Andrew Rawnsley - End of the Party

PENGUIN BOOKS

THE END OF THE PARTY

The End of the Party has generated headlines around the world. Drawing on hundreds of confidential conversations and interviews, Andrew Rawnsley takes us behind the black door of Number 10 to provide the most authoritative inside account of all the key events from 9/11 and the Iraq War to the financial crisis and the parliamentary expenses scandal. This fully updated edition adds two new chapters and an epilogue which deliver more of the astonishing revelations, vivid character portraits, penetrating insights, acute judgements and sharp wit that readers expect from Britains foremost political commentator and documentary maker. The fresh material covers the 2010 election campaign and Gordon Browns final days in Downing Street to complete the definitive assessment of the rise and fall of New Labour.

Reviewers and commentators across the media spectrum and of all political complexions have acclaimed The End of the Party as a masterpiece.

Praise for The End of the Party :

The most spellbinding book Jon Snow, Channel 4

The best inside account. It vividly charts the savage wars between Tony and Gordon. His fly-on-the wall revelations explore the violent personal clashes that undermined the government at the cost of the governed Trevor Kavanagh, Spectator

The detail is extraordinary Victoria Derbyshire, Radio 5 Live

Excellent Iain Martin, Wall Street Journal

Andrew Rawnsley, the man who single-handedly has reignited interest in the political book The book that brought us the bullygate scandal Nick Ferrari, LBC

Outstanding. Brilliantly reported, beautifully written James Harding, The Times

This is a book with everything. Its got tragedy, its got drama, its got high policy, its got low scandal Mark dArcy, BBC BOOKtalk

Every page is worth savouring. The best political book in years Iain Dale, Total Politics

Andrew Rawnsley is an outstanding journalist of flawless integrity, and youd have to be potty to doubt his portrait. Entertaining illuminating Matthew Norman, Independent

Terrific. Downing Street laid bare. Rawnsley is blessed with superb sources Mark Hennessy, Irish Times

Meticulously researched, authoritative skilful powerful shocking. Rawnsley handles the set-piece crises with aplomb, extracting every smidgen of drama but he is just as effective when analysing a landmark speech or reflecting on a theme. Flourishes of humour abound Christopher Silvester, Express

Engrossing Economist

Devastating. The best history of New Labour yet and unlikely to be bettered any time soon Andrew Neather, Evening Standard

Unreservedly recommended GQ

A compelling read Chris Patten, Observer

Andrew Rawnsley, the New Labour chronicler par excellence Jon Sopel, BBC Campaign Show

Revealing and entertaining. Not many writers have the honour of being attacked by Lord Mandelson personally. For me, this is just more proof that it must be true Ann Treneman, The Times

Coruscating enthralling Robert McCrum, Observer

Stuffed with political plums like a Christmas pudding Sir Christopher Meyer, former British Ambassador in Washington

Fascinating. As fine a piece of contemporary history as his previous magnum opus, Servants of the People Jim Pickard, FT.com

Masterly Derek Wyatt, blogminster

Rawnsleys book is a very good one. Hes a top class political journalist who finds things out and writes them down extremely well. He has excellent sources and I dont doubt what he has written. Nor do I doubt its importance Daniel Finkelstein, The Times

Wealth of detail forensic exposition Ben Brogan, Daily Telegraph

Racy, very readable Richard Ingrams, Independent

Some journalists court controversy wherever they go. Some remain eloquent and cerebral. Andrew Rawnsley manages to achieve both JosephStashko.com

Fiercely denied, but has the ring of truth. The best account of the BlairBrown duopoly Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

What a tale! An extraordinary account backed by meticulous references and sources. Keeps the reader in rapt attention Ruairi Quinn, Irish Independent

Compelling colourful there is no arguing with the quality of his anecdotes utterly convincing portrayal of New Labour in power Andrew Lynch, Sunday Business Post

A brilliant account a sheer delight an invaluable service to the British public and to future historians alike. Rawnsley the British equivalent of the famous US investigative reporter Bob Woodward has earned the trust of key sources without compromising his mission to tell the truth. Almost every page provides a fresh insight or piece of information not previously in the public domain Peter Oborne, Daily Mail

Riveting engrossing devastating detail an operatic tale Robert Harris, Sunday Times

You wont be able to put it down Jeremy Vine, BBC radio and television

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Rawnsley is a multiple-award-winning writer and broadcaster. The associate editor and chief political commentator of the Observer , he has won a string of prestigious prizes for his journalism, including Channel 4 Political Journalist of the Year and What the Papers Say Columnist of the Year. GQ Magazine declared him to be one of Britains top five super-columnists while the Spectator calls him the master chronicler of contemporary politics.

He has made a series of highly acclaimed television documentaries about the governments of Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major as well as presenting such renowned flagship political programmes as BBC Radio 4s The Westminster Hour and Channel 4s A Week in Politics .

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His award-winning and bestselling account of the rise of New Labour and its first term in office, Servants of the People , was published in 2000. TheEnd of the Party became a Number One bestseller in its first week of publication in hardback.

He lives with his wife and daughters in London.

ANDREW RAWNSLEY

PENGUIN BOOKS

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First published by Viking 2010

Published with new material in Penguin Books 2010

Copyright Andrew Rawnsley, 2010

The moral right of the author has been asserted

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