Tory Boy: Memoirs of the Last Conservative

(Paperback)

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'An entertaining, wide-ranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world . . . suffused with generosity and wit' Catholic Herald

Brought up by eccentric intellectuals, Ed West experienced what he believed was a fairly normal childhood of political pamphlets as bedtime reading, family holidays to East Germany and a father who was one political step away from advocating the return of serfdom. In his mid-twenties, West found himself embracing a mindset usually acquired alongside a realisation that all music post-1955 is garbage, agreeing with everything said in the Telegraph and all the other bad things people get in middle age. This is his journey to becoming a real-life Tory boy.

Forgoing the typically tedious and shouty tone of the Right, West provides that rare gem of a conservative book - one that people of any political alignment can read, if only to laugh at West's gallows humour and dry wit. Crammed with self-deprecating anecdotes and enlightening political insights, Tory Boy discloses a life shaped by politics and the realisation that perhaps this obsession does more harm than good.

'Anyone - liberal, conservative, whatever - would enjoy [this book]. It is full of the most fascinating facts, all mixed in with Ed's inimitable displays of self-mockery' Tom Holland

'A self-deprecating and often hilarious memoir of a born conservative watching the world go wrong. Sprinkled with gallows humour, like a political version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch' The Critic

Reviews

Most enjoyable * John Rentoul *
A self-deprecating and often hilarious memoir of a born conservative watching the world go wrong. Sprinkled with gallows humour, like a political version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch or a humorous version of John O'Farrell's Things Can Only Get Better, it is also crammed with history, political philosophy and social science . . . Behind the dry wit and self-mockery, [West] has something important to say * The Critic *
Funny and thoughtful * Sam Leith *
An entertaining, wide-ranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world. Alongside some fine knockabout polemic, there is a colourful and lively account of the development of conservatism as a coherent tradition, and a good deal of amusing memoir showing the development of West's worldview . . . West's undoubtedly robust conservatism is nevertheless suffused with generosity and wit. Small Men is not only full of self-deprecating asides but is laugh-out-loud funny * Catholic Herald *
Insightful, poignant and at times hilarious * The Times *
Highly entertaining . . . an enjoyable history of conservative thought * Mail on Sunday *
Anyone - liberal, conservative, whatever - would enjoy Ed West's Small Men on the Wrong Side of History. It is full of the most fascinating facts, all mixed in with Ed's inimitable displays of self-mockery * Tom Holland *
Funny, candid, wise and prophetic * Colin Brazier *

Author Bio

Ed West is a regular for the Spectator and has written for a range of publications including Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Week, Guardian, and many more. He is the only person to have worked for both a lad's mag and Catholic Herald, a record he is likely to hang onto for some time. Although this book is the product of several years of reading polemics, political philosophy and even evolutionary psychology, the real inspiration is his favourite book of all time, Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, which turned a hobby and obsession many found odd and distasteful and made it human and humorous.