Politics On the Edge

From the former Cabinet minister and co-presenter of hit podcast The Rest is Politics, a searing insider's account of ten extraordinary years in ParliamentA political journey through turbulent timesOver the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister - before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise.Tackling ministerial briefs on flood response and prison violence, engaging with conflict and poverty abroad as a foreign minister, and Brexit as a Cabinet minister, Stewart learned first-hand how profoundly hollow and inadequate our democracy and government had become. Cronyism, ignorance and sheer incompetence ran rampant. Around him, individual politicians laid the foundations for the political and economic chaos of today. Stewart emerged battered but with a profound affection for his constituency of Penrith and the Border, and a deep direct insight into the era of populism and global conflict.Politics On the Edge invites us into the mind of one of the most interesting actors on the British political stage. Uncompromising, candid and darkly humorous, this is his story of the challenges, absurdities and realities of political life; a new classic of political memoir and a remarkable portrait of our age.

There’s no denying that Rory Stewart stands almost alone among British politicians: he’s one of a handful who can actually turn a phrase. That talent is put to good use here — no other account of how Cameron Toryism curdled into May and Johnson is likely to be as evocative or amusing as this one The Times, The Times Political Book of the Year
If you want to better understand the catastrophe that has been our government since 2010, or you just want to bask in Stewart’s beautifully formulated prose, read this book New Statesman, Books of the Year
A brilliant insider’s account of the Cameron-May-Johnson years FT, Books of the Year
It is the sheer sharpness, originality and truth-telling grace of Stewart’s prose, along with the vital importance of his subject, that makes his new book a truly exceptional political autobiography, both a pleasure to read, and a vital wake-up call Scotsman, Books of the Year
Full of sharp observations and often funny… a portrait of a country where power is wielded by empty careerists, working in a broken system Financial Times, Books of the Year
Beautifully written... You glimpse how transformative government could be -- Gaby Hinsliff Guardian, Books of the Year
A fascinating account of power, corruption and lies i, Books of the Year
Stewart writes beautifully and is brilliant at describing both the theatre and insanity of life in politics Daily Express, Books of the Year
[Stewart’s] memoir of his time in politics is valuable as a slice of entertainment, as an enjoyably catty takedown of his former colleagues, and as perhaps the most helpful recent account of the failings of the British state… a valuable contribution to the historical record Sunday Times, Political Book of the Year
The moral and technical seriousness of this book should not be ignored: in his time in parliamentary politics, Stewart discovered a lot that needs mending—and he has plenty of ideas for doing so Prospect, Books of the Year
Few books on politics are worth reading, but this is riveting. Beautifully written, with a highly personal, deeply felt slant, it really does make one want to turn over the page Church Times, Books of the Year
The sharpness of the character sketches and the restless nature of the author, buy turns self-loving and self-loathing, make it burst with life -- Craig Brown Observer, Books of the Year
The most exceptional political memoir I’ve ever read -- Alan Johnson
Stewart… is a writer and his first loyalty is to his readers. Most of them will share his despair at the small-time mediocrities who dominate modern politics. Almost all will appreciate the book’s viciousness, eccentricity, wit and intelligence The Times, Book of the Week
Rarely before has the life of a government minister been described in such granular detail or with such literary flair... This book is a vital work of documentation: Orwell down the coal mine, Swift on religious excess. We should be grateful it was written and that Stewart never stopped being interesting.' -- Alan Johnson Guardian, Book of the Day
The most compelling account I have read in recent years of the ways in which the British political system makes good government nigh-on impossible -- Charlotte Ivers Sunday Times, Book of the Week
A superbly readable book. Former Tory minister Rory Stewart exposes the ‘shameful state’ of recent Conservative rule in this brilliant and blisteringly frank account of dysfunctional government -- Luke Harding Observer
Few political memoirs last for long. Rory Stewart’s Politics on the Edge may be an exception… Stewart’s memoir is a brilliant portrait of the Cameron-May-Johnson era. It is likely to become a classic on a par with Clark’s diaries Financial Times
One of the best books on politics our era will see… a book of astonishing literary quality -- Matthew Parris Times Literary Supplement
Anyone with the slightest interest in politics should get a copy of Rory Stewart's political memoir... In terms of the quality of writing, there has been nothing to approach it since the diaries of Alan Clark -- Dominic Lawson Daily Mail
A significant book – candid, beautifully observed, written by someone with a questioning intelligence and a burning desire to make the world a better place -- Chris Mullin Spectator
It is the sheer sharpness, originality and truth-telling grace of Stewart’s prose, along with the vital importance of his subject, that makes his new book a truly exceptional political autobiography, both a pleasure to read, and a vital wake-up call Scotsman
Genuinely eye-opening stuff, always riveting, often horrifying… this is one of the most captivating political books in recent memory i
One of the most excoriating political memoirs of modern times... Hugely entertaining, Politics on the Edge, is hard to dismiss Evening Standard
An eye-opening (and highly enjoyable) read for anyone interested in understanding the realities of political power in the age of populism -- Yuval Noah Harari, author of SAPIENS
Every page has something beautifully and memorably expressed and something interesting I haven't come across before -- Rev. Richard Coles
An unsparing and brilliant portrait... The lying, incompetence, and treachery he depicts are all so blatant that the book should be assigned to bright young things to rid them of any remaining illusions before they put their name on a ballot The Atlantic
So well and often so wittily written, and so revealing about British politics from top to bottom, that it is destined to become a classic of the genre Literary Review
A truly absorbing and fascinating book -- Peter Hennessy Politics Home
This fine, perceptive book shows just how much British politics needs someone like Rory Stewart: incisive, thoughtful, far more concerned with the business of good government than with the small-time idiocies of party politics. And how typical that he should have been driven out of government, and out of politics altogether -- John Simpson
Very good… the book is often entertaining. Stewart vividly records his encounters with the key figures of his time…it’s enjoyable to read fresh evidence of it Sunday Telegraph
In which clever, reasonable officer-class virtue witnesses close up a historic outbreak of unreason and irresponsibility - and takes the subtlest of revenges. By producing the best-written account there will ever be of what has happened to the Conservative Party since 2010, Rory Stewart ensures that his version of events will endure when Boris Johnson is only the mouldering memory of a fright-wig -- Francis Spufford
Stewart writes with humour, elegance, sophistication, and style...he is unfailingly honest Irish Independent
A far more compelling political memoir than many of those written by others. Anyone thinking about a career in politics should read this first MoneyWeek
Extremely well written and a genuine pleasure to read… For anyone with an interest in politics it is well worth looking into -- John Stevenson MP News and Star
Stewart is eloquent and indignant about duplicitousness and incompetence in modern politics Prospect
Compelling… Stewart's book is so well and often so wittily written, and so revealing about British politics from top to bottom, that it is destined to become a classic of the genre Literary Review
If you’re looking for a curtain lifter on the arcane and at time obnoxious world of Westminster…this more than fits the bill City AM
Highly amusing Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year
Both a riveting and painful read, which, frankly, exposes the glaring inadequacies of the dysfunctional way in which Britain is governed Church Times
Eminently readable, often funny…but also deeply depressing – [Politics on the Edge] is an excoriating denunciation of the way our country is run Daily Mail, Books of the Year
There have been very few political memoirs that have the forensic honesty about politics than Politics on the Edge… A terrific read: readable and funny Methodist Recorder, Books of the Year
A serious study of government as well as a fly-on-the-wall account of ministerial life, full of hair-raising anecdotes Guardian, Summer Reads of 2024
One of the most devastating insider accounts of Westminster I have ever read. An instant classic of political memoir. -- Marina Hyde
An excoriating picture of a shamefully dysfunctional political culture -- Rowan Williams
At last a politician who can write. Opinionated, lucid and thought-provoking -- Sebastian Faulks
Enthralling, appalling and occasionally hilarious -- Tom Stoppard
Any combination of insight, humanity, self-awareness and style in a political memoir is valuable. To achieve them all, as Rory Stewart has done, is exceptional -- Rafael Behr, author of POLITICS: A SURVIVOR'S GUIDE
How Not to be a Politician is one of the most enjoyable and revelatory political memoirs to appear in ages - beautifully written, self-mocking but insistently principled. Stewart manages to make a life in professional politics seem laughable, entirely indefensible, and yet ennobling. This is a book that will be read for decades, as a document of its time and as timeless literature. -- Steve Coll, author of GHOST WARS
Intense, funny, savage and profound. It's the best there is on life inside the modern palaces of power -- Michael Ignatieff, author of FIRE AND ASHES: SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN POLITICS

Rory Stewart served in the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development, and before that as Prisons Minister, Minister for Africa, Minister for Development, Environment Minister and Chair of the Defence Committee. He ran against Boris Johnson for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2019. Earlier in his career he was briefly in the British Army, before serving as a diplomat in Indonesia, the Balkans and Iraq, establishing and running a charity in Afghanistan, and holding a chair at Harvard University. His 21-month 6,000-milewalk across Asia, including Afghanistan, is recorded in his New York Times bestseller, The Places in Between. His other books include Occupational Hazards, and The Marches.Stewart is now the Brady-Johnson Professor of the Practice of Grand Strategy at Yale University's Jackson School of Global Affairs, a senior adviser at the non-profit organisation GiveDirectly, and the co-host with Alastair Campbell of the UK's leading podcast The Rest Is Politics. He tweets at @RoryStewartUK.

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