Politics The Art of the Possible in an Age of Unreason

Politics The Art of the Possible in an Age of Unreason Synopsis

Politics by former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is a candid account from the top and bottom of British politics that puts the case for reason in the face of extremes. Politics has changed. In 2010, a hung parliament delivered Britain's first coalition government for more than half a century. Now the rise of nationalist parties has radically altered the balance of power in Westminster: the Conservatives rule with less than a quarter of the eligible vote, a chasm has opened up between Left and Right, and the centre ground is deserted. Nick Clegg knows first-hand the volatile state of modern politics more than anyone else - from his spectacular rise in the 2010 general election, through his tumultuous years as Deputy Prime Minister, to a brutal defeat in 2015. Here he offers a frank and honest account of those experiences in order to tell the inside story of this change and reflect on what it means for our future. Taking us behind the scenes at Downing Street and Whitehall, he shows how the spirit of compromise with which the coalition began was gradually eroded. He writes candidly about his own mistakes - including the controversy around tuition fees - the tense stand-offs within Government, the sometimes bizarre challenges he faced, but he also reveals the extent of his party's achievements during five years of Coalition Government. Throughout, he lifts the lid on the arcane world of Westminster and offers startling insights into the hidden workings of government. Above all, in explaining why he led his party into coalition with the Conservatives, he argues that the survival of progressive politics relies more than ever on an openness to collaboration and compromise, the radical reform of our outdated political system, and the championing of reason in the face of extremes.

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