Description

The Times Best Politics and Current Affairs Books of the Year

An entertaining and revealing history of modern British politics from Steve Richards, broadcaster, journalist, and author of The Prime Ministers We Never Had.

‘Through wonderful vignettes, Richards offers a masterful, clear-eyed and, above all, entertaining history of British politics. To pilot a better future, we need to learn how not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The book is a lesson in just that’ – Will Hutton

Every few weeks in British politics, a columnist will reach for the word ‘unprecedented’ as a cabinet minister resigns or yet another inquiry is called. We have become so accustomed to turmoil that it is impossible to take a breath and see where we are headed. In this magisterial history, respected broadcaster and journalist Steve Richards puts the recent chaos into context and takes a step back to explore ten critical moments that have shaped modern Britain.

From the Suez Crisis of 1956 to the Covid-19 pandemic, from 1945 to Thatcher, Richards argues that it is only with distance that we can perceive the tectonic plates shifting – and events that may seem earth-shattering in the moment might be a passing tremor with the perspective of history.

With his trademark insight, forged over several decades as one of the UK’s foremost political commentators, Richards blends anecdote and analysis to explore the biggest events in British political history. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand our nation, this landmark work is enlightening and entertaining in equal measure.

‘An engaging canter through postwar Britain . . . shaped by a lifetime of reading’ – Prospect

Publisher Review

A wonderful book to savour. Only Richards can take you on a journey that flies so gracefully above the hurly-burly of politics and explain what's actually going on -- Isabel Hardman A pure pleasure to read. Richards is the ideal companion for anyone wishing to taste, feel and understand the ebbs and flows of the British experience since the end of the Second World War. The key characters live and breathe in his pages -- Peter Hennessy A masterly account. Insightful, thoughtful and above all full of empathy, Turning Points is a work of understanding as well as scholarship -- Gavin Esler So many turning points, so little real turning. Through wonderful vignettes, Richards offers a masterful, clear-eyed and, above all, entertaining history of British politics. To pilot a better future, we need to learn how not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The book is a lesson in just that -- Will Hutton Excellent. Steve Richards is one of the shrewdest political commentators we have -- Andrew Marr on The Prime Ministers We Never Had A better and more thought-provoking book than most of those about prime ministers -- Tim Shipman on The Prime Ministers We Never Had A fascinating and original book that sheds new light on the forces that shape British politics -- Iain Dale on The Prime Ministers We Never Had