Corruption in politics, government and society Books

Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERAn outstanding exposé of Putin and his criminal pals [A] long-awaited, must read book' SUNDAY TIMESBooks about modern Russia abound Belton has surpassed them all. Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia' THE TIMESA chilling and revelatory expose of the KGB's renaissance, Putin's rise to power, and how Russian black cash is subverting the world.In Putin's People, former Moscow correspondent and investigative journalist Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and his entourage of KGB men seized power in Russia and built a new league of oligarchs.Through exclusive interviews with key inside players, Belton tells how Putin's people conducted their relentless seizure of private companies, took over the economy, siphoned billions, blurred the lines between organised crime and political powers, shut down opponents, and then used their riches and power to extend influence in the West.In a story that ranges from Trade Review‘This is the most remarkable account so far of Putin’s rise … Groundbreaking … several hair-raising revelations … Relentless and convincing. There are gobsmacking moments … This is a superb book’OBSERVER ‘A fearless, fascinating account … Reads at times like a John le Carré novel… A groundbreaking and meticulously researched anatomy of the Putin regime, Belton’s book shines a light on the pernicious threats Russian money and influence now pose to the west’GUARDIAN ‘Modern Russia in full, horrifying technicolour … this riveting, immaculately researched book is arguably the best single volume written about Putin, the people around him and perhaps even about contemporary Russia itself in the past three decades’PETER FRANKOPAN, FINANCIAL TIMES ‘Books about modern Russia abound … Belton has surpassed them all. Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia. It benefits from a meticulous compilation of open sources, but also from the accounts of disillusioned Kremlin insiders, former business cronies and some remarkably candid people still high up in the system. The result is hair-raising.’THE TIMES ‘An outstanding exposé of Putin and his criminal pals … [A] long-awaited, must read book’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘Arguably the biggest story of the 21st century so far. In forensically unravelling it, journalist Catherine Belton has done a great service, producing a book that western experts on modern Russia acknowledge as vital to our understanding of the Putin phenomenon’DAILY MAIL, BOOK OF THE WEEK ‘A serious, absolutely timely warning. No book has documented the Russian president’s leadership so indefatigably and compellingly’DAILY TELEGRAPH ‘Meticulously researched and superbly written; terrifying in its scope and utterly convincing in its argument … The Putin book that we've been waiting for’OLIVER BULLOUGH ‘An extraordinarily important book’CHRIS PATTEN

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Book SynopsisNow with a new chapter on the end of the chumocracy era - and Oxford's upcoming elite for 2050. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022 A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BEST BOOK OF 2023 Power. Privilege. Parties. It's a very small world at the top. 'Brilliant ... traces Brexit back to the debating chambers of the Oxford Union in the 1980s' James O'Brien 'A searing onslaught on the smirking Oxford insinuation that politics is all just a game. It isn't. It matters' Matthew Parris 'A sparkling firework of a book' Lynn Barber, Spectator 'Exquisite and depressing in equal measure' Matthew Syed, Sunday Times Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, David Cameron, George Osborne, Theresa May, Dominic Cummings, Daniel Hannan, Jacob Rees-Mogg: Whitehall is swarming with old Oxonians. They debated each other in tutorials, ran against each other in student elections, and attended the same balls and black tie dinners. They aren't just colleagues - they are peers, rivals, friends. And, when they walked out of the world of student debates onto the national stage, they brought their university politics with them. Thirteen of the seventeen postwar British prime ministers went to Oxford University. In Chums, Simon Kuper traces how the rarefied and privileged atmosphere of this narrowest of talent pools - and the friendships and worldviews it created - shaped modern Britain. A damning look at the university clique-turned-Commons majority that will blow the doors of Westminster wide open and change the way you look at our democracy forever.Trade ReviewA searing onslaught on the smirking Oxford insinuation that politics is all just a game. It isn't. It matters -- Matthew ParrisA devastating portrait of the arrogant rogues and chancers who have spent the past thirteen years playing at politics instead of governing -- Andrew Scull, 'Best Books of 2023' * TLS *A gripping read ... exquisite and depressing in equal measure -- Matthew Syed * Sunday Times *A sparkling firework of a book -- Lynn Barber * Spectator *Incisive, insightful and timely -- Richard Beard * New Statesman *Fascinating ... The picture Kuper draws is of a nation with a decadent and deeply unprofessional ruling class, a diagnosis with which it is impossible to disagree -- Hugo Rifkind * The Times *Immensely entertaining ... a tremendous romp jam-packed with delicious indiscretions -- Tim Luckhurst * Daily Mail *A brilliant book -- John Harris * Guardian Weekly Politics podcast *A penetrating analysis of the connections that enabled an incestuous university network to dominate Westminster and give birth to Brexit ... perceptive and full of surprises -- Tim Adams * Observer *Johnson, Cameron, Rees-Mogg, Gove and Cummings all feature in this look at the hidden depths of our current political establishment and its inextricable link to Eton and, in particular, Oxford University -- 50 Best Books for Summer 2022 * Sunday Times *Shows how the culture of Oxford decisively influenced the tone of British politics and led to Brexit. Brilliantly written, it gripped me -- Paschal Donohoe * Irish Times *Kuper is alert to the deficiencies of the Oxford Union style, the tendency to substitute some glib debating point for hard-headed analysis ... Engagingly brief with delightful details -- Andrew Gimson * Conservative Home *Intellectually bracing ... a deep dive into the culture of the upper-crust public schools and university that produced ten of the UK's 15 post-war prime ministers -- Andrew Lynch * Business Post *Elegant, witty, economical ... it is absurd how much influence this tiny, moneyed circle has been able to wield, and deeply depressing -- Zoe Williams * TLS *Chums is not just about the smallness of Britain's privileged elite or the early advantages it enjoys. Simon Kuper goes further ... to critique a system that attaches more importance to winning debates than shaping policy -- Mike Phipps * Labour Hub *The best ever written dissection of the formation for what passes as the modern Tory Party's leadership * Philosophy Football *A snapshot of a time gone by, bringing alive 1980s Oxford in vivid detail ... a thrilling read -- Daniel Dipper * Higher Education Policy Institute *Engaging and detailed ... [This] may be the last generation of such Oxford Tories, yet their policies may well influence the United Kingdom for generations -- Andrew Moravcsik * Foreign Affairs *[A] highly entertaining, and often infuriating examination of the clique of Oxford Tories that gave us Brexit * Irish Times *Praise for The Happy Traitor: Kuper provides a different and valuable perspective, humane and informative -- John Le CarréTruly enthralling ... a deeply human read, wonderfully written, on the foibles of a fascinating, flawed, treacherous and sort of likeable character -- Philippe SandsThe most comprehensive and insightful biography to date -- Ben MacintyreReaders who prefer their politics polemical (and Britain in Europe) need look no further than Simon Kuper * Times Best Political and Current Affairs Books of 2022 *

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Book SynopsisIn The Great Reset: And the War for the World, the most controversial man on earth Alex Jones gives you a full analysis of The Great Reset, the global elite's international conspiracy to enslave humanity and all life on the planet. From central bankers, corporate billionaires, and corrupted government officials, global elites have been organizing a historic war on humanity under a trans-humanist, scientific dictatorship. Alex Jones was the first major figure to expose the World Economic Forum’s agenda. He has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to studying The Great Reset, conducting tens of thousands of interviews with top-level scientists, politicians, and military officials in order to reverse engineer their secrets and help awaken humanity. The Great Reset: And the War for the World chronicles the history of the global elites' rise to power and reveals how they’ve captured the governments of the world and financed The Great Reset to pave the way for The New World Order. Once dubbed a conspiracy theory, but now openly promoted by the most powerful corporations and governments, The Great Reset is a planned attempt to redistribute all the world’s wealth and power into the hands of banks, corporations, billionaires, and The World Economic Forum. If you read one book in a lifetime, this is it. In The Great Reset: And the War for the World, you will discover from the self-appointed controllers of the planet in their own words, their plan for what they call the final revolution, or The Great Reset. The only way this corporate fascist conspiracy can succeed is if the people of the world are not aware of it. And this book lays out their sinister blueprint and how to stop it. While many great books have been written to help awaken people to this sinister agenda, no author has ever spent as much time and research on The Great Reset as Alex Jones. The Great Reset: And the War for the World is the undisputed trailblazer for understanding what’s happening and how to stop it. Trade Review“Alex is right about far more than he is wrong about.... He’s the most misunderstood guy on the planet.”—JOE ROGAN“We are actually at War—a hybrid war of economics, cyber, psychology, and, yes, information. One of the field Commanders is Alex Jones of Austin, Texas—brilliant, irascible, tenacious. Alex has done his countrymen a great service: in one book he has given the structure and dynamics, the history and the processes of a New Order we see evolving daily. The Great Reset: And the War for the World is your battle map for what is ahead. Alex Jones is feared and relentlessly attacked by the very architects of this power structure. That is why he must be read and studied now.”—STEVE BANNON“If Alex Jones is just a crackpot, why are the most powerful people in the country trying to silence him? No one bothers to censor the flat-earthers. Maybe Alex Jones is onto something. Read this book and decide for yourself who’s crazy.”—TUCKER CARLSON“Alex has done an excellent job of bringing the globalists’ plans into the light. When we shine the light on darkness, the darkness can’t hide. It can only retreat.”—DR. MERCOLA, founder of Mercola.com, the most visited natural health site on the internet for the last twenty years“In The Great Reset, Alex Jones boldly showcases the history of engineered global collapse as it is unfolding in the present. No person living today has spent more time dissecting and exposing this anti-human, anti-freedom agenda than Alex Jones, and this book will one day be seen as a critical marker in the history of the fall (and rebuilding) of human civilization.”—MIKE ADAMS, founder, NaturalNews.com and Brighteon.com“Alex Jones may be the most maligned patriot in the country, but virtually every threat to our liberty that he has predicted has come to pass.”—ROGER STONE"[Alex Jones'] reputation is amazing."—DONALD TRUMP

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Book SynopsisWhen André de Ruyter took over as Eskom CEO in January 2020, he quickly realised why it was considered the toughest job in South Africa. Aside from neglected equipment, ageing power stations and an eroded skills base, he discovered that Eskom was crippled by corruption on a staggering scale. Fake fuel oil deliveries at just one power station cost Eskom R100 million per month; kneepads retailing for R150 a pair were purchased for R80 000; billions of rands of equipment supposedly housed in the company’s storerooms was missing. Faced with police inaction, he was compelled to plunge into a world that was foreign to him – a world of spies and safe houses, of bulletproof vests and bodyguards. In Truth to Power, De Ruyter tells the behind-the-scenes story of how he launched a private investigation that exposed at least four criminal cartels feeding off Eskom. While fighting this scourge, he had to deal with political interference, absurd regulations, non-paying municipalities, unfounded accusations of racism, wildcat strikes, sabotage and a poisoning attempt. De Ruyter takes the reader inside the boardrooms and government meetings where South Africa’s future is shaped, with ministers often pulling in conflicting directions. He explains how renewable energy is the cheapest and quickest solution to our power crisis, in spite of fierce opposition from vested coal interests. De Ruyter candidly reflects on his three years at the power utility, his successes and failures, his reasons for leaving and his hopes for the future. As someone who worked at the highest levels of the state but is not beholden to the ruling party, he is uniquely placed to speak truth to power.

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Book SynopsisWhy would the first family of oil so ardently support environmental climate research and activism? Join author and researcher Jacob Nordangård as he uncovers the whole sordid truth. The Rockefeller family is one of the richest in the world. Yet, why would the family that made the world dependent on oil fund environmental and climate research since the 1950s, help shape climate policy measures since the 1980s, and supported climate activism since the 1990s? Rockefeller: Controlling the Game is the thrilling and paradoxical story of one of the world's most influential global players. Through its top position in American business, close contacts with the White House, and with their immense financial power as one of the world's leading private research funders, the Rockefellers have been able to anchor the climate issue both scientifically and politically. Yet what is the reasoning behind doing so?   Author and researcher Jacob Nordangård follows the family from the founding of Standard Oil and the Rockefeller Foundation, up through the aftermath of the Paris Agreement, with the declaration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in January 2016, to the present day. Nordangård's in-depth research includes the large quantities of new material recently made available on the Internet, as well as the Rockefeller Foundation's own annual reports. Nordangård's main focus is the Rockefeller family's involvement in climate research and politics, but the actions and motives of some of their allies are also explored, as well as the family's influence on the development of modern medicine, family planning, agriculture, art, architecture, behavioral science, information technology, and politics. The Rockefeller family's utopian dream of a perfect world will have serious consequences for the survival of the human species and life as we know it. The Rockefeller Foundation's stated mission to 'promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world' has a dark flipside, as, Nordangård will prove, the Rockefeller family's long-standing battle against climate change contains elements of sophisticated propaganda techniques, futurism, and New Age philosophy, aiming at a complete transformation of the whole earth system, including economy, ecology, culture, and even humanity itself. 

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Book SynopsisA Wall Street Journal Bestseller “A brilliant roadmap highlighting every corrupt actor, to ultimately return our agencies and departments to work for the American People…we will use this blueprint to help us take back the White House and remove these Gangsters from all of Government!” —Donald J. Trump The highest levels of government have been infiltrated by an anti-democratic Deep State that can be defeated by refocusing our national security mission and relentlessly defending the truth.A sinister cabal of corrupt law enforcement personnel, intelligence agents, and military officials at the highest levels of government plotted to overthrow a president. Even after they failed, they continue to secretly pull the levers of power without any accountability to the American people. This isn’t the synopsis of a fictional spy thriller. This is what is actually happening in the United States government. In Government Gangsters, Kash Patel—a former top official in the White House, the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and the Department of Justice—pulls back the curtain on the Deep State, revealing the major players and tactics within the permanent government bureaucracy, which has spent decades stripping power away from the American people and their elected leaders. Based on his firsthand knowledge, Patel reveals how we can defeat the Deep State, reassert self-government, and restore our democracy.

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Book SynopsisThe first history of Italian football to be written in English, Calcio' is a mix of serious analysis and comic storytelling, with vivid descriptions of games, goals, dives, missed penalties, riots and scandals in the richest and toughest league in the world.Calcio' tells the story of Italian football from its origins in the 1890's to the present day. It takes us through a history of great players and teams, of style, passion and success, but also of violence, cynicism, catenaccio tactics and corruption.We meet the personalities that have shaped this history from the Italian heroes to the foreigners that failed, the model professionals to the mavericks. Calcio' evokes the triumphs (the 1982 World Cup victory) and the tragedies (Meroni, the ''Italian George Best'', killed by his number one fan), set against a backdrop of paranoia and intrigue, in a country where the referee is seen as corrupt until proven otherwise.Calcio is no longer a game. It is sometimes difficult to define it as a Trade Review‘“Calcio: A History of Italian Football” reveals more about the national character than any dry study of politics or economics ever could. This is a hefty work but there is so much going on that the pace never slackens. Foot is a meticulous and knowledgeable guide to his complex subject and leaves the reader wanting to investigate further.’ Andrew Baker, Daily Telegraph ‘John Foot is head over heels in love with calcio, and his detailed, thematically structured account of its past and present is overwhelming evidence of that.’ Independent, Sport Section Book of the Week 'An excellent chapter on British failures in Serie A but it's the many scandals that one keeps coming back to.' Observer Sport Monthly 'Foot's exemplary history shows how football and Italian society are inextricably intertwined, and is full of fascinating vignettes.' Sunday Times 'Highly readable… “Calcio” has set an impressive benchmark for football histories in general.' Sean O'Connor, Soccerpile.com 'Like a match-winning penalty taken in extra time, this is a book not to be missed.' Oldie

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER''So boldly different it creates a mini-genre all of its own'' - ANDREW MARRAs Prime Minister for three years and Home Secretary for six years, Theresa May confronted a series of issues in which the abuse of power led to devastating results for individuals and significantly damaged the reputation of, and trust in, public institutions and politicians. From the Hillsborough and Grenfell tragedies, to the Daniel Morgan case and parliamentary scandals, the powerful repeatedly chose to use their power not in the interests of the powerless but to serve themselves or to protect the organisation to which they belonged.The Abuse of Power is a searing exposé of injustice and an impassioned call to exercise power for the greater good. Drawing on examples from domestic and international affairs she was personally involved in at the highest level, including Stop and Search and the Salisbury Poisonings, the formTrade ReviewSo boldly different it creates a mini-genre all of its own . . . This is a pleasant surprise: a genuinely unusual, bold and important book. You can't say that of many political memoirs -- Andrew Marr * The New Statesman *Fascinating and crisply written . . . That May has more seriousness and commitment than the average politician . . . means she has a better chance to fix some of those burning injustices this book shows she is clearly still worried about -- Isabel Hardman * i Newspaper *The book will reinforce the view that May was a politician of conviction and compassion. -- Robert Shrimsley * Financial Times *Very interesting... I strongly agree with the central message of [the] book...that we need a sense of moral compass in politics... Put together it's pretty shocking... Terrifying as an account of what's wrong in the British state * Rory Stewart on The Rest is Politics: Leading *Often political writing focuses on soap opera and personalities. But personalities - as Theresa May knows better than most - come and go. Structures remain. May's account of how public institutions wield their power and avoid accountability is an admirable attempt to draw our focus in the right direction * The Times Best Politics Books of 2023 *A serious-minded study of scandals in which vulnerable people were failed by those in authority * Guardian Best Politics Books of 2023 *

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Book SynopsisA true-life thriller, as Putin's most-feared adversary risks it all to hunt down the source of the Russian president's vast wealthTrade Review'I was hooked from the first paragraph. More explosive, compulsive and gasp-inducingly, spine-tinglingly, mouth-dryingly, heart-poundingly thrilling than any fiction I have read for years, Freezing Order has a stunning plot – international conspiracy, malign and hidden rings of power and corruption, a dark threat to any hope of world order – but with this stunning twist: it is all true... Browder – with incredible courage, resilience and grace, and always at great risk to his personal safety and freedom – continues to chase after Putin and his henchmen... This is real heroism, and what a cracking good read it makes for.' -- Stephen Fry'Mind-blowing. Bill Browder takes us down the rabbit hole of Kremlin lawfare where down is up and wrong is right, and powerful Russian interests are trying to upend our legal and political systems. This personal account of Browder's battle for justice is at times terrifying, at times deeply touching - and leads inexorably to a vast money-laundering scheme the Kremlin will seemingly stop at nothing to cover up.' -- Catherine Belton'[Freezing Order] tells the story of Browder’s quest to establish a global regime for sanctioning Russians involved in corruption and criminality. But it reads like an international spy thriller. If its subject matter weren’t so grave, the book could be said to have all the elements of a high-octane drama. Murder. Conspiracy. Piles of dirty money. Sexual intrigue. Freezing Order shudders with the constant threat of assassination, abduction or sudden, extreme violence. It is a tense and gripping read. -- Jamie Susskind * The Times *'Freezing Order is a gripping tale of assassinations, legal battles and billions in cash. It would be entertaining fiction, but as a true story it’s a warning and a roadmap for fighting back against the waves of crime and corruption emanating from Putin’s Russia and other dictatorships. Bill Browder has shown that one man with courage can make a difference, and that even the most powerful regimes have weak spots. It’s an inspiring message we should all heed, and with urgency.' -- Garry Kasparov'This tale is full of villains - not just the Russians...but also the politicians, lawyers and judges in the West who carry out the Kremlin's dirty work. Despite the complexity of the affair, Browder has made his story into a real page turner. Amid the horrors being reported every day from Ukraine, it also provides a highly readable insight into the true nature of the regime that is responsible for them..' -- Peter Conradi * Sunday Times *'Browder’s account of how he stood up to Putin in the face of danger, arrest warrants, and bullying is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to understand the tactics of modern autocracy.' -- Anne Applebaum'[A] zesty new book about the theft, extortion, intimidation, lies and murder that are the Russian state’s daily levers of power...a breakneck financial thriller compelling breathless attention...splendidly readable... One of the most sobering aspects of Browder’s rollicking, dangerous adventure [is] that late-period Putin has found it so easy to manipulate our western democracies from the inside.' -- Julian Evans * Daily Telegraph *'Absolutely gripping. Bill Browder’s new book on the Magnitsky affair follows the money all the way to the top of Russia’s murderous kleptocracy. Freezing Order ought to be compulsory reading. Luckily it reads like a thriller.' -- Tom Stoppard'It’s an incredible story, told with pace and panache, that reads like a thriller. There’s something deeply offending to our sense of justice about an innocent man framed by powerful forces...but what is most troubling here is how acquiescent the western establishment has been to Russian crimes and lies.' -- Andrew Anthony * Observer *'Bill Browder's thrilling new book digs deeper into the kleptocratic world enabled and supported by the Russian state, for the benefit of the most powerful and well-connected crooks in Russia and beyond. This exploration of the dark heart of corruption asks the question of what one person can do in the face of such insidious corruption, and makes us ask what we can find in ourselves to stand up and resist those forces that would steal, decieve and murder for their own gain.' -- Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat'The author has been trying to get the west to take the threat from Putin's Russia seriously for many years. In return, the Putin regime has pursued him around the world. Browder's new book recounts this struggle and is part thriller, part policy prescription. In the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine it has deservedly become a bestseller.' -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times Best Summer Reads *'An essential work by someone who understood long before the rest of the world did just how far corrupt Russian officials and businesspeople will go to defend their ill-gotten wealth, and how foreign lawyers, lobbyists and public relations firms enable them... He expertly walks us through the ins and outs of various legal strategies and developments that include enough high drama, plot twists and colourful characters for a movie. Browder’s Freezing Order is not just a cracking good read - it is a reminder of the urgency of addressing the global plague of money laundering.' -- Timothy Frye * Washington Post *'Could not be more timely in illustrating why the support of Russia’s super-rich and their funds have become crucial to Putin’s powerbase.' * Independent *'Fast paced and engaging, Browder’s book reads like a spy novel, but it also makes a powerful and remarkably prescient case for the need to use all the legal and financial tools available to separate Putin’s financiers from their foreign-held bank accounts and luxury yachts.' -- Katie Stallard * New Statesman *'Gripping reading... there is no question that Browder’s dogged persistence against a backdrop of undoubted stress and personal courage have made an important contribution in highlighting the failures of contemporary Russia and the west alike, and offered new tools with potential to try to redress them.' -- Andrew Jack * Financial Times *'A must-read for fans of Red Notice... Revealing and damning, exposing Putin and his minions as little more than greedy international criminals. A timely book combining mystifying financial shenanigans with a fast-paced crime saga.' * Kirkus Reviews *'Riveting...An eye-opening exposé of the lengths Putin’s cronies will go to hide their crimes and punish their accusers.' * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis'Please please please read Mindf*ck' - Richard Dawkins What if you could peer into the minds of an entire population? What if you could target the weakest with rumours that only they saw? In 2016, an obscure British military contractor turned the world upside down. Funded by a billionaire on a crusade to start his own far-right insurgency, Cambridge Analytica combined psychological research with private Facebook data to make an invisible weapon with the power to change what voters perceived as real. The firm was created to launch the then unknown Steve Bannon's ideological assault on America. But as it honed its dark arts in elections from Trinidad to Nigeria, 24-year-old research director Christopher Wylie began to see what he and his colleagues were unleashing. He had heard the disturbing visions of the investors. He saw what CEO Alexander Nix did behind closed doors. When Britain shocked the world by voting to leave the EU, Wylie realised it was time to expose his old associates. The political crime of the century had just taken place - the weapon had been tested - and nobody knew.Trade ReviewAn invaluable primer on psychological warfare and behaviour modification ... Given that Wylie was at the heart of this work, and that he displayed real sociological understanding of what the data was revealing, his account provides a useful, crystal-clear exposition of the power of psychographic profiling when it's done right. * The Observer *Fascinating and hugely readable ... valuable and revelatory * Sunday Times *Freewheeling and profane ... Wylie covers plenty of ground, explaining in illuminating and often scary detail how Cambridge Analytica exploited the data to create Facebook pages that would needle "neurotic, conspiratorial citizens," propagating an outraged solidarity. * New York Times *If you want to understand the darker side of the digital revolution - and what a threat to democracy it is - you must read this book. As we watch our own democracy wavering in a blizzard of online dirty tricks I can think of nothing more relevant right now. In this astonishing insider story Wylie explains how the 'Trump revolution' and the 'Brexit Shock' were achieved by often-illegal manipulation - and proposes a series of safeguards of the digital commons for the future. I hope every citizen reads this.MindF*ck demonstrates how digital influence operations, when they converged with the nasty business of politics, managed to hollow out democracies... And his personal story, woven into the book's narrative, illustrates the confusion of our current political era as well as the challenge to Wylie's fellow members of the social media generation as they seek identities real and imagined, physical and virtual. * Washington Post *Merits close attention, as it goes a long way to making sense of the current political landscape ... a devastating indictment of a political culture out of control * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisAround the world in Britain, the United States, Asia and the Middle East, there are people with power who are cashing in on chaos; exploiting bloodshed and catastrophe to brutally remake our world in their image. They are the shock doctors. This is the tale of how a few are making a killing while more are getting killed.Trade ReviewImpassioned, hugely informative, wonderfully controversial, and scary as hell * John le Carré *Packed with thinking dynamite … a book to be read everywhere * John Berger *If you read only one non-fiction book this year, make it this one -- , Books of the Year * Metro *There are few books that really help us understand the present. The Shock Doctrine is one of those books -- John Gray * Guardian *Lucid, calm, impeccably researched, gorgeously readable -- , Books of the Year * Observer *A brilliant, brave and terrifying book * Arundhati Roy *Powerful … epic … dramatic * Daily Telegraph *A brilliant book written with a perfectly distilled anger, channelled through hard fact. She has indeed surpassed No Logo * Independent *Excoriating … passionate and informed … Her prose packs a punch * Scotsman *Packed with thinking dynamite … a book to be read everywhere * John Berger *

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER PRESENTER OF THE BBC RADIO 4 SERIES 'HOW TO STEAL A TRILLION' SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2019 SUNDAY TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AN ECONOMIST POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOK OF THE YEAR A DAILY MAIL AND TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'You cannot understand power, wealth and poverty without knowing about Moneyland.' Simon Kuper, New Statesman 2019: democracy is eating itself, inequality is skyrocketing, the system is breaking apart. Why? Because in 1962, some bankers in London had an idea that changed the world. That idea was called 'offshore'. It meant that, for the first time, thieves could dream big. They could take everything. Join investigative journalist Oliver Bullough on a journey into the hidden world of the new global kleptocrats. See the poor countries where public money is stolen and the rich ones where it is laundered and invested. Watch the crooks at work and at play, and meet their respectable, white-collar enablers. Learn how the new system works and begin to see how we can tackle it.Trade ReviewEye-opening and essential ... Bullough has provided a model for how to tell a gripping and comprehensible story about a complex and crucial subject. You cannot understand power, wealth and poverty without knowing about Moneyland. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *If you want to know why international crooks and their eminently respectable financial advisors walk tall and only the little people pay taxes, this is the ideal book for you. Every politician and moneyman on the planet should read it, but they won't because it's actually about them. -- John le Carré, author of A Legacy of SpiesCorruption undermines democracy, weakens institutions and erodes trust, it destroys lives and impoverishes millions. Moneyland starts from that truth and tells London's part of that story ... This important book shows clearly that foreign policy isn't about foreigners, it's about us. -- Tom Tugendhat, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select CommitteeA concise, confident book ... pacy, clever and entertaining ... if you still have any illusions about the wonders of liberated capitalism, Moneyland will probably cure you. -- Andy Beckett * Guardian *A darkly fascinating ride. -- John Arlidge * Sunday Times *There are few people who know the world of illicit finance and money laundering like Oliver Bullough. He takes us on a journey through the maze of complicity and criminality that will upend all your confidence in the institutions that should be protecting us. -- Bill Browder, author of Red Notice: How I became Putin's No. 1 EnemyYou cannot understand power, wealth and poverty without knowing about Moneyland. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *This is meticulously researched and engagingly told, and reveals the horror and scale of dirty money flowing around the world. The central role played by the UK and jurisdictions associated with the British family mean that every person concerned about corruption and fairness in the UK should read this book - and then campaign and act. -- Margaret Hodge, MPA great guide to a country you can't afford to visit but which is all around you. -- Richard Brooks, author of Bean CountersUnputdownable. Funny, tragic and explains the world. I hope it helps change it, too. -- Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing Is True and Everything is PossibleJaw-dropping and deeply unsettling. Oliver Bullough provides a sobering and brilliant account of how piracy on an epic-scale is alive and well in the 21st century. A must-read. Simple as that. -- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk RoadsPraise for Let Our Fame Be Great: With this impassioned volume [Bullough] has struck a blow for the glory of the Caucasus and helped to give a voice to the voiceless. -- Justin Marozzi * Financial Times *Praise for The Last Man in Russia: The Last Man in Russia might be compared to Colin Thubron's Among the Russians - perhaps the last book in English to come so close to pinning down the Russianness of Russia. -- Mary Dejevsky * Independent *The Last Man in Russia is distinguished by the excellence of its writing and its lucid, unsparing gaze. * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn The Great Awakening: Defeating the Globalists and Launching the Next Great Renaissance, the most persecuted man on Earth, Alex Jones, gives you the good news about the failing plans of the globalists to control humanity. The expression “Get woke, go broke” has entered the common lexicon as we’ve seen company after company invoke the false gods of diversity, equity, and inclusion to their financial demise. But this surface discussion masks a much darker truth. What we are witnessing is nothing less than the failed plans of social Darwinists to capture free market capitalism and turn it toward their fascist aims of controlling and depopulating the globe. Working with New York Times bestselling author Kent Heckenlively, Jones masterfully gives you the deeper discussion about such hot button topics as the truth behind the globalists plans for artificial intelligence (AI), the central bank digital currency, social credit scores, Big Tech tyranny, censorship, fifteen-minute cities, the unholy alliance between big business and big government, the military-intelligence-industrial complex—which is hell-bent on eternal war—and the all-out assault on free speech and the Second Amendment. The good news is that these plans are destined to fail, if we wake up to the anti-human future the globalists have planned for us. The globalists hate freedom, and what they hate the most is the greatest freedom document in human history, the United States Constitution. Jones does not shy away from the darker parts of American history—the way we have been systematically deceived by the intelligence agencies since their assassination of President John F. Kennedy—but he provides example after example of people who have broken free from the matrix of lies to tell the truth. The people the globalists fear the most are the members of their own systems of control, who wake up and then decide to act against the machine. The globalists believe they’ve planned for every possible contingency, but they hadn’t counted on the conscience and love of truth, which lives in the souls of good people. St. Augustine once wrote: “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” No figure in our modern times has roared louder against the enemies of freedom than Alex Jones. In the calm and dispassionate style that made his first book, The Great Reset: And the War for the World, such a smash hit, Alex lays out the flaws in the plans of the globalists and how they seek to create a world in direct opposition to God’s plans for our glorious human future. But God consistently works His will in our world, even through imperfect individuals like Donald Trump, Alex Jones, or you. If you want to read one book this year to understand your world and help lead humanity to the next great human renaissance, you need to order this book today.Trade Review“Alex is right about far more than he is wrong about.... He’s the most misunderstood guy on the planet.”—JOE ROGAN “Alex Jones may be the most maligned patriot in the country, but virtually every threat to our liberty that he has predicted has come to pass.”—ROGER STONE "[Alex Jones'] reputation is amazing."—DONALD TRUMP

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. American Kompromat unravels the Russian-influenced operations that amassed the dirty little secrets of the richest and most powerful men on earth. American Kompromat is based on extended and exclusive interviews with high-level sources in the KGB, CIA, and FBI, as well as lawyers at white-shoe Washington firms, associates of Jeffrey Epstein, and thousands of pages of FBI reports, police investigations, and news articles in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. A narrative offering jaw-dropping context, and set in Upper East Side mansions and private Caribbean islands, gigantic yachts, and private jets, American Kompromat shows that, from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, Russian operations transformed the darkest secrets of the most powerful people in the world into potent weapons that served its interests. Among its many revelations, American Kompromat addresses what may be the single most important unanswered question of the entire Trump era — and one that Unger argues is even more important now that Trump is out of office: Was Donald Trump a Russian asset? Just how compromised was he? And how could such an audacious feat have been accomplished? To answer these questions and more, Craig Unger reports, is to understand kompromat — operations that amassed compromising information on the richest and most powerful men on earth, and that leveraged power by appealing to what is, for some, the most prized possession of all: their vanity. This is a story that transcends the end of the Trump administration, illuminating a major underreported aspect of Trump’s corruption that has profoundly damaged American democracy.Trade Review‘For the first time a former KGB employee has gone on record to describe Donald Trump's historic relationship with the Kremlin. It's a bombshell that must be looked into.’ -- Robert Baer, former CIA operative and author of See No Evil‘Trump's loyalty to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was deeper and more insidious than merely envying his wealth and power. America has removed Putin's puppet from the White House, but the KGB man who controlled him is still in the Kremlin, eager to repeat the success of his greatest operation: President Trump. Read Craig Unger to understand why the danger to American democracy is far from over.’ -- Garry Kasparov, chairman of the Renew Democracy Foundation and author of Winter Is Coming: why Vladimir Putin and the enemies of the free world must be stopped‘By compiling decades of Trump's seedy ties, disturbing and consistent patterns of behaviour, and unexplained contacts with Russian officials and criminals, Unger makes a strong case that Trump is probably a compromised trusted contact of Kremlin interests.’ -- John Sipher * Washington Post *‘Craig Unger has just published a wonderful, well-written book. The jewel in the crown is how the KGB cultivated Donald Trump. With assistance of the eminent former KGB officer Yuri Shvets, American Kompromat establishes how it really took place.’ -- Anders Åslund, senior fellow of The Atlantic Council‘A must-read. The gun's not quite smoking, but the barrel's plenty hot, and there are Russian shell casings all around.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *‘Unger shows how the most powerful people in the world use kompromat — Russian for compromising information — to further their political goals. Think Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, Russians and Israelis — and ask how they get this information.’ * Library Journal *‘Make[s] the unassailable case that Donald J. Trump has been cultivated by Soviet and Russian leaders.’ * CounterPunch *

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Book SynopsisIn this explosive memoir, a political consultant and technology whistleblower reveals the disturbing truth about the multi-billion-dollar data industry, revealing to the public how companies are getting richer using our personal information and exposing how Cambridge Analytica exploited weaknesses in privacy laws to help elect Donald Trump.When Brittany Kaiser joined Cambridge Analytica the UK-based political consulting firm funded by conservative billionaire and Donald Trump patron Robert Mercer she was an idealistic young professional working on her fourth degree in human rights law and international relations. A veteran of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, Kaiser's goal was to utilize data for humanitarian purposes, most notably to prevent genocide and human rights abuses. But her experience inside Cambridge Analytica opened her eyes to the tremendous risks that this unregulated industry poses to privacy and democracy.Targeted is Kaiser's eyewitness chronicle of the dramatic and distu

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Book SynopsisJoanna Lillis is a Kazakhstan-based journalist reporting on Central Asia whose work has featured in the Guardian, The Economist and the Independent newspapers, the Eurasianet website and Foreign Policy and POLITICO magazines. Prior to settling in Kazakhstan in 2005, she worked for BBC Monitoring, the BBC World Service's global media tracking service. She studied Russian in the Soviet republics of Belorussia and Ukraine before the collapse of the USSR.Trade ReviewLillis traveled widely across the country, carried out an impressive number of interviews, and followed several key events… She also closely explored the stories and experiences of numerous [people]... Her work demonstrates that [Kazakhstan] has become more secretive, authoritative, and oppressive. * CHOICE *Astute, refreshing and revelatory; it is also surprisingly tender, showing not only her affection but her care in trying to make sense of a country that needs to be understood warts and all ... It is not easy to look beneath the surface and make sense of a country of such contrasts and complexities, especially one that is in transition. You don’t need a book about Kazakhstan to realise that the world is changing; but reading Dark Shadows is a great place to start for anyone wanting to see how and why Central Asia matters in the 21st century. -- Peter Frankopan * The Spectator *Dark Shadows reads like a thriller. Lillis knows exactly how to investigate and tell stories, which characters readers will relate to or abhor, and how sources need to be interrogated & balanced. * Asian Affairs *This is a fine book, beautifully written and with just the right blend of affection and censure. Lillis has rendered a great public service by dispelling some of the myths and caricatures that have gathered around Kazakhstan, which remains one of the world’s least well-understood countries. * Eurasianet *Through in-depth interviews and good access to a range of Kazakh public figures, the book presents a powerful tale of injustice, corruption and fear ... An interesting and comprehensive addition to scholarship on Eurasia and post-Soviet and Central Asian studies at a time of renewed interest in the region at the crossroads between China and Russia. * Europe-Asia Studies *The best book in English in the last decade on developments in Kazkahstan -- William Courtney, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the RAND Corporation, and former US ambassador to KazakhstanThis is the essential book about an increasingly important, but highly secretive, country. With a keen eye and sharp analysis, Joanna Lillis goes beyond the 'post-Soviet' cliches to explore the depths of Kazakhstan's politics, history and money -- Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing is true and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern RussiaTable of ContentsMap of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan historical timeline Note on transliteration and names Introduction I. The Making of a Potentate 1 Arise, Kazakhstan 2 A Family Affair 3 Don’t Mess With the Boss 4 Fault Lines in the Feel-Good Factor 5 Publish and Be Damned 6 Trials and Tribulations 7 Back to the USSR 8 Stop the Presses 9 Bread and Circuses 10 End of an Era II. Identity Crisis 11 Kingdom of the Kazakhs 12 Mother Russia 13 Death to the Past 14 The Gulag Archipelago 15 Exile of the Innocents 16 Sparks of Tension 17 December of Discontent 18 Lure of the Land 19 Homeward Bound 20 Behind the Red Wall III. Stories from the Steppe 21 Keeping the Faith 22 Opium of the People 23 Culture Wars 24 The Curse of Corruption 25 The Shrinking Sea 26 The Wasteland 27 The Ranch 28 The Slumbering Steppe 29 The Collective Farm Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisWhy do some prime ministers manage to get things done, while others miserably fail? What is a ''special adviser'' and how did they take over British political life? And why is the House of Lords more functional than most people think?Most of us have a sense that our political system doesn''t seem to work, but struggle to articulate exactly why. And for good reason: our political and financial institutions are cloaked in secrecy, archaic terminology, ancient custom and impenetrable jargon. Now, expert political journalist Ian Dunt is lifting the lid on British politics to expose every aspect of the setup in a way that can be understood and challenged. From Downing Street to Whitehall, the Commons to the Lords, this book is an indispensable guide to our political system - and how we might begin to fix it.

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Book SynopsisA clear-sighted exploration of how antisemitism has been politicised, and the damaging consequences of its redefinitionTrade Review'Nobody unpacks the confusions currently circulating around antisemitism, nor the complexities of Jewish identity, better than Antony Lerman. This elegantly written, erudite book is essential reading for all of us, whatever our identifications' -- Lynne Segal, author of 'Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy''An urgently needed book. The contemporary debate about antisemitism is both incoherent and appalling. Faced with this hot mess, Antony Lerman offers a cool, well-reasoned, deeply learned and morally courageous meditation on what antisemitism is and isn't' -- Peter Beinart, editor-at-large at 'Jewish Currents''We desperately need this book [...] An essential tool to understand the weaponisation of antisemitism and its dangerous impact on free speech, Palestinian rights, and the very real threat of actual antisemitism' -- Rebecca Vilkomerson, former Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace'This important, essential book by a leading expert on antisemitism offers a nuanced history of the use and abuse of the fight against the world's oldest hatred. It powerfully unmasks the successful effort to twist the battle against antisemitism into a defense of the indefensible: Israel's subjugation of millions of people on the basis of their national and ethnic identity' -- Nathan Thrall, author of 'The Only Language They Understand''The best book I have read on why anti-Zionism has been equated with antisemitism and how the 'new antisemitism' has been mobilised for political gain' -- Neve Gordon, co-author of 'The Human Right to Dominate'Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Acronyms and abbreviations Introduction 1. Varieties of Confusion in Understandings of Antisemitism 2. The Use and Abuse of Antisemitic Stereotypes and Tropes 3. Motivated by Antisemitism? Challenges to Zionism 1975–1989 4. ‘New Antisemitism’: Competing Narratives and the Consequences of Politicisation 5. The Development of Institutions Combatting Antisemitism 1970s–2000 6. The Turning Point: ‘New Antisemitism’ and the New Millennium 7. The Codification of ‘New Antisemitism’: The EUMC ‘Working Definition’ 8. Responding to ‘New Antisemitism’: a Transnational Field of Racial Governance 9. The Redefinition Project and the Myth of the ‘Collective Jew’ Exposed 10. Human Rights: The ‘Mask Under Which the Teaching of Antisemitic Contempt for Israel is Carried Out’ 11. Geopolitics, Israel and the Authentication of ‘New Antisemitism’ 12. ‘War’ Discourse and its Limitations 13. ‘Jewish Power’, Medical Analogies and ‘Eradication’ Discourse 14. Apocalypticism: Defining the Discourse, Writing the Headlines and Generating Moral Panics 15. Against Typological Thinking: Summary and Conclusions Appendix: The IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism Notes Index

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Book Synopsis‘The latest in the series of powerful books on the divisions in modern Britain, and will take its place on many bookshelves beside Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race and Owen Jones’s Chavs.’ –Andrew Marr, Sunday Times ‘In his fascinating, enraging polemic, Verkaik touches on one of the strangest aspects of the elite schools and their product’s domination of public life for two and a half centuries: the acquiescence of everyone else.’ –Observer In Britain today, the government, judiciary and military are all led by an elite who attended private school. Under their watch, our society has become increasingly divided and the gap between rich and poor is now greater than ever before. Is this the country we want to live in? If we care about inequality, we have to talk about public schools. Robert Verkaik issues a searing indictment of the system originally intended to educate the most underprivileged Britons, and outlines how, through meaningful reform, we can finally make society fairer for all.Trade Review'Verkaik comprehensively demolishes [public school] claims.' * Peter Wilby, New Statesman *‘The latest in the series of powerful books on the divisions in modern Britain, and will take its place on many bookshelves beside Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race and Owen Jones's Chavs.’ * Andrew Marr, Sunday Times *‘Does a fine job of reminding us how powerful a hold the elite schools have over public life.’ * The Times *'An illuminating and hugely enjoyable read, packed full of eye-opening facts... At a time when the gap between rich and poor is widening, we need to talk seriously about the role of public schools in our society. Posh Boys is a welcome catalyst for that debate.' * Sunday Herald *'In his fascinating, enraging polemic, Verkaik touches on one of the strangest aspects of the elite schools and their product’s domination of public life for two and a half centuries: the acquiescence of everyone else.' * Observer *'A trenchant j’accuse against the old-boy chumocracy... Posh Boys is, for a book about public schools, decidedly comprehensive.' * Guardian *‘You cannot understand Britain without understanding this – the story of how we became a nation obsessed with elite education that continues to stack the odds against fairness and progress, and the cultural forces it has unleashed upon us all. Robert Verkaik tells it with clarity, and makes a powerful call for change.’ -- Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish)‘Inspired, committed, careful and kind.’ -- Danny Dorling, author of Inequality and the 1%

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Book Synopsis‘Joyous … a book that makes other journalists weep with envy’ The Economist 'Provocative, touching, and sensitively written … an eloquent, brilliantly researched account’ Sunday Times One of The Economist’s best books by foreign correspondents. A story of grim comedy amid the apocalypse and a celebration of the sheer indestructibility of the human spirit in a nation run riot: Michela Wrong’s vision of Congo/Zaire during the Mobutu years is incisive, ironic and revelatory. Mr Kurtz, the colonial white master, brought evil to the remote upper reaches of the Congo River. A century after Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness' was first published, Michela Wrong revisits the Congo as the era of Mobutu Sese Seko collapses into absurdity, anarchy and corruption. Hers is a brilliant portrait of the grotesque as confusion takes over: pink lipsticked rebel soldiers mingle with tracksuited secret policemen in hotels where fin de siecle dinner parties are ploughing through hotel wine cellars rather than see bottles lost to the new regime. Congo, Africa’s richest country in terms of its natural resources, has institutionalised kleptomania: everyone is on the take. In a country where the minimum wage has dropped to below $150 a year, the government over twenty-five years spent $250 million providing courtesy cars. Congo has a vanity nuclear reactor built on a subsiding slope and one of its uranium rods is missing… The Mobutu reign, successor to Belgium’s failed imperial experiment in Africa, was fed by World Bank dollars and IMF loans. Having presided over unprecedented looting of the country’s wealth, Mobutu, like Kurtz, retreated deep within the jungle to his absurdly overwrought palace of marble floors and gold taps. A century on, nothing seems to have changed at the heart of Africa: it is lawless, graceless and it slaughters its own.Trade Review‘A brilliant account of Africa’s most extraordinary dictator told with wry wit and delicious irony… this book will become a classic’ The Economist ‘Provocative, touching, and sensitively written … an eloquent, brilliantly researched account and a remarkably sympathetic study of a tragic land’ Sunday Times ‘Michela Wrong made the so-called ‘Heart of Darkness' much less opaque to me when I visited the Congo. She can do the same for you if you read this brave and witty book’ Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great ‘Michela Wrong nimbly balances absurdity and outrage in her portrait of Mobutu Sese Seko and the wreckage he visited – with steady Western sponsorship – on the country he called Zaire. Her book is charged with pity and terror, and with the sort of sustaining humour that she rightly admires in Mobutu’s former subjects’ Philip Gourevitch, author of We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We will be Killed With Our Families

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Book SynopsisBob Woodward exposes one of the final pieces of the Richard Nixon puzzle in his new book The Last of the President's Men. Woodward reveals the untold story of Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed the secret White House taping system that changed history and led to Nixon's resignation. In 46 hours of interviews with Butterfield, supported by thousands of documents, many of them original and not in the presidential archives and libraries, Woodward has uncovered new dimensions of Nixon's secrets, obsessions and deceptions. Butterfield provides the intimate details of what it was like working and living just feet from the most powerful man in the world as he sought to navigate the obligations to his president and the truth of Nixon's obsessions and deceptions.The Last of the President's Men could not be more timely and relevant as the public in America and around the world quest

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'' BEST BOOKS OF 2023ONE OF THE ECONOMIST''S BEST BOOKS OF 2023ONE OF THE NEW YORKER''S BEST BOOKS OF 2023ONE OF BARACK OBAMA''S BEST BOOKS OF 2023TIME MAGAZINE''S #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR''A journalistic masterpiece'' David Remnick, New YorkerMy job is to go to places where people die. I pack my bags, talk to the survivors, write my stories, then go home to wait for the next catastrophe. I don''t wait very long.Journalist Patricia Evangelista came of age in the aftermath of a street revolution that forged a new future for the Philippines. Three decades later, in the face of mounting inequality, the nation discovered the fragility of its democratic institutions under the regime of strongman Rodrigo Duterte.Some People Need Killing is Evangelista''s meticulously reported and deeply human chronicle of the Philippines'' drug war. For six years, Evangelista chronicled the killings carried out by police and vigilantes in the name of Duterte''s war on drugs - a war that has led to the slaughter of thousands - immersing herself in the world of killers and survivors and capturing the atmosphere of fear created when an elected president decides that some lives are worth less than others.The book takes its title from a vigilante whose words seemed to reflect the psychological accommodation that most of the country had made: ''I''m really not a bad guy,'' he said. ''I''m not all bad. Some people need killing.''A profound act of witness and a tour de force of literary journalism, Some People Need Killing is also a brilliant dissection of the grammar of violence and an important investigation of the human impulses to dominate and resist.

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Book SynopsisWHAT CAN SEE WATCHES, WHAT CAN HEAR LISTENS - the gripping first instalment of the Kanha and Colbey Thriller series. When Chief Whip Esme Kanha learns of the sudden death of the Minister for Personal Information, she bitterly regrets missing his desperate calls the previous evening. Unconvinced by the verdict of suicide, and suspicious that corrupt colleagues played some part in the man's death, she decides to investigate - but she must tread carefully in a near-future world dominated by technology, where 'what can see watches, what can hear listens, and what can be followed is tracked'. Meanwhile, Big Tech executive Henri Lauvaux arrives in London. His mission: to ensure the new minister, Harry Colbey, will not prove as problematic as the last. As the West inexorably slides towards an Orwellian 'Big Brother' future, Harry Colbey and Esme Kanha join forces in a deadly cat-and-mouse game against political corruption - at great cost to themselves.Trade Review'I love books that show me behind the closed doors of the corridors of power. And this book does it brilliantly. Read and enjoy!' -Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC, author of 'Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey'; 'From a stunning opening, through twists and turns of political and commercial intrigue, the page turning tension of this chilling near-future thriller never lets up' -G.D Sanders, author of 'The Taken Girls'; 'Dirty Geese is a taut thriller for our times. In a backstabbing Westminster, chief whip Esme Kanha and new minister Harry Colbey must pick their way through a political landscape mined by AI and patrolled by a wolfish, dissolute PM. Lou Gilmond expertly conjures up a shiny, fake tech future that is becoming more jarringly real by the day' -Martin Hickman, author of 'Dial M for Murdoch'; 'This book grabbed me from the very start. A tense, clever, suspenseful page-turner with characters that jump off the page, and a chilling and plausible contemporary premise' -Aliya Ali-Afzal, author of 'Would I Lie To You?'

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Book SynopsisA generation after the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia shows every sign of having overcome its history- the streets of Phnom Penh are paved skyscrapers dot the skyline. But under this façade lies a country still haunted by its years of terror. Joel Brinkley won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in Cambodia on the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime that killed one quarter of the nation's population during its years in power. In 1992, the world came together to help pull the small nation out of the mire. Cambodia became a United Nations protectorate- the first and only time the UN tried something so ambitious. What did the new, democratically-elected government do with this unprecedented gift? In 2008 and 2009, Brinkley returned to Cambodia to find out. He discovered a population in the grip of a venal government. He learned that one-third to one-half of Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge era have P.T.S.D.- and its afflictions are being passed to the next generation. His extensive close-up reporting in Cambodia's Curse illuminates the country, its people, and the deep historical roots of its modern-day behaviour.Trade ReviewKirkus, February 15, 2011 "An excellent...account of a country whose historic poverty, exacerbated by the Vietnam War, remains remarkably unchanged." Publishers Weekly "A riveting piece of literary reportage." Booklist"A heartbreaking but vital status report on a people who deserve far better." Foreign Affairs, May/June 2011"Brinkley cuts a clear narrative path through the bewildering, cynical politics and violent social life of one of the worlds most brutalized and hard-up countries."

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Book SynopsisAndrew Jennings, an award-winning investigative sports reporter, spent four years delving into the dark side of ''the beautiful game''. The result is this explosive and damning exposé of the officials that run football''s world governing body, FIFA .No individual has managed to penetrate the sanctified domain of FIFA and probed successfully into its often criticized yet unproven corruption of the world game. Until now.Author Andrew Jennings argues how FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his associates have misappropriated their position at the head of the world game in their desire for power, control, and a lucrative pay-off. How did these bizarre characters manage to take such control? Foul! is the explosive story.Jennings has undertaken unprecedented research in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, interviewing hundreds of officials and amassing an extraordinary library of damning documents.He tells how Blatter and his cronies built an invincible electoral machine to keep him in power Trade Review'Award-winning reporter Andrew Jennings has led the way investigating corruption in world football' Daily Mail ‘A meticulously researched and detailed dossier into the inner workings of FIFA’ Sunday Business Post ‘In Foul!, Jennings has turned his unerring attention to the bun fight that masquerades as the global governance of football’ Independent 'The appalling Sepp Blatter and his cronies' activities are laid bare in a mind-boggling web of deceit. Essential reading for cynical football fans.' Evening Herald Dublin

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2021THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2021A SUNDAY TIMES AND TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEARA dramatic, gripping account of the rise and fall of the notorious business tycoon Robert Maxwell from the acclaimed author of A Very English Scandal.''The best biography yet of the media magnate Robert Maxwell - by turns engrossing, amusing and appalling'' Robert Harris, Sunday Times''Electrifying... the supreme chronicler of modern British scandals'' Mail on SundayRobert Maxwell was a very British success. Born an Orthodox Jew, he escaped the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, fought in the Second World War, and was decorated for his heroism with the Military Cross. He went on to become a Labour MP and an astonishingly successful businessman, owning a number of newspapers and publishing companies. But aTrade Review'This is the best biography yet of the media magnate Robert Maxwell - by turns engrossing, amusing and appalling... it slips down as richly, easily and pleasurably as a tablespoonful of Beluga caviar' -- Robert Harris * Sunday Times *'Electrifying... the supreme chronicler of modern British scandals' * Mail on Sunday *'This is such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished it could have been twice as long' -- Lynn Barber * Daily Telegraph *'I have a shelf full of books about frauds, but this one is by far the most enjoyable. By turns self-righteous and revolting, Maxwell makes the perfect villain' -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *'Any good biography of a mountebank depicts not only its subject but also the ambivalent society that accommodated the monster. John Preston's Fall does this with deft understatement ... Preston's A Very English Scandal used an almost novelistic eye to revive a well-worn scandal. Fall is equally satisfying' -- Quentin Letts * The Times *'An absorbing profile of the war hero turned rogue ... Preston comes to his subject with the advantage both of hindsight and his great skill at exposing hypocrisy and subterfuge ... he has an eye for the telling detail and an ear for the revealing quote' * Observer, Book of the Week *'There have been many books written about Robert Maxwell, but surely none as pacy, entertaining and jaw-dropping as this one... yes, this is quite a book' * Daily Mail *'Preston has written a wonderfully ­entertaining book and interviewed almost everyone who crossed ­Maxwell's path in his heyday. He has an eye for comedy and drama and, where he explains his subject's shady and dauntingly complex business dealings, he does so clearly and succinctly' * New Statesman *'Irresistible page-turning pace ... what emerges from Fall is a vividly grotesque picture of the emperor showing off his nonexistent new clothes to an applauding crowd of courtiers - politicians, editors, bankers - who all too willingly suspended any disbelief they may have felt' -- Francis Wheen * Spectator *'John Preston's book Fall, a recounting of the life of one of the most extraordinary figures in British corporate life, is timely ... almost 30 years since Maxwell died at sea in unexplained circumstances, it is possible to look back on his story and the fraud as a great, sweeping whole, a bridge from the second world war to the last years of the media barons before the internet began ... Preston tells the story well ... its strength is in telling the grand sweep of an extraordinary life' * Financial Times *'Vivid ... Preston (has a) gift for the kind of wry comedy that suits English decline' * Guardian, Book of the Day *'John Preston's research for this terrific biography is extensive; he interviewed three of Maxwell's children and his sister. But he also presents a large character at the heart of a gripping novel which happens to be true' * Evening Standard *'Thanks to Preston's fine writing, Fall fizzes along at pace and is engrossing as it charts Maxwell's astonishing life - and how he came to be so widely reviled' * i *'John Preston tells [the story of Maxwell] with great verve and the benefit of extensive interviews with, among others, Maxwell's one-time rival Rupert Murdoch... the portrait that emerges is more subtly drawn than previous ones' * Economist *'John Preston brings the old crook and liar magnificently to life in this sparkling biography... this beautifully written book provides many moments of high and low comedy... Preston's sharp eye for the ridiculous and the piquant conjures up a lost Fleet Street world' * Jewish Chronicle *'Preston is a natural storyteller' -- The TimesDeeply researched, fluently written, and darkly comic, it reads like a thriller -- Ben Macintyre on 'A Very English Scandal'Brilliant, sad, startling -- Jon Ronson on 'A Very English Scandal'A terrific book and brilliantly researched -- Claire Tomalin on 'A Very English Scandal'Very funny and endlessly extraordinary * Guardian on 'A Very English Scandal' *Preston is a natural storyteller * The Times *

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Book SynopsisOver much of its rule, the regime of Hafez al-Asad and his successor Bashar al-Asad deployed violence on a massive scale to maintain its grip on political power. In this book, Salwa Ismail examines the rationalities and mechanisms of governing through violence. In a detailed and compelling account, Ismail shows how the political prison and the massacre, in particular, developed as apparatuses of government, shaping Syrians'' political subjectivities, defining their understanding of the terms of rule and structuring their relations and interactions with the regime and with one another. Examining ordinary citizens'' everyday life experiences and memories of violence across diverse sites, from the internment camp and the massacre to the family and school, The Rule of Violence demonstrates how practices of violence, both in their routine and spectacular forms, fashioned Syrians'' affective life, inciting in them feelings of humiliation and abjection, and infusing their lived environment wiTrade Review'In this highly original, but also deeply disturbing book Salwa Ismail has captured superbly the daily and the spectacular acts of violence that have marked Ba`thist rule in Syria. The cumulative effects of dread, fear and horror on the Syrian subject, conformist as well as resistant, are at the centre of this account, giving a unique insight into the conditions that have torn the country apart.' Charles Tripp, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London'The Rule of Violence offers a sophisticated, innovative and powerful examination of the manifold ways in which violence shaped modern Syria. Ismail's theoretically engaged and richly informed narrative traces the deep impact on Syria's citizens of state violence, from the intimate horrors of prison torture and the mass atrocities of the 1982 devastation of Hama to the brutal wars following the uprising of 2011. Ranging from politics and war to literature and popular culture, it stands as a critical contribution to our understanding of the deep legacies of authoritarian state violence.' Marc Lynch, The George Washington University, and author of The New Arab Wars: Anarchy and Uprising in the Middle East'This is a masterful account of how 'horror' came to be a central mode of governance in Syria under the Asad regime. Salwa Ismail's skilful scholarship expands our understanding of state violence through shifting focus to its affective dimensions in both the spectacular and the everyday. This is a powerful and utterly compelling book, a must read for students of Syria and authoritarianism.' Michelle Obeid, University of ManchesterTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Introduction: the government of violence; 1. Violence as a modality of government in Syria; 2. Authoritarian government, the shadow state and political subjectivities; 3. Memories of life under dictatorship: the everyday of Ba'thist Syria; 4. Memories of violence: Hama 1982; 5. The performativity of violence and 'emotionalities of rule' in the Syrian Uprising; Conclusion: the rule of violence – formations of civil war; Postscript; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisCorruption takes many different forms and the systems that enable it are complex and challenging. To best understand corruption, one needs to examine how it operates in practice. Understanding Corruption tells the story of how corruption happens in the real world, illustrated through detailed case studies of the many different types of corruption that span the globe. Each case study follows a tried and tested analytical approach that provides key insights into the workings of corruption and the measures best used to tackle it. The case studies examined include examples of corporate bribery, political corruption, facilitation payments, cronyism, state capture, kleptocracy, asset recovery, offshore secrecy, reputation laundering and unexplained wealth, and actors include businesses, governments, politicians, governing bodies and public servants.Trade ReviewA generation’s research and reform experiences have taught us much about corruption, its consequences, and possible approaches to control, but much of that knowledge is scattered across many sources and discussions. Understanding Corruption offers a valuable overview and synthesis of what we do – and do not – know, examining major trends in thought and practice while carefully dissecting a variety of cases. It is an essential work for students and teaching, and will help guide the research and debates to come. -- Michael Johnston, Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Colgate University, USAThis is an important and original book, laying out what corruption is, how it works, and how it should be tackled. I wish it had existed when I was a student. -- Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland: How Thieves & Crooks Now Rule the World & How to Take It BackAlmost 30 years since anti-corruption became part of the global development agenda this is a crucial collection of essays exploring and deepening understanding about the multitude of ways corruption continues to impact lives across the planet; and how corruption itself has morphed over the decades. Essential reading. -- John Githongo, The Elephant and CEO, Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!The book leads the reader on a tour around the world to describe in a simple and clear way how corruption operates in practice. The collection of case studies shows that corruption is a global, complex, and context-sensitive phenomenon that does not allow for one-fits-all solutions. Excellent teaching material. -- Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair, Transparency InternationalThis book with its deceptively simple title offers readers a rich variety of case-study material that sets out very clearly why those of us working in the anti-corruption field – whether policy-makers, practitioners or academics – need to go beyond existing assumptions about what corruption is, why it happens and then what to do about it. By being more open and more consistent in our diagnosis of the problem, the volume shows how this can help us better think about both the potential benefits and the potential harms of various strategies and interventions, and why this matters. -- Heather Marquette, Professor of Development Politics, and Director of the Serious Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Evidence research programme, University of BirminghamUnderstanding Corruption illuminates the corruption problem in its many different manifestations covering, importantly, not only the more commonly understood phenomenon of bribery, but also the more complex forms such as political corruption or state capture. The case study approach of the book makes it a fascinating read for both veterans and new entrants to the anti-corruption world. -- Gretta Fenner, Basel Institute on GovernanceThe contributors are all current faculty members or recent students at the Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC). Such a concentration of expertise underpins CSC’s status as the UK’s foremost centre of academic research on the topic of corruption. -- Paul Heywood, Professor of European Politics, University of NottinghamThis book uses a storytelling approach to explain complex corruption cases, making it an easy read. Not only does it show how corruption occurs, but it also exposes the reader to different approaches to tackling corruption. I liked that the book identified the victims in each case. Using case studies is a brilliant way to increase the understanding of corruption which is necessary for motivating people to act against it. I highly recommend this book. -- Onyinye Ough, Executive Director, Step Up NigeriaTable of Contents1. Corruption in theory and practice – Dan Hough Part I Bribery 2. A world tour of bribery – Robert Barrington 3. Bribery case studies 3.1 Alstom and corporate bribery – Tom Shipley 3.2 Odebrecht, corporate bribery and political corruption – Francis McGowan 3.3 Panalpina and facilitation payments – Tom Shipley 3.4 Petty bribes in the developed world – Robert Barrington 4. Learning from bribery case studies – Robert Barrington Part II Political Corruption 5. How to make friends, spend money and influence politics – Sam Power 6. Political corruption case studies 6.1 The Council of Europe and Azerbaijan: corruption in parliament – Roxana Bratu 6.2 Darleen Druyun, the defence sector, and the revolving door – Tom Shipley 6.3 Jacques Chirac and French politics – Liljana Cvetanoska 6.4 Jack Abramoff and the US lobbying industry – Tena Prelec 7. Learning from political corruption case studies – Sam Power Part III Kleptocracy and State Capture 8. Accumulating money and power – Elizabeth David-Barrett 9. Kleptocracy and state capture case studies 9.1 Angola and the Dos Santos regime – Tom Shipley 9.2 Erdogan and cronyism in Turkey – Tena Prelec 9.3 Najib Razak and 1MDB in Malaysia: fraud and corruption – Shahrzad Fouladvand 9.4 The Guptas and state capture in South Africa – Tena Prelec 9.5 FIFA: kleptocracy and capture outside politics – Robert Barrington 10. Learning from kleptocracy and state capture case studies – Elizabeth David-Barrett Part IV Corrupt Capital 11. The secret world of corrupt capital – Robert Barrington 12. Corrupt capital case studies 12.1 Teodorin Obiang and asset recovery – Tena Prelec and Georgia Garrod 12.2 The Panama Papers and offshore secrecy – Ben Cowdock 12.3 Bell Pottinger and reputation laundering in South Africa - Ben Cowdock 12.4 Zamira Hajiyeva and unexplained wealth – Ben Cowdock 12.5 Professional enablers in London – Ben Cowdock 13. Learning from corrupt capital case studies – Robert Barrington Part V Conclusion 14. Understanding Corruption – Dan Hough and Elizabeth David-Barrett

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Book SynopsisA Wall Street Journal best book of the year"What made this episode in our collective history possible was not so much the lies we told one another, but the lies we told ourselves."A recent Brown University graduate, Michael Soussan was elated when he landed a position as a program coordinator for the United Nations' Iraq Program. Little did he know that he would end up a whistleblower in what PBS NewsHour described as the "largest financial scandal in UN history."Breaking a conspiracy of silence that had prevailed for years, Soussan sparked an unprecedented corruption probe into the Oil-for-Food program that exposed a worldwide system of bribes, kickbacks, and blackmail involving ruthless power-players from around the globe.At the crossroads of pressing humanitarian concerns, crisis diplomacy, and multibillion-dollar business interests, Soussan's story highlights core flaws of our international system and exposes the frightening, corrupting power of the black elixir that fuels our world's economy.

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Book SynopsisThe bloody story of the rise of paramilitaries in Colombia, told through three characters -- a fearless activist, a dogged journalist, and a relentless investigator -- whose lives intersected in the midst of unspeakable terror. Colombia''s drug-fueled cycle of terror, corruption, and tragedy did not end with Pablo Escobar''s death in 1993. Just when Colombians were ready to move past the murderous legacy of the country''s cartels, a new, bloody chapter unfolded. In the late 1990s, right-wing paramilitary groups with close ties to the cocaine business carried out a violent expansion campaign, massacring, raping, and torturing thousands.There Are No Dead Here is the harrowing story of three ordinary Colombians who risked everything to reveal the collusion between the new mafia and much of the country''s military and political establishment: JesÃrÃValle, a human rights activist who was murdered for exposing a dark secret; IvÃVelÃuez, a quiet prosecutor who took up Valle''s cause and became an unlikely hero; and Ricardo CalderÃa dogged journalist who is still being targeted for his revelations. Their groundbreaking investigations landed a third of the country''s Congress in prison and fed new demands for justice and peace that Colombia''s leaders could not ignore. Taking readers from the sweltering MedellÃstreets where criminal investigators were hunted by assassins, through the countryside where paramilitaries wiped out entire towns, and into the corridors of the presidential palace in BogotÃThere Are No Dead Here is an unforgettable portrait of the valiant men and women who dared to stand up to the tide of greed, rage, and bloodlust that threatened to engulf their country.

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Book SynopsisMelville House publishes Robert Mueller's long-awaited report into allegations that Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia.

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Book SynopsisThe true story of how Lord Boothby and Ronnie Kray almost brought down the Establishment … and how the Establishment saved itselfTrade ReviewIn detailing the cover-up and its repercussions, Smith has drawn on many new and original sources. He usefully places it in the context of the Vassall and Profumo affairs, which had already catastrophically undermined public confidence in the establishment and made everyone involved determined to avoid another political scandal. His book is both lively and engrossing, and provides the clearest and most comprehensive account yet of this extraordinary saga. -- Peter ParkerA revelatory and often hilarious tale of sex, class and manipulation. -- Alexander Larman * The Observer *Daniel Smith tells the story of Boothby, the Krays and Goodman in a rollicking tone that carries conviction and reads well. -- Richard Davenport-Hines * The Times *Daniel Smith explores the conspiracy of silence surrounding Sir Robert Boothby. ... A sensational item or allegation on every page. -- Roger Lewis * The Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe car bomb assassination of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 shocked the European Union and put the world’s spotlight on an island so small that few knew it was an independent country and even fewer could find it on the map. But Caruana Galizia’s death didn’t come as a surprise to those who lived there.Ryan Murdock had visions of living a slow-paced island life on the Mediterranean while writing about his experiences, so in 2011 he moved from Canada to Malta. To the casual visitor, Malta is a sleepy place with sun-soaked shorelines and ancient fortified harbors. Murdock imagined it to be an archipelago island of warm weather, gorgeous views, busy cafes, and grilled fish dinners. On the surface, it was.The six years Murdock spent in Malta revealed an insular culture whose fundamental baseline is amoral familism, a worldview in which any action taken to benefit one’s family or oneself is justifiable, regardless of w

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Book SynopsisA FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024'At a time when democracy feels threatened, Simon Kuper is fighting hard for a better vision of politics - he is brutally honest about our problems but never loses hope that we can build a better democracy' Rory Stewart'An intelligible, compelling and enraging narrative ... how the Good Chaps get away with it' New StatesmanThe 'Good Chaps' theory holds that those who rise to power in the UK can be trusted to follow the rules and do the right thing. They're good chaps, after all. Yet Britain appears to have been taken over by bad chaps, and politics is awash with financial scandals, donors who have practically bought shares in political parties, and a shameless contempt for the rules.Simon Kuper, author of the Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller Chums, exposes how corruption took control of public life, and asks: how can we get politicians to behave like good chaps again?

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Book Synopsis'A witty, lucid investigation into one of the great mysteries of our time' JONATHAN COE‘Should be read and enjoyed by readers on the left, right and centre’ David Edgerton, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT  ________________________________________________Why do British politics so often play out on the Tories’ terms? What does this say about our democracy? In his revelatory book, Samuel Earle explores the roots of the current crisis and the real reasons for the Conservatives’ unsettling success, from their ruling-class origins in the eighteenth century and their disproportionate influence of 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 power oveTrade Review‘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‘Finally, someone has explained why the British electorate behaves like Turkeys voting for Christmas. Sam 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 . . . untangles the riddle of the strange cognitive dissonance between the Tories’ bumbling, destructive political record and their inexplicable electoral success’ -- i-D'Explores the remarkable resilience of the Conservative party, which ought to be of interest to friend and foe alike’ * Spectator *Highly readable. Capably explains two innate Conservative traits that are beyond doubt: an unquenchable lust for power, and a deep belief in stooping to conquer. * Observer *'Not only brilliant but also steers well clear of facile ‘crisis of our politics’ analyses' -- Nesrine Malik, author of 'We Need New Stories'‘A rich, well-written and rewarding book narrated with brio and insight. It should be read and enjoyed by readers on the left, right and centre’ * David Edgerton, TLS *

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Book Synopsis'A shocking, enraging, sometimes hilarious exposé of a tax system that lives down to all our worst fears of further enriching the wealthy at the expense of the little guys.' - Piers Morgan'Very funny (and furious)... By the end of the book you may be spluttering with rage at the injustice of it all. Page after page shows how the rich are exploiting loopholes to reduce their tax bill.... But this is not some crazed figure on the extreme left hoping to bring down the establishment. The book is written by an accountant who has spent his career coming up with the very tax avoidance schemes the super-wealthy use to evade the clutches of HMRC.' - The Telegraph'Funny, clever and really quite brilliant. Taxtopia will make you furiously angry and possibly even filthy rich.' - Tom Peck, The Independent'If you want to know how skewed the system is and how the rich always get richer and stay that way, while you don't, then read this book. Then get angry.' - Patrick Alley, Co-founder of Global Witness and author of Very Bad People'Taxtopia's anonymous author has done the impossible - created a hilarious and deeply troubling expose about how the world's shady tax system is exploited and proves what we always suspected - that our tax system is rigged against us. Read it and weep.' - Geraint Anderson author of City Boy'Would I recommend the book? For readers of Spear's, my answer is 'yes, and it may also be worth going back over some of the more interesting ideas with your accountant' -Spear's'The book is enormously readable ... I would very much recommend reading Taxtopia because it's the most hilarious book about tax I've ever read!' - Siân Pattenden, The BunkerIn TAXTOPIA a rogue accountant breaks ranks to share his journey from clueless naïf to skilled tax consultant -and in doing so blows the lid on the murky world of making the tax burdens of the ultra-wealthy disappear.In the topsy-turvy world of tax avoidance, you can get richer by buying a yacht, the world's biggest exporter of coffee is Switzerland, and billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump and the Duke of Westminster often pay less tax than you do.Written with sharp wit and over-brimming with inside secrets, the anonymous author shows us that not only does the global tax system encourage dubious practice which favours the rich, but that it was specifically founded with that in mind.If you suspect that tax is a rigged game, a con, designed to fleece the little guy, you are about to find out just how shockingly true that really is.Welcome to TAXTOPIA.Trade ReviewI would never ever have believed that a book about accountants could be either compelling or funny but Taxtopia manages both, it is a terrifying and brilliant book. Packed with true stories, many of them hilarious, the Rebel Accountant takes the reader deep inside the accountancy profession's often immoral banality. If you want to know how skewed the system is and how the rich always get richer and stay that way, while you don't, then read this book. Then get angry. -- Patrick Alley, Co-founder of Global Witness and author of Very Bad PeopleTaxtopia's anonymous author has done the impossible - created a hilarious and deeply troubling expose about how the world's shady tax system is exploited and proves what we always suspected - that our tax system is rigged against us. Read it and weep. -- Geraint Anderson author of CITY BOYA shocking, enraging, sometimes hilarious exposé of a tax system that lives down to all our worst fears of further enriching the wealthy at the expense of the little guys. -- Piers MorganVery funny (and furious)... By the end of the book you may be spluttering with rage at the injustice of it all. Page after page shows how the rich are exploiting loopholes to reduce their tax bill.... But this is not some crazed figure on the extreme left hoping to bring down the establishment. The book is written by an accountant who has spent his career coming up with the very tax avoidance schemes the super-wealthy use to evade the clutches of HMRC. * The Telegraph *Would I recommend the book? For readers of Spear's, my answer is 'yes, and it may also be worth going back over some of the more interesting ideas with your accountant * Spear’s *The book is enormously readable ... I would very much recommend reading Taxtopia because it's the most hilarious book about tax I've ever read! * Siân Pattenden, The Bunker *

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Book Synopsis

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