Haven't You Heard: Gossip, Politics and Power

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In Haven't You Heard..., Marie Le Conte looks at the role gossip plays in all areas of politics - for the people in positions of power, the press who have most of the control, and how the internet has changed everything. From policy rows which aren't about policy at all and boozy nights with dramatic consequences, to people spinning their way to the top and media quid pro quos veering into blackmail, she will set out in great and entertaining detail how politics really works.

Through interviews with over 80 MPs, peers, former ministers, senior civil servants, newspaper editors, lobby correspondents, No. 10 political advisers, lobbyists, academics, and everyone in between, Haven't You Heard... explores why Westminster can seem so dysfunctional, why it often is, and why it shouldn't be any other way.

If you've ever wondered why 'rising star' MPs seemingly rise out of nowhere, how journalists decide who to tip for parties' leadership, why the indiscretions of some politicians make the front pages while others' don't, whether the civil service is as dull as it seems, and how the whips get to know everything, your questions will be answered in this brilliant book.

Reviews

'A romp through Westminster chit chat and how facts, rumour and mischief-making become the news we all obsess over' * Tim Shipman *
'Not just eye-opening but eye-popping, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. An essential read for anyone considering a career in politics and rollicking good fun for those of us already here.' * Emily Thornberry *
'The personal truly is political in politics. Amazingly, Westminster pub gossip really can become public policy. Marie wittily pulls back the curtain on this odd, disproportionately powerful postcode and invites you in with a fag and a pint. You're going to need it.' * Emma Barnett, BBC Newsnight *
'Marie Le Conte has so entertainingly and charmingly got inside the Westminster bubble and its workings that they haven't even noticed her doing it. When they read it, they'll laugh - and then (at least some of them) will cry.' * James Ball, author of Post-Truth: How Bullshit Conquered the World *
'Salacious, shocking, and hilarious in equal measure, Marie Le Conte delivers the juiciest gossip with driest wit. Read it!' * Ralf Little *
Le Conte has produced a vivid romp through the noisy landscape and a study of why the incessant chatter that fills its tearooms and corridors matters... [She] delves beyond the obvious groups of showboating politicians and self-important journalists to reveal the quiet power of Parliament's clerks, doorkeepers, librarians, the people who have seen and heard it all, observing generation after generation. By exposing the multi-layered madness, she provides a genuine public service in giving a coherent explanation of Westminster's incoherent structures. * Laura Kuenssberg, British Journalism Review *
A witty demystification of the workings of the Westminster village -- Viv Groskop, author of How to Own the Room
The funniest political book of the year * i Newspaper *

Author Bio

Marie Le Conte is a French-Moroccan political journalist based in London. She grew up in Nantes then moved to the UK to study journalism at the University of Westminster. After graduating, Marie worked at a range of publications, including the Evening Standard as a political diarist and BuzzFeed News as media and politics correspondent, where she broke stories including Nigel Farage's meeting with Julian Assange, and Vote Leave's donations to Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes.

Since leaving BuzzFeed in 2017, she has written for the New Statesman, Prospect, the Sunday Times, the Guardian and others, and has appeared on the Today programme, Newsnight, BBC News, Daily Politics, and many others. Her reporting has been cited in the House of Lords, and she was named one of ForbesEurope's 30 Under 30 in 2018.