Tory Nation : The Dark Legacy of the World’s Most Successful Political Party

‘A witty, lucid investigation into one of the great political mysteries of our time’ JONATHAN COE, author of Bournville

How has the Conservative Party wielded so much power throughout our history?

The strange dissonance between the Conservatives’ destructive record in government and their record of victory – they have suffered only 7 major defeats in the last 150 years – is one of the defining riddles of British politics. Their power extends even to the rare instance of a Labour government, with the opposition party so often playing second fiddle to the Tory tune. Why?

Samuel Earle explores the roots of the current crisis and the real reasons for the Conservatives’ historic 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 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.

‘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’Brilliant’ NESRINE MALIK, author of We Need New Stories’Rich and rewarding. Should be read and enjoyed by readers on the left, right and centre’ DAVID EDGERTON, TLS