Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, smuggled wine up the Thames with the help of the Navy. Tony Blair confessed that a stiff drink and half a bottle of wine a night had become a helpful crutch while in office. Joseph Stalin flushed out traitors with vodka. The disintegration of Richard Nixon and Boris Yeltsin was largely down to drink. Winston Churchill was famous for his drinking, often taking a whisky and soda first thing in the morning and champagne ritually with dinner.

But why did these politicians drink and what was their tipple of choice? How did drinking shape the decisions they made? Ben Wright, political correspondent for the BBC, explores the history of alcohol within politics, from the debauched drinking practices of eighteenth-century ministers to today, often based on his own experiences supping with politicians in Westminster bars.

With exclusive interviews and in-depth research, Order, Order! uses alcohol as a lens through which to meet a remarkable cast of politicians, to understand their times and discover what drove them to drink. A story of boozy bon viveurs - but with many casualties too - and the complexity of the human condition and the pull of the bottle.

A fascinating and entertaining social history about the influence of alcohol on politics

About the Author

Ben Wright has been the BBC's political correspondent since 2008. After two years leading the political coverage for BBC Breakfast and the One O'Clock News, Wright became the Chief Political Correspondent for Radio 4 in 2012, appearing daily on Today, World at One and PM. He has covered general elections, budgets Presidential visits, Prime Ministerial trips and an expenses scandal.

Reviews

'Like being the only sober guest at an uproarious party' Sunday Times

'A thoroughly enjoyable, comprehensive book' Harry Mount, Times Literary Supplement

'An entertaining history of political drinking' The Times

'Fast-paced and witty... unputdownable' The Lady

'A corker... the dourest of Scots felt obliged to pretend to be a beer drinker, but harboured a private penchant for champagne, and could knock back a glass in one great gulp' Telegraph

'An entertaining book... often funny, though not without sombre appraisals of many curtailed careers and damaged lives' Prospect

'A fascinating account of politics and drink... informative and entertaining' Alistair Campbell

'A breezy, anecdote-rich and instructive survey of booze and politics' The National

'Well researched and breezily told, Wright's book is an enjoyable romp' New Criterion

'Alcohol has always lubricated political life... [Order, Order!] is about the British experience with examples of careers enhanced and destroyed by booze' Keith Simpson MP's Summer Reading List, Total Politics

Book Information
ISBN 9780715651858
Author Ben Wright
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Duckworth
Publisher Duckworth Books