wise and witty - the must-read (and will-make-you-laugh-out-loud) confessions of a political obsessive. Dazzling stuff * Gyles Brandreth * Anyone who has ever seen Matt Forde on stage knows he's funny, smart and politically spot on. So is this book * Alastair Campbell * Passionate, hilarious, thought-provoking and packed with political insight and life wisdom * Emily Dean * Matt Forde is one the cleverest and funniest people I know. He has managed to find humour and insight in a time when they are sorely missing from not only politics but life in general. This book is better than mine and I hate him for that * Jon Richardson * Matt Forde is one of my favourite comedians and this book is fantastic * Vicky McClure * Matt Forde is one of the funniest people I have ever met. He is also one of the most underrated political commentators in the country. Read this book if you want to learn about politics and laugh at the same time. * Rob Beckett * Politically Homeless is both searingly insightful and laugh-out-loud hilarious * Peter Mandelson * Matt Forde's love of politics seems to have brought him only pain. Luckily his account of his own suffering is a hilarious read for the rest of us * Josh Widdicombe * A truly rare breed of political comedian who succeeds in being hilarious whether you agree with him or not * James Acaster * Matt Forde proves that the personal is political, and that it can be very funny too. It's not every day you get a tour around a comedian's inner workings. * Al Murray * Also politically homeless, I expected to either laugh or cry at this book. I cried with laughter * Kezia Dugdale * Funny and approachable, just like Matt himself * Jeremy Vine * Insightful, witty and measured, it's the perfect political antidote to politics right now! * Rachel Riley * Laugh-out-loud funny * Ian Rankin * There are some laugh-out-loud lines, alongside a few centrist dad jokes, as Twitter might call them - most of which are unprintable here. But he's certainly perceptive. * Mail on Sunday * An amusing account... that probably speaks for many others * Sunday Times *