The Bonfire of the Insanities

How Does This Government Thing Work Again?

By: John Crace

Narrated by: George Weightman

A new serving of satire from bestselling author and beloved Guardian columnist John Crace.

'I lap up everything John Crace writes gratefully: I love his cleverness, his wit, and his heart.' NIGELLA LAWSON

It ended as it began. With Downing Street under grey leaden skies. Someone's idea of a cosmic joke. Only this time the rain had eased to a light drizzle rather than a torrential downpour. If you're a Tory, you take your blessings where you find them on days like these.

After fourteen years of Tory rule, John Crace has seen it all: a bucket-load of sleaze and scandals, myriad questionable policy decisions, and an ever-revolving door of impressive* candidates trying to get themselves to the top of a sinking ship.

With a bumpy start, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and the Labour Party have taken the reins while Kemi Badenoch and the Tories slink off to regroup in opposition. Many proclaim that the United Kingdom's political landscape has changed - but are those fabled sunlit uplands finally in view? Selected from Crace's much-loved Guardian column, The Bonfire of the Insanities lights up a new chapter of governmental absurdity with mordant wit and caustic humour.

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©2025 John Crace (P)2025 Guardian Faber Publishing