All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class
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Narrated by:
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Rupert Farley
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By:
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Tim Shipman
About this listen
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2017
#1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘The best political book of the year’ Andrew Marr
‘A superb work of storytelling and reporting. Sets new benchmark for the writing of contemporary political history’ Guardian
The only book to tell the full story of how and why Britain voted to leave the EU.
This is the acclaimed inside story of the EU referendum in 2016 that takes you behind the scenes of the most extraordinary episode in British politics since the Second World War.
With unparalleled access to all key players, this is a story of calculation, attempted coups and people torn between principles and loyalty. It is a book about our leaders and their closest aides, the decisions they make, how and why they make them and how they feel when they turn out to be so wrong.
In All Out War, Tim Shipman has written a political history that reads like a thriller, exploring how and why David Cameron chose to take the biggest political gamble of his life, and why he lost.
©2016 Tim Shipman (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
‘I can't imagine a more even-handed or better sourced, all points-of-view account of the biggest story in British politics since WWII … A fine book’ ANDREW MARR, Sunday Times
'Shipman's dispatches are a must read if you want to understand what happened beneath the smog and beyond the noise of the conflict’ NICK ROBINSON
‘Shipman is brilliantly qualified to write the inside story of the referendum, with his unrivalled access to all the players’ JOHN RENTOUL
‘One of the best political journalists of his era … It’s impossible to fully comprehend what happened on June 23 and the ensuing two weeks without reading this book … Brilliant’ – IAIN DALE, LBC
‘Shipman’s book is by far the best. It is a detailed, often pitch-perfect account that delivers the tale with an infectious sense of human drama – no mean feat, given the task of completing the whole thing so quickly’ JOHN HARRIS, New Statesman
‘The essential account … Shipman has spoken to every key individual to produce the definitive first draft of history, a comprehensive yet impartial study of how Brexit won’ Financial Times
‘Excellent … Shipman convincingly marshals fresh evidence to prove what we already half-knew’ WILL HUTTON, Observer
‘The best political book of the year was undoubtedly Tim Shipman’s masterly ‘All Out War’’ New Statesman
‘Stonkingly good: if you’re vaguely interested in politics buy it. It won’t be bettered’ FRASER NELSON
‘Thorough, comprehensive and utterly gripping. It is hard to imagine a better first draft of history’ – Economist
‘Undoubtedly the British political book of the year’ ALEX MASSIE
‘Shipman, one of the most brilliant, best informed and well-connected journalists in Westminster, has written a superlative book which does full justice to a momentous time’ PETER OBORNE
‘Don’t think any of the quotes do justice to quite how good it is. A superb work of reporting and storytelling, and sets new benchmark for the writing of contemporary political history’ ANDREW SPARROW
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The chiefs of staff, often referred to as "the gatekeepers", wield tremendous power in Washington and beyond; they decide who is allowed to see the president, negotiate with Congress to push POTUS's agenda, and - most crucially - enjoy unparalleled access to the leader of the free world. Through extensive, intimate interviews with 18 living chiefs (including Reince Priebus) and two former presidents, award-winning journalist and producer Chris Whipple pulls back the curtain on this unique fraternity. In doing so, he revises our understanding of presidential history.
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Interesting, but lacking in political objectivity
- By Stephen Watson on 09-04-17
By: Chris Whipple
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Reagan
- The Life
- By: H. W. Brands
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 31 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Ronald Reagan today is a conservative icon, celebrated for transforming the American domestic agenda and playing a crucial part in ending communism in the Soviet Union. In his masterful new biography, H. W. Brands argues that Reagan, along with FDR, was the most consequential president of the 20th century. Reagan took office at a time when the public sector, after a half century of New Deal liberalism, was widely perceived as bloated and inefficient, an impediment to personal liberty.
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Very little about Reagan
- By Jack Merritt on 07-30-15
By: H. W. Brands
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Believer
- My Forty Years in Politics
- By: David Axelrod
- Narrated by: David Axelrod
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The man behind some of the greatest political changes of the last decade, David Axelrod has devoted a lifetime to questioning political certainties and daring to bring fresh thinking into the political landscape. Whether as a child hearing John F. Kennedy stump in New York or as a strategist guiding the first African American to the White House, Axelrod shows in Believer how his own life stands at the center of the tumultuous American century.
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Love letter to Obama
- By DaWoolf on 03-15-15
By: David Axelrod
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The Briefing
- Politics, the Press, and the President
- By: Sean Spicer
- Narrated by: Sean Spicer
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than two decades, Sean Spicer had been a respected political insider, working as a campaign and communications strategist. But in December 2016, he got the call of a lifetime. President-elect Donald J. Trump had chosen him to be the White House press secretary. And life hasn’t been the same since. When he accepted the job, Spicer was far from a household name. But then he walked into the bright lights of the briefing room, and the cameras started rolling. His every word was scrutinized. Every movement was parodied. Every detail became a meme. And that’s just the public side.
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I did not expect to like this non-fiction book!
- By Wayne on 07-30-18
By: Sean Spicer
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The Center Holds
- Obama and His Enemies
- By: Jonathan Alter
- Narrated by: Jonathan Alter
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies, Jonathan Alter uses his unmatched access and deep knowledge of politics and history to produce the first full account of America at the crossroads. He pierces the bubble of the White House and of the presidential campaigns with exclusive reporting and rare historical insight. More than a campaign book, this is the epic story of an embattled president facing a historic moment he considered more pivotal than 2008.
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The Best Telling of the 2012 Campaign So Far
- By Mike on 06-11-13
By: Jonathan Alter
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Roosevelt's Second Act
- The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War
- By: Richard Moe
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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On August 31, 1939, nearing the end of his second and presumably final term in office, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was working in the Oval Office and contemplating construction of his presidential library and planning retirement. The next day German tanks had crossed the Polish border; Britain and France had declared war. Overnight the world had changed, and FDR found himself being forced to consider a dramatically different set of circumstances.
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Puts listener in the moment.
- By Jake on 05-16-14
By: Richard Moe
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A Journey
- My Political Life
- By: Tony Blair
- Narrated by: Tony Blair
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Abridged
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This is Tony Blair’s firsthand account of his years in office and beyond. Here he describes for the first time his role in shaping our recent history, from the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death to the war on terror. He reveals the decisions necessary to reinvent his party, the relationships with colleagues including Gordon Brown, the negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland, the implementation of the biggest reforms to public services in Britain since 1945, and his relationships with leaders on the world stage.
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History can only ever be accepted judgments
- By W. J. Young on 09-14-10
By: Tony Blair
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The Red and the Blue
- The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism
- By: Steve Kornacki
- Narrated by: Steve Kornacki, Ron Butler
- Length: 17 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Red and the Blue, cable news star and acclaimed journalist Steve Kornacki follows the twin paths of Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, two larger-than-life politicians who exploited the weakened structure of their respective parties to attain the highest offices. For Clinton, that meant contorting himself around the various factions of the Democratic party to win the presidency. Gingrich employed a scorched-earth strategy to upend the permanent Republican minority in the House, making him speaker.
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Simply marvelous
- By Hector Gonzalez on 10-04-18
By: Steve Kornacki
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The Quiet Man
- The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush
- By: John H. Sununu
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In this unique insider account, John H. Sununu pays tribute to his former boss - an intelligent, thoughtful, modest leader - and his overlooked accomplishments. Though George H. W. Bush is remembered for orchestrating one of the largest and most successful military campaigns in history - the Gulf War - Sununu argues that conventional wisdom misses many of Bush's other great achievements.
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Outstanding Biograpy
- By Warren Brookes on 07-25-15
By: John H. Sununu
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The Netanyahu Years
- Translated by Ora Cummings
- By: Ben Caspit
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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A portrait of the current Israeli prime minister, one of Israel's more noticeable leaders in recent decades. Benjamin Netanyahu is currently serving his fourth term in office as prime minister of Israel, the longest serving prime minister in the country's history. Now Israeli journalist Ben Caspit puts Netanyahu's life under a magnifying glass, focusing on his last two terms in office.
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weak
- By kay on 06-11-18
By: Ben Caspit
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Camelot's End
- Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight That Broke the Democratic Party
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Carter presidency was on life support. The Democrats, desperate to keep power and yearning to resurrect former glory, turned to Ted Kennedy. Camelot's End details the incredible drama of Kennedy's challenge - what led to it, how it unfolded, and its lasting effects - with cinematic sweep. It is a story about what happened to the Democratic Party when the country's long string of successes, luck, and global dominance following World War II ran its course, and how, on a quest to recapture the magic of JFK, Democrats plunged themselves into an intra-party civil war.
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Does character count in political office?
- By marwalk on 07-29-19
By: Jon Ward
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LBJ's 1968
- Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America's Year of Upheaval
- By: Kyle Longley
- Narrated by: Paul Brion
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Kyle Longley leads his listeners on a behind-the-scenes tour of what Johnson characterized as the 'year of a continuous nightmare'. Longley explores how LBJ perceived the most significant events of 1968, including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
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Worst year in my lifetime - LBJ tragedy of his own making - but not according to this Author.
- By charles wartelle on 05-17-19
By: Kyle Longley
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Whistlestop
- My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History
- By: John Dickerson
- Narrated by: John Dickerson
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Whistlestop tells the human story of nervous gambits hatched in first-floor hotel rooms, failures of will before the microphone, and the cross-country crack-ups of long-planned stratagems. At the bar at the end of a campaign day, these are the stories reporters rehash for themselves and embellish for newcomers. In addition to the familiar tales, Whistlestop also remembers the forgotten stories about the bruising and reckless campaigns of the 19th century.
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Lovers of the podcast this is ultimate fix!
- By killerqueen on 09-06-16
By: John Dickerson
What listeners say about All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-21-20
one for the ages
It is rare that so soon after any overtly political event a detailed reconstruction of it becomes available .
This book covers Brexit from the point of view of the elite of British society. It does not hide that fact.
What it does hide, from my prospective anyway, is a detailed description of how and why it happened to a foreign reader.
I have been interested in UK politics for a long time so determine for yourself if you agree.
The book was well written and narrated. My only suggestion to a totally new reader would be to use a website you respect to look up basic UK political terms. This book does a good job of that but to enjoy it fully I would take my suggestion. Thirty-two hours seems like a long time to read but I found it extremely captivating and well worth the credit I used. I couldn't recommend this book more for anyone interested in politics at any level.
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- Shane Whaley
- 09-06-22
Expertly written and superbly narrated.
Tim Shipman’s All Out War promises to tell us the ‘full story of how and why Britain voted to leave the EU’ and how that vote ‘shattered the political status quo.’ This book intrigued me because at the time of the referendum I was living in the USA, so even though as a Brit I was able to vote, I felt divorced from the day-to-day of the Brexit campaign.
Do not be scared off by the mammoth 32 hours of listening. The book is vividly brought to life by narrator Rupert Farley. He cleverly mimics the voices of many of the major players involved but just enough so as not to make this a parody. His narration coupled with Shipman’s accessible style of writing, made the hours fly by.
Tim Shipman is one of the most well-connected hacks in Westminster, and he proves it in this book delivering a behind the scenes look at both the leave and in campaigns. We are treated to many discussions and events that took place behind closed doors. In All Out War Shipman transforms the reader into a fly on the wall of the offices and halls of Westminster where much of this book take place.
Political writing can often be biassed, what makes All Out War such an engaging listen/read, is the even-handedness in which Shipman treats Brexit, a very controversial and emotional topic that divided the country. He does not allow his own feelings on Brexit to influence the story, I could not tell you if he was a leaver or remainer, so top marks to the author for that.
Shipman also has a knack for writing in a style that makes All Out War accessible to everyone and not just those who are involved in politics or hold a political science degree.
I would often stay up way past my bedtime as I wanted to know what happened next, sometimes I would have to remind myself that this is a true account rather than a fictional political thriller, that’s how talented Shipman is at creating a narrative based on his many sources and helping us to understand the political dynamics that were going on during Brexit.
My only word of caution is for non Brits who might want to Google or search YouTube for many of the politicians referenced in All Out War to understand the personalities and background of each player. I found myself tracking down some of the speeches and interviews referred to in the book on YouTube. Knowing the backstory made these videos even more intriguing to watch.
All Out War satisfied my thirst for knowledge about what really happened during the Brexit campaign and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each campaign team on either side of the argument. This book will stand the test of time and I expect it will be read by future generations seeking to understand what the heck happened! I am still very angry at the referendum result though All Out War has helped me to understand why many people voted leave (it wasn’t just immigration) and the weaknesses in the In campaign.
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- Christian R. Unger
- 11-22-18
blow by blow, word by word
Unless you know 10% of the names this won't mean offer much. And, probably, knowing that many is more confusing. This is literally a blow by blow account of what happened and what was said. There is a lot of depth here, but unlike titles on historic events who truly matters is far from settled.
This leads to the contrapoint, what happens is very confusing. It feels distinctly like being in the weeds, so as a non-British person I don't think this title is for me ... yet. If I knew all the players, maybe after another book, maybe. But even then, I rarely like blow by blow.
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1 person found this helpful