The Wild Men: The Remarkable Story of Britain's First Labour Government -- A Waterstones Book of the Year 2024
David Torrance
Jan 2024 · Bloomsbury GB Audio · Narrated by Nathaniel Priestley
headphones
Audiobook
9 hr 39 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 15 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
Bloomsbury presents The Wild Men by David Torrance, read by Nathaniel Priestley.
A century ago a Labour government took power for the first time, meet the Wild Men who led the way...
'Thoroughly researched... brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.' – Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph
'A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.' – John McTernan, Financial Times
'A meticulously researched collective biography.' – Andrew Marr, New Statesman
'Superb' — New Statesman 'Fascinating' — The Sunday Times
In 1923, five short years since the end of the First World War, and after the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote, an inconclusive election result and the prospect of a constitutional crisis opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster. Who were these ‘wild men’? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour’s first Prime Minster, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner. Never before had men from such backgrounds occupied the corridors of power in Westminster.
The Wild Men tells the story of that first Labour administration – its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall – through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK’s first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War – and how the establishment eventually fought back.
This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.
A century ago a Labour government took power for the first time, meet the Wild Men who led the way...
'Thoroughly researched... brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.' – Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph
'A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.' – John McTernan, Financial Times
'A meticulously researched collective biography.' – Andrew Marr, New Statesman
'Superb' — New Statesman 'Fascinating' — The Sunday Times
In 1923, five short years since the end of the First World War, and after the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote, an inconclusive election result and the prospect of a constitutional crisis opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster. Who were these ‘wild men’? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour’s first Prime Minster, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner. Never before had men from such backgrounds occupied the corridors of power in Westminster.
The Wild Men tells the story of that first Labour administration – its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall – through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK’s first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War – and how the establishment eventually fought back.
This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.
Bloomsbury presents The Wild Men by David Torrance, read by Nathaniel Priestley.
A century ago a Labour government took power for the first time, meet the Wild Men who led the way...
'Thoroughly researched... brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.' – Simon Heffe...
Discover more
About the author
David Torrance is a constitutional specialist at the House of Commons Library and a widely published historian of Scottish and UK politics. He has written unauthorised biographies of SNP politicians Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, as well as the biography of David Steel.
David Torrance is a constitutional specialist at the House of Commons Library and a widely published historian of Scottish and UK politics. He has written unauthorised biographies of SNP politicians Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, as well as the biography of David Steel.
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
