Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over the UK by Simon Kuper - Non Fiction - Paperback

Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781788167390
Publisher: Profile Books

Overview
Chums is Simon Kuper's acclaimed investigation into how a small, privileged circle of Oxford University contemporaries came to dominate British politics. A Sunday Times bestseller and Times Best Book of the Year, it traces the friendships, rivalries and shared worldview forged in Oxford's debating halls through to Westminster. Sharp, witty and meticulously researched, this paperback edition includes a new chapter examining the end of the "chumocracy" era and the rising Oxford elite set to shape Britain by 2050.

About the Book
In Chums, journalist and author Simon Kuper turns his attention to one of the most consequential stories in modern British politics: the extraordinary dominance of Oxford University alumni at the very top of government. Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, David Cameron, George Osborne, Theresa May, Dominic Cummings, Daniel Hannan and Jacob Rees-Mogg all passed through the same narrow world of Oxford tutorials, student unions and society dinners, and brought the habits, rivalries and friendships formed there onto the national stage. Thirteen of the last seventeen postwar British prime ministers attended Oxford, and Kuper argues that this narrowest of talent pools shaped not just the personalities but the very character of modern British politics, including the road to Brexit.

Drawing on deep reporting and his own experience of the university, Kuper shows how student politics, debating chamber theatrics and a culture that treated governing as a game fed directly into decisions that reshaped the country. This edition includes a new chapter on the decline of the old "chumocracy" and who among today's Oxford students might form Britain's next governing elite, offering both a damning critique and an entertaining read.

• Sunday Times Bestseller and a Times Best Book of the Year
• Written by acclaimed Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper
• Includes a brand new chapter on Oxford's next generation of political leaders
• Combines serious political analysis with sharp, readable wit
• Brand new paperback copy, ideal for politics enthusiasts and gift-giving
• Offers essential context for understanding modern British politics and Brexit

About the Author
Simon Kuper is a British author and journalist who writes for the Financial Times. Born in Uganda to South African parents in 1969, he grew up across several countries before studying history at Oxford University and later attending Harvard. He is the author of several acclaimed books on politics, football and society, and his sharp, well-researched journalism has earned him a reputation as one of Britain's most insightful commentators on power and privilege.

Why You'll Love This Book
Chums is a compulsively readable, eye-opening account of how one small circle of university friends came to run Britain. Essential reading for anyone interested in politics, power and the real story behind Brexit and beyond.

Please Note: Cover design and edition may vary slightly from the image shown, but this listing is for the UK edition with the ISBN stated above, dispatched promptly from the UK.