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  • The Wild Men

  • The Remarkable Story of Britain's First Labour Government
  • By: David Torrance
  • Narrated by: Nathaniel Priestley
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (10 ratings)

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The Wild Men cover art

The Wild Men

By: David Torrance
Narrated by: Nathaniel Priestley
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Summary

The incredible story of the first Labour administration and the 'wild men' who shook up the British establishment.

In 1923, four 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.

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.

©2024 David Torrance (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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Not so wild wild men

I enjoyed the way the author carefully presented all the protagonists in as sympathetic a light as possible.

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Thoroughly researched piece

The research was superb, with loads of details that bought the story to life. It's great to see a focus on a largely ignored topic in British politics

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    4 out of 5 stars

A concise, but deep introduction to overlooked period of British history

Prior to listening to The Wild Men, I hadn't known much about the first Labour government other than it had existed and been brought down by it's (probably unfair) association with the Soviet Union. Torrance manages to sweep away all my assumptions and misunderstanding of this period, without relying on the reader having any significant preexisting knowledge of events. A must read for anyone interested in UK history.

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